ok so I use this for Homestuck cosplays, and I love the colour. It's perfect light grey, and I don't have to do any mixing. I bought this and a black snazaroo for Karkat (his sleepy raccoon eyes, I guess?) and I love how well it stays on. However, I've learned how to use it best by trial and error. 1. test it out before you go to the con 2. do NOT get it wet, or wear it where you'll be sweating a lot, or exposed to rain/humidity/swimming areas. It's water-based so it'll bleed off pretty quickly. Even taking a sip of water with it on, it rubs off my lips, so I always keep one of these with me at cons, to re-apply it. Use straws if you're drinking, and if you eat wearing this, you'll have to redo the lips. Unless you use lipstick instead of this on the lips, in which case, you're fine. I'm a guy so yeah, no lipstick. This works just fine. 3. When I'm applying it, I don't follow the directions on the label. If you do just a light, thin layer like it suggests, it will look washed out, streaky, and blotchy. Your fingerprints and application strokes will show. I know that's how you're supposed to do it, but I just don't like how it looks. What I do is open up the cap, let a couple droplets of water soak into it, and wait until it's kinda a thick putty (peanut butter-ish?), then I glob it on my face. Yes, I know it sounds gross. Yes, my pores can still breathe, yes it's comfortable, no it isn't itchy, no it doesn't burn my skin, yes I've left it on for 10+ hours before and have had no issues whatsoever, no it doesn't aggravate my acne. The water-based compound is easy on my skin. It feels nice on, moisturising. After I do the base grey colour, I take just a dab of black Snazaroo on my pinky finger, make it into a thick paste just the same, and splotch it beneath my eyes for Karkat's baggy eyes. No streaking, just like a light dabbing motion, till it's well-blended. I let that sit about five minutes, and then use matte finishing spray (Ben Nye Final Seal). You need this. It will help. Your makeup stays in place, doesn't look mottled, and overall helps it not run as bad or look as shiny. I don't use any powders atop that, just the finishing spray. Spritz like once or twice into the air, walk into it, wait a couple minutes, and do it again, till you go through it 2-4 times or so? In theatre we used to use hair spray to set our makeup, but I've never tried it with Snazaroo, since every water and alcohol-based makeup reacts differently to the sprays. But yeah, Ben Nye is great. If you don't use a final seal, it's not a huge deal, but it'll make the Snaz blotch, run, and show sweat more. 4. Don't use Snaz on your arms. Or your neck. Or your hands. Or your legs. It will run. You will be miserable. Your clothes will get grey all over the edges. Your con experience will be filled with grey smudges all over your priceless con purchases and group photos. You don't want that. Even expensive Mehron/Ben Nye paints will still run with heat, humidity, and time at the con. Plus you have to keep re-applying it. No matter how much you set it and re-apply it, you will have issues unless you absolutely don't touch anything. Not fun. It's fine if you're just going out for a photo op, but for a con, you want something where you can use your hands. So you can eat and drink and do other important activities. Also, bathroom breaks...yeah. Paint on your hands just isn't a good idea. I HIGHLY suggest making armsocks out of tights, fabric medium/paint, and fake nails painted yellow. There's a few awesome tutorials on Tumblr. That way you can pull them on and off, do pics, and actually grab that awesome t-shirt at the con. For limbs, don't use water, grease, or alcohol-based paints if it's an all-day con. You can but there's always that risk; even just brushing your leg on a chair might smear it. PAX is a good option for legs, as well as opaque tights. For photo ops (for less than an hour), any body paint will work fine. Anything more than that, PAX is great. It feels and looks like skin. It's a mixture of 60% Pros-Aid and 40% Liquidex paint. It is AMAZING. Anytime I cosplay Karkat, I do my neck with PAX, then my face with Snaz. The colours work great, and with the separation line just under my chin, you can't tell where the two paints blend. PAX does NOT rub off or smear on my collar. At all. Be kinda careful about humidity, though. DO shave before you use PAX; it can be ridiculous to scrub off. Best way to get PAX off is to sweat, let the bubbles bead up beneath it, and wipe off with a hot rag. SO, RECAP: Snaz for face. It is awesome. Cake it on. Ben Nye and Mehron are other good brands I've tried, and I know a few others that are like $30 per canister. But Snaz is cheap and works just fine. PAX on neck and upper arms. Arm socks for hands. You'll thank me later. 5. Snaz washes off extremely easily, just a hot, wet rag and facial wash. As long as you don't rub your face too much during the day, and as long as you're not outside sweating, however, you shouldn't have a problem with it dripping off. I've used it at Dragon*Con, where I was waiting for panels outside in the heat. As long as I didn't touch my face when I came back inside, let the AC chill it down, the makeup reset to my face perfectly. Really just trial and error. But this stuff is way cheaper than Mehron and Ben Nye, and as long as you use it well, it works just fine. 6. It goes a long way. I've been on the same grey and black containers for over a year, and have done Karkat probably 10 times. Just the face, but still. You don't need much.
