Welcome to airbrush makeup! In these pages you will find unbiased indipendent airbrush makeup reviews, video tutorials, and everything about airbrushing makeup not just from the US but from Europe and the world at large. The guru is in...
We first got to know Mistaira couple of years ago at Cosmoprof in Italy, and we were impressed by the range of airbrush products offered by this pioneering British brand. From polymer based nail colours to an extensive self tanning line, and from amazingly pigmented body art palettes to hair highlights, you can satisfy almost any beauty need with this company'scatalogue.
Bridal Airbrush Makeup with Mistair
As far as beauty makeup is concerned, Mistair offers a silicone based line with 14 foundation colours, 9 blushes, 8 highlighters and shimmers, 11 adjusters and correctors and 7 eyebrow shades. This is an excellent variety of colours which make Mistair comparable to any of the big US based companies, and a very valid contender in any pro kit. Directed exclusively at professionals, the silicone based beauty range features delicate and blendable colours that can be applied with very subtle and natural results, or built up to bolder shades thanks to the extensive range of colour correctors. After experimenting with them for a while, I found these colours particularly ideal for bridal makeup, and I decided to use them to film the brand new tutorial posted below. I also thought of swatching the colours from the Blusher and Shimmer packs, hoping that they will give you an idea of what the colours look like when sprayed. Please notice: each swatch is made up of 3-4 drops of product airbrushed in very small patches, so keep in mind that the intensity of the colours is maxed out, at least in some cases. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to view pictures of the swatches. As always you can click on each photo to enlarge it.
100% unretouched screen shot
The texture of these liquids is quite luxurious, and they are atomised well at a medium pressure of 6 to 12 PSI, as is to be expected of a silicone based product. I only encountered a problem with one shimmer colour (the otherwise delightful S03 Cornsilk) which would inevitably clog my airbrush, but perhaps I just got a quirky batch that I am sure would be swiftly replaced by Mistair's customer care. The liquids have a very pleasant and delicate scent that will dissolve almost immediately leaving no aftertaste whatsoever. They offer excellent coverage and very good wear, and they are of course water proof. One negative aspect that I found (and that is common to many other brands, unfortunately) is the effectiveness of the sampler size (starter kit) bottles, which could be greatly improved by making them more air tight, thus preventing the aqueous part of the solutions from evaporating after only a few months.
100% unretouched screen shot
As for the equipment, Mistair has partnered with the best manufacturers of professional airbrushing equipment and is offering a very slick looking SL1000 airbrush that allows you to quickly switch nozzle and needles to obtain up to 3 different output sizes (.2, .4 and .6 mm) for different paint jobs. The "floating" nozzles of this airbrush are also easier to clean, as they are disassembled much more quickly than traditional airbrushes.
100% unretouched screen shot
This double action airbrush also features two easy to switch cups, allowing less refilling for bigger jobs. For beginners or budget minded customers, Mistair also offer the excellent MA 35 airbrush, which is the same great tool also offered by the best airbrushing brands under slightly different names. Mistair's original, proprietary website that was dedicated exclusively to the airbrushing line has been closed for the time being, but while we wait for its return we can browse all the products and prices on the website ofSkin By Sterex, the larger beauty brand of which Mistair is a division. I look forward to meeting Mistair's great team at Cosmoprof 2015!
Having a reliable airbrush is a fundamental prerequisite for any makeup artist who wants to add airbrush makeup to their skills. Actually, it is indispensable for anyone who is dabbling in this art even if only for personal use, as there is nothing more frustrating than a clogging airbrush preventing you from enjoying the wonderful results that the technique allows. If you are approaching airbrush makeup for the first time and you are thinking of building your own pro kit, or if you have bought a kit for personal use from one of several consumer oriented brands and the included airbrush is starting to "act up" on you, you may be confused as to what to choose from the relatively wide range of tools available from different outlets. You might have read about the double action versus "single action" (or rather continuous airflow) diatribe, and you might be wondering if you should go for a low cost or of for a top of the range instrument. Well, the answer to all your doubts is happily at hand and it is called Kett .25, a.k.a. the Transformer Airbrush.
Kett's .25 Transformer Airbrush unboxed
If you have read these pages -or indeed if you have researched airbrush makeup at all- you know that Kett is one of the best brands out there, with a tradition of innovation and commitment to the highest standards for High Definition makeup. The Transformer is perfectly in line with these standards. It is manufactured especially for Kett by Sparmax, the Taiwanese company supplying excellent airbrushes to the best makeup brands. The package assembled for Kett includes a stylish and useful box, a set of indispensable quality pipe cleaners (which are almost always sold separately and for a steep price by other companies), a nozzle wrench, a "plug in" hose connector and most importantly a spare double action valve, that you can easily switch with the already assembled "single action" valve to take advantage of this mode. The presence of both valves is what gives this airbrush its "Transformer" nick name, and it is a huge commodity. The .25 part of the name refers of course to the nozzle size, which is ideal for finer, more detailed work (although of course you can easily cover larger areas too). Another thing we greatly appreciate is the very honest pricing for this set, which considering all the accessories actually turns out to be cheaper at Kett than its general release version.
And now for some impressions deriving directly from my experience. Please be sure to read our disclaimer in our About Me page. You've been warned. Let's go: I love this airbrush. I have used this little workhorse for just about any kind of makeup for over two years, with absolutely no major problems. It almost never clogs, and when it does, inevitably due to shimmers, it is quickly cleaned and back in action in a very short time. While it was chosen by Kett for its own highly praised water based makeup, I have also used it with silicone based formulas with no problems. Of course it is preferable to use larger nozzle sizes with silicone (such as the other airbrush offered by Kett, the also excellent .4), but in a pinch this will more than do. Moreover, thanks to its standard 1/8 ' fitting and its plug in connector it is absolutely compatible with any compressor that works within makeup's PSI range of 2 to 30 PSI. Yes, that includes consumer brands. I used it for years with my Dinair compressor, and it changed my whole experience of that brand for the better.
So, I most definitely recommend this both as part of your pro kit and for home use. You can buy it through the Kett website, or at any kett retailer. If you live outside the US I would strongly recommend buying this at Camera Ready Cosmetics, who will ship it worldwide for the best and most honest price.
My little Workhorse: the Kett .25 Transformer Airbrush
A while ago Kett released this video, where the fab Sheila McKenna shows the airbrush in detail:
