Graftobian GlamAire & F/X Aire Airbrush Makeup Kit Review -With Video Tutorial

Graftobian Walk Around Airbrush Kit

Graftobian's GlamAire is the most extensive line of foundations for airbrush in the world, with a staggering 58 separate shades divided in warm, cool and neutral tones. To complement the foundation line anoter 6 blush tones, 6 adjusters and 6 color corrector are available. If you wish to play with colors for more editorial or creative projects, or if you want to try doing a full beauty look using only your airbrush, there are another 68 colors from the F/X Aire line, offering you endless possibilities.

As far as equipment goes, Graftobian offers several solutions catering to every need, from the very portable kit for beauty makeup to to the very powerful options for body painting competitions. Almost seven years ago I reviewed Graftobian and the Walk Around Kit in detail on these pages. I am now very happy to have another chance to play with these beautiful products and create the look you see in the video and in the unretouched photos on this page, and to offer an updated review of the line from a more experienced perspective. 

The GlamAire and F/X Aire lines are so extensive that approaching a color choice can seem a bit daunting to the novice. An amazing aspect of the foundations is that every color also exists in cream form in Graftobian's celebrated HD Crème Palettes, so if you are familiar or have access to that product, choosing shades for your airbrush collection should be very easy. There are also three very convenient sampler packs, the GlamAire Beauty sets, which feature five shades from each group (Cool, Warm and Neutral), accompanied by a plastic palette with the corresponding five shades in cream form. These will make a great starter set for beginners, who will appreciate having the cream foundations to use on parts of the face that maybe a little more difficult to airbrush such as the under eye area. The GlamAire Formula is very fluid and the pigments extremely fine. This means that your airbrush is unlikely to ever clog or have any running issues while spraying these products. The makeup is water based and silicone and alcohol free, so it will feel very light on the skin, which should be prepped as normal with just a light moisturiser or ideally a silicone free primer to ensure maximum staying power. The formula is water resistant and won't budge from humidity or perspiration. Its matte finish is not too opaque, and the skin will balance everything out within a few minutes from application. For most shades, a few seconds will be necessary after spraying for the product to set and oxidize and reveal its true tone. Because of its lightness and fluidity, the product needs to be sprayed at a very low pressure and coverage will be achieved by layering several light passes, so it's important that you don't rush your application and that you step back between passes to observe what is happening, rather than expect an immediate result. The reward will be an ultra natural, HD proof finish that you can see on the 100% unfiltered photo right here in this paragraph. 

The F/X Aire line is where the fun really begins. This formula is an alcohol/water hybrid is available in a wonderful selection of shades, from primary colors to neon tones that will glow under UV lights, to a selection of skin tones for a more water proof and rub resistant finish and for body makeup. The percentage of alcohol is so delicate that the colors can be used safely around the eye area (of course providing that the eyes are kept closed during application), and they can be mixed without any problems with the foundation and blush tones of the GlamAire line to create eyeshadow looks that range from neutral tones to highly pigmented fashion statements. In the video demo included in this review I have even used straight Black to create a fast eyeliner, with no discomfort whatsoever experienced by my model who has sensitive skin. This line was of course created for body painting, special effects and body art, and incredible effects can be achieved by using the wide range of stencils (the famous Bad Ass stencil line) also produced by Graftobian. 

The Walk Around System is the kit that I have used for this application. Once again I reviewed these tools in my previous article a few years back, but I can say here that the kit stood the test of time very well, being a solid and powerful piece of equipment, which can handle not only Graftobian-s own product, but also all the other brands of airbrush makeup as well, allowing maximum creative freedom for the artist. The enclosed battery did eventually die after a few years and many charging cycles, but you can buy a replacement on Graftobian's website, or if that should be problematic (I live in Europe and batteries don't ship well overseas) keep in mind that the casing houses a standard battery pack that can be easily replaced by a dedicated store or electrically gifted friend. 

Originated in 1978, Graftobian is still a family run business and a wonderful company with a heart. I am lucky to have met the current owner, Eric Coffman, who collaborated with luminaries such as Brad Look, Suzanne Patterson and Mary Erickson (who I am privileged to count among my friends), to devise products and lines that have become staples in many an artist's kit at an international level. As unbiased as this review is, I do regard this company as an essential contributor to the world of beauty, and personally as a revered part of Americana.

100% Graftobian Airbrush Makeup, unfiltered and unretouched

Graftobian GlamAire INCI (Ingredients):  

Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, TEA(Triethanolamine), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Ethyhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron, Oxide Black (CI 77499), Iron Oxide Red (CI 77491), Iron Oxide Yellow (CI 77492), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Chromium Oxide Green (CI 77288)

Graftobian F/X Aire INCI (Ingredients): 

SD Alcohol 40-B, Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Silica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxide Black (CI 77499), Iron Oxide Red (CI 77491), Iron Oxide Yellow (CI 77492), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Mica, Red 28 (CI 45410), Orange 5 (CI 45370), Yellow 11 (CI 47000), Ext. Violet 2 (CI 60730)