If you are thinking of starting your career in the makeup industry, my top recommendation is to complete a proper makeup course where you will be taught not only what your professional kit should look like but also how to use every component of it. With plenty of options available these days, make sure to choose the right school or a makeup artist to get inspiration from, as there is a huge number of techniques and looks you can create.
Once you complete your course and ready rock and roll in your new job as a makeup artist, here is what you must have in your professional kit:
- Hand sanitiser
- Brushes
- Brush cleaner: important – it’s must be a proper liquid cleaner AND a spray cleaner for cleaning brushes between clients
- At least two primers: glow & matt
- Two matt and two glow foundations
- At least two concealers: peachy is to get rid of dark circles and a light one for non-problematic skin
- At least two correctors: to cover acne, pigmentation and redness
- Setting powder: ideally without talc (as it dries the skin). The transparent powder is the best and can be used for all skin colours
- Two blushes: pink and peach. They can be satin or matt. Pink is for fair skin and peach is for tanned ladies and 40+ lifting makeup
- Eyebrow gel: transparent is best
- Eyebrow tint: lasts for ages and is a very economical option compared to eyebrow shadows
- Highlighter: for dewy and glowy skin. It’s worth investing in a good one, as a high-quality highlighter equals beautiful skin and happy clients
- Contour: it’s best if you use off with using dry products as cream ones can be a bit complicated to blend. Dry contour products look more natural and are suitable for dry skin and 40+ makeup
- Eyeshadows: it’s essential to have at least two pallets that include nude and soft tones, as most clients at the beginning of your career might not want anything colourful (colour makeup is a separate category that needs to be studied and practised over time). Make sure to have eyeshadows of warm and cold tones to suit your clients’ skin tones. Indeed, if you are into colour yourself, it’s a great idea to have some something like HUDA BEAUTY NEON to practice on your own.
- Eye pencils: I highly recommend wax or gel-based pencils as they last much better. Brown and
Black eye-pencils are must-have, however, pay attention to the shade of the brown you choose – it has to be grey-brown, not orange-brown. When it comes to soft tones and white shades, it’s best to get a beige, white-pink or matt pencils for the lower lid. Later on, when you get comfortable with eye pencils, it’s a good idea to add blue, green, plum, bronze and gold colours to your kit. - Eyeliner: you can create stunning wings, create a shape for your smokey eyes and draw that essential thin line through your eyelashes.
- Eyebrow pencil: automatic eye pencils are an easy-care type of tools but I personally prefer good-old pencils that need a sharpener. Again, shades are very important – blond, grey, dark brown and dark grey are the ones you will need most of the time. It’s a good idea to have one warm brown pencil for ginger ladies, but be careful not to apply that on any other type of skin and hair.
- Lip pencil: there is no way you could have Instagrammable lips without a lip pencil. You will
need: nude, natural pink, red, berry, wine, plum, cold pink, fuchsia and coffee-brown. - Blush: get a cold pink and warm peach, which should be enough to get you started. Once you master blending techniques you could take several pallets, mix shades and apply them on one another.
- Lipstick: matt lipsticks last very long. The colours should be matching eye pencils (see above). A lip gloss to apply on top of lipstick is a must-have these days, as wet/glossy lips are very trendy right now.
- Glitters: for your full-glam makeup. Bronze, gold and silver are the most popular among my clients. You would also need to get a base product to stick glitter on.
- Pigments: powder eyeshadows that create a smokey look or provide extra shine to the eyeshadows you have already applied. Rub it on your hand first and then apply with fingers.
- Eye tint: ARMANI eye tints are the best ever, in my opinion. The budget once can be found in NYX and they are pretty good. Tints are cream eyeshadows, that provide an amazing base to any eyeshadows or look amazing on their own. They add brightness and deep shades when applying all products after.
- Pencil sharpener: for those perfect lip contours.
- False eyelash glue: the white one that turns transparent is the best. I have also tried black glue, which, unfortunately, turns grey – not ideal for smokey eyes or nude makeup.
- Cluster eyelashes: they are the best ever and cannot be compared with strip lashes. It’s fiddly work but they look amazingly natural. You would have to have size 6, 8, 10 and 12. Size 14 is suitable with lucky ladies for extremely long natural lashes.
At Turning Heads we offer one-on-one makeup lessons. If you are thinking about becoming a makeup artist, please get in touch. We also provide makeup lesson for clients wanting to learn the basics of the makeup artistry to use for an every-day look. Get in touch today.