30 Face Paint Ideas, From Quick Cheek Art to Full-Face Looks

Good face paint ideas work at two distances: they read clearly from across a room and still look neat up close in photos. The thirty designs below are grouped by theme and marked easy, medium or hard, so you can match the design to the person in the chair, from a wriggly four-year-old to a teenager who wants a full face.

Before you paint: the basic kit

• Face paint made for skin. Water-activated cakes are the easiest to use and wash off with soap and water. Cream paints give stronger color but need powder to set. Never use craft acrylics, poster paint or markers on skin.
• Three brushes: a flat brush about half an inch wide for bases and stripes, a round brush for teardrop strokes, and a fine liner for outlines and whiskers.
• Two sponges: a dense one for base color and one torn in half for soft edges.
• Cosmetic glitter for sparkle, kept away from the eyes. Craft glitter is not made for skin.

Animal designs

1. Tiger (medium): orange base, a white muzzle around the mouth and above the brows, black stripes swept in from the hairline and jaw.
2. Cat (easy): a black nose tip, three whiskers on each cheek and a few dots on the upper lip. Our cat makeup guide has three versions.
3. Butterfly (medium): two wings painted on the forehead and upper cheeks, with the body running down the bridge of the nose.
4. Puppy (easy): a brown patch over one brow and cheek, a black nose and floppy ears painted along the jaw.
5. Lion (medium): yellow base ringed with orange and brown mane strokes.
6. Bunny (easy): white cheeks, a pink nose and two square teeth on the chin.
7. Ladybug (easy): a red circle on one cheek with a black head, dots and a center line.
8. Owl (hard): layered scallop "feathers" across the forehead and cheeks.
9. Snake (medium): green base, then sponge darker color through clean netting for scales.
10. Fawn (medium): tan cheeks, white freckle spots and a dark nose. See our deer makeup steps.

Fantasy designs

11. Unicorn (medium): a gold horn in the center of the forehead and a rainbow arc over one brow.
12. Mermaid (medium): netting scales in teal and purple on the cheekbones, finished with white dots like tiny pearls.
13. Superhero mask (easy): a solid band across the upper face that stops at the edge of the eye socket, outlined in black.
14. Fairy (easy): swirls, dots and small stars at one temple, with a touch of glitter.
15. Dragon (hard): scales across the forehead and flames curling up from the jaw.
16. Crown (easy): a gold or silver crown on the forehead with colored "jewels" in the points.
17. Galaxy (medium): purple, blue and black sponged over one side of the face, then white dots and a few four-point stars.

Halloween face paint ideas

18. Skull (hard): white base, dark sockets around (not on) the eyes, a dark nose triangle and teeth lines across the lips.
19. Pumpkin (easy): an orange pumpkin with a green stem on one cheek, or a full orange face with a black jack-o'-lantern grin.
20. Spiderweb (easy): five lines radiating from the corner of the jaw, joined by curved threads, with a small spider hanging below.
21. Bat (easy): a black bat spread across the forehead, wing tips reaching the temples.
22. Witch (medium): pale green base with darker green shading under the cheekbones.
23. Friendly ghost (easy): a white ghost with a round surprised mouth on one cheek.
24. Stitched monster (medium): gray-green base, a dark hairline and a line of painted stitches across the forehead.
25. Candy corn (easy): three stripes of yellow, orange and white on the cheek.

Cool face paint ideas

26. Lightning bolt (easy): a yellow bolt outlined in black running from brow to cheek.
27. Geometric (medium): triangles in three colors fanning out from one cheekbone.
28. Team stripes (easy): two or three bold stripes in team colors under each eye.
29. Flames (medium): red, orange and yellow teardrop strokes rising from the jaw.
30. Neon party (medium): bright fluorescent lines that pop under black light, kept well away from the eyes.

Safety steps that matter

The US Food and Drug Administration advises a few simple habits for face paint and novelty makeup:

• Patch test first. Put a small amount on the arm a day or two before the event and check for redness, rash or swelling.
• Use only products intended for skin, and follow the label. If a label says a product is not for use near the eyes, believe it.
• Check the colors. Color additives in cosmetics must be approved for that use, and some approved colors are not approved for the eye area. According to the FDA, none of the fluorescent colors approved for cosmetics are allowed near the eyes.
• Throw out paint with a bad smell, which can be a sign of contamination.
• Take it off before bed, gently and in the way the label describes.

If a rash or swelling appears, wash the paint off and talk to a doctor or pharmacist. For beginner-friendly versions of these designs, start with our easy face paint ideas.