What is the difference between face painting, stage makeup and SFX makeup?

The terms overlap, but in practice they usually refer to different applications.

Face painting usually means creating colourful designs with water-based face paint. Think of a butterfly, tiger, princess, superhero or unicorn at a children's party, festival or event.

Stage makeup (or theatrical makeup) is about transforming someone into a different character. Think of making someone look older or younger, building a stage character, creating a bald look or adding a moustache or beard, or recreating a realistic wound. This is the kind of makeup you'll mostly see in theatre, film and television, applied by professional makeup artists.

SFX makeup (special effects makeup) is often seen as a discipline of its own. It covers things like fake wounds, scars, noses and other prosthetics.

This is also where the name of my shop comes from: schminken is the Dutch word for face painting, and grime is our word for stage and character makeup. At SchminkenGrime.nl you'll find everything for all three disciplines, from colourful face paint for children and festivals to professional products for theatre, film and special effects.