Snazaroo: A story of love, loss and success

From humble beginnings in a seaside town to a trailblazer of face paint art, the journey behind brand Snazaroo is an unlikely story of love, loss and perseverance.

The face paint brand was established in 1989 while Lauren and her husband Paul Staton worked at Butlins holiday park in Minehead, Somerset.

Now a global brand, the founders' son Joe has written a play based on his parents' story which will feature in the New York Theater Festival this summer.

"My dad passed away when I was two and writing this play has been a way to get to know him better," said Joe, a 31-year-old actor based in New York.

The 90-minute dramedy is based on A Snazzy Tale - a book which explores the relationship behind the business, written by Lauren to help process her husband's death.

Lauren said the company started after she relocated from North London to Minehead in 1987 to work on a fancy dress concession at Butlins, where she supplied party-wear and makeup.

"We didn't have many kids' costumes, so we used to just make the kids up and paint their faces," she told BBC Radio Somerset.

"It seemed to be very popular. Everybody wanted to have faces painted. We were complete novices at the time!"

Lauren added Paul later gave up a "very good job" to then join her in Minehead.

"Everybody said he was crazy, he took a chance on me," she said.

By 1989, Lauren and her team had taught around 8,500 people how to paint children's faces - and demand to buy the face paint began to grow.

"My husband Paul said 'we need to make this stuff' - hence why we set up a factory in Minehead."

In 1991, Snazaroo released the book Five-Minute Faces - a guide on how to create simple face paint designs, helping to make it more accessible for beginners.

Face painting became a staple of children's parties and summer fetes and the paint is often cited as one of the most emotive smells from childhood.

It prompted hundreds of amateurs to give it a try themselves and is arguably one of the key forces behind the rise of make-up influencers, artists and shows like Glow Up on BBC Three.

Then in 1997 Paul died suddenly from a series of health complications, which came as a "massive shock".

Following her husband's death, Lauren sold the company and moved to France because she felt Minehead had too many memories.

By that point, the company had around 130 employees.

"After losing my husband, I needed to break away for a bit for my own sanity," said Lauren.

After reading his mother's book, Joe was inspired to write the play Snazzy.

He said reading the book and writing the play helped him to get to know his late father better.

"I started tearing up when I read it because I thought it was so moving and inspiring," he said.

Snazzy will be presented at the LATEA Theatre in New York in July in a developmental production.

The cast will include several British actors such as Taunton-born actor Ronan Spierenburg.

Joe hopes to bring the production back home to Minehead - and plans are in discussion for a future run at the Regal Theatre.

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