How to save on Airbrush Makeup: discounts, coupons and seasonal specials.

In this post I would like to share some practical advice on how to save money on airbrush makeup. Whether you are a consumed professional or just a professional consumer, I hope you will find some of these tips useful as you prepare to invest in this wonderful, still relatively new makeup media.

Tip one: Brand Mailing lists

Subscribing to mailing lists can pay big!

It is always a good and inexpensive idea to subscribe to a brand's mailing list, and to their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Airbrush makeup companies are still struggling to establish themselves in the mainstream of makeup marketing, so they still use their mailing lists a lot to promote special deals for their subscribers. If there was a competition for who offers the best deals on their list, Luminess Air would certainly win the prize, with constant sales going on for their subscriber that will allow them to get truly remarkable discounts and often free shipping on top. They used to send $25 coupons to subscribers who had not bought with them for a while, but now they seem to have settled on general mega sales that will include  everything from equipment to full kits and from foundation to skincare. Runner up for deal frequency would have to be Dinair, although their special are more often than not geared at new customers who will get extra products for buying a full kit. Range wide sales are extremely rare (Black Friday being the exception), and equipment and skincare sales are practically non existent. On the more professional oriented sites, Temptu Pro has a newly restyled website, and a good few specials have been popping up of late, so this is certainly a list you will not want to miss, while Kett's specials are extremely rare.  

Tip Two (Pro Tip): Makeup Stores

This may seem counterintuitive, but some makeup stores do offer the best deals around, even beating the manufacturer's own prices. Take Camera Ready Cosmetics for example: they offer a low price guarantee on most of their products, they have a remarkable Pro Discount of 20%, their shipping charges are lower and their processing time faster than most of the manufacturers out there. They also have periodical specials that will allow you to save even more.  So once again, joining the mailing list of several online makeup stores could save you quite a bit of cash.

A recent special from CRCMakeup.com

Tip Three: Bloggers

Following bloggers on Youtube and other social media may still be very worthwhile, although blogger power has been waning more and more in the last year. New companies used to flood the most influential bloggers with free product in exchange for reviews, and the bloggers themselves would then turn these goodies into giveaway prizes, but this strategy seems to have been more or less abandoned right now. A notable exception is Belletto Studio: with special discount codes and coupons associated with popular bloggers, their followers could get remarkable saving on their steep list prices. For example just a few weeks ago fans of Xparkage could get one of their "Ultimate Skin Secrets Starter Kit" for a laughable $99 instead of the "regular" $430 price. 

Tip Four: Ebay

Of course there is always Ebay. Most of the times sellers are reliable and honest, however you should always keep in mind that even airbrush makeup has an expiry date, and that overstock sold by Ebay seller at discounted prices is often old batches that went into clearance. So be careful what you purchase, and don't hesitate to ask the seller for expiration dates or production dates. One way to see how old the product may be is to look at the pictures: do they show the latest graphics or packaging for the product, or are they showing old merchandise? All the major brands, from Temptu to OCC, to Dinair and Kett have updated their graphics and packaging in the last two years, and you can check their websites to see if what's being sold on ebay matches.

Tip Five (Pro Tip): Equipment Manifacturers

If you wish to save considerably on airbrush equipment, please consider this: most makeup brands do not manufacture their own equipment, but order it from a third party (a professional airbrush maker, regularly distributed by most traditional airbrush suppliers) who will impress the makeup brand logo on their equipment. I am not going to go into details here as I do not wish to make any enemies, but have a look around at the Sparmax SP-35 gun for example. Now do a quick search among makeup brands, and find out how much more it is going to cost you to have the exact same gun with their logo stamped on it where Sparmax's own would be. The same applies to a lot of compressors, although the main three or four makeup brands produce their own exclusively...

Sparmax SP-35 airbrush... where have I seen you before...

Video: Airbrush Makeup How to Eyeshadow with Luminess Air

Demonstrating 3 classic Luminess Air Eyeshadow Sets: Ore, Evening Sari and Smokey Eyes

Luminess "Ore" Duo- 100% unretouched Picture

Luminess Air is one of the most popular airbrush makeup brands aimed specifically at consumers. The brand offers a wide range of eyeshadow colors that are sometimes paired in sets of two or three. Luminess eye shadows have a very low viscosity which makes them easy to clean as they leave very little residue in your airgun, and which renders them very blendable and very sheer on application. Professional MUAs may find these very characteristics a bit limiting, but then again these products are directed at the average consumer, who will find them very easy to use.

Don't forget to check the special sales at www.luminessair.com. The company keeps renewing their specials and you can find some really good deals if you subscribe to their newsletter. If you are looking into buying a kit, definitely go for the 3 speed model, which will allow more versatility for jobs like eyeshadow.

Luminess "Evening Sari" Trio, 100% unrethouched picture

Luminess "Smokey Eyes" Duo, 100% unretouched picture

Review: Camera Ready Cosmetics, the ultimate pro makeup store.

Camera Ready Cosmetics, founded by makeup artist Mary Erickson, is becoming more and more appreciated by makeup artists worldwide due to a simple strategy: they offer only the best makeup brands at the lowest guaranteed price, the most efficient customer service, and they ship worldwide at the most convenient rates. In other words: straight forward top quality, top service, no bull and above all (and most remarkably) no greed. I stopped at the CRC showroom in La Mesa (San Diego) a couple of months ago, on my way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Not the most efficient route, I realize, but I had a sizable order to collect so I thought I would see what the place looks like, and if it would hold true to its website description of a "playground" where you can test products without obligation and with the help of  knowledgeable staff. Well, what can I say? I left two hours later wishing I could have bought the entire place, and feeling like I had made some new friends. The strategy obviously works!

The Showroom at CRC

 The showroom space is not huge, but it is big enough to display the whole collection of products in a very user friendly layout. There they were: RCMA, Face Atelier, Cinema Secrets and all those other brands I had read so much about but had been hesitant to order finally at my fingertips (literally). No amount advertisement and  no guru's opinion can be a substitute for hands on testing of a a product's colour, texture and wearability, and although the CRC website offers a sampling service, which is rare among online stores, here you can see the whole range taking the guess work and the expense out of the equation. 

The perfect testing post.

The same applies to their very extensive stock of airbrush makeup of course. They even had a Graftobian kit plugged in and ready for use, so I could actually test some colours with an airbrush, rather than just out of the bottle. They have all the major professional brands except for one of the most famous ones, that shall remain nameless here. For some reason this brand hasn't been able to include CRC among their distributors, which is a terrible shame because not only do they lose credibility with the professionals (many think that if CRC doesn't carry it, it is not worth having) but they also lose a major International outlet, as CRC will ship to countries they will not. Oh well, I hope they can take a hint. 

During my visit I was helped by the very knowledgeable and super helpful Ashlie, and later I had a chance to also chat with the stunning Ashley (similar name, different person) and with Nicole, who leads the marketing department with unsurpassed efficiency, elegance and grace. What I didn't expect was to be able to meet Mary Erickson herself, and boy am I glad I had a chance. Mary gave me a whole tour of the operation, from the offices to the extensive mail room which is the heart and soul of CRC, taking two thirds of the space. At the time of my visit the staff was processing an average of over 250 orders a day, yet everyone would smile and say hi, leaving me with the impression of a very happy crew. Mary explained to me that every single batch of makeup that comes in is personally checked by a dedicated employee for flaws of any kind, and immediately sent back if found in any way imperfect. To further guarantee the freshness of  the makeup there is also an unwritten "two weeks rule" applied on the merchandise: CRC does not stock anything that doesn't sell out within that period. Well, I couldn't have been more impressed. Mary herself is exactly as I thought she would be by checking her WEBSITE. Most makeup artists only store their portfolio and their CV there. She went out of her way to incorporate a Q&A page with a lot of information on all aspects of the profession, something I had not seen before and that can be of great use to aspiring MUAs. In other words when so many in her position and with her level of artistry are often standoffish, aloof and a little full of themselves,  she remains enthusiastic, generous and gifted with a biting sense of humour in spite of her strong business savvy. 

You don't have to be an insider to know that the cosmetic industry, at any stage from creation to distribution, is one of the most dynamic and competitive business environments in the world. Add an international economic downturn such as the one of the last few years, and you are left with a question: is it possible for an independent business to thrive, and most importantly to do so ethically? Is it possible to generate high customer satisfaction, create a happy working environment and still adhere to a strict commitment to excellence in the product that you offer? The answer is a resounding YES, and the proof is an Enterprise called Camera Ready Cosmetics. 

PRO TIP & UPDATE: Since we wrote this article Camera Ready has been going from strength to strength: after a major website redesign, a free App was launched bringing the latest update to your phones and tablet (available on Itunes). The Pro discount program was redesigned to include discounts of up to 40%, and the Aspiring MUA discount was increased to 10%. A reward points program was also put in place, allowing any customer to get back 10% on each purchase.

 

Some of the lovely CRC Staff. Fourth from the left is Mary Erickson

Airbrush Makeup: single action vs dual action -The truth at last!

Single action or double action gun for airbrush makeup?

This is one of the most basic questions facing those who approach airbrush makeup for the first time, especially professionals, and one of the most confusing. The reason for the confusion lies in a colossal misunderstanding of the terms themselves, which changed meaning as they started being used by the cosmetic industry. [If you just want the straight answer, please scroll to down to IN CONCLUSION, or keep reading for the whole mystery exposed!]

In "orthodox aerography", that is in traditional technical terms, a single action airbrush is one that dispenses colour by simply pushing down the trigger (or "lever"), hence the term "Single Action". The trigger does not slide back to release more colour, it can only be pushed down, and the colour and the air are dispensed at the same time much like a spray can would. You can already breathe a sigh of relief here, because NO AIRBRUSH COSMETIC COMPANY SELLS THESE. So you would have to go out of your way to find an airbrush like that to add to your kit.

To continue with traditional aerography, a double action airbrush is one where the trigger has to be pushed down to release air first, and then pulled back to release the colour gradually, the further back you pull, the more colour comes out. If you pull the trigger back without pushing down for air first you create a backwash and possibly splatter paint. This kind of airbrush is the most widely available for traditional airbrush painting.

When cosmetic companies started producing kits for commercial distribution, they looked to offer a simplified version of the double action airbrush described above. They wanted consumers to be able to regulate colour flow with the trigger, but they did not want to complicate their lives with having to push down the trigger for air first, and the problems that can arise if you don't. So they started producing (or commissioning their suppliers, in most cases) airbrushes in which air would flow unobstructed from the moment the compressor is turned on, called continuous airflow airbrushes, and where the trigger could be simply pulled back to release colour gradually. They then proceeded to rename this type of airgun "single action airbrush" in their marketing, creating the massive confusion reigning today. All the rants you find on websites like Model Mayhem or Beautylish against "single action airbrushes" are based on this misunderstanding, with a lot of gurus referring to the actual single action as described at the top of this post, rather than the "continuous airflow" conceived later.

Where airbrush beauty makeup is concerned, the only difference between single action (continuous airflow) and double action airbrush is that with a double action you have to push the trigger down to release the air before you pull it back to release the makeup. That's it. That's all. In short: a nuisance, considering that if you forget to do so you run into paint back flow problems, and that the stopping and starting of the air is harder on the small sized, maintenance free compressor that most kits come with.The sudden burst of air is also very annoying for the clients, who are inevitably startled by it and tend to jump back in the chair.

The most common objection that "with a double action airbrush you can feel where the makeup is going to be by releasing the air before dispensing the colour" is moot, because with a "continuous flow" airbrush you can do the same just by pointing the blessed thing before pulling back the trigger.

This is why even pro companies like TEMPTU PRO have now started offering single action (continuous airflow) guns in their professional kits, while KETT Always had the best of both worlds by selling a gun that they call Transformer, that can be switched to "single action" by simply substituting a small valve (included in the box).

IN CONCLUSION:

If you don't already own an airbrush, a continuous airflow "single action" airbrush is better, easier and more efficient for airbrush makeup in general. A double action requires more practice, although it could be better for body painting if you are looking for special spatter effect that can only be obtained by stopping and starting the air. If your area of interest is SFX rather than beauty makeup the whole thing changes of course, but we will discuss that aspect in a future post. [If you come from the top of this post having skipped the middle part and still have doubts, well... you just may have to read the whole thing after all...]

PRO TIP:  THIS FANTASTIC BLOG ARTICLE  will explain how to turn your double action airbrush into a "single action, continuous airflow" one with a few simple moves and at zero cost. We tested the method and it definitely works on all Sparmax airguns (Sparmax is the maker of the airguns  distributed by Kett, Temptu, Graftobian, Kryolan and Airbase among Others). Please use extreme caution and read the relevant disclaimers.

Kett's Transformer Airbrush

TemptuPro's "Single Action" SE50 Airbrush

Inside Dinair Airbrush Makeup: a visit to the Dinair Studio in NorthHollywood, California

INSIDE DINAIR (well, sort of...)

The Dinair Building under an unusually rainy LA sky

When something changes an important aspect of your life it is only natural to want get to know as much as you can about it, and if you have a chance, to go right up to the source of that thing. To see where "everything started", so to speak. Dinair was the first brand of airbrush makeup I ever tried. It forever changed the way I do makeup, and in many ways it's the reason why I am collaborating to this very blog, so when I came to Los Angeles on a personal trip in May of this year, I made sure our tight schedule would include a visit to North Hollywood and to the Dinair Studio, which is the retail outlet attached to the factory itself at Laurel Canyon Blvd.

The address was very easy to find, although we had to look twice as there aren't any big signs outside the building, but once we looked up and saw the beloved pink logo at the top we knew we had arrived at the home of the originators of the airbrush makeup craze. The entrance to the studio is just around the back of the building, where you can also park the car. We were greeted inside by the lovely Sandra, a very young and very kind employee who made us feel at home right from the start. In the studio, as you can see from the pictures, there are several makeup stations stocked full of the complete Dinair line, and to the right a counter with a glass display full of kits in every colour. To be able to see all these in person, instead of on a computer screen, was already a major delight. As efficient as the internet is these days, seeing all the colours right in front of our eyes is an experience that can't be beaten!

The lovely Sandra at Dinair

The Studio isn't just a retail outlet. Here you can test products, try colors and discuss any aspect of airbrushing makeup so the the first thing I did was to put Sandra to the "test" by asking her to colour match me for foundation. Of course I already knew what colour is right for me, but I wanted a second opinion as I am a stickler for perfectly matching tones. Sandra aced it of course, and then we proceeded to test the same colour in the paramedical version, which I had long wanted to try on and buy. After that I bought the few colours that were missing from my collection, and then I gave Sandra a couple of gifts I had brought for Dina Ousley, the very founder of Dinair, and the lovely Julie Tobias, who is their spokesperson and the star of all the first official Dinair video tutorials.
 Every now and then while I was there, the inside door leading to the factory would open and you could glimpse the call centre inside with the operators taking phone calls. It was fun to think that this is what's on the other end of the line when you call the customer service, and that for once we could actually see them in person.

Inside the Dinair Studio.

All too soon it was time to leave, as another customer had come in and was waiting for service. It was a very elegant, great looking elderly lady that had come in "to get a few more shades" (her words). I thought about how incredibly cool that was: while people on this side of the pond are still barely grasping the concept of airbrushing makeup, here an elderly lady is not only using it, but having fun trying out new colours. It was the perfect closing for our visit, proving what Dina herself has been saying for years: Airbrush Makeup is for everybody!

  

PRO TIP: be sure to have the professional Dinair lights (the ones with the little White umbrella on top)  turned on, instead of the bulbs on the mirrors which have a warm hue to them.  The pro lights recreate natural lights to perfection, showing all your blemishes but also allowing a perfect colour match.

The brand new packaging of the Dinair Makeup Kit

A makeup station full of Dinair delights!

AIRBRUSH MAKEUP 101: Everything you need to know in just over 5 minutes!

LET'S START FROM THE VERY BEGINNING...

We are very happy to post a comprehensive, no bull, no time wasted video introduction to airbrush makeup in just over 5 minutes!

This perhaps should have been our very first post, but because of the amount of information to convey it took us a very long time to put it together. While it is intended for those who have heard little or nothing about airbrush makeup before, it may be interesting to check out and see if there are any gaps in our -or your, lol- basic knowledge of this ever growing technique.

When you learn a new way of doing things and you like it, often you tend to stick with what you've become used to and you're comfortable with. This is perfectly natural, however you may be missing out on a whole bunch of possibilities. A lot of people for example start with silicone based products and they don't know much about water based lines, or vice versa.

I started this blog with the ambition of finding out as much as possible about the whole spectrum of airbrush makeup possibilities. If you're reading this, I hope you'll come along for this long journey of discovery...

Airbrush Makeup cities: Los Angeles

The Center of the Airbrush Makeup Universe! 

Los Angeles could easily be named the capital of Airbrush Makeup. Hollywood and the film and TV industry as a whole provide an irresistible lure for the greatest MUAs, who find the most fertile grounds to experiment with innovative ideas. Airbrush makeup was invented right here, in 1925, when it was used on the hundreds of extras in Fred Niblo's Ben Hur.

Nowadays the demands of High Definition make airbrushing the most sought after technique in creating makeup that is undetectable to the unforgiving HD camera lenses, and also for its applications in advanced special effects. Airbrushing is of course the most used painting technique in FACE OFF, the very popular FX reality show where professional MUAs compete in extreme makeup challenges, which is filmed right here in LA.

The most interesting aspect for a visiting makeup fan is the unprecedented range of products that are readily available in the amazing stores of the area. Stores so big and well stocked the likes of which are almost unthinkable in Europe. Not to mention the prices, which are very convenient and for once free of shipping charges and import duties. We will be publishing extensive reviews of some of these stores, and we also look forward to reviewing the many products and brands that we were able to take with us, so that you can make the most informed choice as you advance in the wonderful universe of airbrushing. So please stay tuned, so much more info is heading your way...

Airbrush Eyeshadow Makeup Tutorial: Kardashian Inspired Smokey Eyes & full HD makeup

New video tutorial with complete HD application!

We are very happy to bring you our second video tutorial. This is a complete look, from colour match to foundation and full eye makeup, vaguely inspired by Kim Kardashian because of the natural colours of our  model (our wonderful friend Chiara on her first "modeling shoot" ever!). The only steps missing from the video are gloss and mascara application, but then again those are not airbrushed so we thought we could leave them out. The makeup we are using for this video is once again our beloved DINAIR. We are not discussing technique this time, but we are leaving all technical aspects for our next two tutorials, which will focus exclusively on a general introduction to airbrush makeup and on application techniques specifically.

I personally hate long videos where the person doing the demonstration blabs on repeating "now you're gonna wanna do this" about seven million times. So we kept it short, clean and sweet. Like airbrush makeup itself, after all...

Cosmoprof 2013 video: Introducing Technoair

A high quality water base airbrush line from Spain

We are finally up and running with our second and last video report from Cosmoprof 2013!

TECHNOAIR is an airbrushing line created by airbrush painter Lluís Díaz, who illustrated the products with passion and knowledge for our camera.

All the makeup products shown are water based, and they include a vast array of colours ranging from foundation to blushes, shimmering (actually sparkling!) eye shadows, and body painting colours. Technoair also offers a full tanning line, and finally a beautiful range of polymer based colours for nails that allow the artist a unique array of effects. Lluís is first and foremost an artist, and he designed the whole line with special attention to the compatibility of the colours and to the technical equipment: Technoair features a wide range or airbrushes and compressors for any situation, from personal use right down to big Salon.

The brand is based in Spain, offering fellow EU residents a chance to purchase anything from the website without fearing Customs duties and delays. The WEBSITE itself is just in its initial stages, and at this time the products are marketed for the professional sector only, but in time I am confident that the focus will shift more towards the general consumer. In the meantime Lluís is constantly travelling internationally to teach the discipline and spread the word about the products.

As for us, we are of course planning a video tutorial with Tecnoair products and a full review, but in the meantime you can enjoy this clip. The video is subtitled in Italian as Lluís is building strong ties in this Country, and of course the main language is Spanish, so apologies to all you English speakers, eventually we will do a voice over of the audio, but in the meantime you can enjoy a sneak peak into this very interesting company. 

Cosmoprof 2013 video: Introducing MistAir

A dynamic brand with an impressive range of airbrush products!

The first video report from Cosmoprof 2013 is now live on our YouTube channel!

We were very excited to meet with MistAir, a UK based brand that produces what is possibly the widest range of airbrush products out of any company, with a silicone makeup line, an alcohol based body art line and a water based FX series, a water based Hair colour line, a selection of acrylic colours for nail art and a tanning line with four different strengths of tanning products.

MistAir is geared towards the professional market, but its products are available to anyone through their WEBSITE, so be sure to check it out.

I myself could not resist taking some stuff home with me, and I left the exhibition with a brand new airbrush (their very sturdy, slick and versatile SL 1000) , a sampler pack containing their whole base range, plus a few more colours, so you can expect a tutorial/review from me in the near future.

For now, it's off to lovely Shelley Brumpton (Sales and Marketing Manager), who was kind enough to show and explain the whole line to our camera. Enjoy, and please don't forget to rate, comment and share...

Airbrush Makeup at Cosmoprof 2013

New energies at play...

Today I can finally catch up after 4 straight days at Cosmoprof 2013 in Bologna, Italy, where I had the lucky job of finding out new products for a feature on Trucco e Bellezza magazine, the only Italian glossy publication entirely dedicated to makeup.
The show is barely over  but I can already tell you that I have met several very interesting Airbrush Makeup producers who are to introduce this wonderful medium to the European makeup scene:

Mistair is a British company with an amazingly comprehensive line of products including silicone based makeup, alcohol based body paints, polymer based Nail Art colours and  even water based colour for Hair and a water based series for special effects and body painting called MistFX.

Technoair is a fantastic line of waterbased products for face, body and nails coming from Spain and created by airbrushing Guru Luìs Dìaz, who is not only a master makeup artist, but has formulated the entire line of products and designed the wide range of equipment the company proudly offers.

Full video reports with interviews and tutorials on both Mistair and Technoair will be coming soon to our YouTube channel.

We have met with several more brands, Allisis from Korea (beauty makeup), and Ten Image by Cazcarra from Spain (beauty and body art) and Eulenspiegel from Germany (body art), and we look forward to writing about them too and including them in our LINKS DIRECTORY page!

In spite of the economic downturn and some truly crazy March weather, I was happy to see some new energies finally at play even here in Italy. Stay tuned...

Fix that airbrush makeup: Mist &Fix and HD Powder by Makeup Forever

Airbrush MUA must have!

Today I'd like to introduce two absolute MUST HAVE for airbrush muas, and two of my favourite makeup complements in general.

We all know that one of the best advantages of airbrush makeup is its amazing durability, however there are times and occasions when we may need to "seal the deal" against unforeseen factors such as tears, unusual perspiration or even simply weather. Weddings, stage and screen appearances or even a simple night at the club will require a little extra guarantee to make sure the makeup stays flawless until you decide to take it off. This is where these two amazing products by makeupforever come in.

HD Microfinish Powder is a clear, ultra fine finishing powder featuring a proprietary pigment called "soft focus" that is created to do just that: give your overall makeup the same effect as you would get applying a light soft focus filter to your camera, without smudging or interfering with the colours you chose in any other way. The final effect is very subtle, but if you use professional lights you will immediately appreciate the difference, and you'll love it even more when you see the results on camera.  HD powder is applied with an amazing Kabuki brush made of the finest, softest synthetic polymer imaginable, creating a soft, luxurios and above all shed-free experience. It is pretty much the only brush I actually use since I "converted" to airbrush makeup!

After you've applied HD powder it's time to seal your makeup for good. Mist & Fix is the perfect product to achieve just that. As the name suggests, it is a spray on mist that is applied without any propellant. This is somewhat scary at the beginning, especially if you are wearing waterbased makeup, because the product is atomized somewhat unevenly from the bottle, producing droplets that vary in size and that will appear to leave a mark when they land on your face, but please don't panic, it will dry without a trace in under a minute, and you'll be ready to face your day without fearing sweat, tears or weather.

Hd Powder, Kabuki Brush and Mist & Fix are available at Sephora and wherever Makeup Forever products are sold. The powder and spray come in two different sizes. They are somewhat expensive, but trust me, you will not regret the investment! :)

The Best Airbrush Makeup Videos: Beauty Makeup

An awesome, time saving Playlist!

I'll just come right out and say it: good video tutorials on airbrush makeup are few and hard to find. I have been researching YouTube for years now and I realized that most airbrush tutorials out there are little more than lengthy, less than gripping unboxing reports with a few unfocused demonstrations thrown in here and there.

Most of them are not even HD, so you can't even tell exactly what the makeup is actually doing to the skin, and then there's this habit of actually speeding up the video during spraying, in order to leave more room for totally useless descriptions that one can find pretty much on any Company website.

So this is where my "heart of gold" comes in: I just created a playlist on my channel of the best tutorials I could find. The most useful, right to the point, no BS videos out there actually TEACHING something, and saving you the hours I had to waste trying to sift through the useless stuff.

This first playlist is dedicated to Beauty how to's. It features a quite a few videos by official brands, but also a few gurus sharing tips and demonstrating techniques. I will add to it and update it as soon as I discover more deserving videos, or as soon as they are made. In the meantime of course I am working on my second tutorial, which shall be out soon.

Enjoy!

Here's the link to the Playlist:
THE BEST AIRBRUSH TUTORIALS: BEAUTY MAKEUP

Airbrush eyeshadow tutorial is out today!

Easy Airbrush Purple Everyday Smokey Eyes

Ok guys and dolls, here's my very first video tutorial. Just like the title says, it is an easy everyday look done on my beautiful friend Erika. I wanted to keep it fast and fun, so some passages were edited out, but like I write at the end, this look can be achieved in around 12 minutes by an experienced airbrush user, and of course it is totally doable by yourself on yourself :) All makeup used is by Dinair, as you know I am a great fan of their colour range.

The only thing I don't talk about in the video is the simple principle of "less is more". To achieve the right blending for eyeshadow I hardly touch the lever at all, and the compressor is set at the lowest possible output. While spraying my focus is kept only on the amount of change in the skin tone, and the airbrush is always moving. I will cover technique extensively in future videos. For now, enjoy, and please don't forget to share, like and subscribe to my channel!

Airbrush Makeup Primer: How To and Review

As we are getting ready to publish our first video, I thought we might explore the first step in any beauty routine: skin preparation. While it is true that water based is the lightest makeup imaginable, and can in many cases be applied without  primer, I have found that some skin types react feeling -and looking- a little dry after application. While silicon based makeup is notoriously "softer" than water based, it also can feel tight if applied directly. The truth is that not only every body's skin is different, but the composition and moisture levels vary in time for each person according to a number of factors like age, health, weather and so on. Keeping all that in mind, here's a few "rules" for optimal, professional results:

1: Always moisturize with a non oily, light moisturizer, especially in the periocular area, where the finest lines always lurk even on very young skin.

2: Wait 10 minutes between moisturizer application and makeup. This will give the skin time to absorb any excess.

3: Use primer sparingly on dry patches, large pores or problem areas. Wait another 5 minutes before proceeding to makeup.

Product Review: Moist and Dewy by Dinair

Copyright by Airbrushmakeup.com

Wonderful Dinair has an airbrushable product called "Moist and Dewy". It is a clear oily substance (squalene oil)  that comes with every airbrush kit and it is truly great in its simplicity: you can use it before or after makeup, or even mix it with the makeup itself for a dewier finish. I personally don't like using it before because it may make the makeup somewhat unstable, but I think it is wonderful after application because not only it gives the makeup a totally natural, glowing look, but it can also be used on key spots to create the most natural highlights imaginable. "Moist and Dewy" must be used very sparingly, as a little does go a very long way: two drops is usually enough for most.

Dinair also has several "traditional" priming products, all of which I have tried and all of which I heartily recommend, the best being the Line Diffusing Emulsion. A little pricey, but truly great.You can find them all at this link:

Dinair Skincare Line


MORE UPDATES AND REVIEWS COMING SOON...



Welcome to AirGlamGuru!

The Future of Makeup

This blog was created to share my enthusisasm and ever growing knowledge of airbrush makeup. I was introduced to airbrushing about two years ago, when I found myself booked for a TV show and unable to bring along my trusted makeup artist (yes, my main job is performing, but that's a whole 'nother story!) For the first time in my performing career I would have to face HD cameras and an audience of 8 million viewers without the hand that helped create my looks in the years previous. So my manager suggested looking into Aibrush, and two years, thousands of dollars, a course and hours of practicing here I am. As I was learning (and still am!) I realized how little organized information was available, and I had to piece a lot of knowledge together. This blog is the result of that research, and here I will share video tutorials, reviews and new information. I hope you will want to share and contribute to it, even if only by asking questions or sharing your own passion for airbrushing.  

One thing is certain, at least to me. Airbrush is to makeup what touchscreen was to mobile phones: there is no going back!

-Dan :)