To enjoy an brush with beauty, celebrity isn’t always necessary

McClatchy Tribune

BEAUTY BOOST: Makeup artist and hair stylist Lisa Merrit Lee, left, applies airbrush makeup to model Valeria Trueba. Lee owns Alluring Faces studio in Miami, Fla., where she worked her magic recently.

Airbrush makeup: Not just for the stars anymore.

McClatchy Newspapers

Stars: They’re just like us!

No, they’re really not.

But in one regard at least we are becoming more like them: Airbrushed makeup — long the secret of actors, models and newscasters — is filtering down to regular consumers.

The technique involves applying specially formulated liquid makeup through an airgun, a process makeup artists say results in smoother, lighter and longer-lasting color than traditional makeup.

Brides especially are opting for airbrushed makeup, along with people simply headed to splashy events.

Gretchen Fonseca, who got married in Miami Beach, Fla., in November, knew “Hollywood celebs” had their faces airbrushed and wondered if she couldn’t, too. She found North Miami Beach makeup artist Amy Palma online and was so pleased with the results, Fonseca wants to buy her own airgun.

“I’d probably do it on weekends,” said Fonseca, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., computer software consultant. “You know how cover-up sometimes looks too glossy? This looks totally natural.”

Expensive investment

Most makeup artists do not use the technique, which can require an initial investment of more than $600. Conventional makeup is too viscous for the gun, and airbrush makeup — with a lightweight, milky consistency, often made of silicone — is usually more expensive, at $25 an ounce or even twice that.

But some love the technique. They say airbrushed makeup lasts up to 12 hours, defying humidity, tears and sweat, while conventional makeup fades within four hours.

“It’s great for Florida’s climate because it doesn’t get shiny,” said Amy Palma, owner of South Beach Makeup Studio.

With a steady hand, an airbrush can create the flawless complexion that is the hallmark of red carpet walkers. And makeup artists generally don’t charge consumers much more than an additional $10 or $20 for the process.

“Beyonc and Jennifer Lopez — all those people — get airbrushed, and it’s requested by upper-class brides in Manhattan,” said Danielle Fonseca, a New York makeup artist who is no relation to Gretchen Fonseca. “I think the trend in the next year is that it won’t be so inaccessible to the middle-class consumer.”

For now, airbrushes still appeal mostly to professionals. Cleaning the makeup canister requires complex disassembly. Pigments come in a rainbow of colors and must be mixed to achieve skin tone.

Manufacturers take heed

But manufacturers, taking note of growing consumer interest, are starting to market airguns for home use.

“Airbrushes are a little bit overpriced and complex,” said Michael Benjamin, president of Temptu, which this year expects to introduce a simplified airbrush costing less than $200. “When our consumer airbrush comes out, it’ll be very easy to use.”

Dinair, which pioneered the makeup airbrush, recently restyled its $295 starter kits to look less industrial. “There are 13 colors, including leopard and zebra,” said Julie Tobias, head of sales at Dinair. “We never marketed it before, but now we’re making them available to everyone.”

The technique is not limited to facial applications. Airbrushes with larger motors have been used in tanning salons for years. Makeup airbrushes (or full-body airbrushes affixed with tiny nozzles) are good for a more selective application on the body, experts said.

Miami makeup artist Lisa Lee has reassured brides that the in-laws won’t catch sight of their tattoos once they’re airbrushed — no matter what.

“I always tell people you can fall in water wearing airbrushed makeup and get up and still be beautiful.”

Palma said brides ask to whip out the airbrush for other reasons, too: “A lot of time they have stretch marks on the boob from the boob jobs, and regular makeup would rub off on the dress.”

Janna Passino, a cosmologist who offers makeup to the public at the Cosmix School of Makeup Artistry in Fort Lauderdale, gets requests from high school girls, asking for the technique for their prom.

“Within the past year, the airbrush has really taken off,” Passino said.

Professionals often mix airbrushed makeup (for foundation, contouring, eyebrow enhancement and lip color) with conventional makeup (for eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss). Using the airbrush is faster than working with traditional makeup brushes, they said.

But one Fort Lauderdale makeup artist who goes by the name of Dalia said she doesn’t enjoy the high-tech technique — not because the results aren’t good, but because the airgun takes artistry out of makeup application.

“I’d rather do the old fashion makeup, because for me, it’s an art and I like to play with it,” Dalia said.

“To be done in 5 minutes, it’s like I didn’t do anything.”