Airbrush Makeup primer How To and Review: silicone free vs traditional and airbrushable primer

What is the best primer for airbrush makeup? Where can I buy a silicone free primer? Do I even need a primer with airbrush makeup? These are some of the most common questions I get in my classes and online. The subject is vast, the answer to the questions needn't be. Let's do this!

Prepping the skin for airbrush makeup is as necessary as it is with your traditional beauty routine. The general rule is simply to avoid oil based formulas, which would by nature repel or destabilize any liquid that is layered upon them, and use as little product as possible.  If your skin is young, supple and blemish free, a simple light moisturizer used a few minutes before application will do. For any other skin condition (mature, oily, dry and so on), the general rule is to find the right balance between your skin care routine and the finish and consistency of the airbrush product you are going to use. If you came to this post thinking that airbrush makeup is one and the same for all brands, you should know that each product varies according to composition and manufacturer, just like traditional makeup does.

Airbrushable primers

Many brands of airbrush makeup produce their own ready to airbrush primers.These are generally very light formulas designed to moisturize the skin with the best compatibility for the product that will follow. They are mostly water based, such as Tickled Pink or Luminess, or might contain a light amount of dymethicone, such as Belloccio. If you have normal skin and live in a dry climate you may benefit from these formulas and their lightness, however some people might find them a little too thin, and might prefer a more comforting finish.  Temptu Brilliant Glow is a new airbrushable primer which is silicone based and has a much thicker consistency than other products. As the name implies, it adds a very subtle luminosity to the skin, and was created to mitigate the matte finish of Temptu's Perfect Canvas foundation. Because of its density, you will need an airbrush and compressor of the same power as Temptu's, however you can still apply this with a brush or sponge if you have a less powerful machine (such as the ones intended for water based makeup only).

Silicone Free primers

What if you want to avoid silicone in your skin care altogether? While silicone is inert and does not cause allergies, some people are sensitive to its prolonged use, meaning they show signs of intolerance such as blemishes and irritation. In these cases, silicone free alternatives will be the only options. While less common, silicone free primers do exist. Smashbox makes Primer Water, a water based product that can be used for both prepping the skin and as a makeup finishing spray, with a super light consistency. Milk Makeup produces the cult favorite Hydro Grip primer, with a more comforting gel like consistency and a more luminous finish, and mostly natural ingredients. If you wish to stay on the natural path, Nurturing Force produces its famous Blot Out Offensive and Twinkle Not Wrinkle primers, which we reviewed extensively in this post.  If you are in Europe, two products really stand out. For oily or combination skin, Ten Image Professional Matt Primer provides a super long lasting matte finish. You can use it on your T zone and even very sparingly on the eyelids to mattify the eyelid and prevent any cracking of your airbrushed eyeshadow. Bronx Colors Cosmetics Studio Line Magic Primer has a light, creamy texture, is very moisturizing and provides a lasting luminous finish that will add a very healthy glow to more opaque foundation lines.

Traditional primers

Let's say that my preferred airbrush makeup is water based. Would the presence of silicone in a primer really affect the durability and finish of water based airbrush makeup? Generally speaking, not really. It really depends on the concentration of silicone and other plasticizers in the formula. Personally, I would stay away from super slick formulas such as Urban Decay's or Benefit, but a the presence of common silicones such as dymethicone or cyclopentasiloxane in a primer does not affect the finish or durability, so much so that even the skin care sold by Dinair to be used with their products contains them. British airbrush makeup brand AirBase produces a perfect cross over between the two worlds: First Base Perfecting Primer is a Swiss formula with hydrating platinum technology that is slick at first but absorbs quickly to a soft, matte finish that is perfect both for their silicone formula and for any traditional makeup. Temptu's classic S/B Primer is a rich, super smooth formula that leaves the skin beautifully soft and mattified, and has the gorgeous light fragrance of its S/B line. It's also reasonably priced, which makes it the preferred choice of many. For the eyelids, regardless of the composition of the airbrushed eyeshadow, Make Up Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying is a perfect choice, just use it very sparingly and your eyeshadow will not crack even on textured, very oily eyelids.

Special thanks for the advice and information on some of these products to my amazing friends Regina Azizova @reginainneverland and Krysteane Duarte @Iheartairbrush

Makeup For Ever Color Airbrush & Water Blend Review and Video Tutorial

100% Trucco Aerografo con Color Airbrush e Water Blend di Make Up For Ever

When I started my makeup journey over 20 years ago, the first super pigmented eyeshadows I bought were those by a relatively new brand called Make Up Forever. The colors were trendy, intense and durable, and the line, called "Star Powder" quickly became a staple of the pro makeup world. It was an amazing and much longed for surprise to find, all these year later, a line of airbrush colors by the same company that mirrors the very same qualities that had originally turned me in to a fan.

Make Up For Ever has featured several colors that could be airbrushed in its past catalogs, including -and most prominently- a popular mixing medium called Airbrush Thinner that artists could use to reduce (i.e. dilute, for the less technically versed) cream products and powder pigments and make them usable through an airbrush.

Last year however, MUFE launched its first line created specifically for air application, calling it simply Color Airbrush. The range includes twenty shades, from classic primary colors (black, white, blue, red, green and yellow) to vivid secondary and tertiary shades such as purple, fushia and Turquoise. This line joined another product in the catalog called Water Blend, a foundation line that while not specifically created for air application retains all the characteristics of an airbrush product and can be very easily atomised. I used both these products to create the look you see in the enclosed video tutorial. Have a look at it, and then keep reading more about these lines and my personal opinion on them.

Color Airbrush Product Facts

Color Airbrush is a hybrid water / silicone based product of medium/light viscosity, and can be applied with any airbrush with a nozzle of 0.35 and up, at a low pressure starting from just 3 or 5 PSI. The product is fragrance free and has virtually no smell. The colors come in very generous 2.2 /60 ml sizes with a twist cap similar to Kryolan's Nebula that needs to rest for a few seconds before it is twisted shut to avoid spills.

Color Airbrush: my experience and opinion

As I was saying before, the colors are incredibly pigmented, yet among the easiest to blend that I ever tried. If you control the airbrush lever correctly, you will be able to create very subtle and sheer layers and to intensify them to maximum payoff very easily, just like I do in the video. The product feels very light on the skin, yet it is very resistant to sweat and rubbing, with hardly any transfer and no effect on the finish once it has set, even if rubbed intensely.  It is obvious from the size of the bottles and their marketing campaign that these products are intended for body art application before anything else. Yet their brilliance and durability makes them very viable for creating beautifully vibrant eyeshadow looks, and the formula is so efficient that I really wish the company would embrace airbrushing even more and expand this range to include more neutral shades as well.

Water Blend Product Facts

As the name suggests, Water Blend is a water based foundation line that does not contain any silicones. The range features 20 shades for every skin tone, and the product comes in 1.69 fl. oz /50 ml glass bottles with a very hygienic pump applicator.

Water Blend: my experience and opinion

Just like the best made for airbrush products, this foundation feels incredibly light, looks absolutely natural and and it's very long lasting. While this product was not officially intended for airbrush application, like I said before, it surely lends itself to atomization and benefits greatly from the process. You can pump it directly into the airbrush reservoir, and with a normal .35 nozzle and a pressure of 10 to 15 PSI it will apply well, however because of its consistency the product will tend to rest on the sides of the airbrush cup, so it is much better to dilute it simply by adding a few drops of deionised or purified water. Once diluted the product will apply so lightly that it will be virtually impossible to create hot spots on the skin. It will take a while longer to reach full coverage than it would with made for airbrush products, but the wait will be worth it. To top it all, the foundation smells gorgeous, but those who aren't fond of fragrance should not worry, as the clean scent will dissipate completely in a short time.