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So I've been getting some really sage advice on the forums lately, so I thought I'd contribute a bit (I hope this counts )...

I live in San Francisco, we have a womens perfume/make-up store called Sephora, I'm pretty sure they are an ubiquitous chain store.

I went in there with my GF and found these awesome free disposable makeup applicators in little baskets for customer sampling. One was an awesome little plastic "paddle", good for mixing and applying epoxy (like a little spackling knife). Another was good quality mascara brushes, good for airbrush cleaning. The best find though were the sponge q-tips, like the tape cassette head cleaners from the days of yor--no left behind cotton fiber. These I would actually buy in bulk (note to self--search eBay). there was another q-tip-like applicator with a bit of like velvety fuzz on the tip--not spongy (pictured below).

So, yeah...I casually grabbed as many as my conscience would let me, just 3 of 4 of each. The girls working there didnt really care, and seemed kinda charmed with my explanation.

WARNING: The remainder of this post from here on makes me sound like a maniac, and is optional.....



Im a lazy schemer, I like the idea of using my brain before I burn any unnecessary calories or money to get something done. If I'm going to go to all the trouble of throwing a stone, I want to make sure I kill as many birds as possible. So heres the formula:

Stone=leaving the house, driving to the mall
Birds=(1) Making your GF or Wife happy/spending time together/doing something she wants to do. (2) Getting some awesome FREE little hobby tools

2 Birds, One Stone winning

OPTIONAL(for cheap bastards or those married more than 7 years): Forget your wallet at home so youre not talked into actually buying anything at Sephora or equivalent store.

This is no joke. I searched for a good paint rack for a year. Finally ran into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B0052FZ3CI

Now I have 3. They're fantastic.


I can only imagine what other supplies I could find. I just can't stand the smell of modern makeup stores.

This is an eBay search for disposable makeup applicators

I noticed another sort of product/tool crossover in manicuring and nail painting--like detail brushes and airbrushes. I bought this:

Brush Set

And I was going to try to incorporate this glow powder into a plasma gun

UPDATE: After doing a couple more narrower searches on eBay, there are some REALLY cheap disposable applicators, in all sorts of shapes and sizes. One thing to note is that the thin tipped ones, like my first photo above, are advertised as sponge, but I dont think they are, its more like rigid plastic with some fuzz on the end, I may be wrong tho.

 SavageRobby wrote:

This is no joke. I searched for a good paint rack for a year. Finally ran into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B0052FZ3CI

Now I have 3. They're fantastic.


I can only imagine what other supplies I could find. I just can't stand the smell of modern makeup stores.

OMG... Does this hold GW paint good?!

Thanks for the tip
My favourite sculpting tool is actually some kind of small, metal makeup applicator but I've been needing something with a little more give.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
That paint rack/nail polish display is a good find too good one Robby

Kal-El wrote:

 SavageRobby wrote:

This is no joke. I searched for a good paint rack for a year. Finally ran into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B0052FZ3CI

Now I have 3. They're fantastic.


I can only imagine what other supplies I could find. I just can't stand the smell of modern makeup stores.

OMG... Does this hold GW paint good?!

Dunno. Don't have GW paint.

But it holds Reaper 1/2 oz bottles and the older Reaper pots nicely, as well as Army Painter and Secret Weapon Washes 1/2 oz bottles. Craft paint 2 oz bottles fit (the tall ones), but Didi's Magic Ink (2 oz dropper bottle) is just slightly too large to fit.

I thought this might be worth sharing:

disposable foam eye liner brushes

I lack a great deal of experience painting miniatures, BUT, I have done some house painting, and when doing so I have found a distinct advantage in some situations using a foam brush--like edging and pushing into corners. I think I am going to get some.

I saw these sponge things there in one of the stores that i thought was good to do some weathering/chipping... not bad that im not the only one who thinks like that xDD

Don't forget your emery boards, nail files and cheap tweezers.

Yes, the emery boards are excellent for sanding and polishing. Available in a variety of grades.

On a related note, plastic bottles and caps of make-up and toiletry items are often interesting shapes to use for building terrain.

A mate of mine swears by foundation applicator sponges for base coating.

I buy the small mascara sponges from the local pharmacy. Great for powders, chipping, metallic waxes, etc.

I remember laughing when I visited a hobby website pushing a new product "Perfect and made specially for weathering powders!" and it was basically a rebranded makeup applicator set.

If you are spending money then I usually use the acetone free polish remover for stripping.

Being a Girl™, I already knew all this stuff ...

Cuticle clippers are great for removing small parts from sprues, as well.

I live in a particularly dusty part of central Texas, and I like to use a kabuki brush to give my models a once over before I start painting on them. It's soft, but dense enough to get dust off without pulling paint. It's also really good for cleaning up priming jobs that finish dusty.

Since its just us girls talking.....

I use a nail polishing block to finish anything I've filed/sanded.

The 4 grades of abrasiveness are ideal for smoothing joints on plastic models and only a quid (or less) from a chemists.

My god this thread exploded over the last few days

Thanks for that notprop--my finest sandpaper and mini files still leave scratch marks. I try to use the xacto whenever possible to keep surfaces smooth.

Glad you contributed, my original post was very "male-centric", my apologies.

Cool thread glad you posted. To anyone looking for the best price on a airbrush....a online beauty supply store is your best bet.

Seeing as this thread is still here, I've actually used a pair of fishnet stockings as camo netting for tanks before now then there's ky jelly and Vaseline to use as a paint retardant, mold release and to stop your sculpting tools sticking.
There's a few techniques on hair spray resists as well.
I bet you could use all sorts of powders, waxes, oils and pencils for weathering too.

mjp808 wrote:

My god this thread exploded over the last few days

Thanks for that notprop--my finest sandpaper and mini files still leave scratch marks. I try to use the xacto whenever possible to keep surfaces smooth.

Glad you contributed, my original post was very "male-centric", my apologies.

No need to apologise, not to me anyway.

Sometimes useful stuff can be found in the most unlikely places, and quite often you can get better quality tools and equipment for less cash because it's not from a hobby store or 'specialist' retailer.

I got a question for the gals--in my OrPost, the top photo shows a little applicator. I have one just like it, from Sephora, and its basically hard plastic under the fuzzy part--no foam or spongy material.

I've seen these on eBay that are described as foam or sponge. So my question is: Are you aware of applicators like in my top photo that are actually spongy tipped?

I use the make up store differently than you guys to help my modeling.


I take my wife to Ulta (same as the Sephora one) and if she spends $100 in there, I get to run to the hobby store and buy 3 or 4 packs of minis. Zero Bitching allowed.


Victory.

Bead stores are another good place for co mingling you and your girlfriends hobby outings. I've found a lot of then useful for conversions. There are a lot of little beads around that looks like good shield and shoulder ornaments, basing bitz, etc. I took my IG psyket and put this little teslacoil looking bead on the end of his staff. Worked out pretty well

Kal-El wrote:

 SavageRobby wrote:

This is no joke. I searched for a good paint rack for a year. Finally ran into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B0052FZ3CI

Now I have 3. They're fantastic.


I can only imagine what other supplies I could find. I just can't stand the smell of modern makeup stores.

OMG... Does this hold GW paint good?!

i have two of those myself, and while i mostly filled it with reaper paints, i do have a few bottles of gw washes, and they fit just fine