Block Party Fun!

Here's a quick post to show you some of the pictures my sister took of me working this weekend. It has now become a yearly thing to work the Avenue F Block Party on the south east side of the city and I have to say, it gets funner and funner every year :) Enjoy!

It never fails that I am asked to paint on unusual places! 

Photo bomber! Hahaha

How to remove face paint stains...what works for me!

The most common question that I get from parents as I am face painting is, "will the paint easily come off?" For the most part, the answer is YES! All of my face paints are water based so they can easily be washed off with soap and water. In some cases, a baby wipe or make up wipe will do the trick BUT there are some colors that really stain the skin and require a deeper cleaning.

It is not uncommon that colors such as purples, pinks, reds, and greens linger a little bit longer and this can be due to a variety of reasons. Firstly, the content of some paints may be different because they provide different effects such as metallic colors. These colors are beautiful and I love to use these because they look gorgeous in the light. However, I do try to avoid these for face and cheek designs - especially if the parent mentions that the child's skin is sensitive. Secondly, it can be a skin issue. If the person has dry skin they will be more susceptible to skin staining. Thirdly, if the child's complexion is very fair, inevitably the colors will really stain.

Please keep in mind that if staining occurs it does not mean that there is an allergic reaction to the paint, of course if the skin breaks out then there is a real issue and you should take your child to the doctor. But I assure you that face paint stains are very common and they just require more than soap and water to remove.

So what is the trick to removing these stubborn colors? OLIVE OIL! You can also use other oils meant for the skin like baby oil. Soaps made out of this will also work wonderfully. Personally, what I like to do for my own skin is mix olive oil and anti-bacterial soap on a cotton pad and wipe off the stains under warm water. It works like a charm! If the stain is really stubborn, then I just continue the process until it is completely gone. Other things you can use are baby shampoo (alone or mixed with olive oil) and body lotion/moisturizer (leave on skin then remove after a few minutes). Essentially, face paint is a form of make up so try using a make up wipe as well.

Below, is a picture of my hand with pink stains after practicing painting petals. Initially, I washed my hand with soap and water but was left with these marks. So I took Dawn Antibacterial Soap and a Garnier Fructis body oil to remove the stains and it worked perfectly. If you dont have this Garnier Fructis product, no worries, just use regular olive oil.

So parents, I completely understand why you would be concerned if you cant remove the paint off your child's skin right away but I assure you that these stains will come off! I hope these tips and tricks put you at ease but please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any further concerns.

Thank you so much for reading!

~ Elsa

KevinFest 2013

One of my favorite events to work is the St. Kevin's Fest on the southeast side of the city. Mainly because I get to see so many familiar faces, especially the kids I once used to teach! Actually, they are not kids anymore, many of them are now in high school and talking about college or joining the military. I'm not that old but I definitely felt like it when I saw how much they have grown and changed. It was a beautiful weekend and I am so happy I was part of this event. Unfortunately, I was not able to take too many pictures but I hope you enjoy the ones below :) Until next year KevinFest!!!!