The body makeup table backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Show
I get a lot of questions about which airbrush gun I use to contour during spray tanning.
My favorite is the Iwata Revolution Dual Action 2000 Series, which I’ve been using since the very beginning. This gun is nice and light, bottom-feeding, easy to control, and the output is a cone-shaped spray, not flat and fan-shaped like many HVLP systems produce.
Since there are no straight lines in contouring, a fan-shaped spray produces an unrealistic, “stenciled” appearance that is hard to work with. I also love that you can pull back on the trigger to increase and decrease the volume of the output, without having to adjust your compressor’s PSI. It truly is PERFECT for contouring!
If you’re already using an HVLP as your main system, don’t panic! Base tans can be applied quickly using an HVLP, and many everyday clients really value a speedy spray tan. I recommend keeping the HVLP for speedy base tans, and adding a contouring gun and compressor to your studio for the more artistic contouring sessions.
Makeup artists – working on a big show with a lot of other artists? Add colored duct tape to your airbrush guns so you don’t get them mixed up!
To keep your guns clean as a whistle, run water through them after each airbrush session (or at the end of the day, if you run a busy salon), and soak them in Windex for about 20 minutes every week. For deep cleaning, take the gun apart, and soak it in Windex overnight.
