Currently in my box of WATER BASED body painting supplies:
* Ben Nye MagiColor Liquid Paint
* Ben Nye Final Seal (Gives smudge and water resistance to the paint.)
* Ben Nye HydraCleanse (Body paint remover.)
* Application sponges (Cut one up for doing detail work.)
* A small tray for loading the sponge with body paint.)
* Lipstick (Body paint will NOT stay on your lips!)
* Eyeliner (For the inside edges of eyelids, especially the bottom.)
* Eyebrow brush (For getting extra body paint off the eyebrows.)
* Eyeshadow (Body paint comes off creases in eyelids.)
* Nail polish (Body paint won't stick to nails, but it sticks to polish!)
* Colored contact lenses (For an exotic look!)
* Hair net made for under wigs (Keeps hair up, and protects it.)
* Air compressor and airbrush
* Plastic house painter's dropcloth (To keep the floor drip free.)
* 15" box fan with an air conditioner filter taped to the side to catch paint overspray.
If you are going to paint your hands or feet, give your nails a coat of nail polish that is similar in color to the paint you will be using. Be sure to give it time to dry completely before you do your body paint. I usually paint my nails the night before I wear my costume, so I don’t have to worry about a last minute rush.
If you wear contacts, be sure to put them in BEFORE you start applying the body paint. Your hands will be covered in paint once you start, and you really don’t want to worry about getting paint into your eyes!
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Sponge Application Technique
Here is the painting technique I use when I don't have access to an airbrush:
Give your skin a light coat of Final Seal with a fine mist spray bottle. Spray it carefully; it will stay tacky and cause problems if you make it too thick or if it runs. The Final Seal serves as a foundation for the body paint, and will protect the paint from sweat and the oils in your skin.
After the Final Seal has dried (a hairdryer speeds up the process), you can begin sponging on the body paint. I use the liquid kind. It is MUCH faster and easier than the cake type of makeup, and isn't splotchy afterwards. I have found that it works best to first sponge on a very thin coat of paint. It will be uneven and your skin color will show through... but it's just the base coat. Let that coat dry, (you can use the blow dryer again) and then sponge on a second thin layer of body paint, being careful not to wipe off the first layer in the process. This second layer will even out the color. Do NOT make the paint too thick. If you do, it will crack and flake off. Thin layers are very important! If the sponge keeps taking off the paint from high areas (such as the collarbone), just stipple the paint instead of spreading it in those areas.
Once you've finished giving everything an even coating of paint, give yourself an inspection. You'll probably find places where you accidentally messed up the makeup while painting somewhere else, and a few places such as the inner elbows, armpits, and your neck where your skin wrinkled while you were bending and messed up the paint. Touch up those areas, then let the paint dry, and then give all of the paint a light spray coating of Final Seal. This will help the body paint become water and smudge resistant. It's not perfect, though... so you'll have to be careful. Don't scratch, don't rub against anything too hard, and if you have to blow your nose... plan on having to repaint it afterwards.
Make sure you make a small paint repair kit to carry with you. I use a small ziplock
bag containing a contact lens case with paint in both cups, and a few q-
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Airbrush Application Technique
Here is the painting technique I use when I do have an airbrush:
An airbrush works VERY well for applying body paint, and gives a thin, even coating. It leaves an overspray mess, however, so be sure to cover the entire floor area with a plastic drop cloth. You don't see the overspray settling while you're working... but when you're all finished, you'll notice a fine coating of color all over EVERYTHING around you. It helps to place a fan near your work area and tape an air conditioner filter over one side. The filter will catch a great deal of the overspray... protecting the bathroom AND your lungs!
First, use the airbrush to apply a coat of Final Seal, and let it dry. Then, use a sponge to apply the first light coat of paint. This saves a lot of time and overspray! It also helps to press thousands of tiny little hairs down so they lay flat against your skin. Without this step, the hairs all stick straight up and collect a thick layer of airbrushed paint. You end up feeling like a cactus!
Let the layer of sponged paint dry, and then use the airbrush to apply a LIGHT second coat of paint which has been mixed with 10% Final Seal. The airbrush will do a wonderful job of evening out the color without making the paint too thick. If you want, you can put another very light coat of Final Seal over the second layer of paint. And, that's it! Aside from the places where your clothes hems rub against the paint and places where your skin creases a lot, it should stay on for hours!
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Paint Removal
When it's time to take the paint off, climb in the shower, soak a washcloth (preferably one you don't mind staining) with HydraCleanse or lather up some soap, and wipe the makeup off. Don't scrub... you'll just irritate your skin. It also works very well to use a "scruncy" type nylon scrubber and a good soap lather. Continue wiping gently until you're sure that you've gotten ALL of the paint off. Then, prepare yourself for when your family starts to giggle and point at the paint splotches that you missed, like in your belly button, the middle of your back, the underside of your chin, the back of your arms....