Personal Airbrush Makeup - Not for the Faint of Heart but Dazzling Nonetheless

I recently started obsessing about airbrush makeup.  I don't quite recall how it started.  I must have stumbled upon a youtube video or maybe a half hour commercial and the rest was history.  My inability to settle down and sleep on my own in the wee hours of the morning I'm sure contributed to the madness.  After much research and I'm ashamed to admit hours of youtube video watching, I am confident I landed on the right personal product.

I'm not a makeup artist so I don't need all the bells and whistles of a professional system OR foundations in every shade of the rainbow for my clients.  I'm also not interested in some huge machine taking up space on my vanity.  With that said, it doesn't get any more legit than Dinair.  The founder, Dina (get it, DinaIR), was one of the very first makeup artists to use this method in the early 80's.  I'm not kidding, as far back as 1981 she won a makeup contest using an airbrush machine.  So needless to say this company has been doing this a long time and they know what they're doing.

The makeup itself is also water based and hypoallergenic.  This is of up most concern for me personally because I seem to develop an new sensitivity every day.  In fact, my mother from whom I get this wonderful affliction is allergic to all makeup other than foundation to the point where she uses different shades of foundation for her blush and eye shadow!  Funny I should mention that actually because that is EXACTLY what you do with Dinair.  It's all the same formula in a kajillion colors.  Now with that said, my mother's eyesight isn't exactly what it used to be so I'm not sure how well she would do with airbrushing.  But you get my point.  Hypoallergenic.  Check.  The odds of me being sensitive to silicone (the main ingredient in most of your professional systems) are quite high and this kind of system is way too much of an investment to risk it.  I prefer more natural, mineral based products and this is as close as you can get in the airbrush world.

The Nuts and Bolts:
The system comes with a compressor, air gun with related accessories, cleaner, several shades of foundation/blush/highlighter/eyeshadow, and something called Moist and Dewy.  There is an instructional DVD and quick start guides etc., but I HIGHLY recommend watching the instructional videos on their website www.airbrushmakeup.com/videos.

Most importantly, do not skip the videos on how to clean and maintain as well as troubleshoot your air gun.  Seriously, the time you take to familiarize yourself with this in the beginning will save you hours of heartache later.

The Makeup:
The makeup has a very dry, matte finish.  If you have oily skin you will like that, however if you tend towards dryness I highly recommend taking advantage of their product Moist and Dewy.  Moist and Dewy is made from squalene which is naturally contained in our own skin.  Dinair derives its squalene from olives which is fantastic because I'd rather not smear shark liver oil on my face.  A personal preference to be sure.  In any case, it is a very good moisturizing ingredient that is supposed to soften and protect your skin and many consider the olive version to have antioxident properties.

With that said, there are mixed messages out there regarding whether or not it can be a problem for acne prone skin.  So proceed with caution on that front.
For me personally, I need the extra moisture on my cheeks and under my eyes.  So far, I think my favorite method of incorporating Moist and Dewy is mixing it directly into my moisturizer.  If you have a pesky T-zone, you would probably prefer to add the moist and dewy after you apply your makeup just to the areas where you feel dry.  As with all Dinair products, less is more.  Don't over do it.  Apply the Moist and Dewy, wait a bit to see how you like it and apply more if necessary.      

What I like most about Dinair is how easy it is to completely customize your colors.

It took me a minute to figure out the right combination of color foundations for my skin.  You'll definitely go through a bit of a Goldilocks stage with this in the beginning.  Dinair also has this great service where they will recommend a color or color combination based on a picture.  Be warned however that this is not full proof.  I spoke with one of their customer service reps on the phone who recommended mixing vanilla and olive beige and topping that combo with light golden beige which turned out to be too orange for me.  I also got an email from the regular color match service based on the same picture which recommended natural beige as my foundation color.  I regret that I included olive beige in my set of 8 colors included in the kit.  I will never use it.  With that said, I am most pleased with the combination I came up with myself of three parts vanilla and one part light golden beige.  One of these days I'll order the natural beige and see how it works for me.  The moral of that story is you are the only one who will ultimately know what works.

Test the combinations on the inside and outside of your arm with the understanding that the inside of your arm is you at your palest and the outside most likely you at your darker shade.  For me, vanilla completely disappeared on my inner arm (bullseye!) and the light golden beige was a better match for the outside of my arm albeit a bit dark.  It's winter, so I am leaning towards the lighter shade and therefore using more of the vanilla in my mix right now.  The beauty of this ability to completely customize your makeup means you can adjust during the summer versus the winter as your skin color changes.

The same thing goes for blushes and shimmers.  The peach pink color is a little orange for my blush so I add some barely pink shimmer to calm it down a bit.  Long story short, the sky really is the limit with all the colors, depending on how many you have on hand.  Which can be very dangerous by the way.  It's hard not to buy all the colors up in your initial excitement.

By the way, the eyebrow stencils are a revelation.  I rarely fill in my brows because they're already pretty dark and full.  When I used the stencil correctly (there's a good tutorial on the website) I couldn't get over how professional my eyebrows looked.  Wow.  This right here may be my biggest take away from my Dinair experience.  Eyebrows.  Professional makeup artist style eyebrows.

Application Tips:
#1 Make your face a good palette.  Exfoliate, moisturize (give it a minute to sink in before you apply your makeup), and on a special occasion (if not every day) definitely use your favorite primer.  The smoother your surface, the more flawless your skin will look with airbrush makeup.  I also highly recommend using a regular concealer in the beginning.  Until you are super skilled with the gun and able to use a light hand, you will have a tendency to overdo the foundation to cover those pesky spots.
#2 Mix your colors thoroughly before application.  The sky is the limit with mixing colors but you really must back bubble (see instructional videos) the makeup in the gun to mix it well before you start spraying an unmixed mess on your face.
#3 Simulate the application of the product with just the air first so that you have the feel of what you are doing and where you are aiming before you press the lever and allow the makeup to flow.  This is especially important for detail work.  Don't go in blind with your aim in an important tight spot because once this makeup is on, it's on.  If you don't like it you will more than likely need to wash it off and start over.  This is actually the advantage of doing it yourself rather than having a professional apply your makeup.  They can't feel where it's going but you can.
#4 If you have crows feet or wrinkles, spread the skin out with your fingers before spraying the makeup on that area.  You want the makeup to get into those crevices rather than sit on top and accentuate the negative.
#5 Don't over do it!  It is incredibly easy to go a little nuts and apply way too much product, especially when you are first learning.  Start with one quick layer and stop to gauge if more is even necessary.  Use the guide bands provided (which limit your ability to let loose so to speak) for just this purpose.  Just because you have product in the gun doesn't mean you have to use it up.  They say to use 6 to 12 drops of product, start with 6.  You can always mix more.
#6 Use the stencils.  Until you're a super pro, your aim is not going to be super awesome.  I have seen some pretty comical youtube tutorials with newbies spraying a hot mess of color on their lips.
#7 The more detailed you need to be, the lower the power on the compressor.  Also, pull the lever back and forth VERY minimally to control the application. 
#8 Fully clean your air gun immediately after every use. It doesn't take that long and the last thing you need is old crusty makeup lingering in there clogging up the gun and gathering bacteria.  Also keep in mind that you should clean the gun with at least water before going dark to light or shimmer to matte.

I cannot stress enough how important the concept of less is more when it comes to Dinair makeup.  If you over do it, you will feel cakey and dry.  I once met my friend for tea with the craziest overzealous highlighted/contoured face ever.  Needless to say, there is a learning curve.  If you get it right though, you won't even feel like you have makeup on and it will look amazing.  
One other very important thing to point out is there is no sun protection with this product.  You MUST use some other form of SPF.

The Verdict:
All in all I am quite thrilled with my investment in the Dinair Airbrush System.  I am however really into skincare and products so it's fun for me to play around with it.  If this sounds like all too much work and you are not a makeup person, I can't say that this would be worth the money for you.

Honestly I can't see myself using the Dinair airbrush every day for work, but for special occasions and weekend frivolity I will DEFINITELY break out this machine.  My Cinderella complex LOVES the ritual of it all.  

The Dinair website offers payment plans which is fantastic for those of us on a budget.  Keep in mind however that it will be based on full price.  If you pay upfront, you get a significant discount.  So if you can swing it, I recommend going that route.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY AIMEE BOICE ON FEBRUARY 28, 2013