W (cover): Spray Paint: How Makeup Airbrushes Can Give You the Perfect Face
W (feature): Mist Opportunity
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Mist Opportunity
An innovative spray-on makeup line gives a new meaning to retouching.
PHOTO BY RICHARD PIERCE
Seven years ago, Turkish-born, New York-based makeup artist Feride Uslu introduced her friends to a new way she'd begun applying foundation: pouring it into a graphic artist's airbrushing machine, which then sprayed it on in a fine mist. Uslu lugged her new face-saver to photo shoots and runway shows, but its 10-pound weight posed a challenge for the petite redhead. So Uslu's husband and partner, Jan Mihm, found something better - and lighter: a pastry airbrush. It sprayed far more delicately, to prevent damage to hypothetical cake frosting. Of course, Uslu went thru more than a dozen of the fragile contraptions in two years. "I still get catalogs", laughs Mihm. "They think I'm a klutzy baker."
The only thing left for the couple to do was design their own makeup airbrush. The daunting task took more than two years and numerous experts, including electrical and airbrush engineers and a furniture designer. Finally, last November, they created Uslu Airlines Airflow System, a portable version that is smaller - and lighter - than your average Discman and is available to amateur makeup artists at Barney's New York, as well as www.usluairlines.com.
Cosmetic airbrushing is rapidly escalating in popularity. Celebreties and socialites are flocking to day spas to stand in enclosed booths while self-tanning lotion shoots from goof-proof multiple faucets. Even Oscar winner Adrien Brody proudly got his golden glow from airbrush tan expert Layla Fayyad, owner of the Los Angeles salon Visage de Layla. Some salons and day spas, such as Completely Bare in New York, even offer airbrush "abs" and "cleavage". A few beauty companies have tried creating at-home spray-on foundations, but none has made much of a splash so far.
It's not really fair, though, to compare a glorified can of spray paint to Uslu's high-powered machine. The steady, targeted mist ensures that foundation application is consistent, while a lever adjusts coverage from an ultrasheer veil to a more opaque layer. Uslu claims the Airflow uses only 10 percent of the foundation traditionally applied by a sponge or fingers, which goes some way toward justifying its $461 price.
Even before its recent U.S. debut at Barneys (it's been in Paris' Colette since January), the Airflow gained an impressive fan base. Model Karolina Kurkova still raves about the experience:"It's the best way to put on foundation," she says. "It feels so light on your skin; not heavy or caked on."
The Uslu Airlines range also includes sprayable liquid foundation, blush and eye color (any brand other than Uslu's could result in a clog), alongside non-spray mascaras, lipsticks, powders and concealers. Other fans seen on the Airflow's accompanying instructional video include quick learner Chloë Sevigny, who confidently progresses to spray on blush, then gold and black eye-shadow. "It's really easy to do eyes and cheeks," explains Uslu. "You move the wand back and forth, check in the mirror every few seconds, then continue. It's a lot easier than you'd think."
And less time consuming, too. One drop of the foundation is usually more than enough for most faces and takes less than a minute to apply, no blending required. If eyes or cheeks follow, the color can be dropped into the wand directly over the foundation. The excess can be sprayed onto a tissue until the blush or shadow appears. Daily maintenance consists of simple rinsing, and more thorough cleaning needs to be done about every othet month.
Each bottle of Uslu Airlines liquid makeup costs $38, but given its creator's economic 10 percent claim, the cost-per-drop is tiny. Which certainly can't be said for most paint jobs.
Airbrushing moves from magazine covers to makeup with the Uslu Airlines Airflow System.
- JANE LARKWORTHY
W, New York, 06/2003, cover and page 76
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