Frequently asked questions

Yes — same team, one calendar, one phone number. Dazzling Faces handles face painting and glitter tattoos; CJ The Clown handles magic, balloons, and stilts.

Our replies occasionally land in the spam / junk folder. Please check there and mark the address as "not spam". If you still can't find it, just WhatsApp or phone us on 060 997 6310 and we'll sort it out.

The fastest way is WhatsApp on 060 997 6310 — tell me the date, time, venue suburb, and how many kids, and I'll come back with a quote and a hold on the slot. You can also send the contact form if you'd rather write it all out.

Weekends in school terms book up fastest — two to four weeks ahead is comfortable. Holiday seasons (December, Easter, Halloween) and Saturdays in October–November fill earlier; aim for six weeks if your date is in one of those windows. Last-minute is always worth a message — sometimes I have a gap.

Rates are per performer, per hour — you can book one painter, or four, or any mix:

Service	First hour	Each extra hour
Face painter	R 1 100	R 610
Glitter tattoo artist	R 1 100	R 610
Balloon sculptor	R 1 100	R 610
Stilt walker (also balloons)	R 1 500	R 900
Magic show (CJ, 30 min)	R 1 850 flat	—

We also do 2-in-1 magic + balloon packages — see the magic-show page for the full price list.

A small travel fee per performer is added on top, depending on where you are. The minimum booking is one hour. Materials are always included.

I'll always send a formal written quotation so you know the exact total before you commit.

Full payment up front. The full amount is due by EFT within 48 hours of the invoice date — that's what locks your slot in my calendar. Until payment reflects, the date stays available and could go to another client. Email proof of payment with your invoice number to info@dazzlingfaces.co.za.

No. We're not VAT-registered, so the price I quote is the price you pay (plus the small per-performer travel fee). Invoices show a VAT line at R 0,00.

All payments are non-refundable. We don't offer cancellations or refunds.

For postponements:

• 14 days or more before the event: one free postponement to another available date within three months of the original date.
• Fewer than 14 days before: we can't accommodate a postponement (including for weather) and the full amount is forfeit.

There's one exception: the Consumer Protection Act allows for genuine medical emergencies or bereavement at any time, with proof — Dora handles those personally.

We're based in and serve the Johannesburg and Pretoria area (Gauteng) — Pretoria, Centurion, Joburg, Midrand, and the suburbs in between. As a rule, we don't travel outside Gauteng.

As a rule, we don't go further. For a substantial booking — several entertainers for a full day, or over a few days — we may be able to make a trip worthwhile. Drop the details on the out-of-area form and we'll let you know whether we can assist.

Yes. I only use hypoallergenic, water-based, cosmetic-grade paints — the same brands used on real film sets. They wash off with a warm cloth and a bit of soap. If a child has known cosmetic sensitivities, please let us know when you book and we'll brief the face painter ahead of time. On the day, the face painter will do a small spot test on the wrist before painting the child's face — if there's any reaction, we won't paint them.

Three to five days. They survive baths, swimming, and school. To take one off, rub gently with an oil-based product like sunscreen or baby oil on cotton wool — the whole design lifts off in seconds. Don't scrub with soap; that just spreads it.

Comfortably 10–12 kids per hour for full-face designs. So for 40 children in an hour, you'd book three or four painters. I'll always recommend the right mix based on your group — just tell me how many kids and how long the entertainment runs.

Five to ten years is the sweet spot — the show is pitched right there. When you enquire we'll ask how many children fall in the 5–10 range vs 4 or younger, so we can recommend whether the standalone magic show or one of our packages is the better fit.

The magic show on its own seats a comfortable group — for 2-in-1 packages, the cap is set by the balloon portion rather than the show itself:

• 1-hour 2-in-1 (30 min show + 30 min balloons) → up to 15 children
• 90-min 2-in-1 (30 min show + 1 hour balloons) → up to 30 children
• 2-hour 2-in-1 (30 min show + 1.5 hours balloons) → up to 45 children

Bigger groups → book a longer package or add a second balloon twister.

About eight to nine feet tall on stilts. He needs a small private corner to suit up.

Stilt walking is a premium tier — R 1 500 for the first hour, R 900 each extra hour, per performer (plus travel). One hour is usually plenty.

I usually arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time. That's enough to get my chair, paints, and mirror laid out without making the kids wait. For magic shows and stilt walking, CJ allows a bit more — fifteen to twenty minutes — to suit up in private.

Yes — paints, brushes, sponges, mirror, glitter stencils, balloons, my own seat, disposables. All included in the rate. You don't need to organise anything.

Not much. A shaded spot if we're outdoors, a small patch of floor or table space if we're indoors, and a power point nearby if you want background lighting — none of our acts are loud or need a stage. I bring my own seat, paints, mirror, and disposables. CJ brings everything for magic, balloons, or stilts.

Outdoor parties are perfect — most of mine are in gardens. Shade is the only ask: direct summer sun melts the paints and makes the kids miserable. For rain, light drizzle under a gazebo is fine; a proper Highveld thunderstorm is not. If the forecast looks rough on the day, we'll talk through moving indoors or postponing — see the cancellation policy for the rules around that.

Often yes — if my schedule allows and the kids are still going strong, just ask. Extra time is invoiced afterwards at the standard hourly rate (with no extra travel fee). The Monday-after invoice settles up.