Getting Personal

                How to add fun to your party with face paints | Face Paints from GettingPersonal.co.uk
            
                There's something about face paints that brings out the kid in us all. Perhaps it's the memories of childhood parties, where a brave parent would dig out some face paints and create some designs on the party goers' faces (risking all her home furnishings in the process!) - or perhaps we had a professional design a fantastic painted look on our faces at the funfair and never forgot how exciting it was! Face paints seem to bring out the most imaginative side to children allowing them to become their favourite characters for an afternoon and giving them plenty of fresh material to incorporate into their imaginative games!

One of the downsides of face paints in the past however was the incredible mess they made! They tended to be thick waxy crayons, oil based, which made them a devil to get off skin, dresses, cushion covers and basically anywhere the child had rubbed their hands! As well as getting everywhere, they weren't always that great for sensitive skins, and beyond that still they were hard to get hold of in the shops and often just came in a few basic colours.

Well happily things have now changed, and there's a whole new generation of face paints for budding painters! The Snazaroo range is particularly good and of make up artist quality. The face paints now come in a huge range of colours and with different finishes too - such as glitter paints and sparkling iridescent powders. Today's face paints are also now water based, which makes them a lot easier to remove from children and fabrics - and they are also entirely non-toxic and also hypo - allergenic to protect sensitive young skins. There are also body paints available for creating a professional look, but that might be a step too far for the average kid's party!

Party Pack Face Painting Kit
If you are planning a party for children and having face paints as one of the key activities, then try the Party Pack Face Painting Kit for a fantastic all-in set containing everything you need! Each of these sets has enough paints to do up to 60 faces, and has various colours and finishes. You can create anything you like with these face paints - a clown, a red indian, a vampire, a pirate, a princess or a flower - let your - and their imaginations run wild!

Fantastic Faces Book
If you are looking for ideas and inspiration for your face painting designs, then why not invest in this excellent book which has a huge range of ideas and picture guides inside for you to follow. In no time at all you'll be creating entirely creative new looks and designs that will really wow your guests. Who knows, it may even kick off a new money-making sideline if you get particularly good! At the very least, your emergency stash of face paints will be perfect for getting parties kicked off and for entertaining children during the holidays.

Why not also consider face painting for the more 'grown up' parties - it's perfect when there's a fancy dress party for example - guests can really create the full look with the array of face and body paints and glitters available, and come in full character! Even adults enjoy getting back into the character and fancy dress parties really do ensure that everything kicks off with a swing and tends to bring out everyone's extroverted sides! 

With all these painted faces and bodies however you'll want to think carefully about other elements such as party food and drink. Ideally you'll need food that can be eaten standing up and in small pieces - it will be too hard to have a dinner party with painted faces and fancy dress costumes, so go for a buffet and drinks that can be enjoyed with a straw if needs be! After all the work that the guests have gone to to get their creations right, they won't want their new looks ruined by a food or drink accident! You may want to keep some handy wipes around too in case there are any accidents, or in case guests want to start removing their face paints at any point in the evening - as they are water based, some simple wet wipes will do the trick and can be disposed of easily. Whatever type of party you choose however, you are guaranteed to have extra fun however with face painting involved- so get creative, and make your events go with a bang!

Related article: Play the part you pick with face paints (Face paints)