Is it really all that important that a face painter use proper supplies?

Yes!  Yes, yes, a million times yes!  Why?  This is why:

This photo and the follow up comments were posted in one of my face painting groups on Facebook this week.  It's horrible!  I'm torn between being sad for the poor kids suffering this, and absolutely furious at the "makeup artist" who subjected them to it.

The two most important questions to ask when hiring a face painter are:

(1) What do you use?

To which the answer should be reputable, researchable brand names of FDA-compliant face paint.  I will happily provide names of every brand I use, and even links to their Material Safety Data Sheets when asked.

(2) Are you insured?

To which the answer should be "yes."  End of story.