How To Build a Freelance Makeup Kit (On a Budget!!)

I know a lot of you guys out there are interested in doing freelance makeup, but are scared to splurge on expensive products. Like any business, it is a risk. You spend money, you make money, and a lot of you are afraid of spending thousands on expensive products for a freelance kids with the thought that it may not work out well.





The first tip I want to give you is ALWAYS BE POSITIVE. If it's not going well now, it will eventually. So many great artists started out unsuccessful. Success has to be built up, not just created from the start.


Now, to get to the products!

Face

Face Primer:

I know it may not sound too important, but trust me, it is.

An amazing, drugstore face primer would definitely be the L'Oréal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base ($13). It keeps your face feeling smooth and fills in pores and rough textured skin and keeps foundation on and lasting. Also, for $13, it's a real bargain compared to some high end primers, such as Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($36-$50).

Here's another tip: If you really don't want to buy a primer yet, you can make your own base as a substitute. It won't work as nicely and smoothly, but it's better than nothing and will hold foundation on longer than on plain skin.

Oily Skin: One part moisturizer, one part loose translucent powder.

Dry Skin: One part moisturizer, one part Vaseline.

Foundation:

I know what you're thinking: How the HELL am I supposed to carry around EVERY color foundation with me!? It's fine, there's two solutions I came up with for that.

1. Color-adjusting foundation: I've heard the Almay Smart Shade Makeup ($10) was a good foundation. The concept is really cool. It comes in three shades: a light, a medium, and a dark. You'd just need three of them and you're set! It comes out white and blends to match the user's skin tone.

2. Foundation palette: The more obvious choice: A palette with various different shades that you can mix and match with the client's skin tone.

Concealer:
Basically the same as foundation.


Get a palette or a color-adjusting concealer. I would recommend the palette more for this one, though. I know there's the Coastal Scents Eclipse Palette ($15) that has 15 different colors you can mix and match. You really won't need too big of a variety, since it's only to cover up blemishes.


Powder:
Again, don't go crazy and buy EVERY color.


Just find a loose translucent powder. It'll work on clients of any colored skin. For a good, inexpensive powder, I recommend the Covergirl Professional Loose Powder ($6) in Medium.

Eyes

Eye Primer:

I can't stress how important it is to use an eyeshadow primer before putting on eyeshadow. You should never apply eyeshadow without a primer. It's gonna fade and crease and the colors won't show up as vibrant and pigmented without it, so overall, you'd be wasting more money on eyeshadow. I know we've all heard how amazing the Urban Decay Primer Potion ($20) and the Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($18) are, but they're definitely not cheap.


An eyeshadow primer that I've used and liked was the ELF Essentials Eyelid Primer ($1). I know what you're thinking. "It costs a dollar. It must suck." I'll admit, it's nothing compared to the Urban Decay, but it's a hell of a lot better than nothing at all.


Some alternatives to using a primer are using a white eyeliner as a base (I recommend the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil ($5) in Milk, which many of you have probably heard about from XSparkage!) or using your foundation/concealer and powder.


Eyeshadow:
I think this one's pretty obvious.


Just get a good-quality palette with a lot of colors. I'm sure almost all of you have heard of the ever-so-popular Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette ($19). You can also use the greys and browns for filling in eyebrows.


Eyeliner:
Find your favorite liner in a black, brown, and a blue if you wish to start off and add more colors as your collection grows. Don't forget to always sharpen and sanitize them after every use. You can NEVER be too clean when it comes to makeup products!!


Mascara:
Get your favorite mascara (mine is the Maybelline Volume Express Falsies Mascara ($5)) and make sure you either get a set of disposable spoolies (mascara wands) or a tiny fan brush to apply it with. NEVER use the wand it comes with on a client because you're constantly dipping it back into the container and it'll contaminate the product and spread infections.

False Eyelashes:
These aren't COMPLETELY necessary, but if you feel like you need them, stock up on ELF's false lashes ($1) (Natural and Dramatic) and let the client keep them or throw them away when you're done. I don't think you want to take back someone else's used false eyelashes and put them on someone else. Ew.

Lips

*Just a little note, so I don't have to keep writing this on everything: NEVER put lip products on a client directly from the tube. Use a lip brush or a disposable spatula. You don't know what infections/diseases can spread from doing that*

Lip Conditioner/Balm:

I definitely recommend the EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm ($3), but you can just get a regular moisturizing chapstick for like $1 from any drugstore if you want.

Lipliner:
Don't go crazy and buy EVERY color.


Just get the basic ones: red, nude, pink, and brown and you can slowly build up your collection eventually. I strongly recommend the Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Liner ($6). They have every color you need, even a clear! Again, like I said about the eyeliner, don't forget to sharpen and sanitize them every time they're used!

Lipstick:
Back to what I was saying about the face products: Don't buy every color.


Get a lipstick palette you can play around with. The Coastal Scents 66 Lip Palette ($19) has just about every color you'll ever need, even blues!

Cheeks

Bronzer:

You just need one matte color that doesn't have any orange in it for contouring and, if you need to, tanning.

I really love the bronzer that comes with the ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder ($3). It's SUPER similar to the NARS Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo ($41) in Orgasm/Laguna for a really small fraction of the price! The blush that comes with it is REALLY pretty, too.

By the way, I'm not quite sure why it looks so light in the picture.

Highlighter:

Not 100% necessary, but I really love the glow you get from it, and it really helps define the face.

The best highlighter I've used is actually... an eyeshadow! I got the idea from Elle Fowler to use a Maybelline ExpertWear Eyeshadow Single ($3) in Champagne Fizz as a face highlighter. It's this beautiful, shimmery champagne color that looks excellent on any skin tone! Elle also mentioned that this apparently looks really similar to MAC Iridescent Loose Powder ($23) in Silver Dusk.

Blush:

I have two tips for blush. You can either:

1. Get thee important colors: Pink, coral/peach, and plum. I really like the ELF Studio Blush ($3) because they're really nice and pigmented.

2. Get a blush palette: This is the more obvious and convenient solution. Like I said earlier with the foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, and lipsticks: Just get a palette with a bunch of colors that you can play around with. One example is the Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette ($16). I think 10 is more than enough colors and there's so much that can be done with them!

Other Important Products

Brushes:

Find a good, inexpensive set of brushes to start out with, before you splurge on expensive ones. I know Target and ELF make pretty good, inexpensive brushes. Make sure you have:

• Face brushes:
• Foundation brush (flat or duo-fiber/stippling)
• Concealer brush
• Powder brush
• Disposable cosmetic wedge sponges
• Eye brushes:
• Flat/paddle/lid brush
• Round/blending/crease brush
• Small "pencil" brush
• Winged eyeliner brush
• Disposable mascara spoolies OR a mini fan brush
• Spooly for eyebrows
• Lip brushes:
• Lip brush
• Another winged eyeliner brush
• Plastic spatulas (like the ones in makeup stores for lipgloss)
• Cheek brushes:
• Angled blush brush
• Round blush brush

Skin Products:

• Moisturizer: You should always put moisturizer before starting anything!!
• Makeup remover: You never know when you'll make a mistake!
• Cotton balls and swabs: These come in handy for a variety of reasons, mainly for makeup removal.
• Face cleanser: For when you have to wash and start over.
• Face wipes: For quick cleaning.
• Baby wipes: For quickly cleaning up messes and wiping brushes.
• Olive oil and baby shampoo: For deep-cleaning brushes at the end of the day.
• Hand sanitizer: NEVER work without freshly cleaned hands.

I hope these tips helped you! Good luck and have fun with your freelance business! I wish you all the best!


If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment or send me an e-mail!