Purim is a fun time to don costumes and embrace the silly as we celebrate Esther’s courage and bravery.
Since not everyone is comfortable in a mask, here are three easy-to-create (promise!) face-painting designs that can transform your child into one of the main characters from the Purim story. All it takes is some paint and brushes! (And, OK, maybe a few practice rounds on your arm.)
Materials:
Photo credit: Jordyn Rozensky Photography
- Face-paint palette (I used a professional palette, but you can find good-quality face-paint at many craft and toy stores; just read the labels to find ones with natural dyes, cocoa butter, petrolatum or mineral oils)
- Hair clips or bobby pins
- Spray bottle
- Makeup sponge
- Paintbrushes
- Eyelash glue
- Craft gems
- Pressed face powder (this often comes with a face-paint palette but can also be found in the makeup section of nearly any drugstore)
- Powder brush
- Glitter puffy face/body paint (gold or silver)
Directions for Esther’s Crown:
Photo credit: Jordyn Rozensky Photography
- Start with a clean face, and use hair clips or bobby pins to pull hair away.
- Lightly spray the paint palette with room-temperature water (continue to spray the paint as you would when using a watercolor paint palette).
- Dab the sponge in yellow paint. Starting at the middle of the forehead, swipe down and to the right, above the eyebrow. Repeat on the opposite side, swiping down and to the left.
- Dip a paintbrush in pink paint. Starting at the outer corner of the forehead, draw a line up toward the center of the forehead, tracing the yellow shape. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Press the paintbrush gently to the outer corner of each eye, making three teardrop shapes downward, lifting quickly at the end of each.
- Draw three lines between the eyebrows that connect at the bottom, like a three-pronged tulip.
- Rinse the brush thoroughly before dipping it in white paint. With quick, even dabs, make dots above each eyebrow line.
- Press the paintbrush gently to each corner of the eye, making downward spirals along each cheek.
- Fill in the spaces between the pink teardrops at the corner of each eye and between the eyebrows.
- Apply a small amount of eyelash glue to a craft gem and press it gently between the eyebrows.
- Dust the entire design with glittery pressed powder.
- Embellish the design with small dots of glitter puffy paint wherever you’d like.
Directions for Vashti’s Crown:
Photo credit: Jordyn Rozensky Photography
- Start with a clean face, and use hair clips or bobby pins to pull hair away.
- Lightly spray the paint palette with room-temperature water (continue to spray the paint as you would when using a watercolor paint palette).
- Dab the sponge in light-blue paint (mix it with silver if you’re feeling bold). Starting at the middle of the forehead, swipe down and to the right, above the eyebrow. Repeat on the opposite side, swiping down and to the left. Then swipe down along the bridge of the nose.
- Rinse the sponge thoroughly before dipping it in pink paint. Create small circles on the apple of each cheek.
- Dip a paintbrush in white paint and press it gently to each corner of the eye, making downward spirals along each cheek.
- Starting between the eyebrows and fanning out above the eyebrow lines in a half-circle, press and lift the brush quickly to make teardrop shapes.
- Alternating white and dark-blue paint, apply several dots along the bridge of the nose.
- Fill in the spaces between the white teardrops with dark-blue paint, and add a few lines to the bottom of the swirl on each cheek.
- Apply a small amount of eyelash glue to a craft gem and press it gently between the eyebrows.
- Dust the entire design with glittery pressed powder.
- Embellish the design with small dots of glitter puffy paint wherever you’d like.
Directions for Haman:
Photo credit: Jordyn Rozensky Photography
- Start with a clean face, and use hair clips or bobby pins to pull hair away.
- Lightly spray the paint palette with room-temperature water (continue to spray the paint as you would when using a watercolor paint palette).
- Dab the sponge in light-brown paint. Gently create a light circle on each cheek and on the chin.
- Dip a paintbrush in black paint. Starting at the outer corner of the mouth, just under the nose, draw a line up, then swirl it around the light-brown circle, creating a mustache. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Paint a beard on the chin with several down-stroke lines. End with a small swirl on one side.
- Starting at the inner eyebrow, paint a line upward, tracing the natural shape of the eyebrow to create an exaggerated arc. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Dust the entire design with glittery pressed powder.
