Iridescent glitter and shine pearl for face-ups

Glad to see so many posts here!
@- Momo - i ordered all mine from here: http://www.volksusa.com/ pretty fast shipping too. it might have a bit more leeway on where it ships then volks japan, worth a shot right?

@ - Bandit - love the horns! thank you for posting a photo ^^

@ - kobbi - i don't think i worded that very well. what i meant is when using that specific gloss it has a wine smell (not that blending changed it XD). other glosses i've used in the past have had more chemical smells then wine.

thanks again all!

 

I guess it's a bit late for asking, but where exactly did you find Pearl Ex ? I used the store locator on their website but there seems to be nothing in Montreal...

 

many craft or art stores will sell those powders, more likely any place that specializes more in paints, brushes, pens, etc. Im not sure what would be available in Montreal though =(

 

I've been trying to find a related thread to my question... if there is one, please link. Plus I wasn't too sure as to where to post this either. I hope this would be the right spot

Anyway. I am still new to the hobby so I don't know what all of the materials actually do for the aesthetics of a doll's face up.
Anyway, Luts is doing custom face ups again and one of their questions is whether you want pearl powder or not

Quote: " only can choose whether you want to use pearl powder or not, random color )"

The statement that it's random makes me nervous, especially when it's going to be custom. So what exactly IS pearl powder/what is it generally used for?

Thanks so much!

 

But the quick answer to your question is that Pearl powder is a very fine glitter dust usually made of crushed mica, a soft sparkly mineral. It can be used in several ways to make a faceup sparkly around the eyes or on the lips, and they want to know if you'd like them to make the faceup sparkly or not.

The rest of the Customizing Index is a great place to learn all about faceup materials, doll care, mods, and all that important stuff.

 

just like the title says...whenever i've done faceups using the pearl powder, after i spray the final msc coat, the sparkliness goes away, and i'm left with just a slight sheen if you look real hard...but on other people's faceups, the pearl powder leaves a fine glittery look.

how do you apply it? (i don't mean on the glossy parts - i know to mix the powder with the gloss...)

i think i must be missing something. thanks!

 

If you're using it for parts that are glossed, mix it with the gloss that you're applying to the lips, eyelids, nails, etc.

 

I was just dealing with this the other day, and this thread was helpful to me - it's about all things glittery and pearl. The consensus seems to be that the pearl needs to be mixed in with the matte sealant (assuming you're doing unglossed areas, like I was.) Artists who use airbrushes can spray the powder on; those of us using our cans of MSC can't.

I didn't want to ruin my faceup by trying to blow or dab powder into the moist sealant, so I just ended up dry-brushing it on after she was done. It's not permanent, but 1) glitter is hell to get off, and 2) it's my doll. Probably not a wise choice if painting for someone else, but workable for me.

I do wish there were a more permanent solution, but this is the best I can manage without investing in more supplies/equipment, myself.

 

thanks impassive. that's exactly what i was dealing with. thanks for the link. i wish there was a permanent solution too. :s

 

What I've done is after applying the MSC matte spray I go back over the area with gloss and that seems to perk it back up some. I usually try to cover the area with masking tape that's gotta have gloss or not spray as much over it and recoat it. The masking tape is a wonderful thing ^^ I think they even have a liquid version somewhere.

 

ayperi - thank you, but actually i'm talking about non-glossed areas specifically. because i can mix the pearl powder into the gloss to apply it, but the areas i don't want glossed is where i'm having trouble getting the glitter to show up.

 

Oh! *smacks self* well in that case, the only thing I can think to try is to spray over the area more finely instead what you'd normally do for sealing (maybe a couple of times of fine misting wouldn't hurt, just enough that it wouldn't make it too matte) and/or touch it up by lightly dusting over it again, making sure to really tap the excess off the brush (and a moderate sized fluffy brush would be good) so that it don't cause an over sparklyness.

 

Using ZM spray instead also works. |)

 

When I'm not airbrushing, I apply it immediately after my MSC topcoat with a big fluffy brush. You have to be careful that the MSC is not too wet, or the brush and sealant will get gummied up, but not too dry that it won't stick. It's all a matter of timing.

I also wear my respirator when I'm doing this, since by no means is the MSC dry yet.

 

I get mine to stick by sealing the face up then, like tygati, use a big poofy makeup brush to put it on the face. I let all my sealent dry before I put the shine pearl on though. It may not work for some people but mine sticks to surfaces even when they are dry. If I get any on my hand it's there until I scrub it off.

I do find though that airbrushing it on is so much better. You can really concentrate it in some areas and have a diffuse glow in others. Invest in a good air brush, you'll use it =)

 

Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I've been trying to figure out why my pearlex wasn't having the right effects - problem solved!!

Also- I highly recommend ebay for Pearl-Ex, I've got two sets now, both of which I bought for about $16 each (including shipping). (the usual retail is about $25-30)

 

I actually use white sparkly eyeshadow for faceups on the last layer...it adds a nice natrual sparkle.

 

Sorry if this is in the wrong place i really wasnt sure where to post as i think the customisation threads arent supposed to have sales links etc?

My question is this, im really after some Zoukeimura Shine Pearl stuff to finish some faceups im doing/have planned but i havent been able to track this stuff down anywhere! the only place i can find it doesnt ship to the UK!? argh! >_< do any of you good people know where i can either get some to the UK or of a very similar product?

Many Thanks!! XD

 

eBay has pearl-ex, i think it might be a bit denser but it is a lovely product.
Where were you trying to buy from?
You might be able to shop around and find a volks dealer thats sells to the UK.
It is a wonderful product so it's worth the trouble.

 

OK, so I am making a fantasy doll. My design calls for shimmery makeup. However, the only chalk pastels i could find that where metallic/shimmery were dull colors.

So, I was wondering about using human makeup. I read, however, this should be avoided. Not to mention I don't want to accidentally use some oil based something or other.

I don't want to use any kind of paint or liquids. It can get globby and look like crap.

So I was wondering if anyone out there had any experience with metallic powders...maybe even some that was ment for make-up purposes and not for art purposes. Maybe even mixing pastels with a super fine micro glitter or something?

Oh yea, should I seal the doll first, then do the blushing/makeup and then seal again?

What I am thinking of using: http://www.dickblick.com/products/jacquard-pearl-ex-pigments/

 

Use the PearlEx pigments! They are amazing! I have the 32 color set and just LOVE it! I mix mine with gloss and paint on, like acrylics, but intend to use them like powdered pastels for blushing this weekend. I know that spraying them with sealer will dull the shimmery shine, but think that a light gloss coat over-top where you want more 'shine' would help to counteract that.

And whenever you blush or paint a doll you should seal first, then work in layers, sealing between. The first layer (or 2) of sealer on the bare resin helps protect from staining, and gives your materials more 'tooth' to hold to to work with.

When you seal make sure you do so outside, or in a well ventilated area. And let the sealant dry completely before moving to the next step.

 

O.O I never thought of the Dull Cote making it less shimmery, lol! I am glad you said something about that.

 

hmm this sounds interesting can you try to post pictures of the result cos I am thinking of adding some "shimmer" to my little ladies when they get here
Thx

 

I second the Pearl Ex. I haven't tried it on resin yet, but for a paperclay head I made that was painted with acrylics, an overdusting of the Pearl Ex was PERFECT as eyeshadow. If you go to the websites for whatever craft store you have nearby and sign up for their mailers you generally get weekly coupons. I got a large assortment pack for half off that way. (Hey, the more money you save on supplies, the more money you have for dolls, right?)

I know the doll itself is off topic, but I'm going to try to add the photo (even though it's not a really good one) so you can see the eye shadow


and if you want to see the build process, so you can see the difference between the plain skin and the light eye shadow the blog post is here with a follow up here

 

How is the shimmer after you have sealed the face? Is it still all shimmery?

 

OK...I worked on the face for my doll yesterday...and my first attempt, for MANY reasons, was made of total fail. After 1 coat of MSC, the shimmer was DRASTICALLY dulled, almost non visible. I toned down the amount of shimmer (and details I was trying for, head too tiny for all the detail I was TRYING to add the first time) and instead of doing it alongside my blushing, did it as my final layer, mixed with gloss, and it turned out rather well. I'll get a photo as soon as I can to share, but in the meantime, let me see if I can find some photos where I used the PearlEx Powders mixed in gloss to add a little shimmer to less fantasy based face-ups.

First off, my Nabiyette, Dahlia, whose default face I enhanced. Her lips, the details of her markings, and her eyes are all the same shade of Pearl Ex Powders:


And second, my male RS Lu (on smaller Bao body) who I had nearly FORGOTTEN I'd done this way (he's been in a cupboard, waiting for me to have time to get to his mods, this paint was meant to be temporary, and got quickly out of hand as I LOVED how it was looking). Again, Pearl Ex Powders mixed in gloss and painted on:


I HAVE read that to keep the shimmer, without needing to mix with gloss and paint, you can TRY do it asa final layer on top of still wet/damp/non-dried sealer, so it'll stick in the sealer, without being dulled...but I have yet to try that myself, and have NO idea how well it would work.

 

Also heaping on the praise for PearlEx. Just another thing. Yes, sealer will dull your shimmer, but 1 layer only does not take away a lot. So if you do the face-up then seal it, then on top add your powder and a very light coat of sealer, it will look fine. Also I find that glossing OVER the sealed shimmer will bring back it back to almost 100%. I usually don't mix my PearlEx with the gloss, because it could spread unevenly or pool where I don't want it to.

 

I have been interested in the PearlEx for a while, but I can't afford to get the whole line right now. I did notice that DickBlick has 3 different sets. Any advice on which one to get as a basic set? I ask because the #1 set doesn't have a green.

 

I don't want to mix the shimmer with gloss, because then the make-up would look like it was painted on like some Barbie toy. I need it to look airbrushed. That's an idea! But I don't have an airbrush machine.... I could try the good ol' dry brush technique (just like with watercolors).

As for the PearlEx, don't buy it at DickBlick just yet! If you have a Hobby Lobby or a Michaels you can get it 40%-50% off! I know Hobby Lobby carries it, but I am unsure about Michaels. Both of these stores usually have a 40% coupon in the paper (and online) every week!

Here is the Michaels coupon:

Hobby Lobby's Weekly Ad:
http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm

Unfortunately, Hobby Lobby don't have 40% off this week.

I am the queen of penny pinching, so I am a coupon whore. I NEVER pay full price for ANYTHING unless I have to!

 

For the airbrushed look, I'd definitely first try just 'blushing' on the powders ( a little goes a LONG way), sealing, then doing a thin gloss layer over top, and if that doesn't work, you can wipe the face-up, and try to do the blushing with the powders over-top of your last layer of sealer before it dries. Or you could try out both techniques on the head-cap or something similar, to see if either will work how you want them to. I know that for those of us on a budget 'wasting' materials to try things out like that sucks, but in the end the worst that will happen is that things won't work how you want them to, and you'll have lost the minimal materials it took to do the trial runs.

 

Just to clear up any doubts on where to get PearlEx - Michaels does carry it!

 

What I do to add the little shimmer is I take a brush dipped in the pearl ex with me when I spray the doll, then when the coating has just turned dull I very lightly, not to dent the new layer, add some with the brush, it leaves the pearl ex on without dulling,

now if you go and man handle the faceup it will come off but I never touch my girls faces so its not a problem, one of them even still has some on after getting a wipe with a magic eraser to get off some dirt [horrible fall down accident @_@]

 

dragonesskirra, your doll crashed and burned?!? D:

Anyway, I am not really worried about wasting some PearlEx I am more worried about ruining my precious doll. I don't have a very steady hand.

AND! That is awesome news to hear that Michaels carries it!

 

Have you tried semi gloss sealer instead of a matte one?(You'd have to spray lighter than you would the matte so it doesn't look too shiny)

I've used semigloss acrylic medium thinned down to paint with pearl ex. The key is thinning it down enough that it's almost like watercolor but not so thin that it's too much like water.

How shimmery do you want the faceup?
If you just want subtle shine on spots you could try this method:
http://site.volksusa.com/sumikatimes/2009/08/29/kohaku-rocks-his-new-look/

Peal Ex would show more than the shinepearl. Pearl Ex has slightly larger size particles.

 

I checked out my local Hobby Lobby. I will use the coupon when I can, but I think I will still have to order a few colors. They only have 8 colors at HL. 3 gold, a silver, a pearl, and then a lavender, a blue and a bronze. Where's red or pink?

 

Ive seen so many face-ups done lately with a sparkly shimmer around the eye, and I loved the look so much I decided to try it, only I ran into a problem. I'm using a non-oil shimmer and it goes on beautifully when I pat it on with a brush, just like how it looks in the photographs, but as soon as a spray MSC the shimmer disappears! I try layering it between coats but the only thing that shows is, I suppose, the "essence" of shimmer in slights hints :/ It's frustrating because there must be a right way to do this, many of the face-up artists portfolio's I've seen display this added shimmer on face-ups as very vibrant, and I would like to know how to achieve this on my own dolls. Thanks for any advice anyone can give on how to go about this.

-Bella

 

i had the same problem ;A;! i would like to know the answer to this question as well

 

When I ran into this problem, I began using a matte acrylic liquid medium (like this), mixing in a small amount of mica powder (like those). Do it only as the final touchup after you apply MSC. The key is not to overdo.

 

For upper eyelids, a lot of people will mix sparkly powder into gloss and apply the sparkly gloss around the eyes. Remember that gloss should be applied after you've sealed the faceup for the last time. If you spray MSC over gloss, it loses its shine.

 

pearlx is very good. I use testors and i find the shimmmer doesn't disappear as bad. Also i find a layer of gloss brings the shimmer back out.

 

Hello!~ I've seem a lot of faceups with sparkly glittery eye makeup..I have tons of powdery glitters that ar eloose in a small container, how might one put this on a faceup? I tried just placing it on and then MSCing it but the MSC causes it to loose shine.

 

QueenObvious: Try brushing it on with gloss after you've sealed with the MSC.

 

If you don't want to 'paint' it on with gloss when you're done spraying, take a tiny amount on a brush outside with you when you do your final MSC spray, then CAREFULLY brush the powder on after you spray. It sticks in the MSC, so it won't come off without wiping the face-up, keeps it's shimmer and shine, without looking more like pearly paint. You have to work fast, and carefully, though, or you'll wind up with it not sticking as well in some spots, or getting excess powder where you DON'T want it, and it is HARD to wipe of after everything has dried, but wiping while the sealer is still damp will damage the face-up.

 

Hi - Been looking at this thread and the recent posts above ... have put shimmer/fine glitter on blushing using loose glitter and have also been disappointed that MSC causes 99% of the shimmer to dull...

I am wishing to replicate the affect of the fantasy Soom blushing on hooves, claws, etc and whether it is feasible with loose powder as thinking that the Soom shimmer is sprayed on perhaps? the suggesting to add glitter/shimmer when the MSC is soft is for small areas and using gloss as a medium is not the affect I want on the (large) fantasy feet... (have used this technic on small areas before and is great). Apologies if this has been mentioned before - but this is a large thread and may have missed the post

 

I am sorry if this has been asked before, please feel free to move it or delete it if necessary. I have tried searching multiple times, but can never find exactly what I'm looking for.

I am trying to figure out a safe, nice quality powder shimmer for face-ups would be. I was able to find some nice shimmer paints and glosses, but I am looking for the shimmer that can be applied to the full face-up before sealing that is still visible once sealed. I am new to face-uping and any help is greatly appreciated! I am also wondering where to purchase it if anyone knows. =]

Thank you so much!

 

This may sound silly, but have you considered 'human' eye-shadows? Local superdrug/wallmart..?

 

I had thought about that before, but many times I've heard not to use human eye shadows because the contain oils that can damage the resin. I'm not sure if that's true, but I would be afraid to try it just incase.

 

I swear by Coastal Scents for my mica and glitter.
I linked to the page that has the white and close-to-white micas, which are what you'd wanna use for faceups. I can't guarantee that the coloured ones wouldn't stain but you probably wouldn't use them for faceups anyway. Other than the potential pigment, these are perfectly safe for dolls.

Just brush a bit on before your final seal, I use Mr Super Clear UV cut flat and it doesn't take away all the shimmer, just tones it down enough that it's a nice highlight and looks like what you get from companies. The more you add the more it shimmers, of course.

Best part from this company is the price. I recommend just getting the 1$ samples- a little goes an EXTREMELY long way. I use mine for both faceups and to add shimmer on top of my own makeup, ordered over a year ago now, still not even close to running out.

Hope that helps!

(Also, if unsure of which to get, my personal favourite is the Mirage Red one. the sample is $2.50 instead of $1, but it's well worth it and looks brilliant on 'natural' faceups. I also recommend the Crystal Ice for a plain sparkle, and I think Ultra Shimmer would be good too but I haven't tried that one yet.)

 

Pearl Ex powders and Amazon to the Rescue! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BGSZ3M/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

Pearl Ex can also be found at Michaels. You do have to seal after applying it does loose a bit of its luster but its because of the matte spray used to seal. I hit the spots with a touch of gloss to pull the shimmer back out. For example, eyes, lips, etc. it pulls the sparkle back out, or you can leave it as is for a more subtle look.

Lots of luck!

 

I second kitkaze!! PearlEx are great!! What I do is apply the shimmer LAST, after the face-up is "done" and sealed, then just apply one very light layer of sealer over it. If you apply just a little more shimmer than you think you need, it will look just right. One layer of sealer doesn't dull it too much at all, in my experience, but I prefer my shimmer effects to be a little subtler anyways.

 

Correct The only makeup that is safe on resin is mineral powder makeup, and that's expensive compared to buying shimmer pots or wholesale mica.

 

I agree that coastal scents is good for mica, but my absolute favorite is http://tkbtrading.com/.

Their prices are amazing and I like their pigment a lot. There's also a crap-ton of options.

Hope this helps!

 

i was wondering the same thing as Kyukyukyu as i am planning on trying to replicate a vesuvia in purple since the free choice. and i have never airbrushed yet but was wondering if you can put the pearl-ex in the airbrush colors. and if msc dulls the shimmer is there a nothing spray that works just like msc that won't

 

Just to add to the list for future reference for someone. There is also volks shimmer powder. I have not personally used it and I know this may be hard to get at as the shipping can get expensive. Joining a GO for it would be your best bet. Thanks for all the previous links!

 

May not be the same, but I came across "Pressing Powder" (for scrapbooking!) It comes loose in these little pots and I got them at Michaels... the colored ones have HEAVY pigment, so they can be great for punkish/fantasy face ups too!

 

Does anyone know if it is safe to use edible glitter? Like the type they put on cupcakes?

 

(I didn't see a thread about this so I thought I'd ask)

I'm going to be doing a faceup and some tattoos on my little dolly and was wondering if it's dangerous or damaging (or would it even work) to use very fine craft or fingernail glitter? He needs a little "sparkle" and I cant find anything that's close to what I want. Help please~

 

I've heard of lots of people to use arts an crafts glitter. I don't know about fingernail but craft is ok, just make sure it doesn't go everywhere (which is very hard to do) good luck

 

It should be alright, and if you want it to be really fine glitter, try lookin into cosmetics glitter. You can buy the raw sparkle before it's placed into potentially resin-harmful oil based make-up. Keep in mind, if you spray with any type of sealant on top, it will loose it's sparkle. If you want to try painting it on, mix it with a clear acrylic (gloss or no gloss depends on what you're going for) after you've coated the doll in sealant.

 

both posts are correct, just make sure not to use finger nail polish at all on your doll



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