Getting Personal

                The wonder of face paints make your party more colourful | Face Paints from GettingPersonal.co.uk
            
                Everyone remembers parties from childhood, where a face painter - usually someone's mum - would give in to pleas from noisy children and create a variety of colourful faces such as lions, butterflies or princesses. There was nothing more fun for the young guests, who would race around screaming and playing games based on their new personas, and then wipe the thick greasy paints all over the post host's sofa and furnishings, destroying everything in sight, including their party outfits. It's no wonder that things have moved on! The lure of face paints is an enduring one, as children love to take on roles and become unusual creatures or characters to fuel their imaginations. However happily for parents and adults everywhere, there are now a range of more advanced modern face paints which are better for children's delicate skins - and for delicate furnishings!

New generation face paints
You can buy individual face paints in a variety of rainbow colours - the Snazaroo range of classic shades is very popular and they are all water based (for easy removal), non toxic and hypoallergenic, which is great if your little angel is prone to mild skin allergies or complaints. These paints are gentle on skin and far easier to remove than the oil-based crayons of yore. They simply need a good amount of soap and water - or mild water based cleansing cream and plenty of cotton wool to clean up the party guests once the fun and games have stopped!

Themed face paints - kits for expert creations You can also get excellent kits of face paints which are ideal for themed parties. One kit of face paints that little girls in particular will like is the Disco Dazzle make up kit, which contains a range of sparkling and iridescent powers, foundation and brightly coloured lip colours - as well as the essential glitter gel. The kit also has a mirror, brushes and a sponge for 'expert' application and is guarantee to provide a lot of fun.

Why not use the face paints to create a themed party for your kids to enjoy. For example, the Disco Dazzle kit would be ideal for creating a retro disco. Lay down plenty of plastic covering to protect wooden boards or carpets - or even better, hire a hall or other venue where kids can run riot! Organise a DJ and put on their favourite hits- there are plenty of CDs and downloads offering young children's favourite songs, or pop bands for older boys and girls. You could even buy in a karaoke set if you were feeling particularly brave - or mad!

You may want to accessorise the face paints with some dressing up - raid your attic for some ancient disco outfits that will make kids laugh, or get the other mums together to come up with old sequin scarves, glittery tops and other items that will entertain and delight kids for their disco. A retro theme also demands disco suitable food - so pick brightly coloured items to match the disco lights - bright treats, little sandwiches, fruit bowls and cherry tomatoes, bright lollypops and orange drinks and colas. You might even want to make a fruit punch with bright bits of pineapple and cherry floating in, and get in neon cups and curly straws to create an impact for your young guests.

Parties also require party bags, so have a think about cheap and cheerful ways to put together small gift bags for your departing guests. Slices of birthday cake, some balloons and whistles, maybe some little trinkets from the local toy shop such as marbles, sweet necklaces or model cars depending on interests. If they are real fans of face paints, you can even buy miniature packs of face paint crayons for use at home - but probably best to check with parents before giving these out, just in case there are any accidents!

The aftermath!
It's wise to keep some wet wipes on hand when face paints are involved. They will liven up the party and get it into full swing like nothing else, but when children are tired and start flopping onto furniture or rubbing their clothes and their faces, then start to remove face art where possible with soft facial wipes. If they have a hint of 'grown up-ness' about them, girls in particular may be persuaded to part with their facial creations, especially if there's a dab of face cream on offer afterwards! For small boys who are still tearing about, you may wish to hand face wipes to arriving parents so that they can do the rugby tackling and cleaning themselves before getting their over-excited charges into the car!

Related article: Pirate panda or princess - you decide  (Face Paints)