Whether you’re thinking of wearing oily makeup to a theatrical event, a special Halloween party, or some other occasion, you need to know what products are out there and how to apply them.

While grease makeup requires more time and preparation than regular water-soluble face paint, it also lasts much longer. Most importantly, oily makeup will not bleed or run under hot lights or conditions where you might perspire. With oily makeup you can create a more dramatic and even professional look.

In addition to your grease face paints and pencils, you will need:

• facial cleanser or cleansing cream and/or baby shampoo
• clean towels or paper towel
• clothing cover and headbands or shower cap
• possible shaver for men
• mirror if you are not working from home
• good quality paint brush, dust brush
• professional setting powder, talc or baby powder and applicator (see below)
• Q-Tips or fine paint brush, tissue paper, paper towel are helpful
• Other items you might also consider:
• light moisturizer
• baby oil (to correct mistakes after the paint has ‘set’)
• charcoal eye pencil
• mask
• sponge
• mr gold water sprinkler
• glitter and other decoration

Before you start applying makeup, you need to prepare your face so that it goes on smoothly. Clean your face well, pinning up your hair when necessary and, in the case of men, shave. (Men with beards can apply grease paint makeup, but it can be tricky to keep it out of the hair.) Remember that greasy makeup will stain clothing, so put on an old button-down shirt. After your skin dries, apply a very light moisturizer.

Working with the lightest color first, usually white, and a good quality brush or sponge, or with your fingers, you can outline the area and then fill it in. Alternatively, you can paint following the contours of your face. Oily makeup may not spread easily if it’s too cold, which can be remedied by placing a small drop of the color in the palm of your hand for a minute. After painting, use your fingers to ‘pat’ the makeup into your skin.

Unlike water-based makeup, oily makeup requires you to paint your face and then “set” it with a professional setting powder, or talc or baby powder. (If you choose talc, be sure to confirm beforehand that you don’t have an allergic reaction.) You can “fix” fat makeup in stages after the application of each color or at the end of all painting. Some people prefer the latter, applying all the colors before setting with powder, because they can more easily correct mistakes. The downside, however, is that you risk accidentally mixing colors and smearing your work.

Whether you “set” in stages or at the end, a reliable way to apply the powder is to partially fill a small, clean cotton sock with the powder, tie it off, then gently dab across your face. Let the powder sit for half a minute or so before dusting off the excess with a powder brush. Painted areas should no longer feel wet or sticky; if this is not the case, you probably need more powder. Once the oily makeup has set, it should be pretty smudge resistant. If you need to correct something at this point, you can use baby oil-soaked cotton swabs, but remember that neighboring areas may now stain.

Be careful not to apply oily face makeup thickly or in layers. If you have too much in one spot, press it down with your fingers to smooth it out. Continue to refine your face, using Q-Tips or a fine brush for smaller areas. Grease pencils can also be used for the face, charcoal pencils for the eyes and don’t forget color for your lips too!

Allow oily makeup to dry completely and apply a final light layer of powder, tapping off excess with a brush or tissue paper. A damp cloth at the end can help remove excess dust or spray with a light mist of water. In warmer climates, you can probably skip this step because the extra dust will absorb perspiration.

If you are applying glitter, you should do it last. Glitter is generally most effective when applied to the eyes or cheeks. A glitter gel is often used in place of dry glitter to minimize the chance of flaking in the eye. With dry glitter, first lightly dampen face and cheeks, then apply the polyester glitter. Remember to let the makeup sit for about half an hour before going out. If you have paint stains on your eyelashes, cover them up with mascara.

Products available

For almost any type of face design, you’ll need at the very least a white foundation and a black pencil, but of course there are plenty of colors in between and you’ll probably want to try at least a few of them. The main producers of fat makeup are Mehron and Ben Nye. Mehron’s Grease Makeup is targeted at theater professionals who want easy application with good coverage. Ben Nye also draws the same community, although Ben Nye’s grease makeup is actually a cream. Grease face makeup comes in a variety of forms, from palettes (usually sold as a kit) to individual eyeliners. Pencils, crayons, and sticks are useful for the smaller areas of the face. Both Mehron and Ben Nye also make eye shadows, blushes, a range of glitter and setting powders, and setting mists. You may also want to consider sweat blocking sprays for the face to help preserve greasy paint under bright lights or in a hot environment.