zombie pancake

[Cherimola]

In my book two people are at a Halloween party, and one of them is painted with "the zombie pancake."

"Seeing the look of extreme discomfort on his face, through the zombie pancake she had painted him with, she made the excuse that she wasn't feeling well and asked if he minded if they left."​

What's this zombie pancake, is it something known or an occasional expression of the author? Google only shows real pancakes decorated as zombie faces. Thank you.

 

[Kurtchen]

It's just really thick makeup that covers the skin entirely.

 

[pickarooney]

I suppose heavy makeup could be described as pancake and the person in question is made up to look like a zombie for Halloween?

 

[Cherimola]

Yes, it does seem a very probable and simple explanation. Thanks

 

[Aardvark01]

Pancake makeup is defined here as:

theatrical make-up consisting of a flat solid layer of compressed powder.

 

[Cherimola]

A very useful addition. I've never seen the word "pancake" used in this context.

 

[Aardvark01]

There are two types of theatrical makeup, geasepaint (oil based) and pancake (water based). The water based 'pancake' is easier to wash off, which is useful for quick change performances and for face paining at children's parties.

 

[pob14]

Pan-Cake is in fact a brand name of Max Factor makeup. I don't honestly know whether the brand name came first and became somewhat generic, or if the term existed before and Max Factor appropriated it as a brand.

 

[Copyright]

One of the things I enjoy about this forum is that it makes me look up things I would never think to look up otherwise (thanks, pob14).

From Wikipedia's entry on Max Factor regarding the Development of Pan-Cake:

The development of Technicolor film required the company to develop a new line of products as its existing Panchromatic make-up left a slight sheen on the skin which reflected surrounding colours. As a result of how bad they looked in colour many actors and actresses refused to appear in colour films. Its first appearance was in the film Vogues of 1938. It was immediately a hit and its advantages lead to woman stealing it from the film sets and using it privately.

That's my limit of four sentences but there are more in that article. I found it interesting.