By Ed Avis
Make-up is an essential product for many costume shops. It’s sold to theater programs and actors, of course, but also Cosplay fans, make-up artists, and countless other customers who want to change their appearance. In sort, it can be an excellent source of extra revenue.
NCA’s newest vendor member, Wolfe FX, offers professional-quality make-up and a variety of related products sure to get your cash register ringing.
“The ingredients of our make-up are different from many others,” says Douglas Drake, owner of Wolfe FX. “The base of our make-up paraffin and glycerin, therefore it’s resistant to water so it won’t easily break down in sweat. We launched it 17 years ago and the first users were haunts, who fell in love with it because it’s fast and easy to use and is much more manageable when they sweat.”
Though haunts were among the first customers, Drake says Hollywood soon followed. The formula is rich enough that one layer provides the required coverage. A face can be covered with make-up in just a minute, he says.
“Hollywood make-up artists fell in love with the product, and right off the bat we started to supply Universal Studios and other parks,” he says.
While professional make-up artists are key users of Wolfe FX make-up, the products sell well in costume shops to all levels of users, Drake says. The 48 different colors of make-up is sold in 30-gram, 45-gram and 90-gram containers, and also in large variety of kits. Among the popular sets are the Walking Dead Set, with 6 colors ideal for zombie fans; the Sugar Skull Kit that can create a dozen fully made-up Day-of-the-Dead characters; and the Family Make-Up Kit with 27 fun make-up items. All of the sets include easy-to-follow instructions.
Other retail make-up items the company offers include point-of-sale items such as a box of make-up sticks that resemble a box of crayons -- kids can easily and safely color their own faces with these kits – and glitter gel for amazing effects.
Beyond Make-Up
Wolfe FX is famous for its make-up, but the company offers a range of other products that are ideal for retail costume shops.
For example, the company’s Dental Distortions line is an extensive selection of teeth for monsters, vampires, and dozens of other characters. But don’t imagine that these are the old plastic teeth you got out of a vending machine when you were a kid – these are professional-quality dental appliances designed for serious use.
“Dental Distortions was started by an individual who worked in the dental field,” Drake says. “It grew to the point where it was bigger than he could handle, so four years ago we acquired the business.”
The selection of 34 teeth, which retail for $30 or $50, depending on whether they are full or half sets, come with material that allows the user to mold the appliance to his or her mouth. The result is that the teeth can be easily snapped in and out.
A similar line are professional-quality finger nails that transform the user’s hand to witch, werewolf, or one of dozens of other scary characters. The nails, which retail for $30 per set, attach with fitting tape.
The company also offers a line of temporary tattoos, many of which were designed by famous Miami tattoo artists.
“The most popular tattoos are the stitches and cuts, and then the pretty ones, like the flowers,” Drake says. “We just recently launched three different sets for kids, with 12 small tattoos on a sheet.”
One best-selling tattoo set includes black-and-white outlines of images that the kids can color in themselves using the make-up sticks. “The kids feel like expert artists when they color these tattoos,” Drake says.
Butterflies and Pumpkins
Wolfe FX’s product line includes two items that are unrelated to make-up or acting: butterflies and pumpkin accoutrements.
The butterflies sport 3D wings that fold out realistically. They are made of a clear vinyl that is imprinted with an actual photo of a butterfly. They’re great impulse items.
The pumpkin add-ons, such as legs and arms, are designed to be stuck into jack-o-lanterns. They’re flexible so the user can easily adjust them. Pumpkin “teeth” are also popular, as are pumpkin tattoos, which create the outline for pumpkin carvers.
“Pumpkin décor is hot right now with every family doing something related to pumpkins and Halloween,” Drake says. “So costume shops that stock pumpkin add-ons can profit from that trend.”
Typical Store Order
Drake helps retailers choose a selection of products to get started.
“The first thing we suggest is to find out what the school colors are in your area and to order single color containers of make-up in the school colors,” he suggests. “Those single make-up colors are just $1 a piece, so they sell well. Then we suggest they order the box of makeup sticks. That’s a point-of-sale box, and we recommend it sit on the cash register counter. And then we suggest they buy the 6-color crayon sets because kids love them.”
Other items in the initial order are the step-by-step make-up kits, which come in 11 different styles, and the 27-piece make-up kit. Finally, he suggests stocking some tattoo collections and glitter gel.
“You can buy a nice selection of all of our stuff for $300 to $400 and have a whole display of them,” Drake says. The company has joined the NCA Buyer’s Group and offers a 5 percent discount all year long off the wholesale price.
All of Wolfe FX’s products designed and developed in the United States and warehoused in Florida, which makes restocking easy when an item gets hot. Wolfe FX is a family business. Drake’s wife, Joyce Drake, manages the the Dental Distortions items, and his son Kurt is the company’s creative director.
“We’ve all been involved in the business since it started,” he says.
For more information contact Nigel Febland, 917-864-1685, TheFeBlandGroup@gmail.com, or Doug Drake at sales@wolfefex.com, 407-730-9820 or 585-694-6002.