The Ultimate Guide To Building A Professional Makeup Kit

I have compiled a list of what I believe are essentials for you to own in your very own professional makeup kit

To do the right makeup, you need the right makeup tools in your professional makeup kit. The correct tools make the job easier, and they give you the control for doing your makeup properly. That’s why, when it comes to makeup, you really are only as good as the tools you use!

I know that I couldn’t do my job without my tools, so I have compiled a list of what I believe are ESSENTIALS for you to own in your very own makeup kit. Yes, it is a bit longer than you might like it to be, but believe me when I tell you, it’s an investment and worth every cent. Most of the items listed will last you for years, some even a lifetime. One way to keep costs down is to spend less on disposable items such as lipstick and eye shadow, to make way for the more necessary things like brushes. Because brushes are incredibly important, I’ve added a whole section on them, explaining the different types available and how to use them.

Brushes – Absolutely essential! You are going to need several of these, so I’ve made a separate post on Brushes.

Two To Three Eye Shadows – I know women with hundreds, but you can achieve a lot with just two. When you’re at the makeup counter and you spot a color you love, you can do the ‘one wipe trick’ to test the product. Take a clean fingertip, wipe over the product once, and look at the intensity. If the color isn’t as intense on your finger as it looks like in the package, then don’t buy it—you’ll be forever trying to build up that color on your eye. It’s better to have a color that’s strong and you can soften with loose translucent powder. Also, watch out for dodgy multicolored pigments. After the ‘one wipe trick’, grab a cotton bud and lightly dust your finger to see what color you’re left with. This is great for testing deep metallic eye shadows such as ruby-reds and dark blues. If the product is bad, then rubbing with the bud will wipe away all the rich color and leave you only with the black.

Black Mascara – To be used with a clean wand or comb on standby.

Cotton Pads – Use for applying powder. I prefer these because most powder brushes leave brush marks. Powder brushes need to be cleaned so often that maintenance becomes a hassle—cotton pads are a great replacement and the most hygienic option in a professional makeup artist’s kit.

Tweezers – Pointed tweezers are my favorite because they remove every hair in sight, and they outline the brow beautifully. However, because they are like needles, you must turn the tweezers side on, rather than directly pointing them at the brow.

Makeup Primer – Makeup primers are basically a moisturizer that contains extra silicone and glycerin, allowing foundation to be applied a lot more evenly. If you use a makeup primer don’t use a moisturizer as you would be doubling up—let your makeup primer act as your moisturizer as well unless you have dry skin.

Inner Eye White Pencil – To clean up redness in the inner rim of the eye. This opens the eye and makes you look instantly younger and more awake.

Black Kajal Pencil – This works well as smudged eyeliner for a smokey eye on the top lash line. If the weather is cold, you should heat up your pencil before using it, by rubbing it on the back of your hand, to release the pigment and soften the pencil; this should give it a crayon-like feel and improve the intensity of the color.

Brow Pencil – Use one that matches your brow hair color, not what you wish it to be.

Highlighter – Use one that matches your skin tone. Eyelash Curlers– This is the one tool I believe every woman must own. Professionals always carry these in their makeup kits and use them every single time. There is a simple trick to them:

place your lashes in the curler
slightly squeeze the curler before you start, making sure there is no skin trapped
then squeeze as hard as you can for 5 to 10 seconds before releasing.

A great tip to getting a fabulous curl on your lashes is to heat up the curler with a hairdryer, test it on the back of your hand, before going near the eye and then following the steps mentioned above.

Cream Blush– This is great if you don’t like to use powder of any kind. It gives a more creamy, dewy finish to the cheeks, which provides a youthful look. Don’t use cream blush if you have powdered your foundation.

Powder Blush – You should only use powder blush if you have set your skin with translucent powder after applying the foundation otherwise it will have a blotchy and uneven effect. Not all powder blushes are matte. My favorite kind is that which has a gold shimmer to give an extra glow.

Cream, Liquid or Gel Eyeliner in Black –I love the creams; they give you time to blend and when they dry they don’t smudge, and are waterproof. They come in awesome shades such as blue-black, bronze and turquoise.

Translucent Powder – Even if you hate powder, you’ll need this for blending and prepping your eyes. Beware of any powder that has titanium dioxide (even though it’s essential for sunscreen); it’s completely safe for everyday use. However, it will play havoc if you’re going to a special occasion where a camera flash may be involved. The reason for this is that titanium will photograph pure white, so if it’s in your powder it can whiten your foundation by up to five shades.

At least Two Foundations – These are a must, especially if your skin changes color from summer to winter.

Gold or Silver Pigments – These are used to highlight the eyes, the cheeks and the lips. They give the skin a glow, and bring your makeup alive. Gold is for warm-toned skins and silver is for cool-toned skins.

Concealer – Speaks for itself; necessary for anyone with discoloration, blemishes, bags, pigmentation, etc.