Is airbrush makeup ready for Ultra HD? Marc Harvey Beauty review and video tutorial.

Full Face Airbrush Makeup with MHB Cosmetics

Marc Harvey is a very well known face in the airbrush makeup world, having been the brand ambassador for the popular brand Luminess, heavily advertised on US television network. After that experience he created another brand called Elementwo that is popular on the Asian markets, and finally he moved on to create his own brand, Marc Harvey Beauty, which debuted just a few years ago and which offers a range of products for airbrushing, a series of skin care products and some traditional makeup complements for eyes and lips. 

This new airbrush line offers a foundation range with 20 colors catering to every skin tone and every ethnicity, plus 4 shimmer colors, six blush tones and two bronzers. 

The airbrush products are available individually on the website in .5 oz (14 ml) bottles, or as trial bundles of .25 oz (7 ml) bottles that are also offered in a Starter Airbrush kit combination with a compressor and airbrush package. This review will concentrate on the makeup, as I have not received the tools, however I can confidently say that given its light texture and high fluidity, the makeup can be successfully applied with any and all beauty airbrush systems out there, regardless of the brand. 

In line with Marc's passion for skin care, this water/alcohol hybrid airbrush formula is rich in botanical ingredients that include cucumber, green tea, rosehip oil extracts, neroli, jojoba and orange peel oils and witch hazel. These are preserved in a water base with a 14% presence of organic alcohol, which serves both as preservative for the other elements, as an astringent, and to ensure the makeup's durability once applied. 

The airbrush makeup line is called Exclusive Air Ultra HD. The name is interesting enough, because it implies that the product is natural looking and imperceptible enough to hold up to the Ultra HD camera. From a professional stand point, this means that the makeup should offer efficient coverage without creating any texture, which is the claim of most airbrush brands out there. So, does the product live up to its own name? In short, yes it does, and the results are excellent.  You can view how I applied to obtain the look in these photos and read my pro tips in the video tutorial included here, then read on for my own thoughts and opinions on this formula.

The formula is the thinnest, least viscous product I ever put through my airbrush. After only a pass it's hard to see any difference at all in the skin, but right here lies its beauty: you can build the application very slowly and subtly, zooming in on more problematic areas first and then using wider, more far away passes, and you hardly ever run the risk of creating unsightly concentration of product (hot spots). All you have to do is take a few seconds and a virtual step back from the process between passes in order to assess how your skin is changing. Once you have reached the desired coverage, you will be amazed by the total lack of texture on the skin. You will see the skin concealed and improved, without feeling or seeing the presence of virtually any product at all, and there will be zero highlighting of problematic areas, even of the fine skin around the eyes. While the airbrush product can be integrated with traditional concealer either under or over the airbrushed application, it is my experience that with careful layering you will not need any concealer at all, and as an added bonus you will not have to fear slippage in finer lines throughout the day. 

The finish of the product is a delicate matte outlook, which can easily support the use of hydrating finishing sprays on top. The durability is comparable to that of the best, more established airbrush formulas out there. The formula has no added perfume, and a faint scent derived from the natural ingredients will vanish right away after application. 

As far as the other complements I was able to try, the bronzer performed just as well as the foundation, and the shimmer colors were absolutely gorgeous, as you can see in the video. I look forward to shooting more content with this line, and I would like to invite you to check back on these pages soon for a very interesting interview with Marc as we induct him in our very own Airbrush Makeup Hall of Fame. 

How to airbrush a full face with Temptu Air and Airpod Pro -with video tutorial

 

100% Airbrush Makeup using Temptu Air & Airpod Pro

It has been a while since I talked about airbrushing makeup with Temtpu Air, the ground breaking hand held system developed by Temptu about 5 years ago. This device was launched as a beauty makeup full replacement option for the traditional airbrush systems that have to be plugged to an outlet and are still sporting an air tube. The system can be used with pre filled single color cartriges called AirPods, or with an open top special cartridge called Airpod Pro that can be used like almost like the well of a traditional gravity feed airbrush, and allows the user to mix any color and any formula. 

After five years and still going very strong, Temptu was obviously onto something when they made this system available, many consumers and pros alike have included this device in their makeup kit, while others are more and more curious and above all wonder if this is a valid replacement for bulkier and heavier machines that are far more complicated to maintain. 

The whole idea behind the invention of the first line of single color AirPod cartriges back in the mid 2000 was to offer all the benefits of the airbrush application with none of the drawbacks, mainly airbrush cleaning and maintenance. After so many years, I can say that I have been a very happy user of the device, and while it hasn't replaced my traditional airbrush system, which I still prefer for precision and versatility, it has become a precious ally in my own kit, allowing me to save plenty of time in many a tight spot. 

The first product created with the AirPods, a foundation line called Silk Sphere, is still only available in that format. The product was update shortly after the launch of the Temptu Air applicator,  and as far as I am concerned is still one of the absolute best silicone base foundations out there, with its transformative all in one formula that acts as primer, concealer and foundation, and a luminous finish that takes years off even the most complicated skin texture. 

With the launch of Temptu Air, a new foundation line called Perfect Canvas was also created, and made available both in AirPod and in bottle form. Because this formula has a faster setting time than the classic S/B line by Temptu, it lends itself to a more versatile application even on smaller areas and textured skin, and is therefore much easier to use even for eyeshadow, creating subtle and beautiful blends. A short while after the release of the Air, Temptu launched an eye shadow (AirShadow) collection called Earth Stone, which featured a wonderfully usable selection of essential neutral and earthy tones. These colors can be complemented by the blush and highlighter colors available in the Perfect Canvas range to create more colorful looks, but now I can't wait for a more vibrant palette that should be released very soon. While we wait for this new color collections, I have played with the available tones to create the look you see in these photos.

In the video pasted below, I have created a full look using Temptu Air, from eyeshadow, contouring and blush down to highlighter and base. I have not used a single brush for this, not because I couldn't have, but simply to show the full potential of the tools and products. Of course avoiding brushes altogether is also faster, easier (at least for me), and more hygienic, which is a huge plus these days. The video is full of pro tips that illustrate what I am doing as I complete the look. 

As you will see, I have used the Airpod Pro "open top" cartridge to apply everything. I chose to do this both to be free to mix the colors as I wished, and because the colors in bottle format are decidedly less expensive than their single color AirPod counterparts. The Airpod Pro is easy to clean and maintain. When you first use it, it will need to be primed with a few drops of silicone cleaner in order to get it to perform correctly.  I would definitely advice buying a two pack so that you can have a spare one ready in case of temporary issues, and to be able to use a separate AirPod Pro if you wish to use a different based formula with it such as an alcohol base line or a waterbase product. So are the AirPod cartridges completely mainenance free? If you use them often and have a little care, I would say yes. If longer period of time occur beteween uses, however, they may tend to settle a bit and will need to be helped a little. This is not difficult nor lenghty, and with a bit of practice you will have no problems getting them to perform well again and use them up to their full potential. The video below teaches you my tricks in order to achieve just that. 

Dinair ONE Kit Review - One year later! With full airbrush makeup video tutorial.

Dinair Airbrush Makeup Kit: The ONE

December marks a year since I received my Dinair One kit, so I thought I would post a quick review to update you on how I am doing with my unit. 

I will not keep you in any kind of suspense and declare right away that my experience with this amazing little gizmo has been entirely and utterly positive. I have used my kit extensively for many intensive tasks, from full makeup video demos to endless color swatching and daily makeup application, and the unit has performed solidly throughout. The battery is still going strong after 12 months, it still takes less than an hour to charge and lasts for several days also depending on how intensely it is used. 

My Dinair One Kit

As for the JX2 airbrush, well, this is actually a record setter for me, being the only airbrush I ever owned that I never had to take apart, and it's still performing very well today. I have used the Dinair Cleaning Caps System religiously after every use, and they have been enough to keep the tool in perfect shape, never requiring the removal of the nozzle for deep cleaning or a soak in my trusted ultrasonic cleaning machine. 

Like I said in my first review, the unit is precisely and perfectly calibrated to spray all of Dinair's formulas, and I have never and would never use it with any other brand because I know that this would compromise the performance of the equipment. 

As this winter season seems to be dominated by green hues, I have decided to use my Dinair One kit to execute another full makeup that uses some of the hues available in Dinair's incredible color range, and you can see the full process by watching the video tutorial enclosed below. I will never understand why this brand is not celebrated more for the fantastic formulas it offers, and specifically for the insane choice it allows when it comes to eye shadows. I guess the only reason I can think of is that people, and makeup artists in particular, simply don't know enough about them, and so I shall continue in my mission to spread the word as far as I can. 

       

I recently had the pleasure to talk to both Dina Ousley and George Lampman (Dinair's creators) in an extended Skype session that I hope will be published soon, and despite the very difficult time that we are all facing, they hinted at many exciting news on the next developments they have in store for this amazing medium that is Airbrush Makeup. I continue to be inspired by their talent, their dedication and their sheer genius, and I will always be immensely grateful for allowing the technique to become what it is today for us all. 

Unretouched (except for light auto balanced) and unfiltered
100% airbrush makeup using Dinair The One

Swatches of Dinair's amazing selection for a green palette