Links to Love: TheMakeupArtist.com

Makeup artist Mary Erickson is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to the makeup business. She kindly shares this knowledge compiling the answers to those burning questions you have when starting out in the industry. I definitely found this a great resource when I was finding my feet in the makeup world.

Mary gives her thoughts on topics such as choosing a makeup school, what's expected of you when assisting and how to find work. She has also put together an excellent resource of industry terms you should definitely get to know.

Building a Makeup Kit: Part 4

Part 4 of the Building a Makeup Kit mini-series talks through the extra little essentials you should carry in your new kit as well as all the disposables you will need.

Click to see Parts 1, 2, or 3

Tools
Good tools are a great investment as they should last a really long time. If you have to start out with the budget option look into investing in an upgrade when you have the money and you will see the difference in quality and performace.

Makeup Sharpener
Eye Lash Curler - I like the traditonal metal curlers. Try Japonesque or Boots/Sephora for a cheeper alternative
Tweezers - I think Tweezerman's wide grip tweezers are the best on the market and worth every penny. Get them in a bright colour so you can always find them in your kit.
Brow Grooming Tool - I like the C162 from Crown which has 3 tools in 1.
Spatula - for scooping out product. Available at any pro makeup or beauty supply store.
Scissors

Disposables
You will find you get through tons of disposibles so its great buying in bulk and restocking your kit from a supply at home as and when you need to. It can also be more cost effective this way.

Mascara Wands
Cotton Pads
Tissues/Kitchen Towel
Q-Tips

Extras
Small Hand Towel - I set my kit up on a small hand towel so I know I always have a clean surface to work from. It also protects the surface im working from and saves time cleaning my station at the end of the day.
Palette - The Yaby compacts have a palette to work from build in which I love! If your on a budget a white tile gives you a nice surface to work from and most places selling tiles have samples that would be perfect.
Hand Sanitiser

Nail Kit
A small nail kit is a great addition to your kit. I have a set I picked up in Sephora that rolls up which is perfect for travel. You dont need to do a full manicure before a shoot but you should be aware of the hands and make them look presentable.

A good remover is essential for your kit as often models will arrive with polish on from the previous days shoot so you need to be able to clean the nails at the very least. I always use a hand cream which makes the hands look more alive and if the hands will be in shot, particually for beauty work a file and lick of polish will add finish to your work.

File
Clippers
Cuticle Sticks
Polish - Clear, Natural, Red (I love Boots No.7 Nail Brightner which is a natural colour polish which also brightens to make the nails look really healthy)
Hand Cream
Polish Remover

If you have an essential tool or piece of kit you can't live with out share it with us in the comments section.

Building a Makeup Kit: Part 3

Here is part 3 in the Building a Makeup Kit mini-series which this time focuses on lips and cheeks.

This post should give you an idea about which products will get you off to a good start when building a makeup kit and I have included suggestions for products I would get if I was building my kit from scratch.

Again, as in part 1, and part 2 I have selected these products because I feel they offer value for money, quality and performance.

Lip Colour
If you carry a good selection of lip colours from the palest nude to a deep cherry it should give you a good base to build upon. It is important that you learn to mix your products when starting out with a small kit so you are always confident that if you don't have the exact colour you want you can mix it.

I think the Yaby lip colours are excellent as they are very pigmented and the texture is nice to work with as they glide on and are very silky. As with the eye shadows, you can carry many colours without taking up lots of space and working from a palette all the colour options are to hand which saves you rummaging round in a bag full of tubes.

Yaby Palette $15.50 - 20 well
Lip Colours $3.75 each - LC013/020/060/181/198/231/237/246/255/277/319/414/025/066/129/165/184/208/233/267

If you want to create unusual lip colours Make Up For Ever Flash Colours are a favourite amongst makeup artists for this purpose. You can also mix the flash colours with gloss or lip stick to adjust the colour when you don't have the exact shade you need.

Lip Liner
A clear lip pencil that prevents bleeding and feathering when working with dark colours is all you need at first. If you like working with lip liners you can then build a collection from there.

Urban Decay Glide-On Lip Pencil £8.32 - Ozone

Lip Gloss
Start your lip kit with a good clear gloss. If you want coloured glossy lips either lay down a lip colour first and apply gloss over the top or mix your clear gloss with some lip colour to get a tint.

This is one area where you can probably save some money and find a drug store brand gloss that works for you so shop around but my gloss of choice is Bobbi Brown as it is doesn't wear off too quickly and has a really high shine formula.

Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss £11.74

Blush
La Femme blushes blend well, are highly pigmented and inexpensive so the palette Mary, at Camera Ready Cosmetics has put together is the perfect blush kit with a colour range to suit anyone that sits in your chair.

La Femme 12 Colour Blush Palette $39.00

All prices were correct at the time this was posted and do not include any pro discount that may be available to you.

If any other artists reading this have lip or cheek product suggestions feel free to share them with us and leave a comment.

Blogs To Bookmark: Design Scene

Keep up to date with the top editorials and advertising campaigns from around the world with the Design Scene blog. Design scene is an excellent research and inspiration tool which I love for keeping up to date with the international titles I cant always get my hands on.

Here are some examples of what you will find over at Design Scene....

Which blogs do you think I should bookmark? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Links to Love: Makeup Shopping!

As we have been discussing what to buy when building a professional makeup kit I thought it fitting to share with you my five go to sites when shopping for makeup as my Links to Love this week.

HQhair

Huge range of brands such as Benefit, Japonesque, Urban Decay, Philosophy, Nars and Stila as well as top skin care brands and hair care and styling products all under one roof.

Makeup Provisions

UK stockist of Make Up For Ever and Zuca amongst other pro brands.

Yaby Cosmetics

Excellent range of high quality palatalised makeup.

Camera Ready Cosmetics

La Femme, Graftobian, Keromask, Cinema Secrets and many more pro brands

Screen Face

Special FX products and brands such as Kryolan, RCMA, Embryolisse and Ben Nye

I am sure there are plenty more international stores that you all love so post your favorites in the comments section so we can turn this into a great shopping resource!

Building a Makeup Kit: Part 2

Here is part 2 in the Building a Makeup Kit mini-series which this time focuses on products for the eyes.

This post should give you an idea about what is needed for your kit when starting out and I have included products suggestions which are all items I would pick if I was building my kit from scratch. Again, as in part 1, I have selected these products because I feel they offer value for money, quality and performance.

To see Part 1 click here...

Eye Shadow
If there was one thing I wish I had know about when investing in those first few pieces for my kit it would be Yaby. I wont rave on too much about the brand here because I guess that's a whole other post but everything about the brand to me is ingenious.

Eye shadows are one product you could pretty much go on collecting for ever with all the different colours and finishes out there but if I was starting over I would firstly put my money in to Yaby shadows. The Yaby palettes which are 14.4cm x 10.8cm include 40 colours which are about the size of a 5 pence piece (or a dime i think?). I get the impression that some people are put off by the size at first but that's the best thing about these palettes. A little also goes along way as the shadows are very pigmented so there is no need for larger pans and you can carry a wide selection of colours without taking up space in your kit.

At the current exchange rate 1 of these palettes of 40 colours is aprox £60. That is the equivalent of 6 MAC shadows. Not bad huh?

Yaby $110 - Dramatically Neutral
Yaby $120 - Best of Both Worlds

Ideally you could get both palettes but I know that's not always the case so if I had to chose between the two I would get the Best of Both Worlds and add these 3 quads from Revlon for a good selection of neutrals.

These 3 quads from Revlon are a great for bridal, natural makeup looks and smokey brown eyes. I cant give these up as they are really useful flattering colours on just about everyone, plus the price is excellent value (usually on 3 for 2 at Boots) so I would definitely recommend you add these to your kit especially if you are building a kit on a tight budget.

Revlon Colour Stay 12 Hour Eye shadow Quads £7.82 each - 03 Natural Khakis, 06 In The Buff, 12 Price Less Metals

If you are using cheap shadows that are not very pigmented and you want to keep them in your kit try using a Primer such as Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion £9.30 to get good intensity of colour and make sure it stays put.

Brows
Brows are such an important feature and should not be overlooked. Neat groomed brows will add polish to your work and complete the look by framing the face.

I have these neutral eye shadows in a separate quad palette which I use for brows. They are great for filling in brows whilst still looking natural and the colours can easily be layered to get a good match for your client.

MAC Eye Shadows £9.79 each - Brule, Symmetry, Charcoal Brown, Carbon

Hairspray or Gel on a clean mascara wand can be used instead of a brow gel to groom brows on a budget.

Eye Liner
You will probably find black the most useful liner to have in your kit when starting out. You can use eyeshadow with an angled brush if you need another colour such as brown or grey for a soft liner or mix in a sealer (ScreenFace £4.40) or transforming gel with any colour shadow to create a liquid eyeliner.

MAC Fluid Line £10.77 - Blacktrack (long lasting, smudge proof precise lines)
MAC Kohl Pencil £10.77 - Smoulder (soft, smudgy, smokey lines)

Lashes
I think that many of the more expensive mascaras on the market perform well because of the wand used to apply it. When starting out find an inexpensive mascara that works well when using disposables. I also think its good to have a couple of pairs of strip lashes in your kit, one natural pair to add length and one more glamorous fuller pair should be a good start.

Maybelline Volume Express £4.88 - Black, Black Waterproof
Eylure Naturalite False Lashes - 101, 070
Duo £9.74 - Surgical Adhesive

Your Duo Surgical Adhesive can also be used to stick pretty much anything to the face and body.

All prices were correct at the time this was posted and do not include any pro discount that may be available to you.

If any other artists reading this have product suggestions for the eye area please feel free to share them with us and leave a comment.

Related Posts:
Top 5 Tips for Keeping Your Makeup Kit Clean and Sanitary
Go Green With Refillable Makeup Palettes
Top 3 Products Seen Backstage at Fashion Week

Building a Makeup Kit: Part 1

What exactly do you need if you are just starting to build a professional makeup kit? This week I am going to post a mini-series of posts that cover all the products needed to get you started.

Building a makeup kit is a huge investment and with the amount of products on the market it can be hard to know where to start. I know I made mistakes, which looking back was money down the drain due to impulse buys and bad choices.

All the suggestions I have made here are products I would invest in if I was starting over, taking into consideration value for money, quality and performance.

Skin Care and Prep Products
You want products that are going to work on a variety of clients that are unlikely to irritate the skin. Moisturisers should be easily and quickly absorbed.

Moisturiser – Embryolise £14.68
Toner – Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner £6.35
Tissue Off Cleanser/Eye Makeup Remover - Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser £17.30
Makeup Wipes – Sainsbury's Cosmetic Wipes £1.45
Vaseline – For prepping lips £1.15 at Boots
Moisturising Body Lotion - Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Fresh £2.45

If you are doing bridal or any job that requires the makeup to last add a good primer such as Smashbox Photo Finish £26.75 to your kit.

Foundation
This is one area of your kit you do not what to skimp on and I would definitely advise you go for a pro brand over a drug store product so you can be sure that the base you chose will read well on camera.

It is also important to know that you don’t need to carry all the colours under the sun. A competent makeup artist should be able to mix the right shade for any client from a small selection of bases.

The foundation you use in your kit is quite a personal choice so you need to play around with as many brands as you can get your hands on to find out what is right for you.

I prefer working with liquids and find that MUFE performs really well for me. Here is a list of shades that would build an excellent starter kit for covering a wide range of skin tones.

Make Up For Ever HD £27.03 each – 110, 120, 140, 155, 170, 180
Make Up For Ever Face & Body £22 each – 02, 12, 26, 48

If you prefer cream bases the RCMA Sampler Palettes in Shinto $60 and KO $60 should cover everyone that sits in your chair and is a favourite of many artists.

Graftobian, Cinema Secrets, Face Atelier and Yaby are also popular brands amongst pros.

Concealer
You need a concealer of a consistency that you find easy to work with which blends nicely and gives good coverage for dark circles and blemishes. As with the foundation try out as many as you can to see what works for you.

The following shades should give you a good range of colours that can be mixed to get the shade you need.

MAC Select Cover-Up £10.77 - NW15, NC20, NW20, NW30, NW40, NW50

Setting Powder
Powder is essential for setting your makeup and counteracting shine. There is a whole array of powders on the market but a good translucent loose powder is all you need to get started.

Ben Nye's Neutral Set £4.99 is perfect for this.

All prices were correct at the time this was posted and do not include any pro discount that may be available to you.

If any other artists reading this have product suggestions please feel free to share them with us and leave a comment.

Related Posts:
Top 5 Tips for Keeping Your Makeup Kit Clean and Sanitary
Go Green With Refillable Makeup Palettes
Top 3 Products Seen Backstage at Fashion Week

Blogs to Bookmark: Design Is Mine

A good artist of any medium takes inspiration from everything they see, feel and touch around them even if they are not conscious of it all the time.

Design Is Mine, often gets the creative juices flowing for me, particularly with Summer Allen-Gibson's '10 pictures of inspiration' posts. The Props, colours, locations and even the mood of the images she showcases often spark an idea in me even if its not a fashion or beauty related post.

Creatives soak up ideas, thoughts and feelings associated with images all the time and often its more productive to be inspired by a piece of art that has nothing to do with makeup or fashion.

I'm sure we have all seen a photo or editorial that literally stops you in your tracks. You cant stop thinking about that image and you feel inspired to do something similar but recreating a particular look whilst still putting your own spin on it can be hard when what you really wish is that you had thought of it first!

By looking at other creative fields you can often come up with something more original because you are not trying to better an existing image of the same style or have any pre-conceived ideas about what the makeup should look like.

I have been wanting to do a shoot with a bike since forever and when I saw Summer's post. 'ten images of inspiration : i want to ride my bicycle' it made me want to follow it through and get planning. Here is a sample of Summer's post but please click the link to see the whole post.

ten images of inspiration : i want to ride my bicycle.
What is it that is so endearing about photographs of cute people with bicycles? I don't know why I love them so much, but I really, really do.


Let me know which sites you visit to get the creative juices flowing and leave a comment!

Related Posts:
Links to Love: FashionFace.tv
Top Ten Blogs To Bookmark

Picture Sources: Olivia Bee, Gemma Booth, About.com (via Design Is Mine)

Links à la Mode

Links à la Mode is a round up of fashion, beauty and style posts written this week by members of the Independent Fashion Bloggers community. Enjoy!

A Few Goody GumDrops - A Few Goody Gumdrops asks…if you are coming apart at the seems then enter to win torn leggings from LnA!

Breakfast at Saks - Still sifting through Paris Fashion Week shows? Be sure to make time for Ann Demeulemeester F/W 09.10

Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog - Check, Please!

Consume or Consumed - Consume or Consumed Sees Double and Triple: On Buying Multiples

Couture Cult - CoutureCult.com: Alison Lewis (formerly of Mooka Kinney), Spring/Summer 09

Debutante Clothing - Missoni is Inspired By Vintage Modernist Necklaces

Dogmom’s Dish - Desperately Seeking Orla

Fashion Daydream - What your didn’t see at Fashion Week: A behind the scenes look into fashion week, fashionistas en route to the shows and models being made up.

Fashion Pulse Daily - reports on the latest colors for fall 2009 — the season isn’t comprised of various hues of black or even bright colors for that matter either.

Felicia Sullivan - beauty & styling products that work for curly, coarse hair, really work. part 1: frederic fekkai

fete a fete - Larkspur & Hawk’s GORGEOUS antique and vintage inspired

Independent Fashion Bloggers - Burnout Aversion Tips From Bloggers

reLYME - An analysis of the Persian-inspired trend that’s hitting the runway

Retro Chick - Top 5 Ways to have fun with no money

Shopping and Info - Shopping and Info found Gossip Girl scarves bags and jewelry oh my!

Solo Lisa - Sunny fashion picks inspired by Freida Pinto’s character in Slumdog Millionaire

Studio Purpura Fashion Blog - Shopping Hops in the Far & South East Asia! Photos to Come!

Style Symmetry - Check out my interview with Jennine of The Coveted!

Style With Anna - Fashion for Guys: How to Dress Like David Beckham

THE COVETED - Exclusive Video Preview & Tutorial: Benefit Smokin’ Eyes

the musings of ondo lady - Get ready for a retro prequel of Gossip Girl which is about the trials and tribulations of a teenage Lily van der Woodsen

What The Pros Do… - Spring Clean Your Makeup Kit!

6 Things To Consider When Designing Your Business Cards

The main purpose of a business card is to communicate your contact details to someone in a clear, concise easy to read format.

Your business cards are such an important tool as you never know when or where you are going to meet someone that might be interested in your services. If you getting chatting to someone at a party and they happen to be a photographer you will come across as professional if you can pull a nice card out your purse for them to keep rather than scrawling your email on a napkin.

Some people probably think it doesn’t really matter but when you work for yourself as a freelance artist you need to make every connection count and always want to leave people with the right impression that your organised, together and professional.

Here are a few things you should consider when designing your business cards.

What information should you have on your card?

This is probably obvious but make sure you include your name, job title, telephone no., email address and website. There's no need to list everything you do on your card, your job title is sufficient if your website lists your services. You don’t want someone to assume you don’t do something because its not on your card but neither do you want a list as long as your arm so keep it simple. If you don’t have a website, its not advisable to substitute a web address with a myspace profile or similar as it doesn’t come across as professional.

Images

Think carefully before adding an image to your business card. I personally think it makes more sense to keep it simple and leave pictures for comp cards but if you would like to add a sample of your work make sure it is a timeless image that you would still want someone to associate with you a year or more from now. Remember that people keep cards for a long time. Make sure that the image doesn’t interfere or detract from the text. A good place to put a picture is on the back of the card but be sure to use a landscape image if your card is printed in landscape. You probably need your card to be taken seriously and appeal to those in lots of different areas of your market, unless you want to carry around 10 different cards which is why I prefer not to use images. If you do want to create lots of different cards Moo.com could be a solution as they allow you to print several different pictures in each batch you order.

Size

It makes sense to use a standard card which is roughly 8.5cm x 5.5cm as this size, which is the size of a credit card, will fit nicely in a wallet, a business card file, Rolodex and in other words can be filed away and kept safe. I have been given cards that are too big for my business card file and they definitely go walk abouts when they cant be filed away properly.

Quality

Go for the best quality you can afford as a nice weigh stock with good clear printing will always make a better impression and appear more professional over a a blurred, flimsy, cheap card. There are lots of options, textures and finishes available when ordering your cards but don’t feel you have to go over board to impress. A nice thick white card stock will do just fine.

Fonts and colours.

The main objective is that your card is easy to read and pleasing to the eye so chose your colours and fonts with that in mind. This is also where your branding comes into play. It is a good idea to use the same text and colours as your website or comp cards so everything ties together and presents a professional front.

Free Templates

Most printers will offer a variety of free templates for you to add you contact details to but then you are in danger of having the same card as someone else in your market which is not a good thing. If you want to use a template chose a text based card with a plain background that you can customise the fonts and colours to create a card that is more unique to you.

Let me know if you have any tips of your own to add or a comment to make on business cards.

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You can get 50% off your http://www.goodprint.com/ order when you enter MCH764 at the check out!