Sara's Professional Makeup Kit

Being a makeup artist is a great privilege. Building up my makeup kit has been an everlasting process since I've been adding and throwing away so many products throughout the last few years.

Makeup art has been truly a pleasure and a fun process since you get to play with so many different eye shapes, faces, skin types, and meet wonderful women. Lately, I've noticed that I've been gravitating to so many high-end makeup items since I want to provide only the best for my clients.

For the first time, I am sharing with you all of my secrets. From primers, creams, and all the way to my favorite lipsticks, I've sorted my favorites!

Prep

Preparing the skin before starting any makeup application will ensure that it goes on evenly and stays put. The better your skin looks to begin with, the better your makeup will look! When it comes to the preparing of the face, I either always start with Lancome's Eau Fraiche Douceur Micellar Cleansing Water or Bioderma's Sensibio H2O followed with my Lancome Tonique Douceur Tonic.

After that I will move onto the La Mer Moisturizing Gel. Based on my client's skin type or sensitivity level I will sometimes apply my La Mer Eye Concentrate. My foundation and most contouring application is airbrushed. With airbrushing you can skip the primer and only apply very light moisturizer.

Makeup Brushes & Tools

There are a lot of brushes in my kit since I love having options. There are a few brands I love. Let's start with the Kevin Aucoin Brushes. They are synthetic and perfectly designed by Kevin Aucoin himself. Easy to clean or wash, and dry perfectly back into shape. My Sigma brushes and London Fog Company brushes are used most used in my kit since they can be cleaned quickly in between clients and are antimicrobial.

When it comes to cleaning my brushes in between clients, I use the Cinema Secrets brush cleaner and sanitizer. It cleans my brushes from any makeup residue as well as sanitizing them in between clients. This can only be done up to five times. Once it’s time to shampoo and wash my brushes, I use the London Fog Company shampoo and cleaner.

Now, every makeup artist needs to have their touch up tools, such as cotton swabs and cotton rounds, and these are always in my kit. I buy them wherever I can since every brand works exactly the same. There are also some disposable lip and lash brushes that are in my kit since you can never have enough of those.

You'd be surprised by the number of miscellaneous items that end up in my kit. For instance, I have some scotch tape because it helps with the cleanup of the fallout, glitters, or simply shadows.

I also use an artist metal spatula and small metal pallet plate in order to mix all sorts of colors and to get the ideal shade and most of all keep my makeup sanitary for my clients.

I’m also a fan of the Sephora lash tweezers and Tarte lash curler. There are also brow tweezers and well as small scissors and a mini sewing kit and safety pins for bridal emergencies. Over the years, I find myself always helping my brides into their dresses and even pulling out my sewing kit in case of emergencies.

There is also a mini first aid type kit I put together with bandages, neosporin, benadryl cream, as well as advil and allergy medicine, because you never know!

Eyeshadow

If you ever wish to prime, you better to it with Mac Paint Pot. This is an essential item for a long-lasting outcome. My eyeshadows come out perfect and long lasting.

Now, shadow wise, I always like to ask my client what she is craving and looking for. I will lay out all of my palettes in front and present them with their options. They can go for the Marc Jacobs eyeshadow palette, Armani Eyes to Kill pods, Tarte Matte Palette, Smashbox Full Exposure 1 & 2 Palette, as well as Anastasia Soft Glam Palette. I have many more, but those are my go-to favorites. By the way, Lady Gaga uses Marc Jacobs makeup too!

Eyeliner

Not too long ago, I've discovered the Gucci Infinite Precision Liner, Inglot Black Liner. These are great options if you are on a lookout for a true black liner. Brown color wise, Tarte has the best brown liner. I also made sure to have all sorts of colorful ones, so I have some Makeup Forever XL Aqua Eye Pencils. Also in my kit, there is a no brand Alcone gel liner that is used for theater makeup and special effects, it doesn’t move, and is perfect for long wear eyeliner.

Mascaras

Mascaras are very important since some clients have super long lashes that need to be emphasized. Best options are either the Tom Ford Mascara or Makeup Forever. I also love the Bobby Brown Black Mascara.

Eyebrows

You got to have variety since not everyone craves the same brow. Some clients love to fill them up, while others demand a bold Instagram brow. I use the Anastasia Eyebrow Powder Pro Pallet for a natural outcome, and the Armani Eyebrow Pencils for a bolder brow look. In order to keep the brows in place, I set them with the Anastasia Brow Gel.

Foundation

A true hidden gem for me was when I discovered the Temptu brand. I've bought all of their shades. I mix foundation colors to customize the perfect tone for my clients. Temptu also released their AirPod System which already has shades premixed and matches perfectly so no mixing is needed. So, of course I went ahead and ordered a full display of their shades available for our clients to try for at home use.

Let's Talk concealers! I have YSL concealers (shades 1,2 & 3) which I use for color correcting and fuller coverage. I also use Eve Pearl salmon concealer in the shade light, medium, and medium dark for discoloration and for visible dark circles.

Bronzer

A must have is the Marc Jacobs Fantastic Bronzer since it is suitable for every skin tone and skin type. It is also large and can last for quite some time. I also love to use the highly talked about Benefit Hoola Bronzer. However, my most favorite for the perfect natural look is La Mer ''The Bronzer''.

Blush

Blushes are a must for softer makeup looks and for brides! I love Mac Pro Blushes since they provide longevity and have a great color payoff. I also love to go back and forth between the Givenchy Blush, it has perfect pink tones for the cool blush colors. Highlighter wise, I love to pop a little bit of a glow with my Benefit Glow Highlighter since it looks so natural and radiant.

Contour

If a client wants a sculpted look I love to use creams and then set them with a powder on top. If I’m not using my airbrush contour colors for creams, I either use my It Cosmetics Cream Contour Palette, or the Graftobian Foundation/concealer palette. Once I am ready to set the face I will go in with the Smashbox Powder Contour Palette.

Lip Liner

A really pleasant (and affordable) discovery for me was Kiko Cosmetics. I love using their lip liners since they have a bunch of different shades with a lot of undertones. I also use Makeup Forever and MAC lip liners. Sometimes, I mix and match and end up applying 2 different brands on the lips, just in order to get the perfect shade. Another must for me are the Chanel lip liners. I really love the longevity of those.

Lip Color & Pallets

Of course the Tom Ford Matte lipsticks are my favorite. They’re what I personally wear and use on my clients. However, carrying a lot of different lipsticks takes a lot of space, so I love using lip palettes. I have a whole bunch, but my ultimate favorite ones are from Smashbox called the Matte Lip Pallet and the Legendary Cream Lip Pallet. When it comes to high end, I have a Bobby Brown Lipstick Pro Palette.

Finishing Powder

I always hated powder. There are so many out there and so many I have bought. I was never happy with any of them. I always felt my end look either was too cakey or way too matte looking. Until I discovered the La Mer “The Powder”. It’s a translucent powder that magnetically attracts to skin for a flawless finish. It’s a luxurious powder that gives an imperceptible finish to the skin.

As a makeup artist, the most challenging part of my job is to find the perfect products that work for everyone. If you have any questions on any of these products or where to purchase them, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I also offer a makeup kit consultation service where I can help you put your own makeup kit together. You can also sample the products I use and receive education on application.