Makeup Tools

How often do you glance at a magazine photo spread and enviously draw your fingers over the page? No one’s skin can be that perfect, you think, studying the model’s face. It’s like the pores have all been airbrushed away!

What is the Temptu?

Now you can have pro-caliber post-production skin, and you can get it from the comfort of your own home. Skin nirvana is just a Temptu away. With their AIRbrush Makeup System, you’ll be staring at yourself in the mirror, wondering if you’re seeing something real, or a cruel trick of light.

The Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System ($225) is available exclusively through Sephora or Temptu’s own website (I prefer to deal with the brand itself).

Dealing directly with the company

Using the company’s Shade Finder tool, you can upload a picture of yourself (don’t forget to smile!) and list your current brand of foundation, as well as the shade you use. Within a day or two, you’ll receive an email recommending the Temptu foundation, blush, and highlighter shades ($55 for two foundation AIRpods; $30 for each blush; $35 for highlighters) they believe you should try.

One reason I prefer to deal with Temptu directly is that I’ve never had much luck with Sephora’s shade matcher girls. I’m not sure whether to attribute it to the lighting in the stores (shows every blemish, rough spot and acne scar I have), or to something else, but whenever I try to match my foundation in Sephora, I end up walking out of the store with a shade that’s either too light or too dark.

Temptu’s online tool, however, picked the shades I would have chosen for myself, and their online color representations look spot-on.

With Temptu’s “Build-a-Bundle Starter Set,” rather than purchasing the system, the foundation duo, the blush, and the highlighter separately at MSRP, you can bundle your shades (hopefully the ones you were matched to) from three drop-down menus, and they’ll combine them for you to the tune of a $50 savings.

The packaging

If you’re a packaging nerd like I am, I think you’ll be impressed. The system itself is housed in a magnetic closure box, and nestled in a fitted plastic container that rests over the other components: air-hose, power source, instructional DVD, and warranty. Glossy minimalism at its best.

The DVD wasn’t what I expected, and I think the printed instructions are much more useful overall. Airbrushing and applying makeup with a brush or sponge are totally different beasts, and the DVD isn’t much more than pretty cinematography. Sure, it’s well laid out, but the model has nearly perfect skin already. Fine for a fashion spread or a virtual look book, but for real people like us who want to learn how to conceal a blemish or dark under-eyes, I recommend reading the manual or looking up a YouTube video posted by a consumer instead.

The airbrush that comes with the Starter Set is the same one that comes with the Temptu air professional compressor, sans the battery pack. Instead, a rubber muffler is glued to the underside (thank goodness, as this thing produces a rather loud rumbling noise when turned on) of this model. If you had hoped to purchase a battery for it, quash them now. This version must be used near a power source. That said, the power cord is rather long.

The proprietary gun rests inside a stand above the machine, and its beautiful! That is, until you pick it up. The shiny, brushed-metal-esque plastic attracts fingerprints like mad. Not that that affects its performance in the slightest, but if you have issues with that type of thing, be prepared to keep a microfiber cloth nearby at all times.

Using the system

To begin using the system, take the rubber hose, and push one end into the hole underneath the PSI regulator (that knob with the white ring around it on one side), and the do the same with the other end and the gun. Next, take your first AIRpod (I assume you’ll be using the foundation one first), and remove the black cap on one end. Inside this cap is a little tool, held back by a piece of sticky tape. I needed a pair of tweezers to remove it, so be prepared. Take this tool, and poke it in and out of the red-rimmed hole on the now exposed end of the AIRpod (this is where the gun will connect to the product). Make sure to also remove the tape from the other end of the AIRpod as well (I learned this the hard way… So much product wasted!)

Temptu AIRbrush Makeup System Compressor

Now, here comes the tricky part. Hold down the small button on the side of the gun (this is extremely important), and slide the AIRpod in until you hear it click. You won’t know if it worked or not for another few seconds. ..

Push the button on top of the machine, and aim the gun at the back of your hand (you should be holding the gun like you would a large pencil or pen). You should feel a cool, gentle blast of air. With one finger, pull back the lever on the top of the gun itself. If it seems to kind of click instead of move smoothly, the AIRpod didn’t latch properly, and no product will come out. In this case, you’ll have to remove the AIRpod and reinsert it (I once had to do this four times to get it to work).

A gripe

And this is where one of my major gripes with the system comes in. It’s nearly impossible to get those little devils off! You’re meant to hold down that button on the side of the gun (make sure the machine is turned off for this) and simply slide the AIRpod right off. Nope. It’s a struggle. I often have to work it so hard that the hose pops off. I’ve tried wiggling it back and forth, pulling straight back, wrapping it in a towel and pulling… And if you have any sort of slippery material (lotion, etc.) on your hands, forget it. I think

Temptu AIRpods in Ivory, Pale Pink, and Champagne

Inside one of the AIRpods

I’ve honestly spent more time trying to remove these things (either to reinsert them to get them to latch, or to switch products) than actually applying what was in them! I get that they need a tight seal to work, but there definitely needs to be an easy-release tab or something.

Actually using the brush

Assuming, though, that the lever did move smoothly, you should see some product start to slowly build up on your hand. That’s good. Release the lever, and move it toward your face. The brush has a continuous airflow, so you’ll feel air being pushed from it even when you aren’t distributing product. Adjust the machine’s PSI regulator for whichever product you’re currently using (I prefer the middle to the high position for foundation; the middle to low setting for blush, highlighter, and concealing).
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