Airbrush Makeup For Performance Art [VIDEO]

0 CommentsThursday • August 11, 2011 • by Imei

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Remember when Darryl Hannah played Priss, the replicant in Bladerunner, who airbrushed a black mask over her eyes? I loved that scene! It was so sexy, and it fit her costuming and character. If it takes up to 45 minutes to apply makeup each time you do a show, that time can easily add up to an entire day of dragging a foundation sponge or brush across your skin and applying concealer to trouble spots (i.e. blemishes, melasma, sun damaged skin, dark circles, or dark freckles). Add on top of that being photographed or filmed, and you can quickly see why performance artists spend a lot of time preparing their makeup. If you’d like to spend more time creating and less time putting on makeup that slides off, consider investing wisely in an airbrush and airbrush makeup.

Here’s all the reasons I finally bought an airbrush for makeup application:

1. I love costuming and dress up, and I spend a good amount of time purchasing, creating, maintaining, and preparing costumes and makeup for performances, going out, and social events.

2. Brushes drag on the skin and leave tiny hairs in your makeup that you have to peel off later. Sponges absorb too much makeup (which is wasteful) and need to be quickly discarded because of bacterial buildup.

3. Airbrushing is light, feels good on the skin, and dries to a flawless finish. It covers most trouble spots easily, and as my skin changes due to time, the elements, and age, airbrush makeup covers well and makes the skin stage worthy, ready for photo or film. Yes, even close up.

4. I had a photography session recently, and the makeup artist hired to do my makeup used an airbrush. It was so quick and easy, I got me thinking about making the process of preparing for shows more efficient, creative, and enjoyable.

5. An airbrush is great for using on  other artists, and can be shared with a quick cleaning between uses.

6. Repeat #1 again. [It's true. Just look at my closet, hair pieces, crazy costumes, and MAC vanity kit].

 

Dinair Airbrush: A Professional Airbrush For Serious Performers

Professional does not need to mean it’s not for beginners. In the case of the Dinair Airbrush, it means the company has been an industry standard used by professionals, and it delivers a professional and finished appearance to foundation application, spraying tanning, and creative face and eye makeup.

There are other reputable brands on the market. I did a Yelp, Amazon, and general search on Google for reviews, narrowing down the large amount of independent reviews of the best professional airbrushes down to elements relevant to my use, such as cost for value/use, ease of use, flexibility of use, and durability. After narrowing it down to Temptu and Dinair, I watched Youtube videos of demonstrations of both brands. Dinair has a great track record for use, though an admittedly poorer one in customer service (not untypical for businesses with their volume of sales).

Next, I headed off to Ebay and watched a Dinair auction item get scooped up in the last five minutes of the auction. When I made my selection, I set my budget, patiently waited, and sent a notification to my iPad and iPhone to let me know when the last ten minutes of a current auction commenced. I won, and three days later, it was in my hot little hands. [Yay!]

As with any product that has small parts and a fan/compressor, durability and fragility are important issues to consider. You don’t want parts to wear quickly. Cleaning a product is important too. Knowing how to maintenance a toy like this is also critical. If you’re clumsy, lazy, or cheap, this is not the product for you. While I learned how to get foundation on easily in two short sessions, I was initially thwarted by an intermittent airflow issue that caused the makeup to sputter. With a little bit of problem solving, I was able to fix the problem. If you tend to bang things or return them at the slightest hint of trouble, nerfing your makeup application is the best option for you.

What other things can you do with an airbrush? Make sure you watch all the way to the end of the video, and you’ll see what I did! But you can also do great zombie makeup, avatar color contrasting, and create fanciful templates and washes of color that would be too painstaking to do by hand. If you’re not that creative, Dinair sells pre-made templates in all kinds of shapes and patterns. Fish scales? Dots? Swirly paisleys? Well, you get the idea.

Now, go forth, airbrush that face paint, and create!

 Note: Dinair’s foundation is fairly costly for its size. The airbrush uses waterbased makeup, so if you want to buy your own that is already matched to you, make sure it is thick enough for full coverage, such as MAC’s face and body foundation, and add a small drop of water if necessary, stir, and try spraying it near your chin line to see how it looks.  Don’t try using an oil-based makeup and add water. You will likely make a gloppy mess that is difficult to clean from inside the airbrush.

 

Posted in: Art, costumes, dance

Tagged with: airbrush, Dinair product review, makeup, makeup application