Lisa Berczel wrote:
Welcome to MM.
Airbrush makeup and foundation has been discussed at length - the FAQ has some good info to start on.

Temptu has 2 product lines, the "Pod" system which as you have surmised is Consumer oriented and a separate Pro line which includes Silicone as well as Water based foundations.

If you do NOT have foundation or equipment, you may want to seriously consider a total Kit from one of the the major brands.

Just do NOT buy a single action airbrush. This is basically a miniature spray can. I'm also not a fan of the constant air-on airbrushes.

If you can hold out till a trade show comes into town - THIS is the way to go. You can touch 'n feel the product and test drive the equipment.

Lisa,

Does that mean you don't recommend the Graftobian walkabout kit?  It comes with a single action airbrush. 

Now I know that the difference between a dual and a single action airbrush mechanically, but how does this impact on application? 

thanks

makeupbyDhani wrote:
Lisa,

Does that mean you don't recommend the Graftobian walkabout kit?  It comes with a single action airbrush. 

Now I know that the difference between a dual and a single action airbrush mechanically, but how does this impact on application? 

thanks

We use very low PSI on faces... but a single action airbrush is a glorified spray can. You have no control. Product is either spraying it out - or it is NOT.

Single action is easier to learn. After all, you're just pushing a button down.

Now, there is a class of airbrushes that have air spraying out all the time. You do have coverage control (light to full) finger trigger. But, the air is constantly coming out the front. This means your air source in constantly on. Kind like leaving your car engine running while you're in the grocery store. Convenient - but hard on the engine.

The cute, tiny air sources are air pumps. Not compressors. Air pumps can be good equipment, but there are a lot of put-put-put systems cropping up that I am NOT a fan of.

So it is important to weigh durability with convenience. Convenience may be lighter. Durability may be bulkier/heaver. Just the nature of the beast. Do you want to go up the mountain pass in a Mini Cooper or Muscle Car?

Edit to Add - you should evaluate the product and the equipment. They are 2 parts of the whole. A great product can be let down by poor quality equipment and vise versa.

I haven't tested the Graftobian unit in question or read any reviews on it - but I can say you are doing the right thing by reading all you can.

I just can't decide if I want to start with a little one like the graftobian walkabout knowing that I'd like to try some body painting and tattoo stuff eventually....

please be aware that the graftobian walkabout is only rate up to 24psi max… which means it most probably can’t sustain that flow for prolong delivery…  if you’re ultimately looking to get into body painting you might enjoy having a lit’ more flow rate… unless your patience and that of the talent is really, really good

makeupbyDhani wrote:
Artistry image -you are correct.

I was interested in doing some light body (still am) however I just realized (a costly mistake) that I need a dual voltage compressor (because I travel between OZ and US.) and most of the mid-size compressors are not dual.

So I'm selling my OCC Studio kit in the market thread if anyone is interested, brand spanking new and unused to anyone in the Americas who is interested

p.s. just found some step down converters lisa and they are 10 lbs, kind of defeats the whole purpose for me

The converters are NOT 10 pounds. The one I fly with is more like a few ounces..... so - I is Confuzed.

Lisa Berczel wrote:
Welcome to MM.

If you can hold out till a trade show comes into town - THIS is the way to go. You can touch 'n feel the product and test drive the equipment.

Thank you for the welcoming.

I do have a Bobbi Brown BBU Palette which has 17 shades of foundation in it. It has served me well thus far doing makeup part time since March, but its time to step it up.

I did go to IMATS this year. I looked around and played around, but didn't really focus. Partly because I had bought that Bobbi Brown palette for $300. I'm not exactly making bank at makeup artistry. I do want to try to get more into wedding makeup and I feel an airbrush is mandatory. Many brides hold high standards to airbrush makeup and wont settle for anything less.

Lisa Berczel wrote:
We use very low PSI on faces... but a single action airbrush is a glorified spray can. You have no control. Product is either spraying it out - or it is NOT.

Single action is easier to learn. After all, you're just pushing a button down.

The cute, tiny air sources are air pumps. Not compressors. Air pumps can be good equipment, but there are a lot of put-put-put systems cropping up that I am NOT a fan of.

Yes thank you. I agree with the glorified spray can comment. The airbush I'm looking at has a Sparmax DAC-25 Portable Compressor (1-18 PSI) Eventhough it comes with a battery pack which is totally convenient, is it still total crap? (keep in mind I'm planning on just doing makeup) Do you still urge me to invest in the heavier one that is not as portable but has a 1-30 psi?

ArtistryImage wrote:
Megan... everything Lisa said... she is amazing with airbrush knowledge transfer…

I researched months before I obtain a system... 

https://www.sendu.me.uk/modelmayhem/?te … &location=

From the wording of your query I would suggest reading through these threads for a day or so, and then you may be better positioned to request specific aspects of interest...

btw... for product I use OCC skin and Temptu S/B, both have their own unique set of merits and liabilities... much depends on the client and ultimate usage... keep in mind that I'm primarily doing face... beauty and fashion genre...  body painting has another set of requirements all together...

best wishes on your journey...

Thomas…

Thank you Thomas,
Yes Lisa is amazing it's really awesome of her to share her knowledge on the forum.
Thank you for the link, I'll check that out.
You said you use OCC and Temptu. Those stand out to me. I don't plan on doing body painting. It would be nice to have options though.

Megan MUA wrote:

Yes thank you. I agree with the glorified spray can comment. The airbush I'm looking at has a Sparmax DAC-25 Portable Compressor (1-18 PSI) Eventhough it comes with a battery pack which is totally convenient, is it still total crap? (keep in mind I'm planning on just doing makeup) Do you still urge me to invest in the heavier one that is not as portable but has a 1-30 psi?

Megan I wish I could advise you, but I haven't airbrushed yet.  I will say however that I've heard both good and bad things about sparmax portable.  (But this is the same for ALL compressors from any brand.)  I've heard the smaller ones such as that are just great for brides but if you want to do body painting you'll need something heavier as said before.  Definitely read through all the past airbrushing threads. 

I own (temporarily) the OCC studio one, and it's actually much lighter than I would have thought that might be something to keep in mind.

Lisa Berczel wrote:
Do you want to go up the mountain pass in a Mini Cooper or Muscle Car?

Mini Cooper. Every time. I drive a Mini one and it is like a rocket on a rollerskate. I routinely drive it through the Scottish Mountains and it is excellent and far more economic to drive than a muscle car.

Now if you said a Nissan Micra.... ;o)

Heather J M wrote:
**Irrelevant Tangent**

Mini Cooper. Every time. I drive a Mini one and it is like a rocket on a rollerskate. I routinely drive it through the Scottish Mountains and it is excellent and far more economic to drive than a muscle car.

Now if you said a Nissan Micra.... ;o)

Can you tell I'm not a gear head? I'll have to work on that analogy. The mountain passes in my area that I drive (southern California) are long with one mild curve. It is a huge change in elevation over a couple miles. No canyon carving.

But, you do make a good point - purchasing a compressor is all about fit.
Any size compressor or pump will do a good job - if you don't ask more of it than it is designed to do.

You can have "overkill" with a compressor that is bigger than what you need for the job. But for me, that just says you're not over-taxing the hardware. I am definitely a "more power" kinda gal.

The big cautions are:
1) Education. Know what an air supply can do and compare that to what you want to do. This can mean having to cut through marketing bs.
2) Quality equipment. If you want durability, you have to purchase quality. Not necessarily a "name". But, I see a lot of artists who are happy to convince themselves that the least expensive thing they can find on e-bay will work.

makeupbyDhani wrote:
sorry to be interuppting this thread so much!

Lisa,  are you sure what you are using is a converter, or just a plug adapter? 

these are the step-down converters I've found:

http://www.220-electronics.com/Transfor … epdown.htm

they go from 2.5 lb to 55 lb... am I looking at the wrong thing maybe?  do they have super light ones somewhere

Posting in both airbrush threads:

Ok. Did some research.

There's two issues you face:
1) Changing Voltage.
2) Changing Hertz. USA is 60 HZ. Australia is 50 HZ.

The Adaptor and Converters will change the Voltage. You DO have to be certain that the Adaptor is rated for the amount of Amperage the compressor will use.

However, what is a BIGGER issue for you is the Hertz. That's the frequency of the power. You need more than an adapter or step down transformer - you need a unit that changes the frequency of the power. THAT may have been what your Electrician was addressing.

Running at the wrong frequency/Hertz will eventually damage your motor.

Lisa Berczel wrote:
Posting in both airbrush threads:

Ok. Did some research.

There's two issues you face:
1) Changing Voltage.
2) Changing Hertz. USA is 60 HZ. Australia is 50 HZ.

The Adaptor and Converters will change the Voltage. You DO have to be certain that the Adaptor is rated for the amount of Amperage the compressor will use.

However, what is a BIGGER issue for you is the Hertz. That's the frequency of the power. You need more than an adapter or step down transformer - you need a unit that changes the frequency of the power. THAT may have been what your Electrician was addressing.

Running at the wrong frequency/Hertz will eventually damage your motor.

ay yi yi yi yi this is doing my head in!  This was my big Christmas present to myself and it's turned into such a hassle. 

Thanks for taking the time to research for me.  I'll keep having a look.  I'm a bit disappointed in OCC, they only offered me a CREDIT for the compressor less a 20% restocking fee.  So essentially I'm out the door the $350 that I spent with them no matter what at this point.  I've been in contact with some Australian suppliers and they recommended I have 2 compressors, one for each country since changing the electricity supply is such a pain.

Lisa, do you know if the hoses use universal attachments to the guns? AKA, if I wanted to use my Sparmax Sp35 gun and hose with another compressor, would I need to look at attachments?

Just wanted to say that I understand that OCC is a business, and it at the end of the day it was my mistake to purchase it but for some reason I thought that 110/120 was universal voltage when really it's the AMERICAN voltage range.  I didn't touch a single thing in the kit so I could return it, figuring I could, but no luck.  I wanted to return everything but the makeup so I could purchase another kit but still give their makeup a try.

Some products are tested and certified as skin safe. Many liquid makeup brands have been used for decades with no problems.  However, many of these materials were meant to be sponged or brushed on to the skin.  Many makeup brands are tinted with heavy metals or contain silicates that, when applied by hand, are perfectly safe.  But when these materials are run through an airbrush, inhalation becomes a hazard.  Contact the company that produces any product that you hope to run through an airbrush.  They should be able to tell you if there are any hazards of which you should be aware.