:o Hi! I'm so glad I found this forum. I've been looking all over the net trying to find answers to clown makeup questions I have, and I was reading another post and you guys seemed to be so helpful!
Question is... well, I am trying to start a group with my church to dress up as clowns and visit hospitals and such, share a smile, etc, and I am in charge of it, but I'm a newbie!!! I tried clowning before for a short while, so I remember some things about makeup, more details, I will get a book or something like that, but more specifically I need to know how much to buy. Like I said, it's a group, we haven't quite started, and I'm not sure how many will join, but let's say it will be a group of 10 clowns joining 6 times a year. From what I read on the other post, I looked up the Ben Nye clown white and it states it lasts between 5-10 faces per ounce, and 8-20 faces per ounce for the clown white lite. is that a good estimate? if i say 5 faces per ounce or 8 faces, full faces, i would get enough? what do you think is better for our group? assuming i go with ben nye, but for now, i haven't really looked into all the other ones, so if i can get an answer on this one, i have sort of something to go from. i'm thinking that the clown white lite might be nicer, but it does cost more. ofcourse, if you have suggestions on clown white with other brands or size, i am willing to listen.
my other question is regarding the set powder. i remember that we used baby powder in a sock. so puffs are better? but is using baby powder for our group not a good idea or?? our budget is not stringent, but at the same time i am not trying to spend a lot of excess money either. if baby powder is just as good and its cheaper, i would go for it, but if buying certain set powders is much better... and how long does this set powder last? it's really important for me to buy enough for our group for atleast one year. like the other guy, i'm from another country. norway, and my sister is coming to visit me and i thought i could have her buy the things for me, then i don't have to pay taxes for it in norway. so if i don't get enough now, i would have to end up buying more in norway, and norway is more expensive and they have less selections to choose from.
so, i just read about the ben nye set powder and the face powder, not the luxury powder, says about 15-35 applications per ounce. that sounds about right? and by application i assume they mean for a full face? is it worth getting this in the 6 ounce jar?

wow. i wrote alot. sorry. and thanks in advance for the help :)

In a case like yours Iwould suggest the pallets of makeup so each person can have their own and they dont cost much They come with the white red black and blue
The amount of make up used can be different for each clown and depends on type of clown how hevey you put it on (newbies have a tendency to put it on heavy) and how many times you put it on
Figure it will takes a few times just to get the hang of it
As far as powder goes I use baby power for my tramp but use super white setting powder on the white for my auguste just make sure the baby powder has NO CORN STARCH IN IT this will cause the make up to frlake and turn white to yellow

Ditto with Jams. I know steins makes a five color pallete. Steins is not a favorite brand. but it works. There simply is better out there now. I've seen these go for around five to seven dollars.For a large group or class setting it would be a good way to get into it.
Never put ben nye or Mehron powder in a sock, too wasteful. use a puff

:D
ok palettes, i'm looking into that now, but came across some that were water based. is that not good? i mean, i know that grease paint is the longest lasting and waterproof and all, but for the kind of things we're going to do, i wonder if it's necessary with grease paint. we'll probably be out no more then 3 hours, mostly indoors, if at all outdoors. so what do you think?

I actually had thought about just a good quality face paint like snazaroo. (Make in the uk, wasn't surebut though you may be able to find it in europe easier) It doeasn't looka as good as greasepaint but it will work. Also, amost all facepaint is hypoallergenic, so there maybe less of a chance of someonebeing allergic to the stuff.
You don't need to powder facepaint. I doubt it will come off with just water and no soap, but it is possible. Just don't stand in the rain for to lond, or jump in a fjord 8)

Well to add my two cents, I started our clown ministry, in our church. I prefer Ben nye myself, but to start we use the palate. Have every pay for their own, safer in that you don't share germs, we all have things on our skin, but what doesn't bother me, may bother you. plus you'll have some who want to be in it at first, but drop out and if they have to pay for their own palate $7-12.oo, they have an investments and it, and will mostlikely be more committed. If you can I'd go for the ben nye or melron [to start]. In clown ministry I've done more out door projects than indoor. and in 90 plus, you don't want to sweat and have a runny face.

Oh so that's the thing about waterbased paint. that you might sweat and the paint comes off? i see.... i wasn't quite sure what the down side was, except that i thought either kids would touch your face and mess up the makeup or, you get splashed with water, cuz you're playing with water outside... and then the makeup comes off...

hmm, making them buy one themselves was a good idea, for commitment purposes, but the church is going to buy them and besides we don't really have a list of people who've joined up or anything. i just know there are about a dozen youth who might want to join. so i thought i buy like 10 or so, and pass them out. but then, there is the commitment issue. say i 'give' a palette to bob, but he never comes back again. then i'm not going to throw it away, so that means that someone would have to end up using a 'used' palette if i run out of new ones, or what if someone wants to join us for just one day, then he needs a palette, but i can't give it to him for him to keep or anything, so it'd be another 'used' palette, then i'm thinking, well, if we're one day going to end up sharing palettes... then why not just buy pots where everyone shares from the start and no one ends up feeling they have a 'used' palette... hmmm.

i'm glad you guys are responding, thx, i really appreciate it. trying to bounce off ideas and think about it so i can buy what i need in the end

like i said, i'm in norway, and it'd be a little difficult to just buy a new palette everytime someone new joins us.. and i'm in norway, we're lucky if it gets 30 degrees celsius. tha'ts 86 degrees fehrenheit, still too hot though? for the waterbased? not that i have my heart set on water based, just, asking...

ALot of the heat issue is the humidity compunded on top of that. an 86 degree day is tolerable if the humidity is real low, but usually it's like say 96 percent Sue is right the benst face paint in the world run run under those conditions. a Ben zNye pallette is the way to go. I suggested Steins because of the cost. It's inexpensive, decent quality stuff. but not the quality of Ben Nye or Mehron.

OK. Thanks for your help! I appreciated it :o
I decided to buy a mix and match. Some Ben Nye and some Mehron palettes and one waterbased, incase someone ends up being allergic, they could use the water based one. We don't get to start until my sister brings the stuff over here to us though, in June, so, I'm anxiously waiting!

Thanks again!