Becoming Ahsoka

General face paint information: 

Face paint is a tricky thing. There are so many varieties that it's hard to know what's good and what's not. Thankfully, face paint artists have tried many of these products, so you don't have to buy them all to figure out what you need. I'll share what I have learned to hopefully help you figure out what is best for you. 

There are two different major types of face paint bases: water base and grease base. Grease base stays on much longer (from what I've heard) but I have no experience with this type of paint. It's not nearly as popular, so you may have trouble finding it. I've researched water based paints as this was the way I wanted to go. Water based is removable with soap and water whereas I believe you need some type of remover to get grease based off.

 Anyway, water based comes in liquids/creams and cakes. You add water to cakes to activate them whereas liquids/creams are already, well, liquid and you just spread them. I went the cake way, so I have no experience with liquids. 

When I was going to go and meet Ashley Eckstein in Atlanta, I knew I wanted to do my face orange as opposed to only doing the white lines. Well I suffered from not doing my research and had splotchy, terrible orange face paint as a result. In my haste to find paint, I didn't research brands. When I first learned about what I now know to be called "Face paint cakes" that are water activated, I heard them called "aqua face paints" on a tutorial that I used. Since "aqua" is not the proper term, I couldn't find but one product when I searched "aqua face paint." So, I typed in "aqua orange face paint" on eBay and bought the only product I saw there. BAD DECISION! Not only did I order too much (turns out 6 oz. of that product is good for at least 15-20 applications) but it was a very cheap product that I overpaid for. Also, I had no idea how to apply the paint, so I used my fingers. Another bad decision. Since the paint was water activated and fingers don't hold water, I did not have even coverage at all. It took me about 30 minutes to get the splotchy paint I ended up with. Now I'm stuck with two extra containers of a bad product. Yikes! Don't purchase paint from unknown brands because you never know what you will get. They are likely unknown for a reason :)

So, with the "What Not to Buy" out of the way, let's get to the "What to Buy." There are 7 major face paint brands that I have read good reviews about: Snazaroo, Wolfe Face Art & FX, Diamond FX, Ben Nye, Mehron, Paradise (a division of Mehron) and Kryolan (in no particular order). I recommend checking out facepaint.com. There, they sell all sorts of name brand face paints, including most of the brands I just mentioned as well as brief descriptions about each of the companies. You can search by color or by brand, which is really nice. Following, I've included what I have read about each of those brands as well as the products that I use. 

What I recommend for Ahsoka's white markings:

I read two discussion forums in particular that all recommended Wolfe and Diamond FX (DFX) for white lines. Here's the links if you want to read them for yourself. 

Wolfe and Diamond FX

Linework: Your Favorite Brushes and Paint for the Job

Diamond FX

After reading about what people recommended for white and black lines, the brand name Diamond FX came up. As I looked up more about it (I had heard that DFX and Wolfe were essentially the same thing) I found this statement by Metina on facepaintforum.com. She said, "The official statement from the US distributor is that [Wolfe and Diamond FX are] made in the same factory with the same base, but some of the formulas have varied as the brands went their seperate ways. Additionally the DFX has less perfume and the amounts you get are slightly more. 30 grams Wolfe vs. 32 grams DFX. Plus the DFX is less expensive in most cases." 

For Ahsoka's lines, the largest size you should need is a 32 gram container which is the smallest I could find from Diamond FX aside from a palette refill 10 gram size. The 10 grams would be enough for maybe a few applications, but I would recommend the 32 gram. 

According to facepaintingtips.com, a 32 gram container will cover 350-500 faces: more than plenty for our purposes. A 32 gram container from jestpaint.com is $7.50 (it is currently on sale as of 1/8/13) plus shipping costs (mine was a little over $6.00). From facepaintingtips.com, a 32 gram container costs $7.50 plus shipping costs (shipping there was quite a bit more expensive for me, but it may not be for you).

I purchased Diamond FX Ahsoka's white markings and have used it once when I did full Ahsoka makeup. I used about a penny-sized amount of the cake for my full paint job, so my estimation is that my paint will be good for at LEAST 25 applications, however it's very tricky to estimate. Even with this high quality paint, I had to use several coats of paint to get the bright white look I was going for (especially over my eyebrows), however this paint works so much better than my Walmart paints that I was using before, so for that I am thankful!

I have heard wonderful things about Wolfe and almost purchased it, but I saw a sale on DFX and decided to try it instead. I highly recommend either of these brands!  

Wolfe Face Art & FX

From what I have read about Wolfe paints, they are marvelous for making lines and are especially popular among professional face paint artists for their white and black paints. Almost everything that I've read has recommended Wolfe for white and black. They use a little bit of wax in their paint which makes lines stand out really well. However, I have read that sometimes the wax in their paints can make dark colors not as easy to remove as other brands, so some people prefer DFX for black but I haven't heard any complaints about the white. I'm not aware of any popular chains that carry Wolfe products, so you will more than likely need to order it online. Wolfe was a little bit more expensive and you get a little bit less than Diamond FX, but they are just as wonderful a company with just as excellent products as Diamond FX. A 30 gram container of Wolfe is good for about 50-200 applications and is the size I recommend purchasing. It averaged about $8.00 from different sites online. Two sites I recommend purchasing from are facepaint.com and jestpaint.com. Facepaint.com had a lesser shipping fee for me, but depending on where you live, different companies will be more or less for you. I recommend checking shipping charges on different sites. Most of them let you calculate the shipping cost on the checkout page before you pay anything, so just add the paint to your cart and enter your zip code and it will calculate your shipping before you purchase. 

What I recommend for Ahsoka's orange skin

Why I had to fall in love with a character with orange skin I will never understand. It's almost like I wanted to make my first cosplay even more difficult. But I love Ahsoka just the way she is, orange skin and everything, so I have set out to find the best orange face paints for the best price. 

I have listed the paints below in the order that I recommend them: Paradise, Mehron, Ben Nye, Snazaroo, and Kryolan. This is based off of what I have read and the experience I have with Paradise.

Just as a side note, something I noticed after purchasing my orange paint was that it rubbed off slightly. Don't get me wrong, the paint was wonderful, but if I took my finger and rubbed it over the paint on my skin, my finger would come away with an orange tint. I couldn't tell a difference where I had applied the paint, but all I'm trying to say is that I don't want to leave orange paint everywhere I go if my back, arms, hands, and face are covered in the stuff. I may at some point in the future look into makeup sealers to seal the paint (and I will be sure to write about it when I do), but just getting all of my paints together will be enough for now. Even so, just keep that in the back of your mind. 

What I purchased: 

Paradise

Paradise is an extension of the Mehron company. I ended up purchasing Paradise orange for my Ahsoka skin. I found it at a local costume store, had read good things about the Paradise brand and purchased it. My 40 gram container (1.4 oz.) came to be about $9.00 from my local store including tax, but it was well worth it! I should be able to use this paint on my arms, face, and back for Ahsoka several times. Paradise cake paints have aloe and chamomile in them to make them gentle on skin, and I must say, this paint feels really good on! It's a very vibrant orange when it's wet, but it looks really dull dark orange when it's dry in the package, so beware of pictures that make it not look great (the pictures online of the color are pretty close, but it's still a little brighter than the picture shows). After purchasing Paradise orange, I tried it paint on half of my face. I had it on and completely off in 5 minutes! Not only that, but it's a nice orange that covered the freckles/darker spots on my face (as opposed to my trashy one that you could hardly tell I had on). 

Overall, I am very pleased with this paint, though I will say that it's a very bright color, which can be good or bad depending on the look you are going for. Disney's Ahsoka had a very deep orange similar to my paint whereas Victoria Schmidt had a lighter orange. I'm happy with my Paradise orange, but I saw that Paradise also has a mango orange that looks more like the color I was going for. Either way, it's a matter of personal preference.

You can purchase this paint from facepaintingtips.com for $10.95 (currently on sale for $9.00 as of 1/10/13), however they are based out of California, so depending on where you live, their shipping can be a bit pricy. Other sites I recommend are facepaint.com for $8.90 with shipping much less for me than facepaintingtips.com at $3.80. If you order less than $15.00 worth of merchandise from facepaint.com, they charge a $2.00 "small order fee," but that plus shipping are much less than facepaintingtips.com! Just check out how much shipping is for you in the "Calculate shipping" section page under websites' Checkout page. It will calculate the shipping before you buy!

Note: I have not tested/had any experience with the following brands, though I thought I should mention them so that you can make the right choice for you. I am going off of what I have read, so please don't blame me if you're not 100% satisfied with your paint! However, I have heard good things about a these brands, so I thought I would share what I have learned with you!

Mehron

Mehron makes their own face paint cakes called "StarBlend." I haven't researched this paint very much, but I have read good things about it. Catherine Obrien on mehron.com posted this review about StarBlend: 

"I used this in "Monster Grey to paint myself up as a "Weeping Angel" for a Halloween party ... I applied it with a brush and water, it painted on like a dream, and it held up. It was raining the night of the party, and I was worried that my paint would run. It didn't. Even with eating and drinking there was minimal color loss on fingertips and lips, and very little transfer onto other things once the product was dry."

I must mention just because that one of the popular uses of Starblend is powder application. Starblend is also sold in neutral skin tones, and professional companies use it for makeup purposes. However, once the paint has been wet, it cannot be used dry (just so you know). Some face paint artists like to use Starblend colors dry for a nice powdered color, however since Ahsoka is orange everywhere and not just on her face, I don't see how powder on arms would be very practical. Still, I just thought I should mention it!

I would purchase this paint based on reviews I've read. On facepaint.com a 2 oz. (~57 grams) container of StarBlend is $8.90, whereas on Mehron.com it is $11.95. I couldn't find a size for the product on Mehron.com, though I'm assuming that it is the 2 oz. size because I haven't seen another size listed. On facepaint.com, it says that the 2 oz. size it good for hundreds of applications, and based on my Paradise paint (40 grams or 1.4 oz), this should cover your costume painting several times over.  

My final opinion based on what I've read: I would buy this paint! This would probably be my second choice after Paradise based on price, ease of use, and color. Through Paradise, I have had a great experience with Mehron products, so I would assume that StarBlend paints are just as great!

Ben Nye

As I asked around about good face paints, I was frequently recommended the Ben Nye brand. Like Mehron, Ben Nye is a very popular maker of professional makeup products. They make a variety of products that expands far beyond the realm of face paint, and I haven't read any bad reviews about their products. The have both a marigold paint and a bright orange paint, so you can choose what color best suit your Ahsoka look.

 A 26 gram container (the only size I have seen) of Ben Nye MagiCake face paint will paint 100-200 applications according to facepaint.com and costs $12.00 each on facepaint.com. Ben Nye is a pricier brand, but their paints are great (again, according to what I've read). I watched a review on Ben Nye pink, and it did rub off of her face a little bit when the lady rubbed her fingers over it (more than my Paradise at least) , so if you purchase this orange, you may want to look into a cosmetic sealer since you will be wearing it on your hands and arms (and possibly back). I think that Paradise is cheaper and probably just as good if not better than Ben Nye in my opinion, although I have no experience with Ben Nye, so I'm not one to judge. You can decide what is best for you!

Snazaroo

I've read mixed reviews about Snazaroo. Some say it's streaky and others say it's really good. They sell the Snazaroo brand at Michael's, but my local Michael's doesn't carry it in orange, so you may or may not have to buy it online. A few of the photos I saw online all made the orange look REALLY dark, but I've never seen it in person, so I can't really say. Like I mentioned before, sometimes images online are different than what the paint actually ends up looking like on skin. Supposedly, Snazaroo paints are safe around the eyes, but I've read that they still have a warning on their packages, so I'm not totally sure which is true. 

According to facepaint.com, an 18 gram container was good for 100 full faces, 30 grams was good for 166 full faces, and 75 grams was good for 450 full faces. I would probably go with the 30 gram container since you will be painting your arms, face, and neck at the least (back and part of legs too if you chose to go that way with your costume), but that's just me. 18 grams on facepaint.com is $5.50, 30 grams is $10.30, and 75 grams is $20.50. From Snazaroo.com, a 18 gram container was $10.00 and shipping for me was $10.00, so I wouldn't buy from there. You can search "buy Snazaroo" online and probably get plenty of online sites to purchase from. I recommend checking out multiple sites to find the lowest price for the paint and shipping.

I don't think that Snazaroo would be my first choice of paints unless you saw a really good deal on them. The reviews I read had some people saying they were wonderful and others saying they were splotchy. I wasted my money once, and wanted to get the right thing the second time. It's all up to you though!

All that being said . . . 

I did purchase Snazaroo's face paint application sponges and they are WONDERFUL! I highly recommend getting these sponges to apply the paint. In fact (I will be bold enough to say this . . .) you MUST get some sort of face paint sponge to apply your paint. As Anakin Skywalker said, "This is the only way. Trust me." Using your fingers will only get you uneven splotchy coverage and waste a good 30 minutes of your time trying to get the paint even (can you tell I've had this problem before!). Cosmetic sponges soak up too much water and you loose a good bit of paint (and time) in the sponge. With the Snazaroo sponges, I had my orange paint all over my face with smooth even coverage in about 2 minutes! I was able to purchase the sponges at my local Michael's store in the face paint section (just ask and an employee can show you), however they sell them online as well if you're willing to pay shipping. They are sooo worth the $3.00 (or so) I paid for them!!! It comes with two large, round sponges, so I took a pair of scissors and cut almost a half off of one of the sponges and it works amazingly! Again, these are a MUST BUY!

Kryolan

I have heard good things about Kryolan as far as their quality goes, however, I was unsure about their shades of orange. On kryolan.com, they had a color chart shown at the right that shows all of the different colors. This would not be my choice if you are ordering it online, but if you find it in a store where you can look at the colors in person, I would go for it. To be honest, I haven't done a whole lot of research about Kryolan face paints, though I have heard good things about some of their other products. A few people said that they had trouble getting the consistency right with their face paints, so take that into consideration. 

Sorcha on her blog Little Penguins said, "I'm really impressed by [Kryolan Aquacolor paint set.] The colours are mega pigmented, smooth and creamy and just glide on. It was a little tricky at the start getting the water to facepaint ratio right but once I got the hang of it it was easy." She went on to say that after 8 hours of wear, "I had no creasing, no smudging or fading." From her photos, Sorcha was only wearing the paint in lines around her face and eyes, so I'm not sure how well this paint would work covering your entire face, neck, arms, etc. From the picture to the right of Sorcha's Kryolan paint tray (you can see the orange color well there; it's number 288 on the chart above it for reference), the consistency of the paints look completely different to me than my Paradise paints. These paints look more like they would be good for line work than covering your entire face. This may not be true, but  I just am going off of what I know and have read. 

In conclusion, I think that Kryolan would be my last choice out of Paradise, Mehron, Ben Nye, and Snazaroo. You may disagree, but those are what I would choose based on what I've read.