One of my longtime trademarks is the “no-makeup” makeup look. When you see me on the red carpet or the cover of a magazine, my face is usually clean and simple. And until a few years ago, I’d always had perfect skin. But between multiple childbirths and the hormonal changes that come with babies and the eventual coming of midlife, my skin tone radically changed.
All of a sudden, my forehead, upper lips and cheeks became mottled with what looked like cumulous reddish-brown clouds of melanin, about four or five shades darker than the rest of my face. To me, it looked like a mild form of vitiligo or the hide of a spotted pony. Dealing with it definitely slowed my roll getting out of the door in the morning—and got me down—because if I didn’t cover it with makeup, it made me feel tattered-looking and old.
Then I found my daily saving grace: airbrushing on my foundation—and often the rest of my makeup—before I show my face to the world. For two years, the Temptu Air has been my makeup guardian angel. The small airbrush gun, with interchangeable pods of liquid foundations, blushes, eye shadows and bronzers, comes in a battery-operated model you can recharge with a USB port. Better yet, you can throw it in your purse or weekend bag and not worry about needing an arsenal of brushes, pots and powders for touch-ups—you just switch out the pods.
These days, my morning glow up includes being able to put a face on in five minutes flat, which for me means creating an even-toned, luminous complexion. Granted, there’s some technique involved in getting an airbrush foundation to lay down flawlessly on your face: First, there are three settings on the Temptu Air that control the flow of the fine mist, allowing you to build coverage as you go. Once you choose a setting, you then have to hold the spray gun 4 inches away from your face at a downward angle and move it in a constant, circular motion to avoid streaks and drips, which will happen if you pause too long in one spot. Lastly, it’s important to make sure to let the foundation dry down completely before adding another layer for more coverage.
Airbrush foundation is especially great for people who have sensitive skin or acne. With no brushes, sponges or the makeup being exposed to the bacteria on your hands and fingers, it minimizes the chances for irritation or breakouts.
My teen daughters use their SilkSphere foundation to protect their skin, while I use Temptu’s Hydralock long-wear formula to moisturize and prevent creasing on mine. For indelible brows on fleek, Temptu makes device called AirBrow and a range of stencils. You can even use it on your hair; Temptu has a root-touch-up spray range as well.
All in all, Temptu foundations come in 18 shades, which may not sound like a lot compared with current offerings of 40 shades of foundations (hi, Fenty Beauty); but Temptu and other airbrush foundations offer buildable, barely detectable, beautiful coverage. It’s one of my best-kept secrets as to why my skin looks so good—and why my co-workers often think I’m not wearing any makeup. Well, the secret’s out: Now you and the rest of The Root office know how I get my daily glow up!
The Glow Up gift tip: Temptu Airbrush Kits are an awesome gift for a woman on the fly (like our own Webb on the Fly, Veronica Webb). Not sure about her shade? Gift cards are always a perfect match!