Makeup Kit Musthaves

A seminar dedicated to some of my favourite products for Warpaint magazine at this year's Professional Beauty, London .

For every makeup artist, the cost and time of building up your kit is a key concern.

In the cosmetic universe there are products being launched practically every week , so to keep up to speed on what's hots and what's not can not only be time consuming but also you can spend a fortune trying and testing products to find the latest wonder product that works for you and your client.

At this years Professional Beauty London I held a seminar, on behalf of Warpaint Magazine, to share some of my favourite beauty products whilst creating a simple yet polished look on a 'real woman'. The aim was to help people making expensive mistakes by sharing my 20year knowledge of what I think works.

Here are some of the products i used:

Skin: cleanser Merumaya luxury facial wash- available online and in selected John Lewis

Tool- Clarsonic Mia , super efficient cleansing tool used once a day or for very sensitive skins once a week.

Face mask- Sisley Black Rose Face Mask. Expensive but instant results.

Spot treatment- Green People Zap and Clear. I love this Organic brand. 

Makeup:

Eye Primer- Urban Decay. Potion. Super effective at holding onto shadows and prevent creasing.

Face Primer- Smashbox. Holds onto foundation really well

Foundation- Armani Silk Fluid Foundation. Buildable coverage that perfects the skin.

                      Illamasqua Skin Base. Looks stunning and creates a second skin.

                    YSL. Touché Éclat foundation is great for dull skins epecially & good range of shades

Contouring- Urban Decay concealer pencils or use three shades of foundation.

Concealer- YSL . Touché Éclat illuminating pen in an array of shades brings light to any dark areas.

MAC. Pro Longwear Concealer ( only at Pro stores). Works really well on dark circles, but you have to work fast before it 'sets'. Great shades that you can mix.

Powder- MAC. Blot powder.

Eyes- Urban Decay Naked Palette 2. Versatile shades of 'nudes& earth tones'

          Guerlain and Lauder do some great shadows too as do Kiko.

          Bobbi Brown Longwearing Pencil Liner. My favourite shades are BlackNavy and Jet. Good staying power even along the waterline.

          Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid liner in Perversion Black. Quick drying long lasting liner.

          Code beautiful mascara. A buildable mascara that doesn't make your lashes brittle and really does lift and give length. Not as good if you use a disposable wand.

          Givenchy Phenonemise Waterproof mascara. In 'ball' applicator, once mastered can achieve an amazing look.

          Avon Glimmersticks. Super soft liners that are easy to apply and have decent staying power.

          MAC Reflects Pearl. Only at Pro Stores but this goes everywhere me! Perfect for subtle or intense sparkle.

         Nouveau Lashes are easy to apply and are really pliable. Great selection of styles...plus they have just launched a fab new lash glue! The Illamasqua lash glue is fantastic too. A must for any kit.

Brows- HD Brow Palette in Bombshell is a really versatile quad that can save space in your kit.

            Sisley. Blonde & Cappuccino brow pencils

            YSL & Givenchy brow pencils. Good shades with a brush at the other end which you can spray with a little hairspray and sweep through the brows to set.

Lips-  Estée Lauder Doublewear Lip liner. Long wearing and fairly soft.

          Urban decay 24/7 lip pencils in various shades. Longwear and soft.

          MaxFactor Nude Pomade glosses. Gorgeous nude glosses that look and feel great.

          Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar sinks into the lips for long-wearing lip stain effect with minimal transfer.

Cheeks- Nars Orgasm blusher is a very versatile shade which works well on all ages.

              Givenchy Le Prisme Visage in mat. Shade Amber Organza is great for adding definition & some contouring for fair to medium skin tones.

              Bobbi Brown have a good range of bronzers

              Sleek and Kiko are great budget brand alternatives.

Makeup fixer- Urban Decay All Nighter.

After I had talked through the look I had created with Bridget ,my volunteer, I asked my wonderful friend, Dar, to step up. Celebrity hairdresser Dar has a wide array of clients that range from Hollywood legend Goldie Hawn to Bollywood legend Aishwarya Rai. Dar's work has graced the cover of Italian Vogue as well as Tatler. We work together a lot and we always have fun in whatever we do. He came along to support me and completed Bridget's look by sharing a few tips on how to increase volume and enhance a look.

A lot of the attendees were hairdressers too so loved the idea of this complete makeover.

I met some fantastic people at my seminar at various stages of their careers, so it was great to spend time chatting with them afterwards and swapping tips!