How to build your kit on a budget for Makeup Artists.

When I began as a Makeup Artist, I really found difficult to get my kit started. Makeup is very expensive when it comes to build a makeup kit, because you need multiple products and brushes, accessories, a makeup bag, etc. But here I will give you some tips I found VERY helpful to slowly build your kit, focusing on having good and affordable makeup.

First tip is to prioritize which products are the most important to have of good quality. In my opinion, foundation is what can make or break your makeup look. Make sure you spend the most in foundation, having good products for the base of the makeup makes it easier to work and nail the rest of the look.

Second, try to find the stores or brands that can provide you with discounts or points that you can use towards your purchase, so you can save some money. A lot of makeup brands offer discounts if you are a professional makeup artist. You must qualify for it but it never hurts to find out to see if you qualify or not since the discount can be from 15-40% off. Some of the brands I know have this type of discounts are Nars, Charlotte Tilbury, Urban Decay, Smashbox, Shiseido, Sigma (Brushes), Bdellium (Brushes), Makeup Forever, Mac Cosmetics/

My last tip is focus on re-invest what you get as Makeup Artist into building your kit. I know you might have other bills to cover, but maybe is not a bad idea to get a part time in a Makeup Store and save some money while you build your career as a Freelance, that way you can buy and get free products from your job and work aside as a Freelance Makeup Artist.

I hope this article was helpful, starting this career is difficult, time consuming and can be a little overwhelming at times, but after you get going you will be the happiest Makeup Artist ever!

Bye Bye!

Best Foundations for Every Skin Type

One of the products makeup artists recommend the most is foundation. Every woman wants to look young, fresh and have a flawless skin, but it is very important to understand that not all foundations work for every skin type. Here, I'm going to recommend my favorite foundation for every skin type, so you can have an idea of what to try or add to your makeup bag!
 

• DRY SKIN: For dry skin my top favorite is Nars Sheer Glow foundation, it looks amazing and applies effortlessly. It has a sheer coverage but it's buildable and it leaves the skin feeling very smooth and moist. My second fave is Giorgio Armani's Luminous silk Foundation, this foundation leaves the skin with a healthy look and it's lightweight feeling; it also has a medium buildable coverage. From the Drugstore Family, my favorite is Infallible Pro-Glow by L'Oreal, this one has an amazing finish and it's medium buildable coverage.

• COMBINATION SKIN: For this skin type I always recommend foundations that have a velvet to matte finish, my fave is Diorskin Forever Foundation. This one is perfect because it helps minimize the appearance of pores and the coverage is medium with a very natural matte finish. One amazing foundation for combo skin is Kat Von D's Lock it Foundation, this product is very good if you like a matte finish; it has a great amount of coverage, it's buildable,versatile, and gentle to the skin. My drugstore favorites are Wet n' Wild Photo Finish Foundation, Infallible Pro-Matte foundation, and Maybelline's Fit Me Matte Foundation; all of them have great finish, and very decent coverage.

• OILY/ACNE PRONE SKIN: For this type of skin type you basically can use all of the foundations I already recommended for combination skin, but if your skin is oily and acne prone, then you need to use a non-comedogenic product. Non-comedogenic foundations will help your pores not get clogged and this will definitely help your acne to get better or at least not get worst. The foundation I swear by for this skin type is Shiseido Dual Balancing Foundation, I like it because it minimizes the appearance of pores, it helps the skin to balance the oils, it has a medium coverage and leaves the skin looking very fresh, moist and luminous. Another fave is Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-place Foundation, great coverage, great finish and amazing formula, very lightweight for a natural looking skin. From the drugstore family I like Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Liquid Foundation and Almay TLC Truly Lasting Color Foundation, both are non-comedogenic and have great coverage for acne scars and pore appearance.

• NORMAL SKIN: Normal skin is the skin type every woman dream to have, since people who have normal skin can use any type of foundation. It only depends what finish and coverage the person likes.

Well, these are my very favorite foundations and I have them all in my kit; I constantly recommend them to my clients and fellow makeup artists.