My short answer is YES! If you haven't yet tried airbrush make up, you probably have at least heard of it by now, especially in your bridal make up searches. There's a reason for that. It is the absolute best for bridal. Read on to understand why.
First off, let me not knock the power of all the awesome foundations, powders, highlighters, bronzers, contour powders, pore fillers, blemish covers and all the other cool face stuff out there. I've been a make up artist a long time, I've tried everything and there really are some amazing products in existence. I do not airbrush myself daily and I have a long list of pro and drugstore face faves that I like to use on myself (and even my daughter who's a dancer and has to wear a full face for competitions). However, when it comes to my bridal clients, my choice is clear, and it is airbrush (the right kind of course, and yes, there is a difference!).
Any make up artist worth their salt can take any products and make your face look beautiful. It's a skill, an art form. While your face looks fantastic when the artist finishes, can anyone really guarantee that you'll look like that 3, 6 or even 12 hours from that moment? The real answer is no. No cream. liquid or mousse foundation can stay through the tears and the sweat of a Jersey summer wedding. It doesn't matter how much powder you use, how much setting spray is applied or how expensive or well known the product is - it comes down to the chemical make up of the formula that sits directly on your skin.
Enter the airbrush. The airbrush make up we use is from a company called Temptu Pro NYC and they are industry leaders in beauty, film, video and editorial. We are all Master Certified Pro Temptu artists due to our extensive training. We use the SBA or silicone based formula. This is so important! The make up pigments sit inside of silicone molecules on your skin. Because they are delivered through an airbrush gun, the coverage is completely build-able and customize-able for each client. The major factor here is that silicone does not mix with water. So, you can cry or sweat and the make up will not run, streak or disappear from your face. You can blot away any moisture and the make up will still stay on your face. It's just that simple, you cannot do this with a cream or lotion foundation. Their chemical make up is too similar to water to be able to stand up to the sweat and tears. Water moves water. This is also why you need to be careful about what type of airbrush make up your artist is using. There are different types of airbrush make up available: water based, silicone based and alcohol based and they are all used for different purposes. Alcohol based is used for special effects and body work. Water based is used for television because of it's matte finish, it's compatibility with certain HDTV appropriate powders and because there is a make up artist on set for touch ups at all times. Water based is also what is sold on those late night infomercials for at home use. If it's Luminess or DinAir make up, it's water based and it's not what you want for bridal. Like we said before, water moves water, and cry or sweat in water based make up and you can trace the tracks down your face. Don't get me wrong, this make up looks great when done properly but is not built for the staying power you need for your wedding day. Silicone based is used for bridal because of its long lasting power and natural, clean skin finish. When you are considering hiring a make up artist for your wedding - ask what kind of make up they are using, specifically the type!
People are in a weird state of mind when it comes to airbrush lately. The truth is, if your bridal make up artist isn't offering it, it's most likely because they don't know how to use it or haven't made the investment, financially and time wise, to make the switch with their kit. You are going to pay good money to have someone make you look beautiful on your wedding day and you deserve to have it last the night through. You will be emotional. You will most likely be sweating and you need an artist that uses make up that is guaranteed to last you all night long, look great in photos and in person.