I've tried the starblends, and I like them ok, but I wanted to try another powder. ooooo I think I've found a new fave. no water, use the smoothie to apply. I just got a small kit [kinda expensive] got to playing with them tonight, and I really liked them. My daugther and her friend liked the way it went on, smooth not cold like wet paint. use it for back ground then use you other paint for detail.

Any of you use this and what do you think? Does it last well on the skin? How does it do in very hot humid weather? Cold weather?

Ben Nye Lumiere is fantastic stuff. If you buy the loose powder you get a lot more bang for your buck than with the pressed Lumiere. I love the color selection as well as the shimmer.

I've never used them, but now I want to :)

When you said "cold like wet paint" that interests me - I've found the best results mixing my paints with warm water. Also, when sponging, it's not even really wet, it feels more dry on the skin, only brushing should feel at all wet (I paint on my own face a lot to practice too).

Now, Starblend kinda tickles on me and on the kids I've used it on...

Love the lumiere's . I always use them in hot weather- even over my face-paints to help set them a little. Especially the silver and gold go over other colors really well.

I absolutely LOVE the powders and use them most of the time in place of sponging.

I have 2 palettes of the Starblend. I find Starblend the most affordable since the units are fairly large compared to Ben Nye Lumeniers. They work especially well for Spiderman Faces, etc.

For beautiful grown up eye accents I prefer to use my Ben Nye becuase they are BEAUTIFUL. By going over one color with another you can often get some dazzling effects!

Have you seen the DVD Mama Clown has out on using Glitter Powders? It's GREAT!

Pros that I find when using powers include:
1. Applies VERY fast
2. No drying time required (like if it had been sponged on)
3. When outlying, your colors don't fade into each other like going over wet paint with an outline
4. Works extremely well in heat and humidity
5. Looks better than sponging (I think) - coverage is excellent
6. GREAT for sporting events, when they want half the face one color and half the other
7. I ordered the camo-colors for a bunch of deer hunters here this winter. They loved it over the grease base junk they had been using.

Silly Farm Supplies Inc. - face and body paints and face and body painting (http://www.sillyfarm.com) has now come up with nice palettes to hold your Starblend powders. You can also purchase individual powders cheaper in groups of 3.

Have you seen the new face painting magazine published by Cynthia Keeler in Orlando? Fabulous! I just received my first issue last weekend and can hardly put it down!

Happy painting!
sparky

How do you get the magazine?

Face Painting and Body Art Convention (http://www.fpbaconvention.com/)

or

Face And Body Art International Convention (http://www.fabaic.com/)

I think one of these two sites have the information I always get them mixed up.

"2. No drying time required (like if it had been sponged on)"

I agree with most of your points - the only powder I've tried is StarBlend. It's not saturated enough for most of my tastes, but I do like it for some things. And it sure is fast!

But the drying time issue surprises me, I wonder if you're applying your makeup too wet. I haven't ever noticed any drying time for my base - for my lines, of course (though it's only a couple seconds)

I spray my cakes with water then I swipe the cake until it's totally dry and I apply the makeup with short quick circular patting motions. It's dry basically as soon as you lift the sponge from the spot, certainly within 5 seconds.

Sparkie knows what she is doing, I've seen some of her work. Remember that each person develops a style that works not only for them but also for the weather conditions in their area. In areas with higher humidity he paints dry slower. In my area there is a marked difference throughout the year. And if you have a long line of kids waiting impatiently then that 5 seconds adds up and up and up and if you can avoid it you might just save yourself time enough to take a deep breath once in a while.

Good point, it just surprised me she was applying them so wet there'd be a notable drying time. Because when I FIRST face painted that was the case, but as I've got better, I've found I'm applying them much drier and getting much better results.

The only paints I've used is Snazaroo - preferred by our group because of the FDA approval and the antibacterial properties. Have wanted to try some powders but wondered
1 - do you need one smoothie per color?
2 - do you clean your smoothies between kids?
3 - do you worry about dragging one person's germs to another?
I was always the obsessed Mom who really critiqued the facepainter before I'd let my kids get it done -- and most times I would tell them "no", so I try to be as conscientious as possible about the germs. Thanks for sharing your experiences - I'm new to the forum and love reading everyone's input.

I love Ben Nye powders, I usethe Lumiere Grand and Star Blend colors also.Alot of people are going to these since they stay on better in extreme heat and, well folks it will be summer soon!

I have used the Lumiere Cosmic Blue, but not for my clown get-up. I used it for my Tin Man costume a couple years back for my eyes, it turned out great and the consistency of the Lumiere products is a very nice change compared to the usual face paints.

"1 - do you need one smoothie per color?
2 - do you clean your smoothies between kids?
3 - do you worry about dragging one person's germs to another?"

No, you can get by with one per two close colors (one side for each color)

Nope

Only minimally. I make sure I don't use them on anything resembling broken skin or the like or dirty or infected skin (I especially watch out for cold sores and warts) because unlike the water-based makeup (not just Snazaroo but every brand except Fardel) they aren't anti-bacterial as you noted. Still, it's honestly not a huge issue. With all of the other potential contact points for viruses/bacteria face painting is a rather insignificant one - a kid is more likely to get sick waiting in line to get their face painted!

My real concern is allergic reactions. To this end I use only cosmetic grade makeup products, and if a parent asks about reactions I get even more careful and limit what I use (for example, no Kryolan AquaColor UV-day glows for a kid with known sensitive skin. No Ben Nye Aqua Glitter for them either. No StarBlends. No other random things I have (maybe a hint of blush but even that I'd rather avoid) Just Snazaroo and Paradise makeup and loose glitter. And preferably Snazaroo OR Paradise but not both if I can avoid it.

Why? Not because any of the products I use are unsafe but because reducing the number of products used reduces the number of potential allergy-inducing materials. If a kid has only Snazaroo or only Paradise makeup on, there's only one thing they might be allergic to. If I use a bunch of different products on a kid, it's that many more chances for them to be allergic. I don't normally worry about this since *everything* I use is a professional, hypo-allergenic, makeup product. But if someone is known chemical sensitive, you might as well reduce the number of products you're using as much as reasonably possible.