Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve written up a blog post and I’m extremely excited to get back into it. I was recently sent the new Graftobian F/X Aire Alcohol Palettes (vegan & cruelty free) and thought this was the perfect opportunity to talk about them! Since I started body painting when I was around 14, I’ve always used the Graftobian Pro Paints and have absolutely loved them. If you’re not familiar with the Pro Paints; they’re a water-base paint, so basically that means they’re water activated and can be used for practically any body paint. Although they are not waterproof, they can be pretty smudge-proof as long as you set them correctly.
Now… to get to the alcohol paints! Personally I haven’t had much experience with them yet, but after creating a look with them and practicing with them, I think they’ll be a wonderful addition to my kit. Both the Pro Paints and the Alcohol Paints have a cake-like compartment which allows you to dip your brush straight into them. While water-activated paints can be used to cover an entire body head to toe, alcohol paints are primarily used for smaller detail work and more specific design work such as bruising, contusions, wounds, SFX, tattoos, tattoo covers, and injuries in general.
While researching these palettes, I read everywhere that 99% isopropyl alcohol is best when activating these palettes, but some people have been using anywhere from 70%-90%; so I decided to test it for myself! I used a spray bottle with 70% isopropyl alcohol and the colors were VERY sheer when applying them to the skin, but when I used the 99% isopropyl alcohol the colors in the palette were much more opaque, easier to work with, and easier to customize the opaqueness of. Basically it comes down to this- the more 99% alcohol you use, the more sheer the shades will be. The less 99% alcohol you use, the more opaque the color will be. Using too much alcohol at one time will sheer out the shades. Lower concentrates of alcohol will not activate the color. Of course the alcohol palettes have buildable coverage on the skin, but the same thing goes for any paint- be careful how much you layer them so they do not crack.
The best thing and my favorite quality about the palettes is that they are completely waterproof and smudge-proof. They can withstand any sort of sweat, water, or moisture on the skin, and they can easily be removed with isopropyl alcohol or an oil based makeup remover.
For the most part alcohol palettes are used for bruising, contusions, wounds, SFX, tattoos, tattoo covers, and injuries; so basically smaller scale makeups and detail work. The most common thing people use the alcohol palettes is for bruising and veining in the skin, which is why I wanted to do something different with them! I wanted to show how versatile these palettes really are. I love doing fantasy looks, so I created a look with the alcohol palettes using the Injury palette, Tattoo Cover 2 palette, and the Primaries Plus palette. Below will be a step by step of how I created a look using the Alcohol Palettes and where I used them, along with layering them with a few other products to complete the look!
Creating this look was so much fun and it definitely pushed me to get creative with incorporating new products into a completed look. As I’ve stated already, I think these palettes would be a great addition to my makeup kit and any makeup looks I would need to be completely water-proof. Just remember- 99% isopropyl alcohol and you’re good to go!
https://www.graftobian.com/FX-Aire%E2%84%A2-Alcohol-Palettes_p_1169.html