February 24, 2012

Luminess Air - Everyday Beauty System: pics, swatches, before & after, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I recently tested out the Luminess Air Everyday Beauty System. This is the first airbrush makeup system I've really used. When I had my photography studio I used to play around with the makeup up artists' airbrush machines, but I never had my own. The Luminess Air Everyday Beauty System is a great way to do airbrush makeup at home, and they're one of the most affordable options.

There is a learning curve for sure, but once you get that down you'll be able to easily use this system and get great results. My full review is at the end of this post, but for now...

Check out my pics, swatches, stats, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Luminess Air
Everyday Beauty System










The compressor system:






The stylus:










Bottle to keep water/alcohol mix for cleaning your stylus:
 

Instructional CD:


Instructional Manual:









The foundation shades I received:






Airbrushed on my hand:





The blush, primer, bronzer and highlighter I received:






Airbrushed on my hand:




The eyeshadows I received:












Airbrushed on my hand:




Luminess Air Before & After Pics:


First, here is a before & after with just using light, thin layers. I believe this was around 12 layers, but I lost count.




Next, here are the before & after pics using the spot correcting method, then using it all over.
Please note: This was the very first time I tried to use the spot correcting method, so it may look a bit spotty but I've since improved. I just wanted to show you results after the first time trying the spot correcting method.





And, here's an example of the coverage level you can achieve. I covered part of my Be Love tattoo, only using thin layers. 


Luminess Air Everyday Beauty System PRO's & CON's:
PRO's: great airbrush finish, fun to use
CON's: may not be the easiest system to use for those needing full coverage, but it is possible

Basic Stats for Luminess Air Everyday Beauty System:
Formula: airbrush makeup
Wear: long lasting
Coverage: sheer to full; buildable
Shade Info: the foundation is currently available in 12 shade options
Cost/Availability: The Everyday Beauty System is $169.00 - but the system kits range in price from $169 to $309.95. Available on the Luminess Air website.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses


Formula:
Airbrush makeup for primer, foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter and eyeshadow. I received the Ultra Foundation, which is mineral based and is oil, alcohol and preservative free. Long wearing and a natural glowing finish.

Wear:
I would call this long lasting, especially when used with a primer. Since I have oily skin I do like to set this with a powder, but I may not need to do that if I used the Matte Foundation.

Coverage:
Sheer to full coverage, depending on how many layers you use and application method. Building coverage in thin layers is key to getting flawless results.

Shade Info:
The foundation is currently available in 12 shades. I find there is a huge jump in color from Shade 2 to Shade 3, so in my opinion these foundation shades run dark. The good thing, however, is you can easily mix shades to create a custom mix for your skintone. For me, I use either Shade 3 or Shade 5 and mix with shade 2.

Cost/Availability:
The Everyday Beauty System is $169.00 - but the system kits range in price from $169 to $309.95. Available on the Luminess Air website.

Luminess Air Everyday Beauty System Review:
I was so excited to try this system out, as I've always been intrigued by airbrush makeup. I've only played around with airbrush makeup machines in the past (when I have my photography studio and worked with makeup artists) but I never really, really tried them out. I was happy to receive the Luminess Air Everyday Beauty System, but honestly was ready to give up on it after the first couple uses.

There is a learning curve for sure, but once you get that down you'll be able to use this system with ease and get good results. For me, I not only want full coverage, I need full coverage. The first time I used this I was so disappointed in the coverage level. It just wasn't there. I had applied about 5 layers and didn't get near the coverage I needed. I gave up that day and decided to try again another day. The next day I got better results, but still not what I needed. But, I did love the way the makeup went on my skin and how it looked.

I emailed Luminess Air and they provided me with a link to a tutorial where they help a woman recovering from Lupus cover up her very dark pigmentation/scaring on her face. CLICK HERE if you want to watch that tutorial on YouTube. The day after I watched the video I decided to give it a try myself, and the before & after pics you see above are my results. I was able to get full coverage, although it did take a long time -- well, by long time I mean longer than I normally take for my foundation. If you don't need as full coverage as I do then you'll be able to get your makeup done in a couple minutes.

I will say that I do like to use the Luminess Air foundation over my regular foundations, to finish off the look. It helps to make everything look seamless and airbrushed. If you need full coverage but don't want to take awhile to spot correct first, I recommend applying a concealer first, or your regular foundation (which may not be full coverage enough), then use Luminess on top. That's what I've been playing around with too and like it that way best.

The shade selection is a little surprising. It was very dark, with a huge jump in shades from Shade 2 and Shade 3. It went from fair, pink undertone of Shade 2 to an almost orange Shade 3. However, you can easily mix shades together to make a shade to work for your skintone. And really, the less layers you use the less you will notice the shade you're wearing. It's when you have to add a lot of layers that the color really builds and stands out. I use a mix of Shade 3 or Shade 5 with Shade 2. I use two drops of Shade 3/Shade 5 for every 1 drop of Shade 2 - adding them into my stylus cup in that method (2 drops, 1 drop, 2 drops, 1 drop, etc.). Then I turn on my machine, hold my finger over the tip of the stylus, and lightly pull back on the trigger. It will bubble inside the stylus cup, which mixes the shades together nicely.

Using Luminess is also great for applying blush, because you can get a very natural look if you apply it correctly. You'll want to use a very light mist and apply from a good distance away from your face. If you do it too close or use too fast a stream of air it will look clown-like.

I liked using the highlighter. Even though it looks rather white on my swatch, it actually goes on much nicer on your face because I don't apply it that heavily. It looks very natural. The bronzer can look great too, although it's a bit too metallic for my taste.

I think the only thing I didn't like was the eyeshadow. They're not shades I really prefer, although they are nice shades. And I prefer the control of makeup brushes for applying eyeshadow. I guess it's more of a learning curve than anything. In a few months I may be raving about how I like to apply the eyeshadow by airbrush, but for now it's not my cup of tea. It may be yours, so give it a try yourself before you make up your mind.

So to sum it up, I think this is a fantastic airbrush system. It works well and after you get the learning curve down you will be using this system with ease. It's really fun to use too! For those without major flaws you will love the results and ease of use. For those that need full coverage, you can still achieve that level of coverage you need, but just know it will take some effort. Is it the easiest way for me to get full coverage? No, not at all. But can I get full coverage? Yes, absolutely!

Would I recommend this? Yes, I would recommend this because it's a fun way to apply makeup. I don't know if I would necessarily recommend this for those that need full coverage only because there are easier ways to get the coverage you need, but you can get full coverage with the right application method.

Now let me know what you think...
What do you think of this air brush system? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

11 comments:

  1. so jelly you have this!! i always thought airbrush makeup would be so much fun to use. i seriously can't believe how well it covers. it looks completely flawless. thanks for a great review.

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  2. Thanks for such a great review. Again I'm going to bring up my sisters wedding, but this would be such a great idea for everyone to get ready with. I'm not sure yet if she is getting a professional makeup artist, but I'm rather confident if I had this for a bit to practice with I'd be able to do the other maids and the moms. I really like all the glow and highlight options. It would look gorgeous on a bride. :)

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  3. WOW!! amazing it is..it made such a huge difference. Even I have acne scars all over my face just like you. I totally love d results!!!

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  4. u know wat??!! I keep coming back to STARE atr theses pix..wat a huge difference man!!!
    (I wish God is listening..n sm1 gifts me these ;))

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  5. Nice Share on luminess-air beauty system.
    Thanks for the information.

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  6. Just keep in mind (to anyone who is interested in this for full coverage) that it certainly takes work to get full coverage and there are faster options out there. Even though I could get full coverage, I don't use this for full-face makeup on a normal basis because it takes me about 15 to 25 minutes if I do it like in the photo, since it's very important to work with thin, light layers. It is really fun to use though, and it's a great option for those with good skin or with limited flaws to cover, because it will certainly be faster for you!

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  7. I would like to try out a airbrush system... I am afraid for taxes because I am in Greece but maybe I find something here or in Europe...

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  8. How controlled of a spray is it - or rather, how do you keep it from getting on other stuff like your hair, for example? I would think the fine spray would release particles into the air that would then leave a residue.

    Clearly, I've never used one of these:-)

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  9. @ Lulubelle: I was worried about that too before I used this, but was surprised it didn't get everywhere like I was expecting. The mist is so fine that it really doesn't show up anywhere else, unless you're using it on blast and really close to your hair line or shirt - but I didn't have any issues. I guess the only messy part would be if you spill the makeup out of the cup on the stylus - which can happen if it's filled too much and you tilt the stylus without thinking. I did this once because I got a little crazy with my circular motions and tilted it too much and spilled it all over, lol, but other than that there wasn't any mess.

    The one thing I did forget to mention, but feel it may be important to note, is that the air flow can vary. What I mean is sometimes it comes out in a nice steady stream and other times it kind of gets stuck. For the price, and it being one speed, it's still great, but that was something I noticed. I'm not sure if a good cleaning of the stylus would take care of that - I did clean it once already just to see how it would clean. It was really easy to clean and put back together.

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  10. WOW WOW WOW!!! You look like a model :)

    If I worked outside the home, I would TOTALLY get this. But I would never use it often enough to make it worth it.

    I've seen alot of reviews on this system and it looks incredible! I can see where there would be a learning curve--spraying things at my face is a bit of a freaky feeling (I'm just getting used to my makeup setting spray lol).

    Awesome reviews and fantastic photos!

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