Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios: December 2013

From all of us at the studio, Happy Holidays!

Click here to view our Holiday Slideshow recapping 2013's highlights

Hello, friends-

It's that time of year again! The time when we have the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and a lot of holiday get togethers. The time when we reflect on this year's accomplishments and memories, while thinking ahead to next year's goals. We are so thankful that you were a part of our world this year, and that you let us be a part of yours. It's been an honor and a privilege.

We are grateful that we got to create amazing experience for clients, to help them look and feel their best for their biggest events, shoots, projects, and moments in their lives- both personally and professionally. It is in those moments that our talents become a gift.

We have enjoyed fruitful collaborations with colleagues and vendors to further grow our work and the delivery to our clients. We thank those folks for their sense of community and support.

The studio space we moved into almost two years ago has become our forever home. It is a wonderful gathering place for clients and artists to become empowered and inspired. It's professional, yet warm, eclectic, and inviting. We are looking forward to creating more experiences in our space for everyone.

And a huge thanks to our family and friends. It is that support system that we need to stay dedicated to our fast-paced industry. You believe in our passion for the work we do, and you support us with your positivity and understanding...for working most nights and weekends while you are off.

I would also like to personally thank the studio team for their professionalism and dedication. I am happy to have been able to grow the studio by offering more staffing with our exclusive team. We are the pulse of the client experience and the pride you have in your work and respect for them shows.

2013 was a big year for us! We grew our services by offering more classes for artists and private clients, taking on bigger bridal parties and events, and launching photography services. We also celebrated five years in business! Stay tuned for an announcement in 2014 for an event to celebrate that achievement.

We're looking forward to offering more client experiences and offerings next year! See you then!

To you and yours!

Cheers,

Brett Dorrian

Brett Dorrian: Owner and Lead Artist of Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios

A Clean Beauty Makeup Application with Integrated Airbrush Foundation

As a professional makeup artist, I started offering airbrush services to clients several years ago- when the trend was really becoming more popular. Brides especially requested airbrush services because they heard it was totally the way to go for long wedding days and making sure the makeup stayed on. And they were right on- airbrush makeup is a great tool to help with longevity and making foundation more water resistant. It also helps with discoloration and texture issues (i.e. scar cover, acne cover, and tattoo cover).

There are different formulations of airbrush makeup that are meant for different skin types, coverage, and parts of the body (i.e. face vs. body painting). Your artist should be able to make a good decision about what route to go based on your needs if you inquire about hiring airbrush services.

A "Before" Picture with No Makeup On

There is definitely a split among clients who have had airbrush makeup done before: they either LOVE it, or they HATE it. Whatever their opinion is of it, they've decided it's the airbrush makeup they like or loathe. But, it really comes down to the talent and approach of the artist. The airbrush foundation and equipment is just one more tool in our arsenal of options to create makeup designs. It's just like anything in makeup- you can hand two artists the same brush and same purple eyeshadow, and they'll create two different eye designs based on talent, experience, and approach/style. The same is true for airbrush makeup.

Left Side: No Correction | Right Side: Traditional Cream Neutralizers and Correction Only

I am a big proponent of doing sheer color correction in traditional cream bases and neutralizers BEFORE going in with airbrush makeup. I base my style in color theory. What that means is that I like to do my underpainting and correction first. Otherwise, you would just have to spray a tremendous amount of airbrush makeup on the face to cancel out the discoloration issues (that everyone has to some degree in their skin).

Left Side: Too Many Layers of Airbrush Makeup | Right Side: Sheer Correction with Sheer Airbrush (My Approach)

If you look at this picture closely, you can see that the left side (too many layers of airbrush only) is dull and actually pulls out texture in the skin, making it look older and more tired than it actually is. Doing too many layers of airbrush to cover blemishes and discoloration is overkill. That will create more clients that hate airbrush makeup. But, when you embrace color theory, do your correction, and then add airbrush in as a step that works congruently with your other foundation steps, it's a winning combination.

Personally, I choose to only use airbrush for foundation, scar cover, acne cover, tattoo cover, and injury cover. I do not prefer to airbrush eyebrows and eyeshadow. I like to still build designs traditionally with a brush in my hand to create my signature style for clients for brows, eyes, cheeks, and lips.

If you're thinking about choosing airbrush foundation for your makeup service, here are 5 questions you should ask your artist:

1. Do you do concealer and color correction before airbrush, or airbrush only?

2. Do you use water-based or silicone-based airbrush makeup and why?

3. How long have you been airbrushing?

4. Do you have back-up equipment in case something goes wrong with the compressor or airbrush gun?

5. Would you recommend that do airbrush foundation and why?

*Anyone experienced will know these answers and will be happy to help educate you about the "what" and "why" of airbrushing

We include airbrush foundation with all of our bridal makeup packages since it really does create a perfect, glowing skin that still looks like skin- when used well.

Here are some examples of before/after snapshots showing varying degrees of natural and glam designs.