What is airbrushing?
The Artistry by Alexa team were among the first providers on Vancouver Island to begin offering airbrush services to our clients nearly 6 years ago. The details and benefits surrounding airbrushing remain relatively unknown to Island brides. We would love to dispel some common misconceptions around airbrushing and discuss why it is the preferred foundation application method for our team of experienced artists. Alexa likes to refer to it as “a beautiful second skin” which sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t.
The technique
Put simply, "airbrushing" is an alternative application technique to apply foundation. The portion of the makeup that is "airbrushed" is the foundation, in place of a traditional liquid, powder or cream foundation that would be applied with brushes, fingers or sponges. Airbrush foundation is run through an airbrush machine and misted onto the skin.
The product
As with any product on the market, there are a variety of airbrush-able foundations available to makeup artists. The main variation from one airbrush foundation to another is typically the ingredient list and intended use of the product. Many of the well-known airbrush brands on the market produce a silicone based product, which our team of artists does not endorse. Silicone based products can be more irritating to certain skin types and also do not boast the longevity we expect from a foundation product. The airbrush foundation that the Artistry By Alexa team uses is a water based, oil, silicone and fragrance free product which is very basic in its ingredients list. When compared to a brand such as Clinique (highly regarded for their “natural” approach to makeup), our airbrush foundation boasts an ingredients list nearly 1/3 of the length of their most popular foundations. Why should this matter to you? Simply put – the rate of sensitivity and reaction is going to be much lower with a water based product containing a shorter list of ingredients. Have a bridal party of six ladies with all different skin types and sensitivities? Airbrush is for you! Throughout the years we have worked with many clients who identify with a sensitive skin type – through thousands of applications, reactions have never been attributed to our airbrush foundation.
The benefits
Our water based airbrush foundation is much lighter than a traditional foundation. This fact alone makes it the perfect choice for ladies that don’t wear much makeup on a day to day basis but would like to feel polished for photography purposes. That being said, although this product is one of the lightest on the market, it is extremely versatile and can be used to achieve a flawless coverage when requested (without the weight associated with a full coverage liquid foundation application). One of our favorite things about airbrush foundation is also the longevity it boasts – we have used this product extensively in high humidity summers and high heat environments such as Cancun, Mexico – the product will survive the elements much better than any department store alternative. Last but not least, it photographs beautifully! Because airbrush foundation is misted onto the skin, much less texture is visible than when a thicker consistency product is applied with traditional methods - this makes it a favorite of many photographers and media professionals. Imagine an artist painting, if you look closely you will always see the brush strokes – although this may not be visible from far away, photography picks up these details much more vividly than the human eye.
What about tears? One of Alexa’s favorite points about airbrushing is how it reacts to tears. We expect that our clients will be emotional on their wedding day – we don’t want you to be afraid that your emotions will ruin your beautiful makeup. We have all seen what can happen when someone cries and they are left with streaks through their foundation even after the tears have been dried. This unsightly result occurs when tears come in contact with a silicone or synthetic based product (imagine Moses parting the red sea). Thankfully, our airbrush foundation is water based and when it comes in contact with tears the impact is much more minimal. We always say: be good to it, it will be good to you!
Have we convinced you yet? We are happy to answer any questions - please contact us to learn more.