SuzAnneDeCarma wrote:
Two years ago I added Graftobian HD Cream Foundation to my kit and have never looked back! I love the flexibility of it and use it on all of my clients.

However, I would like to add more flexibility and diversity with the way that it finishes on the individuals face. The type of clients that I have the most problems with, when it comes to the finish, are those who have had an excess amount of sun exposure, leathery texture, wrinkles, and large pores, usually those of very mature ages. the cream can only fill in so much and I refuse for them to walk around with a cakey look. So my question would be, how can I give them that natural look, both in photos and in person (think weddings where people are both around and taking photos)?

SuzAnne how skin texture appears in in photographic imagery is a function of how it is illuminated... No amount of makeup short of pancake is going to neutralize the rough textured look yielded by a strong raking light (i.e. side illumination patterns). Large frontal illumination is the goto for softening skin texture... In fact Paramount Studio's had a signature look named after them a.k.a Paramount Lighting which also goes by Butterfly lighting owing to the nose shadow it creates... The larger and closer the source and the softer the effect.

But wait, you want to achieve this in "Prep" correct?  Well you have actual arrived... A heavy cream will spackle pores far better than airbrush product which is actually rather thin, typically applied feather light to yield a natural look... I have airbrushed many brides and trust me if they have large pores i will close the worst areas with a cream concealer first.  Important Note: Use only a concealer which works with the airbrush product you're using... In my case I use TEMPTU's concealer wheel since both are silicon based...

SuzAnneDeCarma wrote:
I would also love to be able to give my clients a more airbrushed look. I can achieve this when the client has perfect skin, of course, but not all are blessed that way.

Then look to mastering airbrush, which btw has a very steep learning curve and I've seen countless tenure MUA's abandon this tract out of frustration for want of results... To this end please review this recent Thread however please keep in mind that Lisa's comments may likely reflect her association with the industry... As a vendor for airbrush equipment a portion of her revenue stream came from airbrush equipment sales, enough said. 

SuzAnneDeCarma wrote:
Another thing is, mostly based on my training when I was starting out, I'm very nervous to try skin prepping products (moisturizer, primer, etc) as one can never tell what will have a bad reaction with the client. The products I trained in had those thing "built-in" with the formulation.

SuzAnne I ALWAYS do a patch test of product for my bridal clients... There are compelling reason's why tenured bridal makeup artist refuse to book without a trial... I'm in this camp...

Bottom Line? Mastery of makeup like so many others crafts comes with time, experience and constant practice... I invested  many hundred hours with my airbrush equipment BEFORE I every used it on a client... Airbrush is completely unique in as there is no tactile feedback as one has with a brush... This art relies on listening carefully to the "Hiss" of the airbrush to know the precise amount of product you are delivering to the skin's surface... Then there is the question of product viscosity which mandates carefully adjustment airflow (how many psi's your working  with) in regard to the working distance... There is a vast difference between working around the critical and sensitive eye area and other areas of the face... However once you start a journey into airbrush you'll begin to understand why so few MUA's actually have mastered this aspect of the craft...

Hope this helps SuzAnne, or is at least food for thought...
I wish you well on your journey...

Thomas Van Dyke wrote:

SuzAnneDeCarma wrote:
Two years ago I added Graftobian HD Cream Foundation to my kit and have never looked back! I love the flexibility of it and use it on all of my clients.

However, I would like to add more flexibility and diversity with the way that it finishes on the individuals face. The type of clients that I have the most problems with, when it comes to the finish, are those who have had an excess amount of sun exposure, leathery texture, wrinkles, and large pores, usually those of very mature ages. the cream can only fill in so much and I refuse for them to walk around with a cakey look. So my question would be, how can I give them that natural look, both in photos and in person (think weddings where people are both around and taking photos)?

SuzAnne how skin texture appears in in photographic imagery is a function of how it is illuminated... No amount of makeup short of pancake is going to neutralize the rough textured look yielded by a strong raking light (i.e. side illumination patterns). Large frontal illumination is the goto for softening skin texture... In fact Paramount Studio's had a signature look named after them a.k.a Paramount Lighting which also goes by Butterfly lighting owing to the nose shadow it creates... The larger and closer the source and the softer the effect.

But wait, you want to achieve this in "Prep" correct?  Well you have actual arrived... A heavy cream will spackle pores far better than airbrush product which is actually rather thin, typically applied feather light to yield a natural look... I have airbrushed many brides and trust me if they have large pores i will close the worst areas with a cream concealer first.  Important Note: Use only a concealer which works with the airbrush product you're using... In my case I use TEMPTU's concealer wheel since both are silicon based...


Then look to mastering airbrush, which btw has a very steep learning curve and I've seen countless tenure MUA's abandon this tract out of frustration for want of results... To this end please review this recent Thread however please keep in mind that Lisa's comments may likely reflect her association with the industry... As a vendor for airbrush equipment a portion of her revenue stream came from airbrush equipment sales, enough said. 


SuzAnne I ALWAYS do a patch test of product for my bridal clients... There are compelling reason's why tenured bridal makeup artist refuse to book without a trial... I'm in this camp...

Bottom Line? Mastery of makeup like so many others crafts comes with time, experience and constant practice... I invested  many hundred hours with my airbrush equipment BEFORE I every used it on a client... Airbrush is completely unique in as there is no tactile feedback as one has with a brush... This art relies on listening carefully to the "Hiss" of the airbrush to know the precise amount of product you are delivering to the skin's surface... Then there is the question of product viscosity which mandates carefully adjustment airflow (how many psi's your working  with) in regard to the working distance... There is a vast difference between working around the critical and sensitive eye area and other areas of the face... However once you start a journey into airbrush you'll begin to understand why so few MUA's actually have mastered this aspect of the craft...

Hope this helps SuzAnne, or is at least food for thought...
I wish you well on your journey...

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Thank you so much for your input. You're very knowledgeable!  I admit I grew frustrated with my airbrush and set it aside. I prefer traditional foundation as I have more control with it. Perhaps if I took more time to learn the airbrush, my mind would change. However, that was not my initial plan.