DIY Lipstick Palette

I am in LOVE with The Container Store! 

 

This store is THE go-to place for every artists organizing needs. I always head to the store on North Ave in Chicago, IL. I'm pretty sure I could be an employee there because I know the store a little TOO well. 

I wanted to show you all how you can use one of their unique containers for your benefit. There is a section of The Container Store with tiny, random containers. They are very inexpensive, between .50 to $8, depending on the size, color and style you choose.  

So I found this container for $2.99. 

It's flat, wide, and perfect for any kit. It will keep all your lipsticks in order!

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So I took this home, cleaned it out, and grabbed all my random Maybelline, MAC, and Inglot lipsticks in tubes.

I used a spatula wand to scoop out all the product from the lipstick tube, then used a q-tip to smooth the surface of the lipsticks.

If you want your lipsticks to look smoother, I would microwave it for 8-10 seconds.

If you like, you can label your lipsticks on the back of your palette with a label maker, permanent marker, or whatever floats your boat! I personally like my palettes to look clean and simple, so I chose to not label this palette. 

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This is one of the fun parts of working in your passion, re-organizing and re-thinking how to save space for yourself is not a chore! I'd love to see what your custom palettes look like when you finish.

;-)

How to: Pack Your Bags Like a Pro!

So, I'm going to LA tonight. :-)

It took me a few days to figure out how to condense all my makeup stuff into small cargo, but I did it! I wanted to share how to pack all of your makeup items when traveling.

1.) In the wise words of Erykah Badu, "Pack light."

 I prefer to carry-on my luggage, so I packed both my hair products and my makeup items into this one, small unit.

I found this at The Container Store for $99! This is very similar to a Zuca case, but it opens up like a file cabinet inside. This has 5 big pockets that I can stuff all my palettes and products into.

 2.) Condense, condense, condense!

 I condensed ALL my makeup into these small containers.

I found these at CVS for $4.99.

You can use the bottles the travel kit comes with for your foundations, your brush cleaner, your skincare products, your personal items as well. I used a few of them for my personal stuff:

I used the bags for the rest of my makeup products and organized my kit with them. Here is what my condensed kit looks like:

3.) Make sure you keep everything UNDER 3 ounces.

Any liquid items you have, replace them with travel size items at 3 ounces or less. If you really need certain items in a bigger size, wherever you are heading, hopefully there is a store that has what you need in the size you need.

4.) Check Please!

If you are working on a big project and you have to carry heavier items, you'll have to 'check' your bags in. This always gives me a heart attack because your luggage could possibly be lost when checking them. Make sure you purchase travelers insurance. It's always better to be safe than sorry!

I hope this helps!!
I'll take pics of my trip :-)

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.)