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What ever happened to Fay Wray? We’ve lost her in the tunnels of time, but the new starlet captured in these beastly arms is just as gorgeous as Wray ever was- and we’ve done it all with a little bit of air! Sounds light? You’re right! Airbrushing! The flawless coverage and natural translucency that customize makeup box offers is a huge step in the evolution of makeup art.
When the average person hears the word airbrush, we think of a car being painted, or the final stages of prints for magazines that are finessed into perfection. Today, these processes are accomplished digitally. The model’s print (who already happens to be stunningly gorgeous) is color corrected, her teeth are made whiter, her pupils enhanced, her lashes made thicker, her skin tweaked to perfection, her legs thinned out and elongated. It’s quite an artificial process and it leads me to the conclusion that I …or any farm animal in Bruce County, for that matter… could probably model for Vogue. However, what would you say if some of these adjustments could be made on your face instead of on your picture? I said prove it!
As I watched the tiny droplets leave the airbrush gun and dance in the air before landing on the subject’s face I was intrigued. I was sold when I saw a pretty great result dry into flawlessness. “Lets just wait a minute and watch the paint dry to see the final result,” the demo makeup artist whispered. (It reminded me of an episode on the original Star Trek with William Shatner hanging out with a colony of women taking “the beauty pill ” and watching all the “Plain Janes” turning into sexy amazons with the blink of an eye).
Spending time with the system I discovered the secrets that airbrushing holds. The airbrush gun takes the tiniest, most fragile foundation molecule and oxidizes it into a high opacity. In other words, one can wear the sheerest of sheer foundations and have virtually perfect skin. When I took the airbrush foundation and tried to apply it by traditional methods (a sponge and my finger tips) it was too watery to work with. Yet the same foundation passed through the air system takes on a new characteristic and a strength that I have not seen in the twenty-six years I’ve been painting faces.
Our model, a mother of two in her mid-thirties is posing for a “beauty and the beast” concept photo shoot. Genny has had her foundation, contour, and eye shadow air brushed. This photograph has been slightly lightened but is untouched. Genny typically has darkness under her eyes, and an uneven skin tone.
THE PROS OF AIRBRUSH MAKEUP:
o Maximum coverage with minimal product
o Delivers a natural and translucent look
o Great for oily skin
o Fantastic for overly active skin that tends to “eat” makeup up
o Lasts ten to twelve hours – a bride’s best friend
o Does not require powder, which can be ageing
o Some foundation formulations are silicone based.
o Silicone is as smooth as silk.
For the Ladies
- Grass skirt (you can make your own – see below)
- Hawaiian print midriff top, bikini top or coconut bra
- Clear sandals, flip flops or bare feet
- Flower to pin behind your ear
- Lei or leis – can be worn as anklets, crowns or bracelets
- You can also take a headband and sew artificial flowers to it
To look like the glamorous vintage Hawaiian pin-up girls
- Wear a figure hugging halter top with a cinched waistline in a floral print or a bikini top
- Sarong or pareo as a skirt
- With this you will want to wear stilletos
- Flower behind ear and leis around neck
Or if you are a bit shy and feel a little exposed, you can wear a sun dress or a muumuu-style dress which is long and flowing, and usually comes in floral colors or patterns.
For the Men
- Loose fitting Aloha shirt
- Khaki shorts
- Sandals, flip flops or bare feet
- Straw hat or visor
- Sunglasses
- Lei
To look like the Haka Warrior Hunk
- Bare chest (looks best with muscles)
- Hula skirt or floral-print sarong worn tight like a short skirt – sort of like a diaper
- Spear or sharp stick
- Greenery around arms, ankles and on head (could be an artificial green lei)
- Fake tribal tattoos on biceps or wherever
- May need to use some quick tanning solution
- Colored contacts (brown or dark) if you really want to get into it (surprise her!)
Hawaiian Luau Makeup Ideas
To really have fun, add some vibrant Hawaiian makeup. Shades of turquoise, azalea, amethyst, ocean frost, and Aztec gold are just a few that are available to use.
Don’t forget plenty of eyeliner and mascara. Don’t forget the eyebrows too. Have fun with it.
Gotta have bright lipstick – come on it is just for one night!
There are some great eye makeup videos on this hub, so be sure to watch them and be inspired. I was.
Ideas for Face Painting at Your Party
Be sure to use hypoallergenic paints for face painting.
Of course, a luau brings to mind delicious fruits of Hawaii, including pineapples, coconut, and bananas.
Also, tropical flowers are popular, including orchids, plumeria, hibiscus and bird of paradise. You could even paint a small palm tree on some lucky person.
Sea creatures are fun and easy – a crab, seahorse, dolphin, whales, turtle or seals. Geckos and parrots would also be hits. Sand dollars, shells and starfish would also make someone really happy.
Do’s and Don’ts of Feathered Eyebrows:
DO ensure that you go to a qualified, permanent makeup artist that has been certified by a school or agency. Most qualified Permanent Makeup Artists have certificates on the wall or on display at the clients request that show their experience and training. Most artists have several certificates from different training sessions they have attended.
DON’T buy cheap vouchers from online dealsites. Buy cheap, get cheap. You may save a bundle of money buying an online voucher today; however, you may pay a lot more later to have someone else fix the problems caused by that cheap voucher. Permanent makeup artists take pride in their work and usually will not lower their standards to publicize their services on cheap deal sites. An artist that has a sale or promo is much different than 50-70% using a dealsite.
DO ensure that you view the premises or office of the permanent makeup artist. You may want to pass by and visit the office of the artist that you are thinking of doing your treatment to ensure that it is a clean and safe location and not in an alley or back of run down building. If the artist and the office is kept tidy and clean, most likely the artist keeps their utensils, equipment sanitized and has high hygiene standards.
DON’T settle. If you have a bad feeling about the office, or the permanent makeup artist, than leave. You must be comfortable in the office and with the person that is about to use a blade or sharp needle to instil permanent pigment into your skin. If you are not comfortable, or have a bad feeling, than it is your right to stand up and leave. Most clients feel comfortable with the artist after their consultation, and some want to have the treatment right after the consultation because they feel comfortable and trust the artist. If you do not have that feeling, than either you are not ready for permanent makeup or you do not trust your artist. It is better to get a second opinion than to settle on one artist.
DO get a consultation with the permanent makeup artist first. We cannot stress this enough. It is imperative that you get a consultation with the artist first in order to determine if you are a good candidate for the treatment, but also it gives you a chance to ask a variety of questions that you may have. How the artist answers those questions usually builds trust and confidence between the client and the artist. Again, if you are not comfortable with the answers you received, than shop around. Most permanent makeup artist give a free 15 min consultation to answer any questions you may have, however, to color match and shape the brows, there is usually a $50 charge or a minimal deposit on the treatment.
DON’T allow the artist to dictate what your brows should look like. This is your face and your eyebrows that you will have to live with for the rest of your life (or for long period of time anyway, because the brows do fade over time). Most permanent makeup artists understand the way the shape of the eyebrows should look based on the shape of your face, however, the artist will usually suggest the shape and even draw it in before any application is considered. Make sure you are happy with the shape and color of the brows you have chosen before any application.
DO see before and after photos of the permanent makeup artist. Most, if not all, permanent makeup artists have before and after pictures on their websites, Facebook page, on their phone, printed in an album, etc. Be very weary of artists that do not have any pictures, or if the pictures look generic. Some artists don’t post before and after pictures on their websites or have generic pictures because of privacy concerns for their clients who do not want to be identified, however, they will surely have lots of pictures to show in a printed album or on their phone.
DON’T PANIC. Those new to permanent makeup and who have just had a procedure completed will sometimes panic at the shape and color of the brows. Even though the artist explains the protocols and procedure, before the treatment, during the treatment and after the treatment, there are always those clients that need to be reassured over and over again. Most calls that come in after the treatment are that the shape is too thick and the color is too dark. Please remember to look at your aftercare sheets which address these concerns. The shape of the eyebrows is always thicker than they appear after the treatment and shrink up to 50% during the first 4 weeks. The color of the eyebrows always appear sharp, dark and more drastic after the procedure because the pigment is fresh and is stuck in the epidermis layer of the skin, this will shed off over the next 4 weeks and the color of the brows will diminish by 50%, leaving a more natural looking color that was agreed upon.
