What's In My Kit?

I never really thought this was a big deal, but lately people have been asking me what am I carrying in my mysterious, metal box. So, let me show you what I've got:

For those of you that have never worked with me, I'm very organized; I take organization to a whole other level when it comes to makeup. I wasn't always like this, but after a few incidences of products being randomly stolen from me, I needed to get organized so I can know who is using what while on the set of a photo shoot or fashion show and I would know immediately if something is missing from my kit.



In one section, I have my foundations and a few concealers.
My absolute favorite foundations are Make Up For Ever Liquid Face & Body Foundations:



From my school, Make Up First LLC, I learned that these are one of the best foundations every artist needs in their kit and I live by these. The MUFE foundations are made with silicone, which means they are waterproof, leave a dewy look and feel to the skin and are naturally HD ready. These foundations are great for teary-eyed brides and sweaty models. They are about $40, but they have lasted me for years. Worth every penny.

I also carry a few MAC Studio Finish concealers, mostly in deeper shades:


The reason why I carry MAC only in darker shades is due to the hues in them, they have an orange base. Most concealers from other brands I've tried tend to be too red, too pink, or too yellow and they don't match deeper skin tones well on camera. The MAC concealers work VERY well under HD lighting when blended well.


In the other section of my kit, I carry these products:


Ben Nye Concealer Wheels:

I have about 8 of these, they are amazing. These concealers cover fine lines to tattoos, great product for light weight to heavy weight work.

Urban Decay Primer Potion:

Yep, I love it! I found out about this product from the infamous @QueenofBlending, I tried it and I loved it ever since.

OCC Lip Tars:


I carry NSFW, Hoochie, Banchie, and another name....Basically, red, orange, magenta, and blue. I never remember names! These are SO vibrant and electric in person and on camera. Best lip product investment I have purchased so far.

MAC LipMix (in black, white, red, yellow, blue):

These bring the artist out of me, especially when I am asked to work on colorful projects. I used the lip mix for this particular photo shoot with photographer Jennifer Avello & designer Marta Cebrat-Czernik.


Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm:


No matter what age or what sex my client is, EVERY one loves the way this smells & feels.

Make Up For Ever HD Powder:

I think this should be a staple product for all artists. I definitely noticed a difference working with this translucent powder compared to other powders: very smooth on skin, works amazing under camera, creamy texture on moisturized skin. If you use too much powder, it does look chalky, but just brushing away access solves that problem.

NARS Sharpener:

Best pencil sharpener for all sizes.

Brushes:

My brushes are from everywhere, I don't have a specific favorite, but I prefer synthetic bristles over natural hairs any day.

Pencils:

I found this cute box from Urban Outfitters, and I use it to store all of my lip & eye pencils. Convenient, colorful & cute. I don't have one particular product for pencils I use, I use a little bit of everything.

Palettes:

MAC Blush Palettes, Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow Palette & Nars Individual Cheek & eye colors.

Lipsticks:


I found these clear, cute containers from The Container Store.
I melted my lipsticks in the microwave and ta-da, I created my own lip palette!
The other containers store random lip gloss, my mascara and liquid eye liners.

Mascara: My Favorite mascara at the moment is One by One by Maybelline.


It doesn't clump, defines all lashes very well and the best part is that it dries fast, so I don't have to clean up after my client closes their eyes. GREAT mascara.


The Cross:



Only a few people have noticed this, but I keep a cross in my kit just as a daily reminder of my faith and to keep me grounded during my highest high's and my lowest low's.

That's what's in my kit!

(Photos provided by Songine' Clark & Sephora.com & the internet.)

The Makeup Show

Thank GOD for the production team of The Makeup Show for FINALLY bringing the event to Chicago. It was long over due!! I went yesterday (June 12th) with my friend and client, Jenna Marie Christian, and we had an amazing time. As soon as we walked in, I felt like I had the jitters. We went from booth to booth to booth and sampled and Ooh'd and Aawed over the colorful array of gorgeousness from every product line. I also bumped into a LOT of familiar faces.




First products I purchased: Crown Industries
I stocked up on nine brushes, a palette of cream foundations, a packet of lip wands and mascara wands for only $25.
$25!!
$25!!!!!!


Second products I purchased: Make Up For Ever.
I finally stocked up on a few of my favorite face & body liquid foundations as well as a neutral eye shadow palette. Everything was 50% off!! I was going nuts. They were also doing live demos of theatrical makeup and their newest products on a few agency models.


Third products I purchased: Kevyn Aucoin
I purchased two of his cheek colors: Fire (Mango hue) and Dolline (Apricot hue)
The texture is SO thick and the pigment is really amazing. You literally only need a small amount for it to show on your cheeks. The best part was they were selling it for only $5 each!!


Fourth products I purchased: Inglot
I wanted everything, I truly did. But I ended up purchasing their Face and Body Illuminator in #61 and #68. These have stunning color power. Absolutely stunning. I cannot wait to highlight the cheekbones of my next model with these. These were $11 but they are SO worth it.

So at this point, I had to check myself because I was wrecking my money. :-/


We checked out an airbrushing seminar from Temptu. I learned the difference between silicone and water based makeup, silicone is mold-able and takes longer to set on skin while water based airbrush tries quickly since it isn't oil based. Temptu also showed how to add depth with contouring the eyes as well as the cheekbones. The host was fun to watch and I learned a few tricks with airbrushing for my next bride.


I also bumped into Jennifer James. I love her blog and her notes, she is FULL of wisdom. Ofcourse, her skin was flawless in person.


And for the main event, Sam Fine was in the building looking flawless, classic and dapper. we also got to check out Sam Fine's seminar on "Careers in Beauty" and stood in line for an hour just to gain some of his knowledge and see him work up close and personal.


First off, WOW. Talk about preaching to the choir. He was so refreshing to listen to. Sam mentioned the good and the bad side of the industry, and I really liked that he mentioned that IT IS OK to say NO to a job that doesn't suit you or make you happy. Sam also mentioned that everything you do, from facebook to simply talking to people, is a market of you. EVERY thing he mentioned was full of humble wisdom and I was so proud to be there.


He was selling his dvd, but the line was WAY too long. Just going to get it later at Borders. I noted that he likes to stipple the face with sponges and stipples heavily around the under eyes. That's a new technique for me, because I typically stipple with my fingers and/or a brush to create a similar effect. What also surprised me was the few products he used to create a flawless canvas. Sam also mentioned he had an art background so makeup was second nature to him. What an inspiration!

I'm undecided whether I will go the second day because I spent enough money!! But I had A LOT of fun. I will be there next year :)