What Should I Include In My Makeup Kit?

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I am just starting out as a freelance makeup artist I would like to know what things I need to include in my kit. 

 
q-tips, lashes (and glue), disposable mascara wands, brush cleaner, makeup disinfectant, tissues, makeup wipes, paper towels, nail polish remover, cotton balls, makeup remover, pencil sharpener...that's just off the top of my head, i'm probably missing a bunch...oh and the makeup too.

The #1 thing you want to keep in mind in a makeup kit is sanitation. You want to make sure your makeup, brushes, and station stays clean so that you don't spread things you might pick up from the girls you're applying it on.  The makeup itself, comes next.  It doesn't matter how good your makeup is or how good your ability is... If you pass along an infection or get someone sick, you'll be out of business quicker than you know it.  (A bride who gets pink eye and a cold sore just in time for the honeymoon will never forget you and will pass along that bad experience for the rest of her life!)

 
Ok thanks any tips on what types of foundations and concealers to include? How many of concealers and foundations should I have?

 
You could invest in foundation, concealer and corrector palettes.. That way you have a good range of shades available on hand. Don't know what your preferences are for liquid, cream, or powder..but that would be a good start.You'll probably need a large assortment of brushes and yes, sanitation is a big Yes..

 
Foundations, concealers,and a good primer are the most important things. Laura Mercier secret camouflage  and the cream are the best they need to be tapped on, I buy # 1, # 3 & #6. Buy foundations the same way light medium and dark. There is a product that Ben Nye makes called golden rod cream liner I would never be without a small amount in your foundation and you will prevent that ashiness that can happen when working on dark skin, be careful to not use too much or your actor will look like they have hep A,B,or C.

You don't need to spend a lot on eye shadows or cheek colors pick up LaFemme mattes they are standard in the film and TV work.

liquids or cream foundations are best it is the way the allow light to pass through and bounce back, powders (mineral ) bounce back way too much light and look as if the foundation is twice as thick set with a powder such as no color or a light translucent and don't use Makeup forever HD powder, you want blowout it comes out so hot!

Good luck let me know if you need more info I have been training makeup artists for over 20 years and many of them are working in the industry. 

 
Ok thank you I will work on getting that for my kit any other suggestions please let me know thanks a lot!!!

 
When starting my own professional kit, I referred to Bobbi Brown's Makeup Manual religiously because in the book she goes over the necessities pretty thoroughly. 

You need at least 15 shades of foundations, and in other formulas considering skin type, desired texture, etc. A valuable tip I learned from her book is that, considering the amount of people you will be working on, your foundations will NOT match them all. When it comes to any photography, foundation must be flawless, so if you need to match an unruly skin color, add yellow, black, red, or blue pigments to the formula. 

Other things I would have not thought of without the lovely Ms. Brown: 

Baby scissors for eyebrow hairs (since you can never have expectations for your models/clients)

Eyedrops

Self Tanner

5 shades of tinted moisturizer

Brow gel

Baby oil

Lip balm

An extra brush set

Mints (could be you or the model in need of freshening) 

Spray-on brush cleaner (for immediate sanitation)

I just want to reiterate what everyone else was saying with sanitation because it is just as important, if not more so, as the finished look itself. Do NOT keep products past their expiration date, such as mascaras, (even when using disposable wands). I would seriously stray away from any roller eyeliners, as opposed to pencil, unless you want to waste a lot of product sanitizing. 

I hope this helps a bit more as well, lovely. 

 
Other than items mentioned above, I tend to work with brides and bridal parties, some of my must items  in my kit include:

safety pins (you will be surprised how much they are used)

hair clips or head bands to keep hair away from the face

Twizzers

paper towels

makeup remover towlettes

lip scrub

As far as foundations I work with airbrush, but as someone mentioned above, you pick a few in the light range, few in the mid range and a few in the dark range.  I use adjusters to perfectly match the foundations. 

Hope this helps and Good luck!

 
Just my two cents....Graftobian Ultimate foundation palettes are the bomb! (18 colors in each). They are a little bit pricey, so start with the warm palette. That should give you enough shades from extremely light to fairly deep skin. Also, check into RCMA foundation palettes.  These are stage makeup brands which are in HD formulations, no SPF and no flash back on camera.  I concur with the La Femme recommendations...inexpensive and HIGHLY pigmented. Sanitation is key, lots of disposables..... Also, if you are doing photo shoots, make sure to invest in portable lighting/seating when you are able. You never know......

 
Quote: Originally Posted by swtcndy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Ok thanks any tips on what types of foundations and concealers to include? How many of concealers and foundations should I have?
RCMA Shinto and KO palates cover pretty much every skin tone, are cream, can be mixed to create almost every skin tone, and are reasonably priced. I have been a MUA for many years and I have always made sure to stock the RCMA palates in my kit. Yaby Cosmetics has a some great kits for starting out also they have a 6 palate set that pretty mouch overs the majority of what you need including foundation, concealer, shadow, blush, highlighter/contour, brow etc.

 

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