The best face paint for kids is easy to use, easy to clean, is safe for sensitive skin, and inspires creativity. Check out our guide for the top picks!
Face painting can be an exciting activity, no matter your age. Whether you're at an event, getting ready for a costume, or even just wanting to encourage your creativity, a little face paint can do the trick. However, picking out the right face paint can be tricky, especially since you need to consider not only quality but also safety.
When you start looking for face paint suitable for kids, a few more challenges come into play. Kids can have more sensitive skin, plus they tend to be a bit more rambunctious and may not be able to keep their hands away from their face long enough to let the paint dry. If you want to allow your kids to use the face paints themselves, you should also be careful.
So long as you understand that the best face paint for adults may not be the best choice for your children, you're on the right track. But if you want to save yourself the trouble of researching or you want a list of reliable products, fear not: we've got the ultimate guide to the best face paint for your kids right here.
We know that when you look for products suitable for your kids, you have the concerns of a parent in mind. We aim to ease your burden as much as we can by only choosing products proven safe for children. Additionally, we also review comments from real customers to ensure a paint's quality. Some elements we considered while forming our list are:
Safety: Skin can be sensitive, and face paint needs to recognize that. We not only ensure that our top picks won't have any adverse health effects but also look for products that are safe in case a child accidentally ingests some.
Quality: Good face paint will look good when applied, stay on the skin for a long day of activity, but will still wash off easy at the end of the day. We prioritize these paints in our top picks.
Appropriately starting off our list of the best face paint options for kids is this kit from Blue Squid. Right off the bat, you can see that the paints are hypoallergenic, FDA compliant, and paraben-free, which makes them an excellent choice for if your kids have sensitive skin or allergies to consider. The colors are vibrant, but they don't rub off on clothing. Even so, you can wash them off quickly when the time comes.
The pallet itself has twelve colors of paints, covering your bases for most designs. As for extras, there are three included paintbrushes of different sizes, allowing you to paint details. The stencils are also great for creating a variety of designs. Blue Squid claims there's enough paint to last for one-hundred faces, so you'll have more than enough for painting at parties and other events.
While the colors stay on well once they dry, they can bleed a bit if you're not careful with the water to paint ratios. It can also take several layers to build up the color to be as vibrant as you may want.
Snazaroo's face painting party pack has everything you need to create a variety of designs. Aside from the paints themselves, you'll find two brushes, four sponges, and two additional glitter gels to add an extra bit of flair to your child's look. For help with designs, the kit also has a guide included with multiple design options and step by step instructions to help even beginner artists paint incredible looks.
The paint's composition passes all child-safety regulations, including those for kids with sensitive skin. They are also fragrance-free and water-based, which helps them wash off quickly once the celebration is over. The fast-drying paint helps with both preventing antsy kids from smearing their designs and with keeping the kit from becoming a mess.
With the colors so close together, the layout of the palette makes it a tiny bit difficult to use. The kit, while it does include many things, doesn't have a mirror, making it not the best for on the go situations.
Kryvaline is a company that makes professional face paint, and their kit for kids is no exception to the quality they can produce. Specifically, this face painting set is more suitable for kids twelve and up to use, and it includes a broader variety of paints. The striped paint cakes allow for more dynamic color patterns when applied with a sponge.
Of course, it's also easy to pull single colors from both the striped and standard paint sets. The kit also includes stencils, skin jewels, and even biodegradable glitter, giving your kids a multitude of design options. Because of the production company, you can count on the paints to be safe for your kid's skin while still giving them creative flexibility.
While great for older kids, this set likely isn't going to be what you need if you want a simple way to entertain your young ones. The split color paints can also be a bit tricky to use at first.
Klutz's beginner-oriented kit is an excellent fit for use with children. There's only a basic color palette with six colors, but you can still make a lot happen with these paints. The colors are also very bright, making them perfect for entertaining your kids. The paints also come from professional brand Wolfe, which helps ensure their quality.
Naturally, this kit is safe for use by kids, and the product recommendation indicates that kids of ages eight and up can use it safely. As proof of how much you can get out of this kit, it includes a fifty-eight-page book featuring designs that are easy for beginner artists to follow along. You can even tear the design cards out of the book, making them easy to look at in the process.
Despite the multitude of included designs, some of them are rather simplistic and may not be what you're looking for if you want to create intricate designs. The six-color palette can also be a limitation.
Another excellent craft kit suitable for your kids to make a foray into the world of face painting is this offering from Melissa & Doug. Looking at the package, you can see everything that the company has to offer: the six available colors (white, black, green, yellow, red, and blue) as well as a spiral bound flipbook with instructions on multiple designs.
Though the color palette seems fundamental, the included mixing tray makes it simple to create new colors, and it's a perfect way for kids to learn how to blend paints. You'll have one brush and one sponge from the start. Aside from being safe for the skin, the face paints also work well and make it easy for kids to paint both their faces and the faces of others for a bit of fun.
The limited color palette can be a bit restrictive, but the ability to mix paints helps negate that. However, the darker colors (especially the black) don't wash off the skin as easily as other kinds.
With hypoallergenic paints on its side, the Create A Face kit is perfect for anyone with sensitive skin and just for parents who want to keep potentially toxic substances away from their kids. This package has no shortage of use, as the paint can easily cover anywhere in the range of fifty to eighty faces, depending on the design. The water-based activation means a little soap and water is all you need to clean up.
Because the paint dries within a minute, you don't have to worry about unfortunate smears. The included stencils are also sticky and reusable, so you don't need to juggle holding your paintbrush with keeping the stencil in place. There are also two glitter gels, three brushes, and two sponges included let you use the eight paints to their fullest.
While the contents of this kit are excellent, the packaging is less than stellar, which can make it tricky to keep everything together in the original box for an extended period.
This face paint kit sticks out in that it has a wide variety of included tools to help your kids make the most of their creativity; two brushes, two applicators, and four sponges ensure you'll have plenty of ways to not only put paint on but also make the design you want to look crisp. Aside from the basic, there are 50 included stencils with numerous fun patterns on them.
As for the paints themselves, you'll find fourteen different colors along with two glitter shades included. Every one of them is FDA compliant, non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and paraben-free, making it a super safe kit. Like many of the other paints in our top picks, the water-based composition makes it easy to clean up with just a bit of warm and soapy water on your side.
While there are several different colors in this kit, some shades do appear more often than others (such as the three different kinds of blue paint).
These FDA compliant and hypoallergenic face paint crayons are just as safe for use with kids like the rest of our top picks, but they do it differently. Instead of having a pallet that you dip your brushes and sponges into, you can apply the paints straight from the crayons themselves. The familiar grip makes it easy to draw designs on without having to learn to use a brush.
The crayon-like design also means that it's easy to take these paints on the go and keep things clean by just popping the cap back into place. Clean up of the paints once they've gone onto the skin is also simple, as they are water-based. Thanks to the overall vibrant colors and innovative use, Mosaiz's face paint crayons are a winner.
While there are twelve distinct colors, the crayon design does make it difficult to blend colors for more options. It's also not easy to see how much paint is still in each stick, unlike an open art pallet with a visible paint cake.
As our list of top picks shows, you have multiple options to choose from—from simple color pallets to more interactive kits for kids. While we stand behind our choices, we genuinely want you to find the best face paint for your kids. Here are some essential factors to help you find that perfect face paint.
Most kids will feel excited for the chance to use face paints, but the difference of a few years can make a big difference in how they interact with that paint. Toddlers excel at putting things in their mouths that they shouldn't, and edible paint should be a priority. If your kids are young enough that they may not follow instructions not to touch their face, look for a face paint that quickly dries.
If you want your kids to use the face paints on their own, you probably don't need a complicated set. A primary color pallet will get the job done (especially for the younger ages), and having some stencils around will make it easy for them to paint designs that they like.
If you plan to be the painter for kids, then you may want a bit more extensive color. A bigger kit can also help you have different paint available for various events. Both Halloween costumes and parties can make good use of paint, but don't feel the need to invest in a large kit if you only see yourself using it a handful of times.
Most face paint kits come in ready to use artist pallets, so you don't have to worry about prepping up your selection. Our top picks for the most part also include brushes with them, but some kits will have extras so you can quickly switch between colors. Sponges and other applicators also help with this!
Stencils are another common extra, which can be great for if you have little experience with paint or you want your kids to have fun.
Kids tend to love the opportunity to get their face painted, so you want to be ready. They also like it when it's time to be the artists themselves! With our top picks for best face paint for kids, you should have no problem finding the product that meets your needs while being safe for kids of all ages, those with sensitive skin and allergies, and events big and small. Now it's time to let your creative sideshow!
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