What is an ashy cross?

What is an "ashy cross" in :

"...how come every year i get the biggest ashy cross of anyone i sit near?? it got all over my nose and in my eyes...."

"It was Ash Wednesday yesterday...I went fairly early in the day, though, so my nice ashy cross was smeared away over the course of the day as I forgetfully rubbed my forehead."

Does "ashy" refer to color or material?

Probably both. It's feels like ash since it's made of ash and the color should also be ash-like, hence "ashy."

It refers to actual ashes. On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, Catholics go to church and have their priest mark their foreheads with a cross -- he uses a finger dipped in ashes to do this. Then they wear it all day long. And all the fast food places in town whip out the fish sandwiches for the next 40 days.