Airbrush makeup was introduced a couple of years ago and is becoming immensely famous among professional makeup artists. Although airbrush makeup gives a smooth application, there is some controversy that either traditional makeup is better or airbrush makeup. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of conventional and airbrush makeup.   

Traditional makeup is better in many ways. It is budget-friendly. It also saves your time; since you need to pump, apply, and go. Traditional makeup is hassle-free; you can clean makeup brushes at any time. Traditional makeup is also high coverage. The cons of conventional makeup are that it feels heavy on the skin and makes it unbreathable. It can also get cakey and irritate the skin. Due to thicker coverage, it is not very long-lasting. 

Airbrush makeup is thin and feels light on the skin. It is the best choice for people with oily skin. It is narrow in application and gives very natural coverage, which is also long-lasting. However, airbrush makeup is expensive. It can be a hassle, and the shade choices are limited.

What is traditional makeup?

The term “traditional makeup” is not new, and we all are familiar with it. Traditional makeup is the one in which we use makeup brushes for application. There exists a different brush for every purpose. For example, you use a flat brush for foundation, a small flat brush for concealer, a fluffy brush for eye makeup, and much more. 

Traditional makeup also means using your fingers or sponges for the application of the products. You take a small amount of product on the back of your palm or directly on your face, then you blend the product with either a brush, a sponge, or your fingers. Different methods of the application give different levels of coverage. Mixing with a makeup brush provides smooth and thin coverage. Dabbing the product with a sponge gives thick and even coverage. Blending with the help of fingers gives moderate coverage.   

What is Airbrush makeup?

Airbrush makeup is the latest makeup technique and is popular among professional makeup artists; it requires an airbrush gun for application. The airbrush gun has a compressor, a container, and a nozzle. The makeup product, i.e., foundation, concealer, or any other liquid makeup product, is poured into the box. The compressor helps create air pressure which then blows the makeup out from the nozzle onto the skin. 

Tiny particles of makeup products get deposited on the skin. Airbrush makeup does not need blending brushes for blending and application. The spraying nozzle of the airbrush gun helps in the application of makeup. The airbrushing phenomena are much like spray painting, where your skin is the canvas, and the makeup product in the airbrush gun is the paint. 

Which is better, traditional makeup or airbrush makeup?

It has been ages since makeup has become a part of our lives. With the evolution and advancement in all other fields, makeup has also become advanced. Initially, makeup was applied with the help of makeup brushes. Nowadays, makeup products are being sprayed on the face using a gun which is called airbrush makeup. Traditional makeup is not like airbrush makeup. Both techniques are entirely different. I prefer the traditional makeup for everyday and airbrush makeup for a real special occasion like my wedding but to each their own. Both the methods are famous worldwide; we cannot ignore any one of them.

Why is traditional makeup better?

Several reasons make traditional makeup better.

Budget-Friendly

Traditional makeup is pocket-friendly because it does not require any special tools. Makeup brushes come in all price ranges, and most of the time, even low-priced makeup brushes also do a great job.

The products used in traditional makeup also come in all price ranges. There is a massive variety of stuff, drugstore, and high-end stuff, available in the stores. It is easy to choose a product that matches your skin type and skin complexion while using traditional makeup.

Timesaving

Using traditional makeup is time-saving. You do not have to plug in any tools or pour something into a container etc. You must pump out the product and apply it to your skin using a makeup brush. It is also easy time-saving to spread the product on your skin evenly. 

Hassle Free

Traditional makeup is hustle-free. To do basic makeup, i.e., to apply foundation, concealer, blush on, and lipstick, you do not need to learn a lot. Also, before traditionally applying makeup, you do not need to clean your makeup brushes necessarily. Even after doing makeup, it doesn’t matter if you wash your makeup brushes immediately or not. You can do this task at any time whenever you are spared.

High Coverage

Traditional makeup uses a lot of stuff that helps you hide your imperfections well. Some of the things are color correctors, concealers, stick foundations, etc. All these products combined give you a very high coverage that lasts for hours. There is a step-by-step procedure for the application of traditional makeup. 

We start by hydrating the face. Then we apply primer. The next step is to color correct the areas of imperfection. An orange color corrector is applied under the eyes to neutralize pigmentation and dark circles, while a green color corrector is used to neutralize redness. After color correcting, we apply foundation. 

You apply foundation according to your choice. The layer of foundation can be thick or thin. Once the foundation is blended, a concealer is applied. After concealer, we use a setting powder. After this, blushers, bronzers, eyeshades, etc., are applied. In the end, setting spray is applied to keep the makeup in place for hours.   

Unlimited Choices

Traditional makeup has been in existence for more than 20 years. Till today, many companies have launched conventional makeup products. There are unlimited choices available to choose from when you opt for traditional makeup. Traditional makeup products are both drugstore and high-end. You can buy products according to your budget and preference.  

It comes in various skin types. The shades are also unlimited. The coverage of makeup will be different as well. Liquid foundations give lighter coverage and are best for daily use. Stick foundations offer a fuller range and are best for occasions and people with oily skin types. All these foundations have different compositions. Some tend to oxidize, while others stay the same for hours. 

Why is Traditional Makeup not Better?

Traditional makeup has been popular in the beauty industry for quite a long time. Although if we compare traditional makeup to airbrush makeup, there are some drawbacks of conventional makeup.

It feels heavy on the skin

Traditional makeup can include full coverage foundations which thoroughly cover the imperfections, such as stick foundations or pancake foundations. Other than these, people apply 2-3 of thin products to get fuller coverage. After foundation, we use face powder, concealer, and other products like a blush on, bronzers, and highlighters. All these products combined form a heavy layer of makeup on the skin. Due to this heavy layer, your skin does not feel breathable. 

Might get cakey

The thicker consistency of the products used in traditional makeup makes it a wrong choice. Due to the overuse of the products, your face can look cakey after a few hours of application.

Can irritate skin

Traditional makeup is much more likely to clog pores than airbrush makeup. It gets deposited into the skin, which then can clog pores and cause breakouts. The chemical materials used in traditional makeup can also cause allergies and skin irritation. 

It is also challenging to remove traditional makeup. You must use makeup remover, cleanser, and then an exfoliator to remove makeup. Make sure to remove makeup from every pore of the skin because if you don’t, you will have to face skin issues. 

Not very long-lasting

Traditional makeup is not very long-lasting, especially the one that we use in our daily routine. The thicker layer of makeup can crease on areas where you have folds on the skin. Other than this, it slips off easily from the places where you wish to make it stay. 

No matter how perfectly you conceal your acne using traditional makeup, it will slip off after a few hours. Traditional makeup products can advertise “12hlong-wear” or “24hlong-wear,” but nothing lasts for this long. Traditional makeup products also oxidize a lot. Due to oxidation, the makeup can turn grey after a few hours. 

Why is Airbrush Makeup better?

Some people prefer airbrush makeup over traditional makeup, and there are many reasons for this as well.

It feels light on the skin

As mentioned above, airbrush makeup consists of an airbrush gun used to spray the skin’s product. The particles of the product sprayed on the skin are very tiny, evenly deposited into the skin’s pores. A very thin layer of the product is enough to cover freckles, dark spots, pigmentation, and everything else. The thin layer makes your skin feel breathable while hiding all the imperfections well.

Long-lasting

Airbrush makeup is longer-lasting than traditional makeup because the thin layer of makeup does not easily crease or slip off. When airbrush makeup is used in combination with primer, setting powder, concealer, and setting spray, it lasts longer. 

Airbrush makeup is a good choice for special events like weddings or big parties. It is also a good choice for summers because the thin layer of makeup does not feel heavy on the skin. It lets your skin breathe for hours, even with the makeup on.

Best choice for people with oily skin type

Although airbrush makeup is suitable for all skin types, it is best suited for people with oily skin types. The reason is that airbrush makeup does not crease easily. Airbrush makeup also gives matte coverage, which helps control the skin’s shine caused by sebum products. The thin layer of primer and foundation lasts for a longer time on oily skin type.

It gives a natural finishing

The thin layer of product evenly spread on the face using an airbrush gun looks very natural. You can also call it “No makeup look.” If you use the perfect shade that matches your skin tone, nobody can say if you are wearing any makeup.

Why is Airbrush Makeup not better?

Many reasons make people choose traditional makeup over airbrush makeup. Below we will highlight all the reasons that make people refrain from airbrush makeup.

Airbrush makeup is expensive.

While summing up, we thought that traditional makeup would be expensive because it contains many products, but we were wrong. Airbrush makeup is a lot more costly than conventional makeup. Airbrush guns can cost you from $45 to $300. However, the gun is not much costly, but the makeup products you must use in airbrush makeup are expensive. One bottle of foundation can roughly cost $15 to $30.  

If you do not want to buy your airbrush makeup kit and want to get it done at a professional salon, airbrush makeup will cost you $100 or even more. Most professionals consider airbrush makeup an ad-on service. They will charge you a lot more than traditional makeup.    

Airbrush makeup can be a hustle. 

Although airbrush makeup creates a thin layer on the skin and can be worn for hours, airbrush is a great hustle. If you are a person who always gets ready at the last moment and then rushes to the destination in a hurry, then note that airbrush is not for you. When you do airbrush makeup at home, you need to have a full grip on the gun. Otherwise, thick layers of makeup will form on the skin. 

After using an airbrush makeup gun, you must clean it correctly as well. If you do not wash the gun, the products’ residue will deposit in the nozzle, which will block the nozzle. It would help if you also cleaned the container every time you wish to use a new product. For example, after applying bronzer, if you want to apply blush on, you must first clean the container. If you will not clean the box, there is a possibility that the blush on and bronzer can get mixed, and the color of blush on can get ruined.     

The choices are limited

The choices of products and shades are very limited in airbrush makeup. It might be difficult for you to choose your matching shade in airbrush makeup. Moreover, it might also be challenging to select a product according to your skin type. 

Products used in airbrush makeup are not very common. Unlike traditional makeup products, you cannot find makeup products used in airbrush makeup at every beauty store. Since the technique is not very common, very few beauty sellers keep stock of the products used in airbrush makeup. There is also a high chance of products running out of stock at outlets. In this case, you would have to order the products online and would have to for days or weeks.

Conclusion

Both beauty techniques have their pros and cons. We can’t say that one is better than the other. Traditional makeup is preferred by people who wish to achieve high coverage. Anyone who has a dry skin type can go for conventional makeup because it requires layering to prevent skin from patching. 

Airbrush makeup is suitable for special occasions and anyone who has an oily skin type. It is a good option if you want to spend some extra dollars on special events. If you wish to buy an airbrush gun and do it yourself, you will need some extra practice because you cannot do it perfectly in one go. While spraying makeup on the skin, you need to keep a 6-8 inches distance from the skin. The spray should be circular motions and ensure that the product does not deposit at one place on the skin.