grease paint

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

theatrical makeup.

Origin of grease paint

First recorded in 1885–90

It made her comb her hair all awry and apply the grease-paint to her cheeks with a trembling hand.

The Bill-Toppers |Andre Castaigne
What you have just put on is known as a grease-paint makeup.

The Art of Stage Dancing |Ned Wayburn
A wig, a stick of grease-paint, a threepenny twist of crepe hair, and there you are!

Cleek, the Master Detective |Thomas W. Hanshew
The crowd of "supers" were prompt with grease-paint to make their colour more Egyptian.

England |Frank Fox

When he was dressed in the overalls and had wiped the grease-paint from his face on an old rag, no one would have recognized him.

Philo Gubb Correspondence-School Detective |Ellis Parker Butler