The Makeup Artist Handbook

by Gretchen Davis

  Marvaldi Makeup: Water-based formulation.

  Michael Davy Airbrush Makeup: Polymer SD40-alcohol based.

  Mist Mirage: Silicone SD40-alcohol based, as well as DHA sunless formula. An airbrush cleaner is also available.

  O2 Cosmetics: Water-based formula. Also available in a DHA sunless tanner.

  Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics: Water based and SD40 alcohol based.

  Reel Creations Body Art Inks: SD40-alcohol–based line.

  Safari Airbrush Makeup: Polymer alcohol-based formula. DHA sunless tanner is also in the line.

  Skin Illustrator Colors: SD40-alcohol–based formula line.

  Stacolors: SD40-alcohol–based product line.

  Su-do Body Art: Polymer water based, SD40 alcohol based, and DHA in product line. Airbrush cleaner is available.

  Temptu: Water based, polymer water based, polymer SD40 alcohol based, and silicone SD40 based. An airbrush cleaner is also available in the line.

  Totally Tattoo Party Body Paints: Polymer water based.

  Trendy Tribals: Polymer water based.

  Uslu Airlines: Polymer water based.

  Remember to keep in mind that not all brands interact well with each other. So don't try mixing together two different manufacturers' product lines—their chemistry may not be compatible. A classic example is thinners. A Makeup Artist wrote to me to say she was having a hard time applying a certain makeup brand that would not adhere or cover well when thinned with the product she was using. It turns out the makeup is silicone based, which has a chemical reaction to the product she was using as a thinner. Some silicone-based makeup products do have thinners to go with their product line. The same can be said of all of the abovementioned makeup brands. Here are a few airbrush makeup tips that I have found to work over the years.

  1. Less is more when airbrushing. The makeup should not feel like a mask.

  2. Use a PSI of 3 to 6 when airbrushing the face. If you airbrush with a stronger PSI, there will be a larger quantity of “bounce back” of the product into the air.

  3. Hold the airbrush at a downward 45-degree angle when airbrushing the eye area on the talent (Figure 10.14). Of course, have the actor close their eyes!

  Figure 10.14 Airbrushing at an angle

  4. If you are going to airbrush on the eyelid, use a PSI of 3 or less.

  5. Using stencils when airbrushing works well for eyebrows. (Note: Freehand actually works better and looks more natural if the person airbrushing is quite skilled.)

  6. When airbrushing the face, spray in small, circular motions (Figure 10.15). This keeps the makeup even.

  Figure 10.15 Airbrushing in a circular motion

  7. Have a folded tissue or shield to protect the hairline from overspray of makeup (Figure 10.16). Do not add tap water to a water-based makeup to thin. Use distilled water. Tap water contains minerals that can contaminate or compromise the chemistry of the makeup.

  Figure 10.16 Tissue or shield

  Pro Tip

  Read the ingredients of products you buy. Many of the cosmetic and airbrush companies have products that work well with each other. Know what you are buying. You'll have the best results possible when airbrushing.

  Airbrush Lesson for Natural Beauty Makeup

  By Kris Evans

  [Kris Evans's vast experience in film, television, theatre, HD, and print editorials helped her to develop an airbrush system and products for the professional Makeup Artist.]

  I use the airbrush on everything and find it much faster and easier. With HD becoming so popular, there is nothing better than the airbrush. Many of my clients also do red-carpet events that are mostly shot in HD. HD can be very harsh, so it is imperative that the makeup be flawless. I really believe you must use the correct color in the foundation for the look to be natural. Easy touch-ups are also essential. On set, I usually use a makeup brush for touch-ups.

  Pro Tip

  What's in Kris Evans's makeup kit (demonstrated in Figure 10.17)?

  Figure 10.17 Photographer, Gregory Cannon; model, Nicole Malgarini; beauty makeup, Kris Evans

  Primer

  Foundation

  Pressed powders

  Lipstick, lip stain, and/or lip gloss

  Eyebrow pencil

  Mascara

  Eye shadow

  Excellent makeup brushes

  Tweezerman tweezers

  Eyelash curler

  Cleanser

  Moisturizer

  Pro Tip

  It's very important to clean your airbrush immediately after each use. You want to prevent the makeup from drying inside the airbrush. If not cleaned properly, your airbrush will not give the proper spray.

  How to Start

  1. Set up your station with everything you need to airbrush. Be sure you are familiar with the airbrush makeup you will be using.

  Pro Tip

  Keep on hand a small squeeze bottle of distilled water or spring water or suggested product by the manufacturer for thinning airbrush makeup.

  2. Apply the moisturizer or primer of choice to the skin first. Apply the primer with a sponge and not through the airbrush. A primer ensures a smooth surface with staying power for your airbrush. Squeeze six to seven drops of makeup into the airbrush cup. For a more translucent effect, add one to two drops of water. Remember to replace the cap on your airbrush to avoid spills.

  3. Start the compressor. Position your hand on the airbrush lever as if you were holding a pencil.

  4. Have your actor close his eyes. Airbrush horizontally 3 to 4 inches from the face, pulling back the airbrush lever with your fingertip. You'll see a fine mist start to adhere onto the surface of the skin. Keep moving around the face in a circular motion without stopping in one place. It's this constant movement that keeps the makeup even. Application should take about 15 seconds. If any areas need more coverage you can lightly airbrush a second coat of foundation to those areas.

  Pro Tip

  The first time you airbrush, put only water into the cup, and spray onto your hand or a tissue. This will give you a feel for the airbrush and how it works.

  5. Corrective spot covering is easy. For under the eyes, you can use a shade lighter than the foundation first. Then airbrush the entire face with the color you chose. For problem spots on the face, you can lightly spray a second layer of the foundation color.

  6. Adding color for blusher or highlighters is easy. Blow out any leftover makeup color through the airbrush with a few drops of water. Add your next color choice to the cup. Blusher should be a soft blush color applied by hand or an airbrush. Lightly spray a highlighter color along the cheekbone, brow bone, under the eye, or anywhere a highlight is needed.

  7. Set your makeup with a setting powder. You are now ready to finish the rest of your makeup application. Sweep an eye color over the lid—and, if needed, a subtle eyeliner. Don't forget the eyebrows. Top your makeup off with a flattering lip stain, lipstick, and/or lip gloss.

  8. When all the makeup has been fully blown through the airbrush, detach the gun from the hose, and place the cup under running water. Connect your gun to the compressor. Turn it back on and run through with the appropriate cleaner for the airbrush makeup you are using. Many makeup lines need very specific cleaners.

  Maintenance: After every few applications, pull the needle out and wipe clean. Be careful not to bend the top of the needle.

  Airbrushing with Stencils

  By Dina Ousley, Founder, Dinair

  Stencils are used in beauty airbrush makeup to achieve a cleaner, softer, less made-up look. With HDTV and digital HD cameras, every detail is visible. Feature or flaw, it shows. Airbrushing an entire makeup is perfect for these technologies. Shields and stencils are used to protect areas of the face or body where you don't want colors to go, while allowing you to define perfect natural eyebrow shapes, lip shapes, and to feather and blend existing colors. At Dinair, we use shields (stencils) for beauty makeup, fantasy, glamour, and tattoos. The following sections explain how to wor
k with and apply the use of shields in a natural beauty makeup.

  Foundation

  Start with a clean face, and make sure that the spot where you choose to spray the airbrush makeup is free of any moisturizers or oils. Apply a primer before the foundation. Choose a color that is in the shade range of the skin tone you are working on. The liquid must be shaken before use to correct pigment. If you want to create a custom color match, you can always mix your foundation colors using the airbrush with a technique called back bubbling.

  If you were to look at airbrush makeup under a magnifying glass, you would see that the makeup consists of light, medium, dark, and blush-colored dots. Look at the actor's skin tone. If there is anything dark around the face—such as hyper-pigmentation, birthmarks, or age spots—lighten with one or two shades lighter than the person's natural color before applying the natural shade. You need only five to eight drops of makeup to spray an entire face, neck, and ears. Spray the natural shade over the concealer. Spray sparingly so you don't lose your highlights.

  Work in passes. A pass is every time you go over the same area, the dots fill in, and the coverage becomes more opaque. Make sure to use one pass at a time—one pass, two pass, three pass, and so on, until you have the right coverage. Dots are the ultimate in camouflaging.

  Leave enough open coverage. Open coverage is the space around the dots of color (your skin) that you have sprayed. This allows you to fill in with some blush color or use the natural redness of the skin to become the blush. We call this the window of opportunity. Spraying sparsely is the key to success. Keep the distance of your airbrush about six inches away from the skin while spraying foundation, using circular motions with back-and-forth movements. This is key to an even application.

  Pro Tip

  If you need the person to have a warmer complexion, lower the pressure of airflow, and use a base that is a few shades darker than the skin tone. Spray over the skin to create a bronzing effect.

  When spraying around the eyes, note that the natural folds and squint lines must be gently opened and sprayed in the direction that they appear. If the lines and folds change direction, so should your spraying. Remember to spray especially sparingly so the airbrush makeup does not collect into the folds and squint lines. You can use the remainder of the airbrush makeup in the cup to spray the top of the hands to knock down sun spots and add tone.

  Eye Shadow

  1. Put two to three drops of liquid eye shadow into the airbrush cup.

  2. To create a custom color, mix them by creating back bubbles with your airbrush.

  Pro Tip

  When mixing custom colors in the airbrush cup, hold a tissue in front of the nozzle to block the airflow. Then pull the lever back until you see the colors start to bubble and give off a marbling effect. Remove the tissue to restore airflow, and spray the airbrush makeup into the tissue to see your new custom color.

  3. Keep the eye area clean and free from moisturizers or oils. Moisturizers can cause eye shadow colors to crease.

  4. Set the airflow to 3 or 4 PSI.

  5. Hold up a shield (stencil) that follows the contours of the eye, and gently pull back the airbrush lever.

  6. In a small, continuous motion, spray the shadow color by making several passes until you reach the level of color desired. Note: If you hold the stencil flat against the skin, your edge will be more defined. Holding the stencil slightly above the skin will give a softer feathered edge (Figure 10.18).

  Figure 10.18 Makeup chart

  Eyeliner

  1. Change out any color you desire for eyeliner.

  2. Set the airflow on a low PSI of about 3 to 4.

  3. In the same way as for the eye shadow, follow the natural lash line in a back-and-forth motion, building the color with each pass. Note: An eye shadow stencil held directly on the lid close to the eyelashes will give you defined eyeliner. A stencil held just off the lid while airbrushing eyeliner color will appear feathered.

  Pro Tip

  The farther away from the eye area you work, the wider your eyeliner will be.

  Eyebrows

  1. You will want to put a total of two to three drops of eyebrow coloring in the cup.

  2. Hold the stencil up to your eyebrow, and bring it flush against your skin for a sharp edge.

  3. Distance the stencil, allowing the overspray to cover and define the brows, giving them a soft, naturally feathered look. Note: You can use the stencil to spray the entire brow, or just fill in the brow where needed. You may also want to use the front of one brow stencil and the tail of another, creating the perfect eyebrow look for you.

  Dinair has hair stencils to fill in sparse areas. Each stencil has a selection of hair shapes that can be tailored for your needs. This is a particularly good way for women who have lost some of their eyebrows to again have naturally beautiful brows.

  Lip Color

  1. Change out your eyeliner color for a lip color of choice.

  2. Take a lip edge and lay it flat against the lips.

  3. Work on small sections at a time. Note: Laying the stencil flat against the lips will give you a defined lip line. Work closer to the lips for a narrower line.

  4. Work farther away from the lips to finish the rest of the lips.

  5. Apply lip gloss over the colored lips for an extra-shiny finish.

  Blusher

  1. Apply blusher color by sweeping across the cheekbone area with the airbrush. The cheeks should never look made up. A subtle hint of color is all you need.

  2. Use a loose tissue to block off any unwanted color into the hairline, being careful not to hold too close to the skin—this will create a hard line.

  Pro Tip

  To find the natural contours of the cheeks, have the actor smile while you airbrush the cheek color. Go to www.airbrushmakeup.com for video instructions.

  How to Clean your Stencils

  By Bradley Look

  Productivity and the life of your stencils can be vastly improved with regular cleaning. Just as you should always leave your airbrush clean, so should you treat the rest of your equipment. This is particularly paramount when working as a Makeup Artist who's using an airbrush on talent. After all, you wouldn't use dirty sponges or brushes, would you? A stencil comes in contact with an actor's skin and should be cleaned frequently. Simple steps are all it takes to maintain clean stencils. First, you'll need the basic equipment to get started.

  Materials

  A solvent-proof tray (such as an enamel butcher's tray, found in most art stores)

  Paper toweling

  Powder puffs

  Isopropyl alcohol, 99 percent

  Spray bottle

  Synthetic brush (with soft bristles)

  To Begin the Whole Cleansing Process

  1. Detach two sheets of paper toweling from the roll, and fold so that the toweling will fit inside the butcher's tray (Figure 10.19).

  Figure 10.19 Setup

  2. Carefully pour the isopropyl alcohol on top of the paper toweling so that it is entirely saturated with the solvent (Figure 10.20). Note: If you are unsure whether the solvent will affect the material your stencil is made of, check a small section before immersing it.

  Figure 10.20 Pouring

  3. Lay the stencil face down (dirty side) onto the toweling (Figure 10.21).

  Figure 10.21 Washing stencil in tray

  4. Let it sit there for several minutes so that the solvent can loosen all products on its surface. Note: If both sides of your stencil have dried product on them, then you'll need to flip the stencil over to soak.

  5. Now flip over the stencil onto the paper toweling (dirty side up).

  6. Saturate a powder puff with solvent, and lightly pat the stencil to remove product (Figures 10.22 and 10.23).

  Figure 10.22 Cleaning stencil with puff

  Figure 10.23 Cleaning with brush

  7. Once you're satisfied with the cleaning, rinse the stencil off with tap water in the sink.

  8. Lay the stencil down
on some clean paper toweling and pat dry (Figure 10.24).