Body Paint

Here you can share and talk about your experiences with body paint.
Also, this is the place to brainstorm, and talk about your favorite brands!
Share everything!!!!


How I started?
The cheapest way possible; before I ever touched body paint(did at school, before hand..but that's beside the point. lol!).

What I did back then?
I took Halloween store, creme make up, and applied it as my base layer. Waited at least 4 minutes, to then apply a layer of loose powder, that was also colored like the creme. Yes, I even used eyeshadow when doing this.
Once done I took a can of dollar store hair spray (white rain); closed my eyes and lips tightly and sprayed.

The culprit of this cheap trick?
It worked and held up pretty well. Only high rub and high sweat areas wore off. But avoid too much water. It will beak down the hair spray, after a while.


Sometime later; I finally saved money to use reel creations!
I was so excited! So amped! But..I didn't have an airbrush! What did I do to fix it? I was told (by a sales person at the store that i bought the reel creations at) to use a spray bottle. I was curious and tried it once i got home.
The issue with it was; it would spit the paint at me. But I quickly found that if I took the paint that was spit out by the bottle and quickly smeared it. It worked perfectly!

Cons with Reel creations;
It smells horrible; like pure rubbing alcohol. It burns when you smell it.
The price; It will make you and your wallet cry.    
Humidity and Reel creations do not like each other.
I wore reel creations at a lot of places in California; even by the beach. But it was no match for Atlanta's humidity. It flaked, a lot, and even broke down on my face after a couple of drinks. It was completely "out of character" of Reel Creations to do that, for me, but..it sadly did.

Pros of Reel Creations
A TON of colors!; Really, there are so many different shades and hues; it's hard to pick!
Their staff; There was a color I wanted a sample of, but I couldn't find it anywhere on their site! I saw they had a phone number and left a message.
The next day they called me and pulled the color i wanted and sent it out, right away! Extremely kind and helpful people!
The color does stay; After sweating at con and walking around under a burning sun; it completely held up!

Tips:
The sealer spray they have (aqua sealer), is amazing! I used it with their paints (alcohol based) and other paints from other companies. It does it's job and is a must, to ensure that the paint stays put.

WASH WASH WASH! In the past, i was completely rushed at cons and just threw the paint on. Even WITH sealer it will break down very quickly. Why? It's the oils in our skin! This goes for EVERY brand out there! Wash yourself down with soap and water. Strip yourself of all the oils you may have laying about on your skin. Then spray away!
 
POWDER! Even Reel Creations can get sticky! Translucent powder or even baby powder (in a pinch) will knock that sticky out! Same goes with every brand.



Olive Branch Skin Care

A little mom and pop beauty shop. My friend, who is head to toe blue, as a Na'vi from Avatar, found it and used it for sometime. He recommended it to me so I gave it a go!

Pros of Olive Branch?
You are supporting a small business! Based in the US! How awesome is that?!
The smell! It reminds me of old school bubblegum.
True colors; they are perfectly matched to the pictures that have on their site. They may look.."off putting" seeing they use a computer created swatch; but trust me, you are safe!
Amazing staff! If you are having issues ordering; they will stay on the phone with you and help you. Even if you have a question; they are thrilled and always happy to help.  
THE PRICE! A lot less tears for the same quality as Reel Creations!


The Cons
A lot less colors; a lot of colors you want..you'll have to mix or find else where. (but i noticed they have been starting to add more. that makes me very hopeful!)
Separation; It was bound to happen. Sometimes they stick to the inside of the bottle. A good shake should help. If not; add a bit of alcohol.
Bottle stickage; If putting this into another bottle; make sure it's frosted with a waxy feel. It will save you a lot of pain.


Tips
The smell can be overwhelming; when airbrushing open windows and doors. I never airbrushed in heavy amounts with reel creations. But do this with all products.


ALMOST FORGOT!
How to remove!
I use dish washing soap to wash it off(dawn, ajax, etc).
I also heard baby oil works, but never tried. I also used cold cream in a pinch, when facial scrub and make up remover towels failed.

Any recommendations on vendors that may sell Reel Creations cheaper than others? I'm curious to try it with my airbrush.. but the cost scares me from attempting repeatedly failing tests.

ShadowKillion wrote:Any recommendations on vendors that may sell Reel Creations cheaper than others? I'm curious to try it with my airbrush.. but the cost scares me from attempting repeatedly failing tests.

I bought mine either straight from their site or from http://www.naimies.com/

I didn't notice much of a difference between the prices, sadly.

http://www.naimies.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=reel+creations