Aeroblend Airbrush Makeup PRO Starter Kit - Professional Cosmetic Airbrush System with 24 Colors - Perfect for Bridal, Halloween & Special Effects Makeup

(Sorry in advance for the super long review) I absolutely LOVE this & feel that any rating less then a 5 star about the system & product itself, could have been avoided by adjusting a few things. So I decided to share a few tips that I've learned through trial & error that I wish I would have known when I first received this!!TIPS:OIL & WATER DON'T MIX!! For those who have never airbrushed before, you probably have your own makeup routine that you're used to...Mine personally, since I'm in my 30's, includes primer before makeup to create that "perfect canvas" & fill in my fine lines. My first HUGE mistake was not realizing that since this is water based & most primers contain silicone, this makeup would slide right off. This came in the mail & I called my daughter & mom to come over so we could try this out & ALL of us put primer on before we started to airbrush & all of us said, wow, this sucks, send this back...(Sorry, being honest). The make-up caked, bubbled, & just touching it took the makeup right off. We all looked like zebras & were not happy, actually very disappointed. So they left & I researched & researched what the heck we did wrong & decided to try this with nothing underneath...no problems, but, I still was aware of my fine lines. After researching more, I learned about the oil & water theory, bought a water based primer, moisturized underneath & PERFECTION! Flawless makeup, smudge, rub proof, just perfect & exactly what I had hoped for when I originally purchased this!MOISTURIZE!! Airbrush makeup tends to have a dry/matte look to it, porcelain skin. If your skin isn't moisturized underneath, you may get some dry looking patches. Again, stay away from anything w/ silicone in it & get a good water based moisturizer...this makeup will look even & stick/cling to it giving you makeup that stays put for 12+ hours!WANT GLOWING SKIN? If you're not a fan of the porcelain/matte look & want your skin to have more of a glow to it, like you're not wearing makeup...First start off using the highlighter all over your face, then put on your foundation....you will get compliments on your skin & this will look more natural, like youre not wearing makeup, your skin but better!!TURN DOWN THE PRESSURE!! Another huge mistake I suffered through when I first received this, why/how are they saying 5-7 drops of makeup for your whole face??? I was using 20 drops & still running out before I was done! My first thoughts again, negative, frustrated, ready to send this back & again thought I'm doing something wrong & researched. After turning the dial (speed) down about 1/2 way....I get the perfect speed by turning the machine on, adjusting the dial to the highest by spraying air on my hand & then turning it down until I still feel a lot of air, but not at the highest, this is the setting I use (middle). 5-7 drops is all I need for a perfect base.DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER ALL THE WAY BACK!! I'm putting this as a tip only because I may be odd, but my first instinct was that unless you pull the trigger on the gun all the way back, it won't work. Pulling it all the way back will cause you to use MAX makeup & your makeup will look caked on. Try pulling the trigger 1/2 way back & see how big of a difference this will make!!DON'T STOP MOVING!! The trick to makeup not caking or building up super thick is to constantly be moving your hand/the gun!! If you stop moving your hand while spraying you're letting makeup layer up in one spot & it may look caked on. Do a fast constant moving motion in light layers for the most natural & even look!!DON'T SPRAY TOO CLOSE!! This is just practice...I can say to use the sheet of paper they include for practice & that's probably the best advice, but, you also need to get a feel for spraying this on your actual face. My best advice for this is to start further away from your face then move closer...Move in until you start seeing the coverage that you like.SPRAY & WAIT A MINUTE!! For some reason, when you first spray this makeup on, as it dries, it will change after a minute or two...(The color, the coverage). Spray on a thin layer & wait a minute or two, look at the coverage & color & then repeat. I was spraying & then putting another layer on right away.....BAD IDEA!! Almost like painting your nails & then trying to put another layer on before the first is dry. Not even, will never dry, ect.CONTOURING/HIGHLIGHTS: The bronzer included with this is super pigmented, when using the bronzer, turn the pressure/speed almost all the way down when spraying it & try to do a sweeping action along your cheekbones or wherever your contouring. If the pressure is too high, its dramatic & may cause you to start all over again, washing off all your makeup, wasting makeup & time & its frustrating!! For the highlighting I would say the same, turn the pressure down....the highlights are an easier fix though, if you get too close, spray a little of your foundation over it to tone it down.QUICK FIX FOR A MESS UP Since this is water based, if you mess up, get too close when trying to conceal something, bronzer/blush too dark, ect....I have found that if you have a beauty blender, soak it in water then squeeze out the excess, so the blender is just damp, you can lightly dab your mess up with the damp blender & it will blend your makeup in..DONT RUB!!. Rubbing with the wet blender will rub off your makeup..once it's blended in a bit or the blender takes off a bit off the excess, then spray a light layer of your foundation color over top once its dry. This should cover up/blend nicely.CREASING UNDER EYES I'm adding this tip because as it wasn't a problem with my makeup, it was when applying this to my mom. She's in her 70's, wears glasses & anytime I spray near her eyes, she has the tendency to squint really tight...so basically, when she opens her eyes, she has makeup laying on top of where she was squinting that didn't cover lines. There's a few different ways I found to correct this...The damp blender....Dabbing the foundation in lightly right after applying it...then once covered lightly, spraying over her entire face from further way, seems to do the trick nicely. Turning the pressure down to low, so there's not as much air blowing out when spraying the eye area & you're not squinting as tight....you can basically keep your eyes open when the pressure is that low because it doesn't feel like a blast of air. Also, applying an under eye concealer after moisturizing, before foundation, then just normal light layers over then entire face. The foundation will blend over the concealer. Another suggestion is if you see creasing under your eyes once you're done airbrushing & all of your makeup has dried...take setting powder & lightly brush this area & it will all blend in.CANT FIND YOUR SHADE This was a big problem for me at first until I heard about back bubbling your gun to mix colors. All you do is put in a few drops of different shades...put your finger over the nozzle that it sprays out of & pull your trigger back slightly. The foundation will start to bubble & mix up. Let this settle for a minute & you've got a whole new shade to try. You can also do this with adding a drop or two of the highlight to your normal shade for a more glowing/dewy look if your not a fan of the matte/porcelain look.IN A HURRY If your in a hurry, running late ect & want your makeup to set quicker between layers, put fewer drops into your gun, do a light layer, then once the gun is empty, go over your foundation w/ just air, it will dry it/set it quicker & you won't have to wait a few minutes between layers & can then apply more as needed without your makeup looking caked on!!CONCEALING FIRST If you have a scar, acne scab, mole ect that's a lot darker then your skin, airbrushing will conceal it by going in closer & concentrating on that area, but, putting too much makeup on it to cover might make that area look cakey until you get the hang of airbrushing....I have dabbed a little concealer on an area, then went over with the airbrush foundation & it covered perfectlyPLAY WITH COLORS TO MAKE YOUR OWN EYE SHADOWS I have found the darker shades & the blushes also work great as an eye shadow....what I've done is taken a darker shade, added a drop or two of the highlight for a sparkle effect, back bubbled it until it was mixed, turned the pressure down to low so you can get in closer & concentrate on that area & used this as a eye shadow. You can get paper to hold over your brow or under your eye if your worried about the color going elsewhere, most cosmetic stores & amazon also sell eye shadow stencils if you want to invest, but paper works great for me. I usually make more of the darker then needed, say for the eye crease & outer corners of your eye, then once those areas are done, I put a drop or two of light foundation into it to go over the brow bone area...that way I have the same color but just lighter/darker...if that makes sense. Once i'm done with the color that I like, rinse any excess out of the gun, wait until its dry then add about two drops of highlight & spray over my entire eye area from further away/low pressure & it makes my eyes pop & gives my upper cheekbone area a nice glow....just a suggestionPOWDERS AFTER ARE OK!! If you just want to create a base using airbrush & get a flawless foundation look, once this is dry, you can use your normal powder blush, or powder highlight/bronzer for contour, setting powders ect, afterwards. You don't have to choose between one or the other & it took me a little while to realize this when I bought this...I'm used to contouring/highlighting & until I got the hang of doing it with the airbrush, I did it using powders & there was no problem at all with airbrush coming off or it not sticking to the airbrushed foundation...just apply your powders lightly with brushesMy overall review...in short, lol, I will not go back to using normal foundation after using this!! My skin seems healthier...since switching to airbrushing, I no longer have breakouts & even after I wash this off, my skin feels softer in general. Aeroblend customer service is the best! If you read this review, you've seen I've had my issues & they were there, nice & had no problem at all answering questions or going above & beyond to make sure I was happy. I would highly recommend purchasing this!!