A Weird New Use for Latex Makeup Paint

by Sophia Panych

David Stesner
David Stesner


Last night, I got a spray tan that started out just like any other spray tan. I got naked, slipped on a paper thong, tucked my hair into a shower cap, and waited for my spray tanner, Natalie Cupid, to come in and find me standing there awkwardly. But then Cupid broke out something I had never seen before during a spray tan: Ben Nye Latex Paint. "This is for your nails," she said, as she started brushing the gooey stuff on my fingers and toes as if it were nail polish. Just like barrier cream or regular lotion, the latex paint protects your nails from staining, Cupid explained; it just does a much better job. And once you're sprayed and waiting to dry, all you have to do it peel the stuff off with your fingers, kind of like the glue on the back of credit cards (sometimes called "booger glue," I found out after a quick online search).


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Latex makeup paint is primarily used by special-effects makeup artists to create scars and wrinkles and to build up facial areas (The Walking Dead most likely uses tons of the stuff). But it keeps popping up in other forms these days. Makeup artist Pat McGrath used it on the models' eyes at Dior, layering pigment and glitter on top to create a "superglassy, futuristic finish." And just as I had to peel it off my nails, the models had to peel, not wipe, the blue latex off their lids after the show. Now while I might not be putting latex on my eyes any time soon (although McGrath prophesied that "there will be some new products coming our way that will give the same effects"), I loved Cupid's trick of using it during a spray tan. My nails are completely stain-free and show no damage whatsoever. And since not every spray tanner is as prepared as Cupid, I definitely think I'll be picking up a bottle of my own online or at a costume shop. And hey, it will come in handy if I decide to be a zombie next Halloween.

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