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The Holidays are upon us and metallic shimmers are back in the spotlight, so it is only natural that we would focus on the fantastic Liquid Metals series by leading airbrush makeup brand Kett.
We had been eyeing these gorgeous colors for a long time, and we were finally super excited to get them from the always fantastic Camera Ready Cosmetics, with the added bonus of free and super fast shipping. The Liquid Metals line was launched by Kett a couple of years ago and we feel that in spite of the wild acclaim received from every blogger that tried these colours, there is still a little room for yet some more celebration. There are six gorgeous shades in the line (Iron Maiden, Mercury, Stardust, Rush, TNT and Purlple Haze) , each color coming in a generous half ounce (15 ml) bottle priced st jus 16 dollars each. The colour payoff is simply amazing. For once you get a product that looks even bolder and more vibrant out of the bottle.
The staying power of these pigments is definitely above average. The colors don't budge or crease, and you can touch them once applied with no fear whatsoever of them transferring.
Airbrush Eye Makeup with Kett Liquid Metals
What's even more impressive is their versatility: you can apply them in sheer layers with your airbrush, or create stunning "liquid metal" effects by using your traditional brushes. In the video demo posted below we did just that. The look is inevitably bold and trendy, but of course these colours can be used as subtly as any airbrush eyeshadow... except that being subtle in a demo with such powerful pigments is like going half the speed limit on a Ferrari, so we decided to go for a bold eyeshadow look and a more layered approach to blush and highlighting, also achieved using liquid metals. The makeup was completed using other classic Kett products from the contouring and foundation lines. The shade "Shape" is a wonderful colour to contour Caucasian complexion, creating very natural lowlights. Finally we blended everything with the foundation 03 from the Kett Hydro line. This product, available in five olive based shades and five ruby based tones is one of the most highly praised water based foundations ever, with its soft, natural texture and perfectly balanced hue. Of course everything was applied with Kett's Transformer Airbrush, an excellent and versatile tool that we reviewed in the last few months. The Kett products are compatible with any professional system featuring a compressor with a minimum output of 10 PSI and an airbrush nozzle of .25 and up.
This video tutorial was co-designed and assisted by our collaborator Angela Rosa, and our wonderful model Silvia. From all of us at Airbrush Makeup Guru, all the very best for the forthcoming Holidays!
Tri City Paints is a company established in 1976 and distributing paints and airbrushing tools for the most diverse uses, from architectural and automotive to fine arts. With the growing success of airbrushing in the field of cosmetics, it was only natural that this company should develop its own brand of airbrush makeup, and so Belloccio was born. The Belloccio brand is proudly marketed for the general consumer, and this is great as more competition in the market can only mean constant improvement and a better quality-price ratio. As a professional I am happy to report that this product exceeded my expectation as far as the makeup is concerned, and that many a MUA would appreciate and find good use for this line. Let's take a closer look at the Kit.
Unretouched before and after with Belloccio Aribrush Makeup
The first thing that has to be said about the Belloccio kit is that the price is really very honest. Their most basic option, now called Beauty System, is only U$D119, and the other kits go up from there varying in price according to the size of the makeup bottles and the number of shades included. The mini compressor and airbrush will be exactly the the same for every Kit option, but a professional and much more powerful alternative (Model TC-32 Air Compressor) is offered in the equipment page of the the website for a reasonable price. The kit that I found at the New York Makeup Show and that I am reviewing here is called Standard Kit, and has the same exact contents as the Beauty System, but with the foundations in 1/2 oz size instead of 1/4 oz. To give you an idea of what you can get right out of the box we created the look demonstrated in our video tutorial using only the contents of this kit.
Natural look with Belloccio Airbrush Makeup Kit
The Makeup was the best discovery for me. It is practically fool proof, allowing for multiple layers with no danger whatsoever of a caked result. The water based formula is sheerer and thinner than a lot of comparable products, but offers very good coverage and stability, and results in a totally undetectable application. To give you an idea it is thinner than Dinair and thicker than Luminess, and the shades have an excellent tonal balance. If you are a home consumer daunted by the idea of airbrushing yuor makeup you can rest easy: it is almost impossible to look overdone using this product, and the application will feel as easy as the ads promise. If you are a makeup artist, you will find this line to be a very strong contender when tasked with a corrective job for HD that needs to be undetectable, such as for a "no makeup" period piece or for men's grooming in general. The finish of the foundation is matte, but not overly dry. As for the formula composition, we definitely love and appreciate the addition of Aloe and Hyaluronic Acid in a list of ingredients that does not include fragrances, oils or parabens. The formula, while water based, is not entirely silicone free as it contains Dimethicone, something you should be aware if you have an intolerance to silicone. As with any water based formula you will benefit from priming and moisturizing before application. An airbrushable primer is included in the package, and it works reasonably well for everyday use on normal to oily skin. Its formula contains anti aging ingredients as well as Hyaluronic acid, Aloe and also Dimethicone. The same characteristics are also true of the other makeup products that you will find in the kit. The blush, bronzer and shimmer all apply in very sheer and buildable layers, as you can see in our video demo.
Made with Belloccio
The application tools provided are of course intended for home use and for this brand specifically. The very slick looking mini compressor has three different pressure settings: medium for foundation, low for eyes and details and high for tanning or cleaning. It has a maximum output of 15 PSI, the same as the Dinair and slightly less than Luminess, but it is significantly louder than both the other brands. The low-noise claim in regard to this machine is the only statement I have to disagree with in the Belloccio marketing. While not offensively so, this little devil is definitely on the loud side.
Made with Belloccio
As far as the airbrush goes, the .4 mm nozzle airbrush provided is once again adequate for the makeup, and its maintenance very easy if used with Belloccio products only. If you are wondering about compatibility with other brands of makeup, this kit will be fine with any water based makeup of similar viscosity to Belloccio's, but I would not recommend using thicker or silicone based formulas as the compressor may not be strong enough to guarantee a smooth application. As always, also be aware that using other brands of makeup may void the Belloccio warranty on the equipment.
The kit also features a 4 oz bottle of airbrush cleaner, a sample of Belloccio highly praised self tanning formula and a makeup bag where you can store everything comfortably. It does not feature an instructional DVD, but you can find a good selection of tutorials both on YouTube and directly on the Belloccio Website. Of course you can also watch our own, we hope it will inspire you to try this brand for yourself. Belloccio ships in all the approved FedEx countries, including the UK, Spain, Mainland France and most of Europe.
