I need putting together a professional makeup kit!

Sep 26, 2013

Vanessa C.

I am starting to be an independent makeup artist and I need help putting it together. Foundations, eye shadows, lip colors ect. I work at Sephora and have experience applying makeup. I just don't know what to buy and how much of what. Help would be greatly apperciated!

Sep 26, 2013

Carolyn H.

I recommend a good build able foundation that's good for different skin types (I started with Mac face and body since it's water based, doesn't really irritate skin and has sheer-medium coverage) you'll want a light medium and dark shade, for now you'll be able to mix colors in between. A good translucent powder like Makeup forever HD, but also a setting powder without titanium dioxide ( that's the SPF in products that will cause shadow cast on pictures)

A good concealer palette:
Mehron, Graftobian, even coastal scents and BH

Lip colors: opt for colors that are commonly worn when building
A nude, pink and a red.
Liptars are good to have for fashion or photoshoots
Definitely get matching liners and maybe a nude/pink gloss for a warm and cool toned client.

Blush: cargo, INGLOT, tarte are great. Again, neutral, corral and pink shades.

Eyeshadows: try custom palettes (INGLOT and Mac)
Or urban decay palettes

Definitely invest in the MUFE flash palette if you can and even their acqua gel liners.

Sorry I tried my best to name brands sephora carries so you can use your discount but I don't really shop their often when it comes to my kit..

Sep 26, 2013

Rain L.

I helped my friend put a makeup set together once for cosmetician school, so here's a list of stuff I would get, all from Sephora

LIPS
For lipstick, Kat Von D's lipstick set
Don't worry about lip liner because you can just use the pointy bit of lipstick as a liner if you have to.
For lip gloss get the Give Me Some Lip and/or the Give Me Some More Lip sets.

EYES
For eyeshadow get Naked or Naked 2 (I prefer 2), also get one with colors, Urban Decay Vice, Kat Von D's Spellbinding Eyeshadow Book or the Sephora Makeup Academy palette if you want to sacrifice quality for quantity.
For eyeliner, Kat Von D's mini eyeliner pencils are high quality and $10 each.
For liquid eyeliner get Stila's Stay All Day waterproof eyeliner in white and black, white for under bright eye colors or with black for a cool modern look.
Mascara, get Lash Stash. $50 for a ton of mascaras and a pair of lashes, definitely worth it. For a single go to mascara I would get Benefit's They're Real. It's a really incredible mascara that works for everyone.
Also get a lash primer. Smashbox and Too faced have good ones.
For eyelashes I would buy a ton of $1 elf natural eyelashes. They're fine lashes but don't use their glue, instead get a few tubes of Duo from sephora. (Sephora lashes are overpriced)
For eye primer, urban decay's original primer potion is a cult classic and its not too expensive. I would get a few of them, though.
Brows are a very easily forgotten thing, as someone who overplucked their brows and has been filling them in for a natural look for years and years I can assure you powder is the best. Urban Decay's brow box is my lifesaver, but also Benefit's Brow Zings are great too. I would get either all three of benefit's or both urban decays. The light side is a lot darker than it looks.

FACE
Get Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing lotion plus, and the gel version (options for dry skin and for oily skin)
Foundations are a little more difficult because every client has different needs, but when you're willing to spend all the money I would get the smashbox complexion perfection kit in every or every other color, so you have the powder concealer and foundation for each shade, or just get sephora foundations concealers and powders. They're about $20 for each thing and they have tons of different shades. Otherwise clinique's foundations are really nice and mostly less than $30.
Ideally instead of foundation try to get bb creams because you'd only have to get 3-6 shades instead of like fifteen different ones. Using bb cream with concealer and powder works really well instead of foundation.
If you don't want to buy a ton of different face powders, stick with a transluscent one like make up forever's micro finish powder.
For primer, invest in a few different smashbox primers. The redness one, the apricot one and the regular clear one.
Also get urban decays Two setting sprays.
Nars and benefit both have great bronzers and blushes, but if you want a bunch of different blush colors try Sephora Collection, but for Bronzer I'd stick with Kat Von D, Benefit or Nars.

Sephora's Super Stars is a must have for you, it has a few things I listed above (Black Stila Eyeliner, Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo, Lash Primer)

For brushes, again, sephora always has great sets (Prestige Luxe Set is perfect but it's $150, there's Tools of the Trade, Perfect Pink, and Tough Love all around $70 too)

I would also have some makeup remover wipes (Clean and Clear have really great ones) for when a client comes in with makeup already on or if they want to remove it when they leave.

Hope this helped, and I was wondering how it is to work in sephora? Do they expect you to be a pro with makeup?

Also invest in makeup books, they have great tips.

Note: everything added together was just over $1000

Sep 26, 2013

Erin M.

There is an entire section on this in the editorial with multiple parts.

Sep 26, 2013

Erin M.

Bleh, was going to post a link.

https://www.beautylish.com/articles/building-your-kit

It's quite a few parts long I believe. Hopefully there's some info in there that can help.

Sep 26, 2013

Carolyn H.

Well I wouldn't say don't worry about lip liner..
If you're working on clients they expect their makeup to last since you're not following them all night for touch ups. Lip liners assure that the colors will stay and also help you achieve the most perfect lip possible.

Also, you should never sacrifice quality for quantity if you can afford it.
I don't recommend liquid liners because they can't be applied with a separate applicator or brush, so for hygienic reasons is recommend cake or gel liners.

Mascara can be drugstore since (hopefully) you'll be using disposable applicators. Mascaras are most successful for the brushes they come with over the formula. Since you'll use disposables don't waste money on pricey mascaras when you won't be using the wands they come with.

Don't cut corners when it comes to your kit.

If you have more questions you can email me.

I'm a working makeup artist.