Uses for Liquid Latex
The purpose of this page is to give you ideas on how to use Liquid Latex body cosmetic - both from our own experience and research, and from that of our customers - to help you with your next project. We urge you to read through our Liquid Latex Guide first for some basic instructions and important information about using liquid latex. It is always important to use liquid latex in a properly ventilated area, and always be sure that there is adult supervision when allowing children to use it. We invite you to contact us to tell us how you are using liquid latex so that we can expand upon this page to help others with their projects. Please feel free to send pictures as well!
At the bottom of this page, we have included some additional links to websites that talk about how to care for your reusable liquid latex clothing creations.
• The biggest use of our liquid latex body cosmetic is for Halloween costumes. It is our busiest season of the year and there are so many different ways that the product can be used that it would be impossible to make a list of everything. Our assortment of colors allows you to use the latex for large-scale costumes as well as small accents, so let your imagination run wild! We will add links to images and websites showing our latex being used as we find them or as they are submitted. We also have a Gallery (link at the top of any page of the website) showcasing our latex being used, so check them out!
Evil Fire Elf costume
Using Liquid Latex to Create a Scaly Effect
Bodyssey '09 Face & Bodypainting Convention - examples from our featured artist, Mark Greenawalt
• For those costumes that require flesh wounds (zombies, battle wounds, etc.), you can use tissues, tissue paper, toilet paper, pieces of cotton, etc. to create very real-looking flesh wounds in conjunction with our liquid latex products! Our Flesh, Tan, and a mixture of Black and Red can help achieve the colors you need, then regular costume makeup can help to complete the various shades of color necessary for the bruised look. Our Ultra Shine product can give it an overall wet look if you want it to look like it just happened! Our Red liquid latex looks great as freshly dripping blood, though we have heard of people mixing a tiny bit of black with it just to darken it a little (be cautious when mixing black with any color as a little goes a LONG way!). Another option for fresh blood are blood capsules, and you can also purchase fake glass pieces and other accessories to stick in the "wound". Refer to our featured artist's article in Illusion Magazine for some tips and tricks on how he creates his effects!
• Are you making a movie? From large production companies to small independent film-makers, liquid latex can be used to help create your costumes! There are plenty of resources on the internet from special effects creators explaining how they have used liquid latex in their costumes. Consider our product for this use as well!
• Liquid latex is also used largely by exotic dancers. It can be used by any dancers or performers who want to decorate their body to enhance their l look onstage! Be it dance teams, gymnastics teams, theater performers (Broadway, college, or grade school), or anyone else putting on a show of some sort!
• Refer to our Guide for several ideas from creating simple latex gloves to making an entire reusable bodysuit. You'll note that the use of zippers is mentioned - when using the liquid latex for clothing projects, zippers can be used to create new openings in existing clothing pieces or to create faux openings when you are painting directly onto your skin.
• Whether you're at home, at a party with friends, or in the arena, use liquid latex to support your favorite sports team by painting your torso, hands, face, etc. with their team colors*! Just remember that the latex will stick to hair! *Please note that we do not carry official sports team colors.
• Another great use for liquid latex is for kids' projects, whether for school or just for something creative to do at home. Use blues for bodies of water, red/orange/yellow for lava on a volcano, brown for the earth, etc.; for landscapes, when latex is semi-dry, stick crafted trees or plants in to stand upright when fully dry. Don't forget to use Ultra Shine if you want the finished product to really shine or look slick! Note: Please exercise adult supervision and extreme caution when liquid latex is being used with children. Be sure to keep the area well ventilated.
• Use any number of decorative elements such as sequins, beads, feathers, fake gems, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, etc. along with the liquid latex to dress up your finished project.
• Similar to the creation of the bodysuit in our Guide, liquid latex can be used for any number of fabric/clothing projects (please refer to the guide for information about how the latex will adhere to different types of fabrics). It can be used in a similar fashion to fabric or "puffy" paint for unique clothing embellishments. Don't forget about those sequins, fake gems, and other decorations for this type of project!
• Use various tools to apply the liquid latex. We offer basic foam brushes and small-scale foam paint rollers, but you can also experiment with different types of sponges or even bristle brushes depending on your project and how you want the application to look. Keep in mind that when using bristle brushes, the latex will cause the bristles to stick together when dry.
• Use liquid latex for face* and body painting for a variety of things such as holiday celebrations (paint yourself with hearts for Valentine's Day, shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, flowers for spring, etc.), birthday (or any other type) parties, sports events (as mentioned above), or any other kinds of events! See our next point for another helpful application tool to aid in these applications. *Important note: Exercise extreme caution when using liquid latex on the face. We recommend keeping eyes closed during the application and then until the latex begins to dry so that the ammonia in the latex (which acts as a preservative) can evaporate. Keep this in mind especially if using on children and be sure that there is adult supervision ANY time children are using liquid latex. It is recommended that children do not directly handle the liquid latex and that they are carefully monitored until the latex is dry. Be sure that anyone the liquid latex is being painted on does not have a latex allergy.
• Stencils can be a great guide in your liquid latex creation if you are looking for a way to apply a certain shape or design! Stencils can be found in any craft store in a multitude of options (shapes, letters, numbers, etc.).
• Just as liquid latex can be applied to look like a temporary tattoo, it can also be used as a temporary cover-up for real tattoos! Please note: Several coats of latex may be necessary depending on the color you use, and if being used under clothing, note that the regular movement of the clothing may cause the latex to begin peeling off, depending on where it has been applied and how long you plan to use it.
• Are you familiar with the stickers that tanning salons give you to see how tan you've gotten after your session? Create your own 'sticker' with liquid latex! You get to choose your design and color, and it will peel right off after your session just like the salon's sticker will. Take this idea a step further and create 'sun' tattoos when laying out in your back yard or on the beach! Create any manner of designs (or words/phrases) anywhere that your bathing suit doesn't cover that will be leftover when you've finished tanning! Just remember, whatever 'sun' tattoo you create will be there until your tan has faded!
• There is also special "sun-sensitive" paper and fabric that is manufactured to do the same thing with any object that you lay on it. After leaving it out in the sun with your object(s) on it, the place under the object(s) turns white. Though you wouldn't be able to paint the latex directly on the paper/fabric (as they are porous and the latex would adhere to it), you could achieve the same effect by covering the paper/fabric with a piece of plastic wrap and painting the latex on that instead. If you don't want to leave the finished product white, it can be drawn on or colored in to personalize it! There is a great video on the website for Steve Spangler Science that shows how the product works, which you can view by clicking here. The paper and fabric are also available for purchase on that website, but you'll be sure to find other resources on the internet.
• Apply liquid latex for use as a non-skid surface! We've had a customer use it on the underside of her kitchen rug so that it didn't slide around on her floor while she was doing dishes. There are countless other items that the latex can be painted on for use in the same way. From small items on your desk to items like our customer's rug - what would you like to keep in place?
• Little girls love to play dress-up. Give them a temporary manicure with liquid latex! It applies to nails easily, dries in a few minutes, and peels right off! Important Note: Please exercise extreme caution and adult supervision ANY time liquid latex is being used with children. It is recommended that the children do not directly handle the liquid latex and that the latex has dried before the kids are 'let loose' so that it doesn't get smudged on any of your rugs or upholstery. Be sure that the area it is being used in is properly ventilated.
• Use modeling clay in conjunction with liquid latex to aid in your creation! Do you need to create strategic bumps in your skin for your costume? Mold the clay to your skin, then paint the latex on top and allow to dry to adhere it where you need it! Even if you aren't using it on yourself, you can do the same on dummies, masks, to create other costume accessories, etc.
• Use liquid latex in mold-making! Create a mold of an object (make sure it is a non-porous material so that the latex will not soak into it) by painting several coats of liquid latex over it (you'll want it to be thick enough to keep its shape when removing it and refilling it), then peeling it off and filling the mold with a mold-making material (resin, wax, plaster of paris, etc.) to create a duplicate of the form that you can decorate the way you want it to look while leaving the original piece intact! Please note that Moonlight Services does not offer any mold-making materials. Use the internet for resources about mold-making and mold-making materials, or inquire at your local craft store for detailed information about this process.
• Create letters, words or phrases using masking tape (or any similar removable tape). Create your spelling with the tape on your body or wherever you want it to be, paint latex in the area around the tape (on it is okay too), then remove the tape (while the latex is still wet) to show the spelling in the unpainted area where the tape was! Allow latex to dry, then if you'd like to paint in the spelling in a different color(or colors), you can! Note: Again, latex will stick to hair, so keep this in mind when preparing for any project like this that involves tape and latex on your body!