HOW TO BUILD A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP KIT PART 1

The thought of building a professional makeup kit can seem daunting and overwhelming but I’m going to break down the essentials of your kit with no fluff so that you can get a clear picture of what your professional makeup kit should contain. It’s important to remember that everyone has their own preferences on types of makeup, brands, etc. What we will be doing is breaking down which types of products you need at a minimum to feel confident walking into any makeup job whether it’s for a glam client, a wedding, or a bold editorial look. I’ll have a few product recommendations but just know that a future post will be coming out where I will make a list of specific colors and products to carry as a whole for your kit; essentially a shopping list to build your kit.

DISPOSABLES - The first thing you’ll need is disposables. This includes mascara wands, cotton rounds, Q-tips, tissues, lip wands, and I always recommend carrying paper towels.

SANITATION PRODUCTS - Hand sanitizer is number 1, you’ll also need  alcohol and brush cleaner in small spray bottles.

SKINCARE - You’ll need micellar water, oil-free moisturizer, and for oily clients I love to have MAC’s skin refined treatment zone on hand. As a bonus it would be great to also have MAC’s fast response eye cream in your kit. A great silicone primer like Tatcha’s silk canvas is great to have for clients with texture.

A MAKEUP PALETTE & SPATULA - This will help you keep your cream and liquid products sanitary and the palette is great for mixing.

BRUSHES - You don’t need a plethora of brushes to get started. I recommend having 1-2 of each of your favorite brushes; foundation, blush/powder, eyeshadow blending brushes, 2 angle brushes for liner and brows, and a more condensed crease shadow brush.

FOUNDATION - You need to have a variety of colors so starting with a foundation palette like MAC’s pro foundation palette will save you money and it has a range of warm & cool colors.

CONCEALOR - I recommend at least 4-5 concealers ranging from very light to dark. L.A. Girl concealers are a fantastic option as they’re a buildable formula that looks great on most skin types and they’re extremely affordable.

POWDERS - You truly can get away with 3-4 shades of powder. You can always mix the colors. I recommend Palladio Wet + Dry powders. They give good coverage and remind me of MAC’s Studio Fix powder. They’re very affordable. You can get them at Sally’s Beauty.

BLUSH + CONTOURING + HIGHLIGHTING - The Palladio blushes and bronzers are highly pigmented and blend easily. You’ll want to have either a palette with highlighters and contouring colors or 3 of each; light, medium, and dark.

LIPSTICKS - It can be easy to collect lip products quickly. My recommendation is to carry a few nude, pink, purple, and red lipsticks. You really don’t need to carry a bunch of lipgloss’s as you can get MAC’s clear lipglass and mix it with any lipstick. Lipglass is also designed not to absorb into the lips for an ultra glossy finish. It may be smarter to invest into lip pencils vs lipsticks because the drier formula will last a long time. I recommend NYX lipliners as an inexpensive option.

EYESHADOW - You’ll want to have a selection of neutrals to start. If you plan on taking on any jobs where bright colors will be involved it’s a good idea to have a couple of neutral and a couple of bright palettes. I recommend the Makeup By Mario ethereal eyes and matte palettes and for color I love the Anastasia of Beverly Hills Norvina palettes. They’re extremely pigmented and you can even use a mixing medium with them to create bright eyeliner etc.

LASHES -  I recommend having a couple different styles of lashes ranging from very natural to full to bold. As far as glue I recommend Duo Glue in particular the white glue with a wand.

TOOLS - You’ll need small lash scissors, tweezers, and an eyelash curler.

This would be a really great start for your kit. As you build your kit more over time you can add specialty products like glitters, a wider range of lashes, and more colorful products. It’s even smart to keep things like a nude nail polish and a small polish remover if you’ll be working on sets for film or photography. Bug spray and sunscreen have also come in handy while working on location. But those things can come with time.

- Katelynn