Gabrielle Rivera is a QC Makeup Academy graduate and professional makeup artist. To see more of her work, visit her Instagram here.
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to talk makeup products that can ruin your day! It doesn’t matter what your makeup skill level is. When the spookiest time of the year creeps around the corner, you’re probably seeking out cheap makeup kits that’ll still deliver a jaw-dropping look.
But there are so makeup products out there these days. You’ll need to sift through some terrible products to get to the good ones. Below, I’m going to share some special FX products that have been real busts for me.
Check out these 5 special effects makeup products you should toss from your makeup artist kit!
1. Cream and Grease Face Paints by Amscan
My experiences using these tube-cream and grease paint cups have consistently been a fail. Both the cream and grease paints require several coats to become fully opaque. But the more layers I added, the easier (and faster) my makeup separated, smudged, and cracked.
2. Pressed Glitter Palettes
I’ve purchased a few different pressed glitter palettes from Party City and Hot Topic. However, no matter where I purchase these house brand palettes, the glitters never apply as well as the packaging claims.
I have tried several techniques to apply these pressed glitter palettes. I’ve used brushes, sponges, and my fingers. But they feel extremely rough on my skin and caused irritation once on. Although pressed glitter may seem convenient, be careful to choose a product that isn’t too rough around the eyes to prevent discomfort to you or your clients!
3. Face Paint Crayons by Wolf Novelties
Similar to the cream and grease paints found at novelty and party stores, these face paint crayons have been a huge fail for me. After giving these crayons several chances, I found that they are just a miss. Although the crayons are somewhat thick, the texture of the crayons leads them to break apart easily. And if I try using them in a semi-warm environment, they can become soft and extremely difficult to use.
Did you know? Students and graduates of QC’s Special FX Makeup course are eligible to receive discounts of up to 40% off popular special FX makeup brands. Check out makeup discounts from QC’s partner brands like Frends or mehron!
4. Spirit Halloween Body Paint Kits
Similarly to Party City, Spirit Halloween has created its own line of cosmetic products for the Halloween season. Some of their newest products are body paint kits and cream paint palettes.
The biggest grievance I have about these kits is the applicator brushes. The brushes they supply with these kits are the same ones you might use to paint on a canvas, yikes!
For their body paint kit, they provide you with a sponge applicator, but they’re a terrible mix. The sponges soak up most of the paint. And because the paint itself is not opaque enough at one application, multiple coats are necessary. I’ve also noticed that these sponge brushes can leave the makeup application streaky. All around, these products are bad.
5. Character Makeup Kits
Lastly, one of the most common makeup products you’ll find at novelty stores this time of year are also ones you want to be wary of. I have tried several “character makeup kits” such as Doll Makeup, Skeleton, and Zombie by the brand FunWorld, but what you see is not what you get.
The images on the packaging of these makeup kits show vivid makeup and realistic special FX transfers and prosthetics. But the eyeshadow and lipsticks provided in these makeup kits are anything but vivid or pigmented. On most occasions, they have a faint but less-than-appealing scent to them.
Likewise, the transfers or prosthetics provided in these kits only come in one basic skin tone. So people who have darker skin tones (like myself) can have many issues trying to blend them into their skin tone.
