Ripper FX Pocket Alcohol Paint Palettes Review-5 sets

Hi lovelies,

Sorry about the lack of post last week…Halloween week is always a crazy one for us. Since I’ve recently started making my own encapsulated prosthetics, I’ve had to update some of my paint palettes. Water based paints do not work well.

The Ripper FX pocket alcohol palettes are available to purchase from the company website (see here) as well as from Titanic FX (here), TILT makeup (here), PAM (see here) and Makeup Armoury (here). The pocket palettes retail for £22 each though larger ones are available for £70. You qualify for free UK shipping £60 with Titanic FX but everywhere else charges. I highly recommend purchasing from a UK supplier to save on shipping.

The packaging is so perfect for palettes that can be used on the go. The palettes have a clear, plastic case which is fairly typical for alcohol activated paints and feels well made. The back contains all product information including instructions for use and the ingredients list. The lid snaps tightly into place keeping everything secure during transit and shows the shade names on the inside. It’s also a great surface to use for mixing colours on the go. The pocket palettes contain 6 shades equally splitting the palette so the pans are a decent size.

According to the product description, these are dry, high definition colour palettes that are activated with 99% isopropyl alcohol. They can create sheer washes or strong opaque colours depending on your needs and resulting in a makeup that looks like it is part of the skin. The paints can be used on skin, silicone, foam latex and gelatin. They are designed to last the day with minimal touch up required and are water and sweat proof.

There are several colour palettes available for all your makeup needs and many come in two sizes. So I picked up 5 different pocket palettes: light and dark flesh, bruise, bloody and tooth #2. Between the 5 palettes, I’m pretty sure I have most of the colours I need for basic special effects makeup though I do wish I’d have grabbed one with the primary colours in also.

So, not going to lie, it did take me a couple of tries before I actually got the hang of using these paints. Basically the more alcohol you use, the weaker the colour will be. The alcohol also makes them dry much faster than water based paint so you have to work quickly though they can be reactivated with a touch more alcohol. I also found them a little awkward to work with when trying to create a solid colour and the thicker application felt slightly sticky.

Once I got used to the formula, the paints were amazing to work with. Being able to control the opacity of such pigmented paints really helps to create realistic special effects makeup as you can build your colour as needed. Even a sheer wash shows good pigment which you don’t get with water based paints. They can be layered up to produce a more dynamic makeup too and powders can be added over the top for additional blending. Both flesh palettes are adequate for shade matching a prosthetic though I particularly love the blood palette. It’s literally perfect.

They can be used on skin, silicone and latex without any difference in the application or overall look of the makeup. As mentioned in the description, these paints are actually waterproof and remain in place for hours without moving. You don’t even need to set them with powder. Sheer washes of paint are easily removed with soap and a good cloth but I found that opaque colours are best removed with alcohol. There was no staining to the skin from any of the shades either which I find impressive especially the blood palette.

Overall, I am so happy with my purchase from Ripper FX and I will certainly be investing in the larger palettes. The paints are perfect when working with prosthetics and they are easily applied to a range of materials including straight on the skin. They can be used to create a realistic colouring to any effects makeup and blend it seamlessly into the skin.

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Rach xx