Tag: Halloween

How to Choose Body Paint and Makeup for DIY Halloween Costumes

Halloween is the perfect time to try out body painting and character makeup. Whether you’re buying makeup online, going to a store, or using what you already have, below are some product ideas and answers to the common questions I get asked.

This post is intended for beginners and people new to body painting who don’t already have a makeup kit or products. Check out my resources page for links to some of the other specific products I have in my kit.

This post contains affiliate links. That means I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking the link.

Jump to the section you need:

Body Paint Product Ideas for Specific Looks:

Collage of Halloween costumes and body paint: Avatar, Ursula, IT clown, Maleficent, She-Hulk, Flying Monkey, Sugar Skull

Please note that these are not the exact products I use when I’m doing my own or someone else’s makeup. These ideas are based on what I think is easiest to apply for a beginner, most cost-effective, or requires the least amount of tools.

Sillyfarm Face and Body Paint Supplies also has some pre-made kits for specific looks. Get 10% off your order with my referral link.

Body Paint Products Based on Your Needs:

What’s the easiest for beginners?

Have sensitive skin?

  • Check out water-based Mehron Paradise AQ Body Paint. This product is infused with skin soothing ingredients including Aloe, Vitamin E, Cucumber, Lemongrass, and Avocado. As with any cosmetic product, do a swatch test on your skin before applying it everywhere. This is one of the brands in my professional kit.
  • Check out water-based Cameleon Face and Body Paint. This is the brand of paint I use when I teach Paint Your Date class and it’s one of the brands in my professional kit.

Do you like working with pressed powder makeup, like eyeshadow?

  • Check out Mehron StarBlends for vibrant colors.
  • Use regular eyeshadow! It’s amazing what you can accomplish with standard eyeshadow you might already have.

Need it water- and/or sweat-resistant?

  • For sweat-resistant, try a cream-based makeup, such as Mehron Clown White, and set with a setting powder to make it smudge-proof, like Mehron ColorSet Powder. There’s a Joker-like clown makeup kit from Mehron that is cream-based. This is the type of paint that Cirque du Soleil performers wear. It’s also often what people find at Halloween pop-up stores. Using a setting powder is KEY for it to be smudge-proof and not greasy. I usually see people use cream-based on their face, not all over their body. (Re. water-resistant: I don’t have as much experience with cream-based and water. My experience is with alcohol-based hybrid airbrush paints).
  • For water-resistant and sweat-resistant, use alcohol-based hybrid paints, such as ProAiir Hybrid Airbrush Body Paint, and apply with a body paint sponge (I usually cut it in half), kabuki brush, or Iwata-Medea Eclipse Airbrush. I typically only apply it with airbrush as it gives the most even application. (Note: ProAiir is lightly scented like green apple)

I want to be metallic gold or silver or bronze.

I need body glitter!Biodegradable Glitter mix in iridescent gold for body painting and face painting and festivals.

I need to glue on fake ears or a nose, what should I use?

  • For a step up from spirit glue, use Pros-aide adhesive and adhesive remover. Apply it with a disposable applicator, such as a cotton swab. This is seriously sticky stuff, so don’t get it in your hair and don’t try to just pull it off at the end of the night! Use Pros-aide remover or 99% alcohol.
    • How to apply Pros-aide: Pros-aide is a contact cement, so you have to put it on both the prosthetic and your skin, then let it dry for best adhesion. Apply the glue to the prosthetic and to the place on your skin and then let it dry! It will be clear when dry. Once it’s dry, attach the prosthetic. Do it carefully because it’s hard to adjust once it’s stuck down. Use a setting powder or translucent powder on any sticky areas that are exposed.

How do I make sure it doesn’t rub off?


Well, it depends on what you’re doing. Keep in mind that friction is the enemy of body paint. So the places where the body paint meets clothing is where you’ll see it rub off first. Here are some things you can do to make it last longer:

  • For water-based:
    • Add Mehron Mixing Liquid to the water you use to activate the paints. I just eyeball it, but it might be approx 1:5 (Ex: 1 part mixing medium to 5 parts water). If it seems sticky on your skin, add more water to the dish.
    • Spray Mehron Barrier Spray on at the end as a final sealant. This acts like hairspray and helps hold the paint in place.
  • For alcohol-based hybrid paint:
  • For cream-based makeup:

Tools and Supplies for Body Painting

How much paint do I need?

What tools do I need?

Skin Prep and Paint Removal

How do I prepare my skin?

  • Avoid applying heavy lotions, oils, or creams before applying water-based or alcohol-based makeup. It will make it harder for the paint to stick to your skin.
  • Hydrate the night before by drinking water and moisturizing.

Will it stain my skin?

  • It depends. Everyone’s skin is different. If yours it dry, it might stain but it usually only lasts a day and comes off after a few washings.
  • If you’re concerned about your face being stained, use Marly Skin Prep on your skin before you apply paint.

How do I get the paint off?

For water-based:

For alcohol-based:

  • Makeup wipe or waterproof makeup remover like Garnier Micellar Water for Waterproof Makeup for sensitive area around the eyes and on face. 
  • Rub liquid soap (castile soap, dish soap) all over paint before getting wet. Make it muddy.
  • Then rinse off in shower. Repeat if needed.
  • For stubborn areas of paint, 91% alcohol, baby oil, coconut oil, or waterproof make-up remover.

For cream-based:

  • Makeup wipe or remover
  • Cream-based makeup remover like Pond’s.

Where to Buy Body Paint and SFX Products

screenshot of Breanna Cooke's Amazon storefront

Where can I buy this online?

I’m in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, TX. Where can I buy this stuff?

Is there something I missed? Let me know!

Check out my resources page for even more products I use.

If you live in Dallas, TX, you can also book a Halloween appointment with me.

Book a Halloween Appointment

Photo of Breanna painted as Ursula with text box with blog title "How to choose body paint and makeup for DIY Halloween costumes"

How To Make Maleficent Horns

Maleficent hornsNeed Maleficent horns ASAP for Halloween? Here’s how I made a headpiece, inspired by the 2014 movie version of Maleficent. I made these pretty quickly so the process isn’t documented as well as I would have liked, but hopefully you’ll find some useful tidbits!

You will need:

  • Craft foam
  • Electrical tape
  • Reticulated foam (upholstery foam or styrofoam could work too)
  • Black faux snakeskin or pleather fabric
  • Tin foil and duct tape (for the helmet template)
  • Utility knife
  • X-acto knife
  • Scissors
  • Contact cement
  • Paper and sharpie (for the helmet and horn template)

1. Make a helmet with craft foam.

I learned out to make this helmet from Evil Ted Smith’s Youtube tutorial. Watch his video to learn how to make a helmet template that fits your head. Instead of using thick EVA foam, I used craft foam for a more flexible headpiece. I was a bit rushed so the seams aren’t as smooth and rounded as they could be.

2. Draw a horn template, trace it onto reticulated foam, and carve it out.

BreannaCooke_MaleficentHorns_0009_mergedDraw a horn shape on paper. If you need a template, check out my Maleficent Horn Printable Template digital download. Cut the paper template out, then trace it onto a block of reticulated foam or upholstery foam. Remember to trace out the horn twice.

Then carve the horn out of the foam with a utility knife or with scissors. Make sure the blade is sharp. Compare your horns with each other to be sure you’re getting the right shape. You can find upholstery foam at most fabric stores. Reticulated foam is often used as padding in packaging so you might need to hunt around for some.

Horns made from upholstery foam being glued together with liquid latexIf your foam is not thick enough, glue two sheets together with rubber cement or liquid latex.

Use scissors or a box cutter to shape the horns Use scissors or a box cutter to shape the horns, as if you are whittling a piece of wood. As you work on the second horn, compare it to the first one to be sure they are the same shape.

3. Cover the horns with electrical tape.

BreannaCooke_MaleficentHorns_tapeI used electrical tape to create the horn ridges. Instead of wrapping the electrical tape around in a spiral, I cut each piece individually. Fold over the top edge of the tape to achieve the ridged effect. For a more realistic-looking horn, you can make the ridges with paper towels and liquid latex. Check out my demon horn tutorial over at Make Magazine that outlines those steps in detail.

4. Glue snakeskin fabric on the front of the headpiece.

BreannaCooke_MaleficentHorns_0001 copyUse contact cement to apply the fabric to the front and fold it under the front edge.

5. Glue horns on and cover the helmet with electrical tape.

BreannaCooke_MaleficentHorns_0008Glue the horns on with contact cement. To cover the rest of the helmet with tape, start at the base of the horns and weave your pieces of electrical tape around the helmet. I cut shorter pieces instead of trying to wrap long pieces all the way around. Continue to fold the top edge of the tape over to achieve ridges all the way down.

6. Go be fierce!

BCooke_DHB2014_0018

 

 

Need a Maleficent cloak and collar?

Breanna Cooke as Maleficent | Photo by Alan Tijerina

Check out my (very hastily made) cloak using a graduation gown as the base and craft foam with wire to make the collar. I’ve outlined the materials and steps here in this blog post.

Need makeup product ideas?

Visit my Amazon Storefront for some makeup and body paint product recommendations.

Shop Makeup Supplies on Amazon

Fiery Phoenix Costume

BCooke_10-2012_BreannaThePhoenix_10022

My Halloween costume was a mythological phoenix, the colorful red and gold bird that bursts into flames and is reborn from its own ashes. This costume consumed all my free time in September and October, but I’m really pleased with the result! I’ve posted these instructions on Instructables.com too!

Bodysuit:

– 1 white full body unitard (Bal Togs brand)
– Jaquard brand fabric paints – 2.25fl oz size
– Lumiere line (2 crimson, 2 gold, 2 burgundy, 1 burnt orange)
– Neopaque line (2 yellow, 2 gold yellow, 2 red, 1 black)
– paint brushes
– 1 iron (for heat setting)
– 1 mannequin to hold your bodysuit’s shape

How-to Paint the Body Suit:

Plan out your design, then start painting! This design took me at least 40 hours to complete. Having a mannequin is crucial for holding the body suit in the stretched position. The body suit is made primarily from nylon, so I chose Jaquard paints because they were one of the few that list nylon as a suitable base. If your body suit is made from a different fabric, you may want to investigate a different brand of paint or do a test sample. After the body suit is dry, flip it all inside out and iron it with the correct setting for the fabric. I placed towels in the legs and arms so the designs weren’t pressed together under the heat.

Bird Feet Boots:


– 1 pair of boots
– 1 inch thick green high-density foam (sold a fabric stores for seat cushions)
– white craft glue
– scissors
– 6 fake bear claws
– black or brown acrylic paint
– 16oz liquid latex
– foam brushes
– fabric paints for painting the boots to match (leftover from body suit)
– paint brushes
– Hot glue and gun OR Liquid Nails perfect glue

How-to Create Bird Feet Boots:

Using craft glue, stick together pieces of foam so that they are wide enough for a toe (about 3 inches wide). Shape the foam with scissors so that it is rounded and toe-like (repeat 5 more times). Cut out an insert for the claw, but don’t glue the claw in yet. Paint the green foam with acrylic paint so it matches the boots. Using the foam brushes, paint the toes and boots with liquid latex. Be sure to follow the instructions on the liquid latex. Once the latex is dry, glue in the claws. Then paint the boots to match your costume. I used fabric paints since they would match the body suit even though they’re not the perfect paint for sticking to latex (and I’m not sure what is).

Headpiece:


– 2 4’x4′ pieces of polyethylene foam
– hot glue and gun
– 1 red and 1 gold spray paint
– 2-3 sheets of kids thin craft foam
– acrylic and fabric paints (leftover from body suit)
– paint brushes

How to Create Foam Headpiece:

Create paper patterns of each spiral piece and cut them out of polyethylene foam. Glue the pieces together with hot glue so that the flat sides are together and there’s a space for your head. It’s almost like making a helmet. Cut out pieces of the thin craft foam for the beak and side “feathers” and glue on with hot glue. Give the entire headpiece a base coat with spray paint, then add accents of color with acrylic paint and any leftover fabric paint.

Wings:

BCooke_10-2012_BreannaThePhoenix_04018

– 1 pair of Isis belly dance wings (available online)

Face:

BCooke_10-2012_BreannaThePhoenix_07020
– Face and body paint – Paradise, FAB, and Kryolan water-based cakes
– paint brushes

How-to:

With water-based face/body paints, dip your brush in water and rub it on the surface of the dry cake until the paint is a smooth and creamy consistency. Now paint your face however you wish! I don’t have any process photos of this part, so you get to be creative!

BCooke_10-2012_BreannaThePhoenix_01015

Mystique Costume with liquid latex

I fulfilled my dream, I was Mystique from X-men!… I know, I take Halloween WAY too seriously.

I already have red hair, so that was the easy part.  The hard part was painting my body with liquid latex!  I’ve outlined some thoughts on applying liquid latex, so keep scrolling on down!

MystiqueForHalloween_10-31-2009_08_crop
My Mystique costume

MystiqueForHalloween_10-31-2009_05_crop

Reference photos:

I researched a bunch of Mystique images and I opted to follow the face and hair of the movie version.

Reference for Mystique face

And I followed the clothes and body of the comic book version.

Reference_mystique-2
Reference image for Mystique’s clothes

Purchasing Liquid Latex:

This was my first time buying liquid latex.  I purchased liquid latex from www.liquidlatex.com and this was my order:

  • 32 oz. Blue liquid latex – Since I only painted half my body, there was at least half the jar left over.
  • 2 oz. Blue sparkle – I’d highly recommend mixing this in to the latex (rather than applying on top) for your last coat or two.  It gave the latex a really luminous sheen.
  • 4 oz. Body Wash – Highly recommend this too!  At the end of the night, it instantly helped remove the latex that was caught in my hairline and in my arm hair.
  • 4 oz. Shine Spray – Must have! The website FAQs are absolutely correct.  Rubbing on the shine spray as the last coat removed all the tackiness from the latex. Without it, the latex sticks to itself.

Liquid latex application tips:

  • Allow a lot of time! It took me a around 5 hours. That includes application and drying time.
  • Consider a layer of white latex.  Since the latex is translucent, your skin color will show through if you don’t put on enough coats.  In my case, I had to apply 5-6 layers of latex before it stopped looking blue/green.  I think a layer of white latex would help tone down your skin color and only require 3-4 coats of blue.

    MystiqueForHalloween_10-31-2009_15
    2nd coat of liquid latex and it still looks greenish
  • Armpits are tricky. Once you do your armpits, you can’t put your arms down until you’ve applied the Shine Spray. The latex will stick to itself and will start ripping once you lift your arms. I don’t know how to improve that aspect.
  • Wow, it’s stinky. It’s especially hard to apply around your nose and eyes because the ammonia fumes are really harsh. If you’re allergic, it will not be fun for you.
  • A bit of a stranglehold. The latex will shrink and feel like wearing a tight rubber glove. It was a little alarming when the latex on my neck tightened.  If you don’t like wearing chokers, you will not enjoy the feeling of latex on your neck.
  • Comes off fast…for the most part. As long as it’s not in your hair, the latex peels off really quickly. I had some stuck in my hairline, but rubbing on the Body Wash helped rinse it out quickly.

The Mystique Face

To make the scales on my face I cut out pieces of blue craft foam and stuck them onto my face with liquid latex.  Then I painted over the scales with liquid latex.

MystiqueForHalloween_10-31-2009_16
To create the scaly face, I glued blue craft foam on, then painted over with latex.
Closeup of Mystique face
The finished product!