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[detenten]

This may have been covered in this forum, but I couldn't find a definitive answer.

I'm looking into being a Twi'lek (Oola) for a sci-fi pool party. Waterproof body paint would be a great stunt! Ideally it wouldn't color the pool, either.

Anyone had luck with immersing themselves as a green alien?

[verdatum]

Either PAX (prosaide prosthetic adhesive mixed together with Liquitex acrylic paint in a 50:50 ratio) or Alcohol Activated makeups, such as skin illustrator or Kryolan's Body Illustrating Colors are completely waterproof. Hollywood frequently uses both for underwater scenes.

You just need to have plenty of time to carefully and gently remove either when finished. They don't come off easily, and if you just try to scratch it off, you'll end up peeling off a layer of skin. PAX I remove with a long hot bath, a soft washcloth, and a bit of soap. AA makeup I remove by dabbing 99% alcohol using a fresh cloth rag, followed immediately by moisturizer.

[Sweet Loretta]

While I defer to verdatum on PAX I have to disagree about BIC being waterproof. Yes, you can wear it in a pool, it will however be affected by not only the water but also the chemicals in the water. BIC as most all alcohol activated cake makeup and most all airbrush alcohol formulations are water-resistant but not water-proof and there is a difference. Just adding my 2 cents cause getting it right matters once someone has take expense and time to create a character. Such a drag to have it messed up because they thought it would hold up under XY & Z conditions.

BIC id makeup on the skin and as that skin exfoliates the makeup comes off. Swimming expedites exfoliation. If you towel dry you further sluff off the skin and remove the makeup.
If the makeup is not applied well - i.e too thin or too thick it is more susceptible to coming off. Rub a towel over it after swimming and you may be very unhappy with what you see on the towel.

So take care. Be sure you have very clean skin to start. BIC as all cake activated makeups should be wetted well. Most people do not want to wet the cakes with the 99% alcohol or BIC activator as they want to go cheap. But the alcohol and activator evaporate and you do not lose makeup, when it dries you still have whatever you did not use. Wet the cake and let it set a minute or so, re-wet the cake for using.

And if you must swim do not towel dry, rather air dry and stay out of the hot tub. This can really damage to makeup.

A note too while I am no expert on PAX I do have some knowledge here. PAX is generally used to paint appliances as once a mask or such is painted PAX does not need touching up. Great for many nights in a haunted attraction or on a film shoot. So while many haunters or cosplayers may use PAX it is not a go to makeup for use on skin. These days there are better formulations in the haunt and film industries, the biggest users of a need for "waterproof" makeup. PAX is not really makeup as it calls for paint that is not approved for use on humans and frankly its a pain in the arse for those without fx makeup experience. When Dick Smith developed the technique of glue and paint there were not the selection of makeup choices one now has. If a SAG union makeup artist used thing not approved for use on human skin they could quickly find themselves off a film shoot and out a job.

Be safe, make it easy, this is play! We want it durable but it's still play. And I have heard many an unhappy story based on poor makeup choices. Go have fun.

[verdatum]

Curious info. I figured that the use of PAX was effectively grandfathered in as suitable for use by IATSE Makeup artists on SAG actors. But I'm a total amateur.

Regardless of how the professional industry works, Liquitex colors are generally considered safe because they bare the "AP" (Approved Product) seal from the Arts & Crafts Materials Institute, indicating that it has been certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems. And that it is labeled in accordance with the chronic hazard labeling standard, ASTM D 4236, and the U. S. Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act. (More Info)

The major difference between these regulations and the Food Drug & Cosmetics (FD&C) regulations is that the latter requires a complete listing of ingredients. If you want approved cosmetics, the prefabricated body paints sold as PAX may fall under that category, but I haven't investigated to be sure.

[rocketman7890]

Loretta -- are there any paints that are more or less waterproof? I feel like I've seen underwater body-painted pictures before.

[verdatum]

I know that at least back in the day, productions would just use greasepaints for underwater shoots. Because oil & water doesn't mix, Greasepaints and creme makeups are completely waterproof. Unfortunately, they don't' dry to the skin, so if you rub it, it will smudge and leave marks on stuff. You can coat the makeup in translucent face powder optionally followed by fixing spray, but this only helps a little bit. Film & photo shoots didn't worry too much about smudging issues since they could just call cut and fix it.

Fun fact: to keep hair looking perfect for those Esther Williams MGM synchronized swimming scenes, they'd coat the hair in a mixture of Vaseline and baby oil. It is super-crazy hard to wash out.