Ben Nye Lumiere

[Scarlet]

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.

[Sassy Frass]

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!

[Oddkins]

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.

[Markie]

"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.