It can be white or brown. Usually white is sold to consumers. You can buy it in grocery stores in rolls 18 inches (45 cm) wide.
The waxy side faces in towards the food; the dull side out.
To use, cut a piece large enough for the purpose at hand. Place the food in one corner, roll toward the other one, and stop along the way to fold the sides in. Force air out of the package as you wrap.
You can double-wrap your meat. Some suggest wrap it first in plastic wrap, then in freezer paper.
You can secure the paper in place with freezer tape, or masking tape.
When bundled up and secured, you can write right on it with a permanent marker to label what is in it, and the date.
Place the wrapped package in the freezer, so that the folds are on top and facing upward. This stops any initial leakage from flowing out and making a mess in the freezer. After a day or so, you can invert the package.
Freezer paper cannot be reused, and can only be used for solid items (e.g. not soup.)
Freezer paper is also used by quilters. This use appears to have started in the late 1970s, and the quilters now constitute one of the main consumer groups for freezer paper. It used to only be available in the fall, but is now available year-round, partly thanks to them. To use it for quilting, you make a design on it or cut it into the shapes you need. You can iron it onto fabric (plastic side facing the wrong side of the fabric.) It will stick. It can be re-used for this purpose several times.
It is also useful for applique.