Humidity and setting Face Paint?

I buy my painting supplies from a local costume shop in my home city. The guy who works there is a Film Major at Florida State University and does face painting to make extra money on weekends (he is a very talented make up artist). He's given me a few tips about setting the face paint. One of which was baby powder BUT, I tried this on myself at home and cannot get rid of the white tint it give the paint - YUCK! With the humidity in Florida (yesterday it was 99 and felt like 104) I'm looking for a way to "set/preserve" my faces. Anyone got any ideas/knowledge of products out there????

Thanks everyone!

Baby powder works on oil based very well, but not on the water based. The powder soaks into the oils and absorbs the colour of the make-up, but not with the water based.

You could use shimmer powders in coordinating colours to "set" the face paints - this serves to give the colour more depth and set the paints a bit to help them hold through sweat, etc.

I know of many people in your type of climate who use powders and pressed cakes for their face painting - Mehron Starblends (traditional pancake make-up which can be used dry or wet - comes in fantasy colours as well as foundation shades), Ben Nye Lumiere, etc. There are many varieties - think large cakes of blush or eye shadow!! They work well in heat as they apply dry and you can they add details in regular water activate face paints.

Thanks so much for the tips! Just starting out ---- I haven't used the cakes yet but this encourages me to do so!

Yup! Sharon is the MASTER!!! Orlando Disney uses quite a bit of the Ben Nye line for their cast members and shows and many of my fellow Florida face painters here in FL would never be without their Starblends for their staying power in the humidity and heat. You can also use one of the setting sprays like Mehron, Green Marble or (cringe-don't flame me!) many people use hairspray on their competition body painting.
Also using the mica or shimmer powders is a great way to get the color and coverage for quick designs with decent staying power. Sharon's website has a very cool printout about all the ways to use shimmer powder (it is the cover of one of my "inspiration" books)! Also check sillyheatherb on youtube for some great ideas on shimmer/mica powder designs.

I wouldn't suggest using barrier spray on kids' faces though... it does work great but unless you have remover it's hard to get off. I often recommend hair spray. I don't have it on hand and don't apply it, but I tell them that it will protect the design if they are wanting to keep it on for a while.

Shannon Wyndy... not Sharon.

Here's the link to the powder sheet http://www.shannonfennell.com/powderguide.pdf

duh - I know you are Shannon - sometimes the typing fingers in a hurry with fussy distracting kids in background get ahead of the brain......so sorry. sign me redfaced! I love you Shannon!!! Thanks for the link.

Clue for Beginners Using Baby Powder to set Paint: it's easier to set the baby powder with a decent brush. It has to be really big and poufy, and be careful not to put too much around the eyes. Lesson learned!

Actually... I wouldn't recommend using baby powder. It contains talc which can be extremely irritating to the airways and many people can't tolerate it. I use it only on adults... with their okay.

It is useful, but I would not use it face painting at all.

Corn starch works as well, (i've tried it, not often.) I had a clown show me year n years ago how to make a powder sock with corn starch. I have used it on myself, but not others.

Cornstarch is an okay substitute on baby bottoms, but... it is a thickener so, if it is wet or humid it absorbs the moisture and can make a very gooey surface... I know some clowns use it but the make-up itself it usually grease paint/oil based and slathered on pretty thick... so the cornstarch is absorbed INTO the make-up.

Water based face paints do not need powdering to set - the issue is humidity making the skin damp therefore the paints don't dry as they should. Best bet is to switch to powder cakes or loose coloured powders if you have to work in those conditions, or use shimmer powders on top of the paint to absorb the excess moisture which will help the water based make-up to dry.

But face it, if it is THAT hot and humid, face painting is going to be a bit of an issue no matter what you try... dribbles of coloured sweat running down the neck, etc. This is what glitter tattoos are great for - when it is hot here I do them instead of face painting and no one has every complained.

I was wondering how the face paint would hold up to the humidity, too. I've been using Snazaroo, and I've only been using it indoors, so far. This summer I think I'll try the festival circuit, but I was worried about the paint not drying on hot humid days, too. I was thinking having a little hand-held fan to try to just "dry" it a little.. not sure if that will work! Probably feel nice and cool on the overheated person, though!

I have found that Snaz does not respond well to hot weather, the black especially turns to mush , I am also talking only mildly warm as based in the UK.
Also heard from others that paradise doesnt like combination of heat/humidity that much.

Paradise runs and smears easily in humid weather. It's a mess in the south. Snazaroo will stay on really well as long as it isn't RUBBED or wiped while wet. I've painted my legs and gotten in the tub lots of times, and just watched how well it stays on underwater. It fades a little but is crisp and clear until I wipe it with my hand.

It's getting so hot and humid here, that I tried the Starblend route this weekend. Applying it wet. It worked fine when I tried it on myself, but wasn't so great this weekend. The children were all very dark complected and it really didn't show up well, plus the linework still ran and smeared from the sweat. I think it was a bit better than using the water based cakes, it just wasn't very vibrant. Do you think I should stick with applying it dry?

The thing I hate about dry application, is certain skin types and areas of the skin on the same person will pick up the color differently. Sometimes it goes on SOOO heavy and thick and sometimes, barely gets any coverage. Especially the purple, blue and green I've noticed barely covering.