Lip products, How many and What colors?

O.M.G.!! Lipgloss, Lipstick, Lip creams, Lip stains, Lip, Lip, Lip.... there are so many lip products that have invaded the makeup world, that we are always finding it difficult not to buy every single one!. I want to clarify that, you do NOT need every single one of them in every single color in your kit.

The 3 lip products you need in order to go from a super matte to a super glossy lip are: a clear lip gloss, a nude lipstick and chapstick. To create a matte lip look, you only need the lipstick in the color you want and some translucent powder. All you do, is apply the lipstick. Then, take a little bit of powder with a brush and dab it on top of the lipstick; and just like that you'll have your matte looking lip look.

For a super glossy look, you don't need the exact color lipgloss, you can always apply the lipstick and take a little bit of a clear lipgloss to apply on top. For nude lips it's the same, you don't need every range of nudes there are, you only need chapstick and your lip color is your nude color.

In case that you want to attenuate the color of your lips, because they naturally have a very strong color; your can use a nude lipstick, just add a little bit of it, and then apply some chapstick so your lips look moist and healthy.

The colors I always recommend MUAs to always have available in their kits are: Three shades of nudes, one more pink, one cool, and one brownish; two shades of reds, the classic red (Red Carpet Red) and a wine-ish red; and two pink shades, the classic barbie doll pink, and a hot pink. I also recommend that all of these are not a matte formula, try to choose a good quality of lip products so you don't have to apply thick layers since these can be uncomfortable for your clients.

I hope this was valuable information, and that you can now have a clear understanding on how to make every lip product of your kit more versatile.

Bye Bye!

Eyeshadows, What's better Singles or Palettes?

Eyeshadows are a product that you will never stop buying, eyeshadows are like a drug for me! I like every color, texture, cream, pressed powder, EVERYTHING! But something I've learned throughout the years is that if you like so much eyeshadows like me, it's better to buy them in singles instead of palettes, and I'm going to tell you why.

Eyeshadow palettes are designed for people looking for specific looks that they will use everyday, or most of the time. That's why you can find palettes that only have warm tones, or very colorful ones, but rarely you'll find one that will suit all your needs. Although I do have several palettes, there's some that I don't constantly use. When I want to create a look I find myself using 2 or 3 palettes because some palettes don't have certain colors, etc. Basically from a whole 24 or more color palettes, you end up using the same 3 or 4 colors you loved from the palette, the day you decided to buy it. Palettes also tend to be more expensive than if you create your own buying singles; prices of a single eyeshadow can range from $5 to $20 dollars, but an eyeshadow palette can range from $25 to $300 dollars. Imagine buying a $300 dollar palette that you will be using only 2 or 3 colors to do your makeup?

Buying singles when you are a beginner MUA, or even when you already have a career is the most inexpensive and practical thing to do. You can buy empty magnetic palettes like the Z-Palette and have your favorite colors, and the ones you always use in a single palette. You can create your own, for example, I have a Z-palette where I only have my warm brown tone eyeshadows, from shimmer to matte, but only brown colors.

Some of the brands I know that carry single eyeshadows that you can buy and have a great quality are, Mac Cosmet`ics ($6.00), Makeup Forever ($17.00), Colourpop ($5.00), Anastasia Beverly Hills ($12.00). There's more, but these are my favorite ones.

I hope this was informative and helpful for you to take a better decision when buying products for your kit.

Bye Bye!

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!