I sprayed my foundation on today.

• Category:
• I actually tried this

Some reasons why I chose to do this, and why spray on foundation is awesome: It takes two seconds to apply. It’s flawless. It covers tattoos. It covers veins. It covers bruises. It covers scarring and burns. It conceals rosacea. It’s used backstage at a LOT of shows, and not just on the mug. It’s water based. It’s long last. It’s light-diffusing. It’s recommended for post-surgery patients, and newly-healing skin. It’s perfect for Botox and collagen injection bruising. It makes scones and jam for afternoon tea.

The spray on foundation I’m referring to is ERA, by Classified Cosmetics ($70). It ain’t new, but it is great, which means it’s worth telling you about. And, you know, Rihanna, Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore all like it, and I know when I tell you things like that, you pay more attention.

I’m already a MASSIVE fan of airbrushing.

I love Sally Hansen Airbrush legs (I use it all over my body in Tan Glow as instant tanner - it’s one of my Top Five Beauty Products EVER) and had an intense affair with Dior AirFlash, also, which made all of makeup stay in place for several millennium once applied.

So yesterday I met with Karen, who’s the distributor of ERA face spray on foundation, because she needed to show me how to use it properly. She had previously sent me an example to try, which I managed to have roughly as much success with as an oyster baking Anzac cookies. I looked pancakey, and my shirt was covered in the stuff. Turns out I did it wrong because I hadn’t read the instructions! Ha! Who would’ve thought such a thing was possible. ("No one reads the instructions”, says Karen.)

The key, it transpires, is that you only spray the foundation over your face, from a good 20cm away from your face, for TWO SECONDS. I did around eight. Around 5cm away. Another “instruction” or whatever they’re called, is that you should keep your hair off your face (they give you a headband and little powder blender/puff with the product) and if you’re a rookie like me, cover your clothes. (I watched Karen do it, sans mirror and no clothing protection yesterday, but she is kind of a pro). You can then pat or blend it in, but I don’t. Didn’t need to. It’s 60% water so the initial excess just fades into the skin in a few seconds. Looks perfect. Invisible-like. Lasted until 10.30pm, when I washed it off. Didn’t crepe around fine lines. Gave a semi-matte finish. Is used a on TV and films because it gives such a flawless look - crucial for High Definition TV where you see every pore, line and speck of powder. Don’t need powder with ERA.

A Professional Camouflage Tool, too.

Karen does a lot of work in hospitals and burn units demonstrating ERA, too, because it provides excellent camouflage for scars and burns, (she showed me some amazing port-wine stain concealing work, and a before and after of a man who had burns over half of his face, who now uses the spray on foundation and says people no longer stare at him in public anymore) as well as birthmarks and tattoos and veins and Vitiligo and a whole lot of other things. Also is great for smaller procedures like Botox and Juvaderm, which often lead to small but intense bruising. And because ERA gives a non-contaminated, sterile application, cosmetic surgeons recommend it for use post-IPL and microdermabrasion, and post-surgery, once scars are healed.

Oh, and there are Bronzers and Shimmers, as well.

Personally, I’m all over the bronzer ($52).

One or two seconds of this little can of fun over your face and you get that two-days-into-a-spray-tan-healthy-colour that is utterly uniform and your teeth are all white and your eyes are a rude shade of health. I love it. There’s also a pinky blush colour, and a silver and a gold Glaze ($52). They’re great for shimmer on the cheeks, or chest, or eyelids. Rihanna used the gold all over her body in the S.O.S film clip - remember that crazy sheen she had all over her skin? That be ERA. It’s real popular for bodies in shoots and film clips, ERA.

As to getting your mitts on it...

Well, you can call (02) 9802 2231, but probably you will be buying it online. Phooey. How can you buy foundation online, I hear you guffaw. Easy. They have a sweet colour matching function on the website listing 9,500 foundations, to match your existing shade with one of the 10 ERA® ones. KaPOW! Take that.

Being the 21st century, of course there is a video to demonstrate the application.

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