Mask with upswept corners and a gold rimDeep red, gold. The corners sweep up to the temples like a cat-eye frame; a gold line follows the whole edge, lids bare.
Card-suit mask: heart, club, diamond, spadeWhite, red, black. A white band on brow bones and upper cheeks; a heart, a club, a diamond and a spade across it.
Turtle-shell mask of outlined platesGreen, dark green. Six-sided shell plates outlined in dark green across the band over brow bones and upper cheeks.
Card-suit mask: heart, club, diamond, spadeWhite, red, black. A white band on brow bones and upper cheeks; a heart, a club, a diamond and a spade across it.
Eye mask with a painted stick down one cheekGold, black. A small mask shape over brow bones and upper cheeks; a thin stick runs from one corner down to the jaw.
Lopsided mask rising to a point over one browAny color, gold. A plain mask on one side, lids bare; on the other the top edge sweeps to a gold point at the hairline.
Mask that fades from pink into purplePink, purple. Sponge pink beside the nose and purple at the temples, blending where they meet; lids bare.
Mask with a fringe of bead dots below itAny two colors. A plain band on brow bones and upper cheeks; nine dots hang in a row under its lower edge like beads.
Mask with one long feather sweeping to the earPurple, teal, gold. A mask band, lids bare; one long feather sweeps from its outer corner over the temple to the ear.
Mask with painted ribbon ties to the earsAny two colors. A simple eye mask shape, lids bare; a ribbon line runs from each corner to the ear, ending in a bow.
Mask with upswept corners and a gold rimDeep red, gold. The corners sweep up to the temples like a cat-eye frame; a gold line follows the whole edge, lids bare.
Pearl-dot mask outline, nothing filled inWhite. Only the outline of an eye mask on brow bones and upper cheeks, in dots from a brush handle; bare skin inside.
Plain domino mask in one flat colorAny one color. A rounded band over brow bones and upper cheeks, a bare oval left around each eye, lids bare.
Polka-dot mask with a plain rimAny two colors. A band over brow bones and upper cheeks in one color, even dots of the second, a plain line around it.
Rose mask: a stem along the top, a bloom at each templeBlack, red, green. A thin black mask band, lids bare; a green stem follows its top edge to a red rose at each temple.
Two-tone mask split over the nose bridgeAny two colors. One color on the left half of the band, one on the right, a clean edge over the nose; lids bare.
Velvet-look mask with a lighter sheen strokeDeep green, light green. A deep green band on brow bones and upper cheeks, a lighter sheen stroke along the top.
Plain hero masks 14
Cloud mask with a bumpy top edgeSky blue, white. White cloud bumps along the top edge over the brows; flat lower edge on the upper cheeks, lids bare.
Hero mask in two shades of one colorLight and dark of one color. A light band on brow bones and upper cheeks; a darker panel on each outer third, lids bare.
Hero mask with feather tips up each templeAny color, white. The outer corners stretch into three feather points up each temple toward the hairline; lids bare.
Ice mask with crystal pointsPale blue, white. A pale band with sharp crystal points along its top and bottom edges, white shine lines; lids bare.
Mask in three level bands of colorAny three colors. The band over brow bones and upper cheeks is split into three level stripes, a color each; lids bare.
Mask that drops to a point on each cheekAny one color. A band over brow bones and upper cheeks whose lower edge drops to a single point on each cheek.
Mask with a flame edge along the topRed, orange, yellow. Flame tongues rise from the top edge onto the forehead; the band sits on brow bones and cheeks.
Mask with a star past each outer cornerAny two colors. A plain band on brow bones and upper cheeks; one small five-point star sits just past each outer corner.
Pointed hero mask in your own two colorsAny two colors. A band over brow bones and upper cheeks with a point toward each temple; the second color edges it.
Rocket mask with three fins at each templeRed, silver gray. Three short fins angle back from each outer corner toward the ears; the band stays on bone, lids bare.
Speed mask breaking into dashes at the templesAny one color. The band is solid beside the nose and breaks into shorter and shorter dashes toward each temple.
Wave mask whose corners curl like breakersTeal, white. The band's outer corners curl up into wave crests at the temples, white foam dots on each curl; lids bare.
Wide-winged mask that narrows over the noseAny one color. The band is a finger wide over the nose bridge and widens to cover each temple like wings; lids bare.
Wind mask with gust curls off each cornerPale gray, white. A pale band on brow bones and upper cheeks; two curling gust lines trail off each outer corner.
Animal masks 13
Chameleon mask ending in a curled tailGreen, yellow. A green band dotted with yellow, lids bare; at one temple it narrows into a spiral tail.
Clownfish mask: orange with three white barsOrange, white, black. An orange band over brow bones and upper cheeks crossed by three white bars, each edged in black.
Crab mask with a pincer at each templeRed, white. A red band over brow bones and upper cheeks; an open pincer at each temple, white dots along the top edge.
Eagle mask: white feathers, yellow brow ridgesWhite, yellow, brown. White feather strokes on the upper cheeks, lids bare; a yellow ridge over each brow, brown tips.
Flamingo mask with black-tipped cornersPink, white, black. Pink feather strokes over brow bones and upper cheeks; each outer corner dips to a black tip.
Frog mask with a dome above each browGreen, yellow, black. A green band on the upper cheeks, lids bare; a dome above each brow with a black dot: frog eyes.
Hedgehog mask with spines along the topTan, brown. A tan band on brow bones and upper cheeks; short brown dashes bristle along its top edge onto the forehead.
Koala mask with a fluffy ear on each templeGray, white, black. Gray over brow bones and upper cheeks; a round fluffy ear on each temple, white inside it.
Ladybug mask: red band, seven black spotsRed, black. A red band over brow bones and upper cheeks, seven black spots on it, two short feelers above one brow.
Shark mask with teeth along the lower edgeGray, white. Gray over brow bones and upper cheeks; white triangle teeth point down along the lower edge of the band.
Snake-skin mask with a row of diamondsGreen, yellow, black. A green band over brow bones and upper cheeks, yellow diamonds along its middle, each edged black.
Swan mask of white feather rowsWhite, pale gray. Three rows of white feather strokes sweep from beside the nose to the temples, lids bare, gray below.
Turtle-shell mask of outlined platesGreen, dark green. Six-sided shell plates outlined in dark green across the band over brow bones and upper cheeks.
Half-face masks 13
Half face of brickwork with one brick missingRed-brown, white. Rows of bricks on one side from jaw to brow bone, white lines between; one brick left as bare skin.
Half mask in one flat color with a clean edgeAny one color. One side from hairline to jaw, off the lid, in flat color; a straight clean edge beside the nose.
Half mask of clockwork wheelsBronze, gold, black. Three toothed wheels of different sizes overlap on one cheek and temple, small rivet dots between.
Half mask of dots that grow toward the earAny one color. Dots on one side of the face, tiny beside the nose and growing to coin size at the ear; lid bare.
Half mask of feathers pointing to the earAny three colors. Rows of overlapping feather strokes cover one side from beside the nose out to the ear, off the lid.
Half mask of five rainbow bands, brow to jawRed, orange, yellow, green, blue. Five level bands stacked on one side from the brow bone to the jaw, off the lid.
Half mask of maze walls with one clear pathAny one color. Right-angle maze walls cover one cheek and temple; one clear path is left from the jaw to the brow bone.
Half mask of piano keysWhite, black. A white strip down one side from temple to jaw, off the lid; level black lines and short black keys.
Half mask of stripes fanning from the earBlue, yellow. Stripes fan from the ear across one cheek and temple toward the nose, widening as they go, colors in turn.
Half mask of three paint splashesAny three colors. Three overlapping splash shapes cover one cheek and temple, small droplets flying off toward the ear.
Half mask of white marble with gray veinsWhite, gray, gold. White sponged over one side off the lid; thin gray veins branch across it, one traced in gold.
Half mask shaped like a crescent moonWhite, silver gray. A crescent curves from the forehead around the outside of one eye socket down to the jaw corner.
Half robot: gray plate, rivets and a red lightSilver gray, black, red. Gray over one side off the lid; rivet dots along its edge, one red light dot at the temple.
How it works
These face paint mask ideas are 54 masks painted on the skin: 14 masquerade eye masks, 14 plain hero masks, 13 animal masks and 13 half-face masks. None is painted on an eyelid.
Read the full guide
Where a painted mask sits
A domino mask is the small rounded kind that hides just the eyes and the space between them. Paint that shape on the brow bones, the nose bridge and the upper cheeks, and leave a bare oval around each eye. That is all there is to Plain domino mask in one flat color.
Easy mask face paint ideas
The Easy group holds 13. Mask that fades from pink into purple is sponge work with no brush line. Mask in three level bands of color is three stripes. Dots off the handle end of a brush make a third: Pearl-dot mask outline, nothing filled in.
Questions and answers
How do you paint a mask on a face?
Outline the band first: across the brow bones, over the nose bridge and along the upper cheeks. Fill it with a sponge, keeping clear of the eyes, then add the edge line or the trim with a brush.
Is a painted mask better than one you wear?
For seeing, yes. The US FDA's page on novelty makeup says face paint lets you see better than a mask does: a mask can make it hard to see where you are going and to watch out for cars.
Which masks go with a hero costume?
The 14 hero masks carry no emblem and no character's colors, so the wearer picks them. Pointed hero mask in your own two colors is the simplest; Mask with a flame edge along the top and Ice mask with crystal points each take an element.
What paint do you use for a face paint mask?
Face paint sold for use on skin. A mask sits close to the eyes, so read the label before you start: the US FDA says that when a label says a product is not for use near the eyes, believe it.