war paint vs cosmetic

war paint and cosmetic both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
war paint	Yes	No	No	No
cosmetic	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, cosmetic is a hypernym of war paint; that is, cosmetic is a word with a broader meaning than war paint:

war paint: cosmetics applied to the face to improve or change your appearance
cosmetic: a toiletry designed to beautify the body

war paint (noun)	cosmetic (noun)
full ceremonial regalia	a toiletry designed to beautify the body
adornment consisting of paint applied to the face and body of certain Amerindians before a battle
cosmetics applied to the face to improve or change your appearance

war paint (adjective)	cosmetic (adjective)
	serving an aesthetic purpose in beautifying the body
	serving an esthetic rather than a useful purpose