Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro (37 page)

SKINCARE

Transfer moisturizers into smaller plastic jars and bottles, or purchase the smallest size container of each product. Keep all moisturizing products together in a large zip-top plastic bag or makeup bag. Appropriate skincare makes a huge difference in how makeup looks, so be prepared to cleanse and hydrate the face before applying any makeup.

Eye makeup remover, both non-oily and a product for removing waterproof makeup

Eye cream

Face lotion

Rich, moisturizing face cream

Shine-control lotion

Face balm

Lip balm

Body lotion

CONCEALER, FOUNDATION, POWDER

You will need a full range of foundation shades in order to properly match any skin tone you encounter. If using stick foundations, slice off sections, and put them into a palette; transfer your moisturizing and oil-free foundations into smaller bottles.

Five shades of corrector

At least ten shades of concealer

At least fifteen shades of foundation in a variety of formulas

Four to five shades of tinted moisturizer

Six shades of loose powder (from white, for use on porcelain skin, to dark brown)

Mix-in pigments— yellow, black, red, blue — are a help to correct wrong color foundation.

BLUSH

A complete kit includes a full range of blush in both neutrals and brighter shades in powder, cream, gel, and shimmer formulas, and a range of bronzers. Blushes are also used as eye shadow to achieve bright color in magazine work. It’s also possible to mix a blush with clear lip balm for an extreme effect.

Six to eight shades of powder blush, from soft neutrals to brights

Five shades of cream blush (can be placed in a palette)

Two to three shades of gel blush

Four shades of bronzing powder

Five shades of shimmer blush or bronzer

EYES

Include a wide variety of eye shadows in a range of colors and formulas, with pencils, brow pencils, and mascaras. The best way to arrange the shadows is in specially made palettes that have slots for the eye shadow containers. Arrange each palette by shade family, and label the palettes accordingly, so you can see at a glance which one you need. Making separate palettes for brights, shimmers, neutrals, and liners will help keep the kit organized.

Make sure you have all of your makeup tools, and don’t forget to include cotton swabs or a non-oily eye makeup remover as well as a waterproof one. It’s always better to be overprepared, than underprepared.

Four shades of all-over shadow color, such as white, bone, toast, and banana

A wide range of shadows to use as a lower lid color, include at least twelve choices

Three to six shades of shadow to use as liner, such as black, navy, medium brown, dark brown, dark green, and plum

Twelve shimmery shadows in a range of shades

Six to ten bold shadow and liner colors

Tinted and clear brow gels

Brow pencils in brown, blond, reddish brown, gray, taupe, and ash

Eye pencils in dark gray, brown, black, dark green, plum, and navy

Gel eyeliner in black, dark gray, and dark brown, optional extra colors could include violet and dark green

Black and dark brown mascara in both a thickening and a waterproof formula (colored mascaras are optional)

False eyelashes, both strips and individual

Eyelash glue; precolored glue in black helps fill the lash line

LIPS

It’s easy to carry an extensive selection of lipsticks, because slices can be arranged in a palette. Using lipstick is the quickest and easiest way to change both a model’s face and the feel of a photograph. In addition to the everyday colors, I like to keep an array of more unusual lip colors as well as other creamy pigments from the color wheel. It’s amazing what a black lipstick does.

At least twenty different shades in a wide range of colors. These can be mixed to create dozens more. Essential colors include pale beige, pale pink, light orange, bright pink, bright orange, bright red, deep red, deep wine

At least ten shimmery lipsticks in a wide range of colors

At least ten lip glosses in a wide range of colors

At least ten lip pencils in a wide range of colors

A cream-based color wheel for blending

TOOLS

A complete set of brushes stored in a brush roll

Spray-on brush cleaner

Disposable makeup sponges

Cotton swabs

Cotton pads

Tissues

Tweezers

Eyelash curler

Baby scissors (for trimming unruly brows)

Disposable mascara wands

Water spray bottle

Makeup artists keep backups. Keep an extra set of brushes and all the products you can’t live without in your home or office so you can access them if anything happens to your kit.

ESSENTIAL EXTRAS

Keep these things in your kit because you just never know when you might need them.

Hand disinfectant

Baby wipes

Mints

Baby oil

Eyedrops

Sheer, red, and chocolate nail polish

Nail polish remover

Extra zip-top plastic bags

Hand mirror

Protein bars, almonds, or other snacks—you will often be working through lunch and other meals

Paperback book for downtime, notebook for writing down inspirations

Business cards, as you never know whom you’ll meet

TRICKS FOR PACKING YOUR KIT

Slice any product that comes in a stick (foundation, lipstick, bronzers, blushes), and put the slices into palettes. That way, you can have a whole array of shades in front of you at once.

Use zip-top plastic bags to store things and rubber bands to hold lip glosses and pencils together.

Use a label maker to label every bag, box, and palette neatly.

It’s important for makeup artists to have a system. Pack your kit the same way each time, so you can find things in a hurry.

THE FUN KIT
(at right)

These are the extra things you won’t need very often, so store them all together in a separate plastic bag or makeup kit.

Sparkle and glitter powders

Nail polish in an array of colors