Pump him full of testosterone and he'll grow his own mustache! No, wait.

October 30, 2008 4:57 PM

Need to attach a felt mustache to my kid's face for a school Halloween party. No time to buy anything fancy (a la spirit gum or the like); what should I use?

We have masking tape, scotch tape, electrical tape. What will stick to his face the longest?

posted by Lucinda to clothing, beauty, & fashion (17 comments total)

elmer's glue would be near ideal. almost identical to spirit gum. non-toxic. any kind of single-sided tape will yield disappointing results, but of your three given options, masking tape will work best.
posted by ElmerFishpaw at 5:19 PM on October 30, 2008

wheatpaste.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:25 PM on October 30, 2008

I once used cut up pieces of band-aid rolled up to stick on a mustache when I couldn't find my spirit gum.
posted by fructose at 5:27 PM on October 30, 2008

Mustache-on-a-Stick is the way to go.
posted by Ugh at 5:46 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Apparently eggwhite can work as glue but I'm not sure how well it would work on skin.
posted by slightlybewildered at 6:01 PM on October 30, 2008

i used double-sided tape for a party last weekend.
posted by gnutron at 6:10 PM on October 30, 2008

If you have a grocery store nearby, you could probably get eyelash glue.
posted by tomierna at 6:12 PM on October 30, 2008

Another option completely: char a bit of cork and smear the burnt part on his upper lip.
posted by notsnot at 6:17 PM on October 30, 2008

You must have a washable glue stick. As long as he doesn't sweat too much I bet that would work well.
posted by caddis at 6:35 PM on October 30, 2008

Washable glue stick is perfect - he's got that at school, and it's not like it has to stick on for a very long time - just a walk around the block for a Halloween parade.

I also love the "mustache-on-a-stick" idea too.

Yay AskMe!
posted by Lucinda at 6:49 PM on October 30, 2008

Rubber cement would also work for this. Put some on the mustache and let it dry. Put some on your kid's upper lip and let it dry. It's transparent, non-sticky and flexible; you could do this before school. When it comes time to apply the mustache, just press it on. Instant bond.
posted by Jeff Howard at 7:22 PM on October 30, 2008

Honey might work. I used it on my bald-headed baby daughter to attach a ribbon so people would know she was a girl.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 7:43 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

nth the 'stache on a stick.

I don't think I'd recommend putting rubber cement under a kids nose. that stuff isn't so good for the brain cells. I also doubt glue stick glue would be enough to hold on while he talked, smiled, screamed, or any number of things other than holding perfectly still.
posted by advicepig at 8:19 PM on October 30, 2008

I know you already marked this as solved, but I have to pipe in, seeing as I actually researched this exact thing for my job a couple of months ago: and double-sided tape works fantastically well. Get "heavy duty" double sided tape if you want to be extra sure it'll stick.
posted by chowflap at 9:17 PM on October 30, 2008

Flesh-coloured elastic band
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:48 PM on October 30, 2008

Regular gum.
posted by typewriter at 10:29 PM on October 30, 2008

Well, when it came down to it, we ended up using masking tape. Lots and lots of masking tape.
posted by Lucinda at 7:06 PM on October 31, 2008