Abstract:
A make up kit comprises a base material in which colorants may be mixed to achieve desired hues that may then be applied to a person. The kit may further comprise a mixing dish in which the make up may be mixed and an instructional aide that instructs users on how to mix the make up paints and apply the paints.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a kit that allows individuals to mix make up on an as needed basis.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Numerous occasions give rise to a desire to apply paint to one&#39;s face. Typical examples include sporting events where individuals may paint themselves in their team&#39;s colors, fairs where balloons and smiley faces are painted on children, and Halloween where the make up is used to create ghouls and goblins for trick or treating. Other situations may also arise.  
           [0005]    Several products exist which allow users to apply such make up. One of the most common is grease paint. Another common type is a cream type make up. Glitter and sparkles are popular presently. However, these sorts of make up are typically sold in large tubes of a single color. To achieve a two toned face, such as may commonly be seen at a basketball game, two such tubes must be purchased. The amount of paint required to paint a face, or even a full upper body is usually substantially less than a full tube. This leaves a large amount of unused paint. For individuals that regularly paint themselves, this may not be a problem. But for the occasional face painter, this results in waste.  
           [0006]    Still another problem presently exists in the field of face painting; namely, many designs may be difficult to create for a layperson. For example, a good clown face is surprisingly hard to achieve. Lay face painters may need additional instruction on how to maximize their face painting efforts and achieve good looking make up jobs.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention addresses many of the concerns present in the prior art by providing a kit that comprises a base material to which may be added colorants. In this manner, small amounts of colored make up may be created for use without having to purchase large tubes of paint and wasting much of it. The kit may further comprise an instructional pamphlet or compact disc that comprises instructions on ratios of colorant to base material and assists a user in creating aesthetically pleasing make up jobs. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a make up kit according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart on how the make up kit of FIG. 1 may be used according to one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary screen shot from an instructional compact disc. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]    The present invention comprises a make up kit, illustrated generally at  10  in FIG. 1. The make up kit  10  is well adapted for retail sale, and may comprise a header card or other package  12  with aperture  14  designed to hang from a conventional retail stock hook. Transparent blister cover  16  may cover header card  12  and comprise pockets  18  sized and shaped so as to accommodate make up materials  20  therewithin and hold make up materials  20  against header  20  card  12  as is well understood. Other types of securing means may also be used such as stretchable or elastic bands that hold make up materials  20  against header card  12 . Tape or other adhesives such as rubber cement may be used as needed or desired.  
         [0012]    Header card  12  may comprise printed indicia thereon (not shown explicitly for clarity) that may comprise a trademark or logo, instructions, colorful graphics or the like.  
         [0013]    Make up materials  20  may comprise a base material  22 , colorants  24 , an applicator  26 , a mirror  28 , and the like. While nice accessories, applicator  26  and mirror  28  are optional. Further, it should be appreciated that the make up kit of the present invention contain a paint brush, sponge or other type of applicators. Also present, perhaps sandwiched between blister cover  16  and header card  12  is an instructional guide  30  and mixing dish  34 . Instructional guide  30  may be a compact disc (shown) or a printed pamphlet.  
         [0014]    As would be expected, base material  22  and colorants  24  may be positioned within containers. These containers may be squeeze tubes, paint pots, or the like as needed or desired. Additionally, an empty container  32  may be provided in which to mix base material  22  and a desired colorant  24 . The base material  22  may comprise a conventional cream, grease or powder of a beige or off-white tone. Also contemplated are tablets or powders that may be mixed with water to form the base. Colorants  24  may comprise color concentrates. These concentrates may be in drop form, paste form, gel form, powder form, liquid form or the like. When mixed with base material  22  in empty container  32  or a mixing dish  34 , a make up paint is formed which may be applied to an individual. In an exemplary embodiment, colorants for blue, red, yellow, black, white, brown, purple, and the like may be included. In addition, glitter and sparkles may be included.  
         [0015]    Applicator  26  may comprise a brush, a sponge, or other type of tool appropriate for mixing and/or applying compositions.  
         [0016]    Instructional guide  30 , as previously indicated may be a compact disc, a pamphlet or the like. Instructional guide  30  comprises detailed step by step instructions on mixing the base material  22  with colorants  24  to achieve desired hues as well as instructions and examples of make up schemes that may be copied to achieve desired appearances. For example, one set of instructions within instructional guide  30  may comprise instructions on how to create a desirable green hue and instructions on how to create a FRANKENSTEIN-like monster. Other creatures, clown faces, and the like are also contemplated. In the event that instructional guide  30  is a compact disc, it may be loaded onto a computer or similar data processing device and the instructions viewed on a monitor or display as needed or desired.  
         [0017]    An exemplary flow chart of how a user may use make up application kit  10  is illustrated in FIG. 2. Specifically, a user may purchase the make up application kit  10  from a store or the like (block  100 ). In the event that instructional guide  30  is a compact disc, the instructional guide  30  is loaded onto a computer (block  102 ). Suitable software launches the instructional guide  30  and the user may be allowed to select from several predetermined appearances (block  104 ). For example, a clown, a goblin, a pirate, or the like may all be listed in a menu format and the user may select one. Alternatively, thumbnail sized pictures may be presented and link to the desired instructions. Other software arrangements are possible.  
         [0018]    Once a desired appearance is selected, the user may view the instructions on making the needed colors for the desired appearance (block  106 ). These instructions may include ratios and volumes of base material  22  to colorants  24  as well as mixing instructions. In one embodiment, the mixing instructions may comprise a brief video clip that illustrates how the materials should be mixed. Intermixed with the mixing instructions, or presented after the mixing instructions the application instructions may be provided (block  108 ). Specifically, the user may be shown how to apply the make up in a manner that is designed to increase the likelihood that a make up job looks like the intended appearance. For example, the user may be shown how to make a happy clown face and where to apply the red make up over the white make up and how to highlight cheek bones or the like. Tricks on how to make realistic looking scars and the like may also be presented for more ghoulish make up jobs. Again, this may be done with video clips, pictures, audio clips, and the like.  
         [0019]    When instructional guide  30  is a printed item, the same instructions may be provided, albeit in a static form. The user may turn the page as appropriate to learn the next step in the process and refer to pictures or drawings which illustrate the mixing of the make up and the application thereof to a user.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary screen shot from the compact disc as a user might see it. In the screen shot, a manikin goes through various stages as the make up is applied. Other arrangements are also possible and this illustration is intended to be illustrative and not limiting.  
         [0021]    The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and the essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.