The artistic application of colors to the face is termed as facial painting. This practice has been followed since ancient times in many cultures. It has been used for different occasions like festivals, hunting, and even military operations. Thus, face paints were not only used for decorative purposes, but also as a camouflage. Coloring the face with emblems of sports teams, cartoon characters, etc., is a common practice. Face paints made at home could be a healthier option to those with chemical content in them that are readily available at stores. These homemade paints also save money, since many of the materials required in their preparation are easily available. The simple recipes mentioned below would help in paint preparation easily. To prepare a basic face paint, cornstarch and cold cream should be mixed together in water. The proportion of ingredients to be used should be as follows: cold cream (½ tsp), cornstarch (1 tsp), and water (½ tsp). Food colors should be used to give desired color to the paste. The procedure of drop-by-drop addition of the food color needs to be followed in order to get the desired results. This paint can be removed with water and soap, and does not harm the skin. Clown Face Paint The recipe for clown face paint is very easy to prepare. The ingredients needed for this recipe are cornstarch, shortening, and petroleum jelly. These materials should be mixed together to make a smooth paste. Food colors are used to give different colors to the paste. In order to apply the paint, one can use foam make-up applicators or even fingers. Halloween Face Paint Face paint for kids at the time of Halloween can be prepared without using shortening and corn syrup. Shortening could be hard to wash and corn syrup might prove to be tempting for children to eat. Thus, a simple paint can be prepared by mixing 2 parts baby powder with 1 part cold cream. Food colors, as usual, are used to give different shades to the paint. Small containers can be used for different colors. Blushes and cheap eye shadows available in Dollar Stores could be used to add a shimmery effect to the colors. Fake Blood for Halloween The process of making fake blood is simple. One will require corn syrup, milk, and food colors (red and blue) for this purpose. The addition of milk would make the paint appear opaque. The red color should be mixed with a little bit of blue to make the blood appear darker. Artificial face paints have high levels of nickel and chromium in high quantities, which are harmful for children. Some of these products claim to be hypoallergenic, however, findings about their ingredients indicates just the opposite. These can cause damage to the skin, even if they are non-toxic.Therefore, it is better to resort to homemade paints which are not only safe, but also cheap.