grease paint

American  

noun

1. an oily mixture of melted tallow or grease and a pigment, used by actors, clowns, etc., for making up their faces.

2. theatrical makeup.

---

Etymology

Origin of grease paint

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

In his Halloween paso doble showcase, he wore a clerical collar and forewent grease paint or creepy contacts, relying on wide-eyed expressions and a low-slung layer of fake fog to hide his relatively clumsy footwork.

From Salon

They said she had makeup that was like grease paint that was melting off her face.

From New York Times

Fitting for a portrayal pair of Broadway superstars, the series has grease paint running through its DNA.

From Seattle Times

It reduces identity to a pot of grease paint, to a joke.

From Washington Post

The origins of blackface date to 19th-century “minstrel” shows in which white performers covered their faces in black grease paint to caricature slaves.

From Reuters