Dan's Papers - July 3, 2009

It all started with high-definition TV. Makeup artists and TV celebrities started to worry that every flaw would not only be visible to the viewer, but in fact magnified. It seemed to make sense. After all, if you could clearly see spectators in the stands as you watched a sporting event on TV, then what would HDTV do to the human face?

Enter airbrush makeup - or re-enter. The airbrush was first used for makeup purposes in the '30s during the filming of Ben-Hur to paint hundreds of extras. Now, in 2009 when almost all programming is in high definition, that is still what airbrush makeup is best for: speed, crowd scenes and body makeup, not necessarily for makeup that will be flawless on HDTV, or in life.

No doubt there are makeup artists and laypeople that will gasp at that statement. But the truth is that there are very few celebrity makeup artists working on high profile celebrity TV shows in high def that use the airbrush. The airbrush proponents argue that regular (hand applied) foundation will be visible on TV, and foundation that is sprayed on from an airbrush will be less visible.

The airbrush itself is an instrument that contains a small cup that holds the foundation. That instrument is attached to a compressor that powers the brush to spray on the foundation.

Mary Kahler, who is head of the makeup department on "The Today Show" and does the makeup of Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Natalie Morales, Kathy Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb and countless other celebrity guests, does not use an airbrush. Kahler said, "I can easily replicate the finish of airbrushing by hand. In fact, I have more control and I like the result better. The common misconception about airbrushing is that people think airbrushed makeup will have the effect of retouching a photograph, and therefore everything will look flawless; this is simply not true."

Kahler is not alone in her thinking. Michele O'Callaghan, who is in charge of makeup and personal makeup artist to David Letterman on "The Late Show," despises the airbrush. She said, "The effect is monochromatic. Everyone looks the same and resembles a mannequin." O'Callaghan has been with Letterman for 21 years. A few of her other credits include "Costas Live" and "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," both of which, like "The Today Show," are in high definition.

Some professional makeup artists who are doing the equivalent of body painting, where airbrushing would make sense, still won't use it. Joe Dulude II, who did the makeup for Idina Menzel (2004 Tony Best Musical Performance), the first actress to play Elphaba in Wicked, did not use an airbrush to make her green. Dulude told me, "I wasn't happy with the result and neither I nor Menzel wanted to breathe in any excess."

Chase Tyler, who was in charge of makeup for The Blue Man Group, never used airbrushing. The New York troupe still follows in that tradition, the bluing is done with traditional grease paint.

What is most ironic, as a result of the airbrush craze and a lot of the misconceptions about what it will do, is that brides are now asking makeup artists if they airbrush. A makeup artist friend of mine, who occasionally does weddings when she is not too busy with her celebrity clientele, told me that one bride called her, and when she told the bride that she did not airbrush, the woman simply hung up the phone. My friend chuckled at this and said, "I don't think she realized that asking an artist if they use an airbrush is the equivalent of asking a hairstylist which comb and size of shears they use."

The truth about airbrushing is that it is not really a technique, but rather a tool, and the most important thing about any tool is who is using it.