The 7 Best Face up Paints of 2022

Our summit pick is the Kryvaline Face Pigment Kit

Sophie Wirt - The Spruce Crafts By

Updated on 04/22/22

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Face paints make for a fun action for kids' birthday parties, but they're too a necessity in any cosplayer or professional makeup artist's toolkit who are creating realistic-looking special effects makeup.

We tested and researched numerous face paints to find the best formulas, evaluating them on color payoff, ease of employ, and value. We likewise consulted Sheilagh Maguiness, Md for her professional insight on ingredients and skin safe. Our top pick, Kryvaline Face Pigment Kit, offers vivid colors, pro-level article of clothing, and a smattering of fun stencils.

Here are the best face up paints for kids and professionals.

Kryvalin Face Paint Kit

Kryvalin

What Nosotros Like

  • Biodegradable, environmentally-friendly glitter

  • Total range of colors

  • Pro-grade tools included

What We Don't Similar

  • Packaging is on the flimsier side

This brilliant, cheery confront paint gear up delivers a smattering of colors: you lot'll find every principal color, which can function as great bases for mixing and creating other hues. In addition to the basics, this kit also contains face paint pans filled with less-conventional colors, like slate gray and mauve. There'due south even a pan of numerous blue hues, which range from moody to sky-colored. Of form, the kit also contains stark white and stark blackness, which are oftentimes necessary for detailing.

The kit contains a set of professional person-course makeup brushes, too, one of which is ultra-fine and perfect for detailing. For a more than overall paint-job, or for creating a base, utilise one of the included sponges. The formulas are blendable, extremely creamy, and vibrant. They're prophylactic, as well—each of the paints is FDA-compliant, hypoallergenic, and non-toxic.

Lastly, this all-in-one prepare is complete with stencils (you'll look similar a pro fifty-fifty if y'all're a beginner!). Y'all'll also discover sequins—every bit well as biodegradable face glitter—for adding a sparkling, finishing affect.

Colour Count: 16 | Accessories Included: Glitter (biodegradable), stencils, sequins, brushes, sponges | Age Recommendation: All ages

Make Up For Ever Flash Color Palette Multi-Use Palette

Make Up For Always

What We Don't Like

  • Highly pigmented

  • Creamy and blendable

  • Professional person-grade makeup

What We Don't Like

  • May require setting spray for ultra longwear

Make Up For Ever is known for its top-of-the-line pigments and richly colored makeup products. It's a favorite brand among seasoned professionals and burgeoning makeup artists alike. This palette contains every color you could possibly need, including basic black and white, as well as primary colors and two metallic hues. Each pan is extremely pigmented, so a lilliputian bit goes a long style; thus, the palette lasts quite a long fourth dimension.

Moreover, each creamy pigment is extremely blend-friendly, vibrant, and perfect for creating intricate, realistic designs on the skin—whether it'southward for special effects, cosplay, or just for fun. The colors are buildable, as well, then you tin create a dynamic look. While the price tag isn't the cheapest, these pigments are a prime number case of getting what you pay for.

Color Count: 12 | Accessories Included: Not listed | Age Recommendation: Adults

Midnight Glo Black Light Face and Body Paint

Midnight Glo

What We Like

  • Smudge-resistant, sweat-resistant

  • Fast-drying

  • Incredibly vibrant under blacklight

What We Don't Like

  • Some of the colors glow less than others

These all-over skin paints take facepainting to a whole new level, thanks to their ability to glow under a blacklight. The kit contains eight pots of glowing, non-toxic paint. Annotation: these paints require blacklight in order to fully testify up in the night. For this reason, they're perfect for sure concerts, festivals, and parties that may have blackness lights. (Psst: blacklights are surprisingly affordable if you want to buy a seedling for your ain personal use!) These paints experience rich and creamy, and glide on whatever inch of skin you then choose to paint. The colors take a neon effect as soon every bit you lot apply them, which is striking on its own. Nether a blacklight, though, they increase in luminance and remain super-brilliant for hours. This paint dries speedily, is smudge-resistant (even if you lot're sweating!) and is surprisingly easy to remove.

Color Count: 8 | Accessories Included: Not listed | Age Recommendation: Adults

Mehron Makeup Special FX Kit

Source: Mehron Makeup

What We Like

  • Professional-class special effects makeup

  • Realistic-looking blood and wound materials

  • All-in-one kit: contains everything you lot demand

What Nosotros Don't Like

  • Pricey

Whether you're looking to create uber-realistic fake wounds, claret that looks disconcertingly existent, or a frighteningly realistic zombie look, this pro-level special effects kit is a primo pick. In addition to face paint in colors ranging from basic black, white, and an array of neutral skin hues, it also includes dissimilar types of faux claret, including coagulated blood, stage blood, and fifty-fifty some raised silicone wounds.

The kit too includes liquid latex for creating pare lesions. You'll too exist able to create realistic-looking bruises, wrinkles, and then much more. The sky's the limit with this kit, and information technology'south beginner-friendly enough to not feel overly intimidating, while also meeting college standards with pro-grade special furnishings.

Color Count: 15+; also includes simulated blood and liquid latex | Accessories Included: Cotton swabs, brushes, sponges, setting powder, makeup remover, prosthetic sealer | Age Recommendation: Adult

Snazaroo Face Paint Set

Snazaroo

What We Like

  • Cruelty-gratuitous

  • Dermatologist-tested

  • Long-lasting

What Nosotros Don't Like

  • Some of the colors are on the more sheer side

This 12-color face paint prepare is perfect for kids or parents who'd beloved to requite their kids a professional-looking face pigment. It'south super easy to use, thanks to its array of blendable colors and ease of application; plus, this ready comes with a fantastic instruction volume that provides step-by-step guidance to creating an array of different looks (complete with photos and the exact colors needed to create each look).

This set is cruelty-costless, gentle on sensitive skin, and surprisingly easy to piece of work with. The colors are varied and buildable, last for hours without rubbing off (even during kids' playtimes), and launder off hands without excess rubbing or tugging on kids' delicate skin.

Best of all, this kit is an incredible value for the price. It lasts dozens of confront paint sessions, so yous can rest bodacious that every child at a altogether political party and across will receive their off-white share of fantastically whimsical face painting without running out. (FYI: Hither'southward another child-friendly face up paint choice nosotros like).

Color Count: 12 | Accessories Included: Instructional book, glitter, two application brushes | Age Recommendation: Kids

CCbeauty Professional Face & Body Paint

CCbeauty

What Nosotros Like

  • Impressive number of colors

  • 10 different brushes

  • Kind to pare and fragrance-costless

What We Don't Like

  • Some of the colors are less opaque: may crave a few layers for full coverage

This palette has one of the nearly impressive color arrays nosotros've seen in a face painting kit: a whopping 36 different hues. Each is smooth to apply, thanks to the oil-based formula that gives a lovely glide and pare feel. It that won't crack, shrivel, or dry out the pare.

The kit comes with an impressive assortment of different-sized brushes, besides, which is great for detail-work. Thanks to its sturdy plastic container, this kit is easy to transport, without risking an explosion of multicolored makeup in your kit, travel pocketbook, or suitcase. We also love that this set is cruelty-free.

Color Count: 36 | Accessories Included: 10 brushes | Age Recommendation: Adults

Mosaiz Face Paint Sticks

Amazon

What We Like

  • Mess-free retractable design

  • Good value

  • Kid-friendly

What We Don't Similar

  • Cannot be sharpened

These kid-friendly crayons make confront painting a fun, intuitive, minimal-mess activeness for petty ones. We dear the array of colors, ranging from bright pink to lilac, to silver and gilt. In that location are 12 colors full, and each is super-easy to use, thanks to the crayon-like format and brush-free application method. Each stick is twistable, meaning that the colour can easily retract equally presently every bit the piffling creative person is washed.

All in all, this fix is a good one to have on hand for creative kids or adults who beloved to whip out confront paint on a whim without breaking the depository financial institution. Perfect for recreational use, nosotros call back it's a great idea to incorporate these paints into your next Halloween craft nighttime.

Color Count: 12 | Accessories Included: Not listed | Historic period Recommendation: Kids

Final Verdict

Our best overall pick, the Kryvaline Face Paint Kit offers the primary staples every artist needs, along with confront paint pans filled with less-conventional colors, like slate grayness and mauve. For something you can habiliment beyond sunet, we likewise beloved the Midnight Glo Blackness Low-cal Confront and Trunk Paint. It contains viii pots of glowing, non-toxic paint, and the paints require blacklight in order to fully show upwards in the dark.

FDA-Compliance

It'south important to bank check the ingredients in any face paint. "The FDA designates what colour additives are condom for application to the pare," notes Dr. Maguiness. Interestingly, FDA compliance is fifty-fifty more crucial when it comes to neon and fluorescent face paints. "Simply ane ingredient is considered FDA-compliant for a glow-in-the-nighttime option, and that's luminescent zinc sulfide," Dr. Maguiness shares.

Quality

If you lot're looking for vibrant, opaque color payoff in a single stroke, you'll likely need to spend a little more money for a high quality or professional-grade face paint kit. While these kits may be more expensive than others, their saturated paint often means using only a fraction of the amount per project that yous'd use from a kit of lower quality. If you lot foresee yourself using face paint frequently, a professional-grade kit may be worth the money.

But as pare care quality matters in terms of how it makes your skin experience, face paint quality can also make a difference—particularly if you have sensitive peel or acne-prone skin. If you're dealing with either of the two, Dr. Maguiness suggests doing a patch test prior to painting.

Skill level

If you're ownership confront paint for immature kids, consider mess-free options, such equally a retractable crayon-style face up paint. If you're a skilled painter, artist, or cosplayer, yous'll likely want to invest in a palette containing numerous colors with rich paint payoff. Beginner face-painters may find stencils helpful; luckily, many face paint sets include stencils.

FAQ

  • Is paint rubber to utilize onto pare?

    Yes and no, depending on the face paint you're using. While confront paint can be prophylactic to apply to skin in many instances, it'due south crucial to do your research prior to purchasing. "To provide some background on why this is important, in 2014, the FDA did an assay of ten face paint kits and found higher than allowed levels of heavy metals, including pb and mercury, which are particularly toxic for children," notes Dr. Maguiness.

    Thankfully, she adds that these incidents take led to real improvements and higher standards in this niche industry." Nevertheless, "It's still necessary to carefully read the label when you're looking at face paints on the market today." Dr. Maguiness advises picking a face paint that'southward labeled FDA-compliant, paraben-free, and hypoallergenic.

  • What supplies exercise you demand to start face painting?

    The answer to this question depends on the type of face up painting you program on doing. If you're face painting for a kid's birthday political party, you may want to cull an all-in-one confront pigment kit with the likes of stencils, glitter, and how-to guides for unlike designs.

    If, however, you're going for a gory halloween look that involves creating conceivable gashes, you'll want to await for a bevy of supplies in addition to the paint itself, like liquid latex, setting spray, and adhesive, which are oft included in special effects kits.

    If you're an adult cosplayer, the best face paint may be a palette containing numerous brilliant colors that allow for mixing, blending, and vibrant pigment payoff. Depending on the look y'all're going for, you may besides want to consider body paint. Many professional-class palettes are also suitable for torso painting.

  • How long does confront pigment last?

    Face pigment tin can terminal quite some time on the pare—until yous manually remove it. On that note, "Definitely don't go out it on overnight," says Dr. Maguiness. "Prolonged duration of awarding may enhance adverse pare reactions."

    To remove face up pigment, showtime identify whether it's an oil-based paint or a water-based paint. If it's oil-based, Dr. Maguiness advises using an oil-based cleanser to remove. For best results, she recommends following with a regular gentle cleanser or micellar h2o. Water-based face paints are typically easier to remove. She says a simple cleanser and water should do the trick.

Sophie Wirt is an NYC-based writer and editor, has been penning product reviews, interviews, and investigative pieces—primarily within the beauty manufacture—since 2015.

We also consulted Sheilagh Maguiness, Md, dermatologist and co-founder of Stryke Society for her professional insight on face pigment and skin safety.