Airbrush Your Flaws Away

For makeup junkies, the new Temptu home airbrushing system poses a puzzler: Just how much is flawless worthDo I hear $323Maybe $445Now available through Sephora stores and Sephora.com, Temptu's AIRbrush Makeup System claims to be the first airbrush makeup applicator designed specifically for the nonprofessional home user.Airbrushing - applying makeup by spraying it onto the face through an air compressor - has long been used for magazine photo shoots and movie makeup. Hollywood is where the Temptu company began; it created the albino villain's pallor in 2006's "The Da Vinci Code."But the tools were handled by a small army of professionals. Can airbrushing work for the average gal Yes, but there's a hitch.The Temptu system is considerably more complicated than scooping out a fingerful from a tub of cocoa-colored goo. It's more twitchy and difficult to use - and much more expensive.The first step to the system is the AIRbrush ($225), a plug-in electric air compressor with an applicator shaped similar to a fat pen. This, by itself, does nothing. You have to add to it an AIR pod ($55), such as a chic silver egg filled with a thin, silicone-based foundation. Crack open the egg along its center line, slot one end into the end of the pen, turn on the air compressor, and at last you're ready to start.Well, almost. The AIR pod needs a little coaxing. When you open the egg, first its narrow openings must be plunged with a small plastic stick to open its tiny airways. Then it needs a good shake to loosen the contents. The internal tubes and openings must be carefully slotted into those of the AIRbrush; misaslign them, and the system blows you a raspberry.All this delicate assembly takes more time than the average working woman most likely allots for her entire beauty routine - and even then, it doesn't always work. Application is fiddly, too; just as a bottle of spray paint, it works best held just about six inches from what you're trying to paint. Farther away, and you don't get any coverage; too close, and you'll get clumps and streaks.But once the system is up and running, it's delightfully worthwhile.The aerated foundation turns into a light, ever-so-slightly damp mist that settles delicately onto the skin. It's so fine an application, you'll get little faint bare patches underneath each eyelash. It even has a faint sweet, powdery smell. And once you get a thorough, even application on - which may take some practice - it'll erase all sign of pores, splotches or discoloration.It's almost shocking; for a minute, when you put down the applicator, you'll see your own younger self in the mirror.And isn't that what makeup is forOf course, you're not finished yet. You've got a few more steps to apply - and a little more money to spend. The AIRbrush system also includes AIR pod highlighters ($35) and AIR pod blushes ($30); more little silver eggs that slot onto the applicator and finish the look.Finally, there's also the Retouch Powder ($43 to $47) to be used to set the airbrushing foundation in place and fix it up if any should come off. There's no denying it: Given unlimited funds and a few hours of work a day, the Temptu system offers anyone skin as flawless as a magazine cover girl's - at least for a little while. (Utterly unscientific tests found that a generous application of Temptu will withstand heat, humidity and long office meetings for about five hours. That's a wedding, people.)But is a half-day of perfection worth a month's rent and getting up two hours earlier in the morningOnly you can decide.