Luminess Air System and Makeup review

About a month or so ago I was sent this Luminess Air compressor and Makeup kit for review. I was very excited as I love airbrush and am happy to try new things to let you all know what I think.

First off I want to start by breaking down the set for you. It comes with the following:

A compact personal size compressor, hose, airbrush, water bottle, Ac adapter, clear instructions including video, 2 bottles of foundation (I chose medium in the Ultra formula), a moisturizer, blush and highlighter.

 System Pros and Cons:

Pros- Compact System means traveling with this is easy peasy. Also, leaving it out on a vanity takes up no room at all. The compressor and airbrush itself is nice for a beginner or for anyone just wanting something light and compact to travel with.

Cons- As a pro this is not a system that would work for big jobs. There is only an On and Off switch. No control over psi and is a single action spray which means not much control so, no fine work for this airbrush. (*I just found out there is a pro system which may be a better choice for makeup artists who really need a workhorse)

With that being said I still think it's great for the everyday woman and her daily makeup routine. 

Makeup Pros and Cons:

Pros- Luminess Air foundations are Mineral and water based so, that means no clogged pores and it's great for sensitive skins. The Ultra foundation is very beautiful and is very buildable. You will see in the photos below how I start off with a light coverage and build to medium then, full coverage. It really covered all of my sun damage skin, redness and blemishes as you can see below. I looked flawless in the final pics (the images are not edited in anyway except being cropped and watermarked) The colors are very nice and very much look like natural skin tones. I would like to see more. I actually match Shade 3 foundation perfectly. 

Cons- This foundation is probably nicer for a drier skin or better in the colder months. It is the dead of Summer and my makeup just melted off like any other foundation as soon as I started to perspire unless I was in a climate controlled room. (I maybe should have tried the matte formula for summer even though I am not oily). When I was in air conditioning my makeup lasted from day to night so, their really isn't a con here if the makeup I chose was right for my skin type.

My overall experience with the Luminess Air system has been great. Since the makeup is water based it's easy to clean and I haven't had any issues clogging unlike some other systems I've tried. I think I'm going to look into the Matte formula foundation for longer wear. After I try that I will let you know what I think. 

If you would like to see a video demo leave a comment below and I will make one for you on my youtube channel.

 

 One single pass with light pressure = Sheer coverage

 2 passes with light pressure = Medium Coverage

 

3 passes with light pressure  = Full coverage + Added Blush

 

Full face of makeup added no photo editing.

 

A little added face paint and my skin underneath still looks flawless.

 

Luminess Air was kind enough to send me a promo code for all of my readers good through 

October 31st, 2015 for 20% off. 

Just enter this code at check out and let me know what you think about the system. 

Promo code 88421029891

Starblend makeup applicators

 Starblend Makeup by Mehron     is truly a fantastic cake makeup and not just for stage but, face painters all over the world are discovering this little gem.

 Starblend is a cake foundation that is water resistant and sweat resistant. Face painters are finding this a great alternative on days when it's hot or humid. Summertime is here so, I wanted to share my favorite method for applying Starblend makeup to my clients.

 The first Method is a lollipop applicator. These are great for applying more powder in smaller areas. They are much like a large sponge eyeshadow applicator. They are a bit firm and can feel a bit rough on the skin. While I do love that they are disposable I'm not a huge fan of the ease of application. I would not use these if I was covering a large area of the skin as they leave streaks and splotches. I find these work well with my Ben Nye Lumiere eyeshadows    . I will often use my Lumieres over water activated face paint to give a glow and shimmer and to intensify color and these are the perfect tool.

    

The second method is a Smoothie Blender. These are wonderful for applying over smaller or larger areas both equally. They have a flocked sponge tip applicator so they feel much like a powder puff. Velvety and smooth to the touch. These are the most expensive retailing for about $5 each. This is not good if you are working with many clients at the same gig as they are not disposable. They also tend to break down very quickly or tear apart from over washing. These are great if you are only working on one client for a private appointment.

    

The third and last method is a powder puff. This is by far my favorite choice. The cost is about the same as a face painting sponge retailing for about $1.50 a piece. They are great because like the lollipop they are disposable but, they are flocked and soft like the smoothie blender giving you perfectly smooth coverage and if you manipulate it correctly can be used on small or large areas. In essence it's the best of both worlds and at a price that falls in between the two.

    

I have all three because I believe there is a time and place to use all of them. Just like my bag of face painting sponges I keep a bag of these on hand too. I also keep a hand full of lolipops in with my brushes to use with my lumieres in smaller areas of the face and for detailing but, if you are on a budget and need to just purchase one I would go with the powder puff every time.

 I hope this has answered your Starblend applicator questions. Do you have a question? Post it on my facebook page     and I may just post the answer here.

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Happy Painting my painty friends,
Shawna

Ben Nye Lumiere Review and Swatches

I have been wanting this Ben Nye Lumiere Palette for a while now and finally I have added it to my collection of Face Painting Supplies. I was able to put it to use over this past weekend on two different gigs.

 Here is my opinion on the eyeshadows.......
Ben Nye is a trusted American brand for all your theatrical and makeup needs. There isn't a large budget for fancy editorial photo shoots from this company but, let me tell you the quality of their products is outstanding from a professional point of view and this palette has lived up to the hype.

 If you are a face painter you must understand this first....THESE ARE EYE SHADOWS.. they are not face paints. Yes, face paint is in the same category as makeup but, these are not face paints. The packaging does state that you can use them wet or dry however, after testing this out I quickly realized that wetting the shadows leaves the shadow hard then, when you go to use it dry again it is much harder to pick up the powder on your brush or smoothie blender.
 There are several ways you can use these including on their own or over a flat colored face paint to add shimmer or to create a different color. I like using them on the eyelids in my princess designs and layering over paint for a shimmery goodness effect or down the center of the nose for my butterflies.

Here are the pros and cons

Pros....
1. Ultra Pigmented eye shadows in a large pot for a small dollar amount means more bang for your buck.
2. Trusted American Brand
3. The colors are beautiful, shimmery and go on smooth.
4. Palette is durable for traveling with in your kit.
5. Great for using on girls and women's designs, great alternative to using glitter as they have a high shine factor.
6. The palette is refillable

Cons...
1. If you wet them, be prepared to shave off the top after it has dried in order to use the dry again..which means loss of product.
2. The brush inside is not great.
3. Some of the colors do stain like the dark green, dark purple and dark blue. I was a bit surprised by this considering they are eye shadows.

 I would recommend using a different smoothie blender on each person as these are not face paints and do not have the antibacterial properties that face paints do. I used a smoothie blender but, quickly moved to using my powder puffs for sanitary reasons. You can use the powder puffs with the Lumiere eye shadows just like with the Starblends and they are easier to toss in your dirty sponge bag and wash in the washer when you get home.

 Overall I really enjoy a few of the colors like Iced Gold, Charteuse, Azalea, Sun Yellow, Cosmic Violet, Cosmic blue and Jade.
I would probably reorder these colors in the larger size to refill the larger black Ben Nye Palette.

I would give this palette 4 stars out of 5

 Below are some photos of the palette as well as swatches....

 Below the swatches as follows Ice, Aztec Gold, Silver,Azalea, Cosmic Blue & Sun Yellow.

 Iced Gold, Tangerine, Chartreuse, Jade, Amethyst and Cosmic Violet.

I used Iced Gold over her forehead and down her nose, Sun yellow on her eyes, Azalea and tangerine as the base for the wings in this design. I even used Azalea on her lips and used a clean wet brush after I applied it to smooth the color out. Other products I used here.. Wolfe Deep Raspberry & Wolfe White.


*As a disclaimer..I paid for this product with my own money and was not paid for this review.