The 8 Best Airbrush Makeup Kits for Flawless Skin, According to Experts
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Sometimes, even the best foundations and hydrating concealers don’t give you the long-wearing, smooth coverage you’re after. That’s where airbrush makeup comes into play. Once regarded as solely useful for brides on the big day or celebs sauntering down the red carpet, airbrush makeup is now apropos for at-home use. Whether you’re looking to take your makeup game to new heights or searching for a new foundation to try, investing in one of the best airbrush makeup kits might be precisely what you need for a Paris-filter makeup look.
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Designed to give your skin a soft-focused, imperfection-filtering finish, airbrush makeup kits distribute a weightless and controlled ultra-fine mist, which evenly coats your face or body in blurring pigment. This technique prevents your makeup from sinking into your pores or accentuating unwanted texture, making airbrushed makeup ideal for blurring the appearance of everything from pores and acne to fine lines and scars.
Airbrush makeup helps you achieve your desired glam without heavy layers of product. But these systems also offer the same customizable and buildable sheer-to-full coverage as your trusty makeup brush sets or beauty sponges. Just like the best makeup kits, many airbrush devices also come equipped with several beauty products, including foundation, blush, bronzer, and highlighter, plus primers and setting sprays to ensure that your skin is perfectly prepped and locked in for long-lasting results. Because airbrush makeup is less likely to smudge or smear, makeup artist Stephanie Flor likes to use airbrush products on her clients for day-long celebrations like weddings, or when she’s applying makeup on clients in a hot, humid environment.
Below, explore the eight best airbrush makeup kits for pore-blurring, skin-enhancing results.
The Best Airbrush Makeup Kits of 2023
Best Airbrush Makeup for Everyday Use: Sephora Mist Airbrush Foundation
Best Overall Kit: Temptu Air Airbrush Makeup Starter Kit
Best Budget-Friendly Professional Kit: Art of Air Professional Airbrush Makeup Kit
Best Radiant Finish Kit: Luminess Air Basic Airbrush Makeup System
Best Shade Range: Belloccio Airbrush Makeup Kit
Best for Beginners: MagicMinerals Deluxe AirBrush Foundation by Jerome Alexander Set
Best Mineral Makeup Kit: Mineral Air 4-Piece Complexion Starter Kit
Best Professional Kit: Kett Mini Jett Airbrush Makeup Starter Kit
Sephora Mist Airbrush Foundation
Best Airbrush Makeup for Everyday Use
Number of shades: 5
Coverage level: Medium
Finish: Matte-satin
Pros: Travel-friendly and easy to apply
Cons: Limited shade range
For those new to the world of airbrush makeup, it’s best to start off as basic as possible. Enter: Sephora’s Mist airbrush foundation, which you can use to experiment with the spray application, sans the commitment of buying a complete kit. If you get easily frustrated with foundations settling into wrinkles and creases, this product lets you spray to your desired level of coverage without any creasing. It blends with ease and provides a super refined, photo-ready finish.
Sephora Mist Airbrush Foundation
Temptu Air Airbrush Makeup Starter Kit
Best Airbrush Makeup Kit
Number of shades: 24
Coverage level: Sheer to full
Finish: Semi-matte
Pros: Expansive shade range, cordless, lightweight
Cons: May require some blending with a brush or sponge after application
Boasting a cordless design that allows for maximum flexibility, precision and control, the Temptu Air Airbrush Starter Kit uses the brand’s Atomized Airflow Technology to create a smooth and even micro-fine mist that instantly enhances the look of your skin using three spray levels. The kit comes with the travel-friendly Temptu Air device and a foundation Air Pod, which delivers a soft-matte, pore-refining and radiance-boosting finish and offers more coverage than average formulas. And, in case you needed any more convincing, it’s earned a spot on our list of all-time best makeup gift sets to give (or keep for yourself). “Airbrush works in layers, and it’s important you work at finding your technique that covers naturally, 360 degrees,” Flor says. “Unlike traditional makeup, it’s not bendable so you’ll want to make sure you work in circles when you apply.”
Temptu Air Airbrush Makeup Starter Kit
Art of Air Professional Airbrush Makeup Kit
Best Budget-Friendly Professional Airbrush Makeup Kit
Number of shades: 6
Coverage level: Sheer to full
Finish: Natural
Pros: Includes moisturizing primer, blush, and bronzer
Cons: Not suitable for dark skin tones; tricky to clean
Equipped with all of your makeup essentials, including foundation, blush, bronzer and highlight, the Art of Air Professional Airbrush Cosmetic Makeup System delivers professional-level results with its innovative ultra-fine mist system. Stocked with the brand’s Mini Airbrush compressor and Precision Single-Action Gravity Feed airbrush, the device performs with the utmost precision and control to create a natural-looking, sun-kissed glow. The set also includes six foundations ranging across the fair and medium categories: the Tropical bronzer, Pink Papaya blush, an anti-aging moisturizing primer, an airbrush cleaning solution and a carrying bag to comfortably and chicly house your kit. For deeper skin tones, you can get the foundations in the shade ranges Tan and Dark separately.
Art of Air Professional Airbrush Makeup Kit
Luminess Air Basic Airbrush Makeup System
Best Radiant Finish Airbrush Makeup Kit
Number of shades: 7 per kit, 5 kit shades to choose from
Coverage level: Full
Finish: Radiant
Pros: Formula contains skin care ingredients like vitamin C, cucumber extract, and licorice extract
Cons: May spray too much product for those looking for a light application
Designed to deliver long-lasting and skin-perfecting results, the Luminess Air Basic Airbrush System erases the look of discoloration and unwanted texture with its advanced full-throttle Stylus, which distributes an ultra-fine mist that evenly covers your face and camouflages the look of everything from acne, enlarged pores and dark spots to fine lines, dark circles and scars. Each product is made up of a water-based formula to ensure a dewy, radiant glow and prevent your glam from looking creased or caked on. The set includes the Basic Airbrush System, the no-mess Stylus, an AC adapter, four bottles of the Silk 4-in-1 foundation, one bottle of primer, one bottle of the Skin Brightening Glow and one bottle of blush.
Luminess Air Basic Airbrush System
Belloccio Airbrush Makeup Kit
Best Shade Range
Number of shades: 17
Coverage level: Medium to full
Finish: Semi-matte
Pros: Three airflow settings; hypoallergenic
Cons: Difficult to clean; small bottles of makeup
Perfect for beginners and professional makeup artists looking to expand their kit, the Belloccio airbrush Makeup System includes a master set of 17 foundation shades, ensuring that all the basics are covered. In addition to providing the brand’s full collection of foundation, the set also comes with four cream concealers, six beauty sponges for touch-ups, an anti-aging primer for prep, a finishing spray to set and an airbrush cleaner. But of course, the real stars of the kit are the three airflow-setting airbrush compressor and cosmetic airbrush, which features a dual-action trigger to create fine-tuned precision sprays for flawless results.
Belloccio Airbrush Makeup System
MagicMinerals Deluxe AirBrush Foundation by Jerome Alexander Set
Best Airbrush Makeup for Beginners
Number of shades: 12
Coverage level: Sheer
Finish: Matte
Pros: Includes primer and setting spray to extend wear time
Cons: May not feel comfortable for sensitive skin types
For those looking for an airbrushed finish without the use of devices and tools, the MagicMinerals Deluxe AirBrush Foundation by Jerome Alexander Set delivers the same professional results with its expertly engineered spray foundation. Offering a fast-drying, even and ultra-fine mist, this innovative foundation prevents creasing, smudging and running while minimizing the appearance of pores, wrinkles and unwanted texture for a soft-focus filtered look. The set includes the Liquid Silk Primer to prep the skin, the Airbrush Foundation and the AirFinish Setting Spray, plus two makeup brushes for touch-ups.
MagicMinerals Deluxe AirBrush Foundation by Jerome Alexander Set
Mineral Air 4-Piece Complexion Starter Kit
Best Mineral Airbrush Makeup Kit
Number of shades: 8
Coverage level: Medium
Finish: Satin
Pros: Fragrance-free, cruelty-free
Cons: Product may dispense in clumps when formula is running out
Available in 11 shades that cater to a variety of undertones, the Mineral Air 4-Piece Complexion Starter Kit creates an ultra-fine mist using the touchless application device, which is a compact and portable device that evenly covers your face without the mess, smudging, and caking of traditional formulas and makeup brushes. The set also comes with the brand’s four-in-one mineral foundation, a weightless, skin-perfecting and long-wearing formula that imparts the skin with a silky-smooth and radiant glow for up to 10 hours.
Mineral Air 4-Piece Complexion Starter Kit
Kett Mini Jett Airbrush Makeup Starter Kit
Best Professional Airbrush Makeup Kit
Number of shades: 15 foundation shades, 5 blush shades, 4 highlighter shades
Coverage level: Sheer to full
Finish: Semi-matte
Pros: High-quality, long-lasting device
Cons: Expensive
With more than a dozen shades to choose from, the Kett Mini Jett starter kit may be an investment, but if you’re serious about upping your airbrush makeup situation, it contains everything you need. This set comes with four different collections: foundation, blush, contour and shimmer. On top of that, you’ll get setting powders and a large carrying case to store all the goods. “This is my go-to when it comes to my airbrush needs,” Flor says. “For me, it’s in the quality of the foundations they make. The colors work with all skin tones and textures, which is important.”
Kett Mini Jett Airbrush Makeup Starter Kit
Airbrush vs. Traditional Makeup
Texture and application technique are the main differences between airbrush and traditional makeup. Airbrush makeup dispenses in an ultra-fine mist, similar to how hairspray diffuses from an aerosol can, for a diffused finish. Traditional foundations typically require a brush or makeup sponge for easy blending, but the best airbrush makeup applies evenly as you mist it onto your complexion. Most airbrush makeup contains silicones for longer-lasting pigments, and many traditional foundations are now silicone-free. However, the two types of makeup have some similarities: You can shop both types of makeup in a range of coverage levels and finishes, from satin to matte. Both kinds are buildable, but you may find it easier to achieve a fuller coverage finish with airbrush makeup.
What to Look For in the Best Airbrush Makeup Kits
Cleansing requirements: “The cleaning process is usually what makes the user stop using airbrush longterm,” Flor explains. So if you’re the type to never clean your makeup brushes, opt for an airbrush foundation in an aerosol can — you can easily wipe down the nozzle between uses without dismantling the device. Always check the manual to ensure you’re handling your device properly, which will extend its lifespan.
Airflow settings: Airbrush kits with multiple airflow settings give you more control on how much product you mist onto your skin. Those who prefer sheer coverage should go with systems that have two to three settings, so you can ease up on the pigments on areas where you don’t want as much coverage.
Size and weight: This boils down to personal preference and lifestyle. If you want to take your airbrush routine on the go, a cordless device or aerosol product is best. Those who are looking for full coverage at home will love having a plug-in, professional device — these will give you good coverage for years.
How To Use an Airbrush Makeup Kit
To prep, it’s important to exfoliate regularly to prevent any build-up within your pores. Go with a gentle chemical exfoliant with hydrating properties, like lactic acid, to prevent any sensitivity or scratching on your skin from harsher physical scrubs.
Ensure that your skin is clean and moisturized before applying any airbrush makeup. Try a lightweight face moisturizer and give it a minute or two to dry down before applying makeup.
Skip your makeup primer, as the texture could compromise the effectiveness of the airbrush makeup application.
Follow the instructions on the product’s manual to apply the product. Generally, it’s recommended to work in small circles around the application area while holding the airbrush applicator a good 6 to 8 inches away from your face.
For extra staying power, finish your look with a light dusting of setting powder which will lock the makeup in place.
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