Tuesday, January 19, 2010

SK-II Air Touch Foundation vs. TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System

At first I was going to just do a review on the SK-II Air Touch Foundation alone but I changed my mind by adding TEMPTU to it. So you can see what's good and bad about these two products together.



First of all, what do they do?
Basically, they're both foundations using airbrush technology to deliver even and flawless finish. The SK-II Air Touch Foundation (SK-II) looks luxury and cute while the TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System (TEMPTU) looks professional.

Price?
Very expensive for both. SK-II is $165 for the machine which include one 5ml foundation pouch and TEMPTU machine costs $225 (foundation not included). Refills: SK-II 5ml x2 costs $90 and TEMPTU 8ml x2 costs $55.

Availability?
You can only get SK-II at Saks or Bloomingdales and TEMPTU at Sephora.

Now let's get down to the details.

Technology wise, TEMPTU uses a compressor to blow out air which sprays the foundation onto your face. You need to move the hand quickly and in a small circular motion all over the face in order to avoid unevenness. SK-II uses better technology - ionization powered by battery. The foundation will be sprayed in a fine mist and only trapped on the skin, not your hair or clothes. I hate to see my lashes and brows covered by foundation with the TEMPTU.

Foundation itself, TEMPTU uses professional silicone-based formula and SK-II has its signature Pitera and hydrators which are added bonus to your skin. I don't think my skin appreciates the silicone much because my face got oily very easily with TEMPTU and it broke me out after using it. Besides that, I find the strong scent of TEMPTU very annoying. So SK-II wins on this one again. It's not smart to add a strong scent to a face product. You will end up either love it or hate it. Sadly TEMPTU falls into the second category.

The finish. SK-II is fairly sheer and light but the coverage is build-able. The finish is dewy yet natural. I normally count 30 for the whole face. But you can do more if you like. Again even though TEMPTU has a dial to control the air flow and trigger for the foundation dispensing, I still find it lack of precise control. It'd be nice if the air doesn't blow so strong. I guess I'm just used to the SK-II's fine mist. The finish of the TEMPTU is a lot heavier and wetter looking.

Staying power. Both will stay put for over 4 hours before I need to touchup (I have oily T-zone).

Color selection. SK-II only comes in 4 shades while TEMPTU has 12 shades to choose from. I'm lucky enough to have a match from SK-II but if you have very dark skin, then it's a shame that you just can't find your shade.

Portability. SK-II is small enough to fit in your bag but I doubt that anyone will actually do that. TEMPTU apparently can only be used at home.

Ease of installation. I personally think SK-II is a little bit tricky but definitely do-able. The TEMPTU is rather easy if you follow the direction.



There're 3 settings on the SK-II, on, off and the droplet (you can use it for concealing purpose). The silver button is the trigger.





This is how the refill looks like. It's a big package with a small refill pouch inside though.



TEMPTU AIR pod foundation. Sometimes it can be hard to take the cap off.




I usually find it easier to do concealer first then the spray ons. Because the whole point of using airbrush is to achieve the natural flawless finish, adding concealer will ruin the perfectly sprayed "canvas". Then I let it dry and do the rest of the makeup. Or you can do everything except the mascara and lipstick first then spray.

Does it worth the money?
Yes if you can afford it. I admit that both are really expensive compared to the traditional brushes, sponges and fingers, but you just can't achieve the same flawless result with those. The beauty blender's finish is a lot closer to flawless but still not the same. Also they're much hygienic than the traditional foundation. Some people may think that since the foundation is so little that it makes it even more expensive. But it's actually not that bad. My SK-II can usually last for 3 or 4 months and TEMPTU should be about the same. Come to think of it, you buy a bottle of 25ml foundation for example, you waste some on your brushes, sponges and fingers. You switch to a different shade or even get yourself some other brand. You end up throwing it into your makeup pile anyway. When you dig it up again from the pile, it's already expired.

One last thing to remember, always close your eyes and hold your breath when using this kind of products. There's no makeup remover for the lungs right?


4 comments:

Crystal said...

wow, looks really high tech, but too expensive!! Haha, but it seems really nice.

Anonymous said...

doesnt sound like you have tried temptu? it doesnt get in your hair or on your lashes at all

Fruity Lashes said...

TEMPTU does get on my hair and lashes unless you avoid those areas. It gets on everywhere you spray it. I do reviews based on my personal experience.

Crystal: =) like the crystal ball you got!

Laura L said...

ha, very interesting TEMPTU... wink!

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