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Powder Painting
A creative twist on the classic face painting process!
Painting with Powders: Quick Color, Big Impact
Picture this: you're set up at a sports event on a 95° day, and the kids are all bright red in the face and dripping with sweat from their foreheads. You, of course, wisely packed your fan to stay as cool as possible, but the guests are so overheated that your water-activated paint starts to bleed and melt the moment it touches their skin. Now you're panicking because your beautiful work is turning into a hot mess. What are you going to do?
I ran into this exact situation and decided to bust out my brightly colored eyeshadow palette, which I keep on hand for accents, rosy cheeks, and adult designs. I grabbed a sponge, gave it a spritz, and started painting a cat, pink fading into a little yellow. Of course, white for the inside of the ears and around the mouth.
Then I stepped back, looked at it, and thought it was a little basic, so I added some gold shimmer powder up the bridge of the nose. Man, it was beautiful. I loved how soft it blended. So I grabbed my wax liner and outlined it. It seemed fine at first, but before she was even out of the chair, the liner started to bleed and run. I let it go and moved on to the next kiddo, did the powder again, and looked around wondering what on earth I could use for liner that wouldn't bleed instantly.
I remembered I'd just bought a set of colored waterproof eyeliners, the kind with hearts, stars, and other little designs on one end. So I did my best with the eyeliner, and much to my surprise, it wasn't too bad. Best of all, it wasn't moving! Yes, I still overly criticize my work when I use the waterproof eyeliners, but I'll tell you, I love that it doesn’t move once I put it on them. That day I fell in love with powder painting and it's been a summertime lifesaver here in humid Tennessee! Now for the good stuff, powder options and how to use them.
Types of Powder Products on the Market
Mehron Starblends
These amazing, water activated powders are made by the long-standing and highly reputable cosmetic company Mehron, which, surprisingly, you can now buy on Amazon, which is amazing when you need powders in a pinch.
They also make excellent face paints (I love their neons), though they run a few dollars higher than the other brands. When you really need paint for an event, it's so great to have a next-day shipping option!
Elisa Griffith & Ben Nye
If you search the major face painting retail websites, you'll find these two brands as powder options as well. I haven't tried the Ben Nye powders, but the Elisa Griffith powders definitely didn't perform the same as Starblends.
This is in part because they're a dry application, which just doesn't seem to be as opaque as a wet application. That said, the Elisa Griffith has some beautiful pressed shimmer powders that I use often!
Pressed Colored Powders
Not ready to drop the money on a full set of Starblends, without even knowing if you're into powder painting? Pressed powder palettes are the perfect starter kit for you!
Just use a square or round lollipop blender, makeup brushes, or smaller Kabuki brushes (since pressed powder colors are generally small).
Be sure to get a pallet with a good variety of colors including shimmer colors and neons whenever possible.
Loose Mica Powders
Loose powders are the most budget friendly of all of the powder options and can provide a whole new realm of color options, but they can be a little messy. Due to this I use them less commonly and only bring a few colors with me to most jobs.
Yes, pressed powders cost more per ounce, but if you're on a job and don't want fallout powder everywhere, it's not a bad way to go.
Let's Get to "Painting"
Skin Prep: Does a Clean Face Really Matter?
If we're talking sanitation, who wouldn't want a freshly cleaned face to work on? But if the question is whether the product will apply adequately even if the skin isn't cleaned right beforehand, the answer is yes. In fact, I've found the powder works best on warm, damp skin, since moisture helps it stick.
Can you wipe the guest's face before application? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Not in my experience, though I will if the guest is literally dripping large droplets of sweat down their forehead. Can't paint on a puddle, lol!
How to Apply the Powders
The application process is what's truly unique about Starblends. While most powders are dry application only, Starblends actually activate with water but can still be applied dry. I was so curious about the water aspect that I contacted the company and asked about the proper application. I was told: never wet the powder, always wet the sponge/brush.
Just give your applicator a couple of misting spritzes of water so it's damp, then move your brush in a circular motion on the powder to load it. Test it on your skin, how's the consistency? If you don't add enough water, it'll go on thin and you won't see much color; too much water, and it'll clump. The perfect consistency is a thin paste, not dry, but just barely wet. The great thing is you can layer it over itself for more opacity.
I love how sheer the white looks on softer designs like sugar skulls, and how opaque I can make it with a few more layers for a bolder look.
Layering Powders
If you're planning to use pressed or loose powders as part of your design, I find it's best to start with a base layer of Mehron Starblends. Since these come in a more matte finish, they work best as a base, with brighter pigments and shimmer powders layered on top for dimension.
When I'm doing Spider-Man designs, I'll start with Starblends red, then, if I have time, move to my pressed or loose powders and add a little dark red in the areas I want to contour, followed by a shimmery orange-red where I want highlights.
Honestly, I can't tell the difference between this look and a shimmery water-activated face paint when I look back at photos, it's such a similar, beautiful look. This step isn't necessary, it just elevates your design in a unique way. Mehron also sells their own shimmer powder to layer on top of Starblends, so that's a good option too.
I'm sure right now you're picturing extremely simple designs limited to just powder and line work. While it's true, you're definitely more limited, it doesn't mean you can't get creative!
I have a powder paint menu with designs that use a lot of background and need very little line work. I've also been working on a powder version of every item on my normal menu, though rainbows are the most challenging, of course, since you can't make a rainbow out of powder (if you figure out how, send it my way, because I will be buying that up:).
I invested in a cutting machine so I could make my own stencils and have designed some great options just for this purpose that I'm happy to share with y'all.
How to Apply Powder with a Stencil
Stencils are truly a lifesaver with powder, because you can make any design you can cut out of mylar. Stencils use essentially the same application process as the background, except for your Starblends, which need the right amount of water to work right. For stencils, you just need to be very careful with how much water you use to activate it.
Like I said before, too much water creates a clumpiness, which causes a buildup of product right around the edges and poorly covered areas throughout, possibly even color bleeding if there's too much moisture. If it's too dry, the color won't show up; if it's too wet, it'll get that bit of clumpiness around the edges, and we don't want that, it looks messy.
The Magic of Stencils
Wet Sponge Trick
Due to the frequent need to dampen the edge of the brush, I found that keeping a damp sponge handy works great in place of always spritzing with water. Sometimes you just want it barely damp, less than a light misting pump sprayer will create.
I keep a sponge handy, get it damp beforehand, and spritz it repeatedly throughout the event to keep it damp. The best part about this is that I don't have to constantly grab a bottle and spray the brush, I just dip the tip in it. This also helps keep the right amount of moisture without it being too much.
Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
It may sound like a crazy idea, but this stuff was made to safely go on the face and around the eyes, and it's meant to be applied over eyeshadow powders, so it's really an ideal anti-sweat liner option. It has a thick tip that tapers to a sharp point, so you can still manage a decent teardrop and some really pretty line work.
Depending on the event, I might burn through one or two of these, so I try to keep them budget-friendly. I always test them at home on my hand first: apply, let dry for a few minutes, then run my hand repeatedly under water. I can even rub across the top of the liner and it doesn't move.
My favorites I've found in mix packs on Amazon and Walmart:
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Neon colors (great for black light)
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Glitter colors
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A stack of solid black
I have yet to find an affordable, readily available white waterproof liquid eyeliner, so I skip white and add white accents through my white Starblend powder using stencils instead. If you can find ones with little designs on the opposite end, you can add hearts, stars, and other cute accents.
Be sure to practice at home with these over the top of powder. My only complaint is that they're not meant for continuous use, so they'll dry out, especially in the heat, so I try to keep line work to a minimum.
BCC Waterproof Paints
You can read more about these in our waterproof paint section, but I'll say it's worth the investment to buy the activator plus black and white for your liner colors.
Working with something that behaves like real paint lets you do a lot more of the design styles you're used to, to the point where people may have no idea it's powder. This is definitely one of the better options; just be very careful not to leave your activator liquid out in the heat when you're not working, or it'll evaporate, and that's money lost! I learned this the hard way :-(
ProAir Hybrids
These are a great idea if you're applying them in a cool indoor space where you can keep the temperature consistent. Since they're alcohol-based, heat makes them evaporate very quickly. I've tried these a few times, and they consistently clump up on me after 15 to 30 seconds.
Water-Resistant Paints
I've seen a number of new water-resistant paints on the market, and I've tried a couple of decent, more affordable ones through a variety of distributors, though I won't name any here, since they're pretty new and I've only recently started playing with them.
I'd also like to see ingredient sheets, or at least confirmation that they're legitimate enough for the major face painting retailers to carry. When you're putting products on the face and around sensitive areas like the mouth and eyes, it's good to be careful about what you use, do your research, and always reach out to the face painting community on Facebook groups for feedback from real painters using them on real jobs.
Water-Activated Paint
It may seem like a silly question, but I wondered if the powder would be enough to keep sweat from ruining water-activated paint underneath it. I can tell you without question: the paint will still melt very soon after application!
Line Work Options
Repotting Starblend Powders
It happened, your Starblend cake brokenand now you're left with crumbles and chunks. So much money wasted... now what?
Thankfully, this has happened to me, and I'm glad it did, because it forced me to figure out a solution. I never would have "ruined" one of my expensive powders as an experiment on purpose. So how do we fix this? Easy!
Take the powder, however much is broken up, or all of it if you want. If there's still a good amount left in the pot, you can either leave it there and use the rest before adding more, or finish grinding up what's left and repot that whole color.
If it didn't break and you just want to repot a bit of it into a half-dollar or quarter-sized eyeshadow pan, grab a metal spoon and scrape against the powder, a thin layer will come off pretty easily. Keep going until you have the amount you want, then dump it into a small bowl and get your pan ready.
If you're working with broken chunks, put them in a glass bowl and use the back of a spoon to smash them into a fine powder. No special tools needed, just a spoon and a bowl!
Now transfer it into the pan. Set the pan on some wax or parchment paper to catch any spills. If you have a sifter, pour the powder through it to get the finest texture, but I usually skip this step with no problem.
The key is to go slow. Don't fill the whole pan at once, just add a thin layer at a time and press it down.
You can use a spoon to press it, but you'll need to get every square inch pushed down firmly, so I suggest one of these options:
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Take another pan of the same size and press it on top.
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Buy some plastic pellets, melt them down, and shape them into a putty press you can smush into the pan and reuse.
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Get a small tub of air-dry clay, press it into the pan until it dries, then pull it out to use as a press.
Pour a layer of powder, press it down, pour another layer, press again, and repeat until the pan is full. If you want to save your hands from a lot of aching, an arbor press does the job, just something to apply downward pressure. Good news: you can use this same process to repot your paints too!
Wishing you the best of luck on your powder journey! Feel free to reach out on my Facebook powder painting page with any questions. Just post on the group wall, and if I don't answer, someone else definitely will!
Powder Painting Facebook Group
Ready to see what others have created with powders? Check out our Powder Painting Facebook group, focused on powder face painting for artists who want to learn more about this awesome alternative technique.
It can be a great option for those looking for a more hypoallergenic experience, and for many, it's a favorite during hot, humid summer events! Inside the group, you'll find tips, techniques, inspiration, and helpful advice from artists who are learning and growing together.
Our Most Popular Powder Painting Designs
All color and stencil work was done using Starblends applied with damp sponges or kabuki brushes. Line work was done with water activated or water-resistant paints or on occasion, colored waterproof eyeliner.
