Unicorn Face Paint Step-by-Step Tutorial

Unicorns are perhaps one of the most legendary and colorful creatures of all time. As a matter of fact, this mythological animal is even believed to have special and magical powers, with people saying that those who drink from its horn would be protected from different types of trouble and illnesses. But how do you create the perfect unicorn face paint?

This horse-looking creature typically has a horn on its forehead. Today, however, it has evolved into something different. With its association with the supernatural, unicorns are often seen hand-in-hand with rainbows and glitter and it’s easy to see why. 

While no one has yet to confirm or prove the existence of unicorns, we just can’t stop dreaming about these creatures. As classic icons, it’s clear why a unicorn face painting is one of the most popular designs that go around. 

Learn how to make the perfect unicorn face paint design with our guide. 

Different Unicorn Face Paint Designs

The defining feature of a unicorn is no other than its single horn on the top of its head. Those who would like to highlight this would do well by making a unicorn crown design that focuses on the striking unicorn horn at the center of the face. 

Another simple yet kid-friendly option that you’ll love to make is having the unicorn’s head placed on just one side of the face. Although quite minimalistic compared to others in this list, this gives a more subtle yet dainty look that won’t overpower your appearance. 

Another great design for kids and kids at heart would be painting on a unicorn mask. This look accentuates the eyes and the forehead, particularly with the addition of the unicorn head on top of the winged design. This can even be decked to the nines with some sequins and glitter.

You can also check out a unicorn face design that takes up the majority of your face. Think of this approach as channeling your inner unicorn and going all out with the design. 

If you’re not one for big designs, a relatively small or medium-sized unicorn face paint design you might want to try is the unicorn design on the cheeks. By only painting the head of the unicorn and finishing with a short rainbow on the forehead, this brings the fascinating links between rainbows and unicorns to come to life. 

What is the Easiest Unicorn Face Paint?

From the options laid out to you, you might notice that the easiest unicorn face paint to carry out is perhaps the unicorn crown and the unicorn mask. Both have a similar take on the design, which is why we have counted both designs as the two easiest ones to make as these are done in two minutes or less. 

Bear in mind that full-face unicorn designs and those that require more details and intricacy can ramp up the time you need to achieve the perfect outcome. However, this will still come out in under five minutes. Those who are just new to the face painting journey can expect to still finish in under 10 minutes. 

What Do You Need to Use for a Unicorn Face Paint?

The items you’ll need for a unicorn face paint session include a number of things. These include face paints, of course, in the hues you want your design to be, as well as paintbrushes for the face. Meanwhile, among the brushes you want to keep on hand include petal brushes, round, filberts, flat brushes, and the like. 

The basic paint colors you should have on hand include white and black. You might also want to have pink, purple, green, yellow, and other similar tones you wish to experiment with.

If you want to do a full face of unicorn face paint on the fly, having sponges with you will make things easier. You should also carry with you water and a water container, a mirror, and a work surface you can easily pack and unpack. 

What Paint Should You Use for Unicorn Face Paint?

Unicorn face paints are some of the most colorful designs you will ever come across. This might lead you to purchase paints that are vibrant, yet are not as suitable for the face.

A safe way to build your arsenal is to only use face paints that are specially designed for the face and or body, particularly as these areas are prone to breaking out and bringing allergic reactions. 

You should only stick with water-based paints, however, there are other types of body paint that you can use. This is because it washes off easily and is great for beginners and those who have sensitive skin. 

If your skin isn’t as sensitive, you can also turn to powder-based paints, grease-based paints, and cream-based paints. Just make sure that these are made specifically for the face and body to avoid unwanted allergic reactions. 

Preparation

Clean your face or your client’s face. You can wash this with a gentle cleanser and pat it dry. You can skip the moisturizer and instead, stick to a primer. If your skin errs on the drier or dehydrated side, you might want to opt for a moisturizer that also doubles as a primer. 

Using a primer will help keep the face paint intact for a longer time compared to when you’re not. This will prevent paint from sliding off your face. Just make sure to allow the primer to fully dry before starting your face painting. 

How to Do a Unicorn Face Paint Step by Step

Since we are just starting out and want this tutorial to be accessible to everyone, we’ll be starting with an easy unicorn mask or crown of sorts. Take a look at the steps. 

1. Start by making the outline of the unicorn’s ears and horn on the forehead area using white face paint. Do this with the help of a paintbrush and white face paint. This will serve as the base for your unicorn face paint design. 

2. Next, start painting the outline of the ears and horn with your preferred color. Likewise, fill in the necessary details such as the grooves in the horn and the folds of the ears with the same hue. 

3. Go down the sides of the cheeks and paint on different-colored swirls. You can create a rainbow design by creating little c’s and placing the colors on top of one another as if truly creating a rainbow. Be careful not to overlap these face paint colors. 

4. Using black paint and a fine brush, outline the ears, horn, and cheek swirls to add more depth and dimension. 

5. Add more details to the face by bringing in more white highlights and stars to different parts of the face. You can finish this off with some glitter or sequins. 

6. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also paint the eyelids in different colors. Make sure to apply all of the colors on both of the eyelids in a mirrored approach. 

How Long It Will Take to Make a Unicorn Face Paint?

As mentioned, the design and painting process itself can take anywhere from two to five minutes. More intricate designs that require more precision and details to make can take under 10 minutes.

Since you’ll be prepping your face or your client’s face beforehand, you can expect this to add more time to your face painting session, especially if you want a fresh and clean base to work on. 

Conclusion

Unicorns are majestic mythical creatures that bring color and vibrance to any occasion. You can use this guide to create a unique unicorn face paint design that will make you shine.