APPENDIX C Contents of a Professional Makeup Kit
The following is an excerpt from the makeup course taught by Michael R. Thomas, Director of the East Coast School for Makeup. The suggestions and recommended list of materials are to be used as a point of departure.
Where I have indicated Recommended, get each item after the word. For example, under the heading “Adhesives,” all three adhesives are recommended, so get all three. Sometimes, only one item is listed after Recommended, in which case, get only that item. (I will list the names of other manufacturers in case you would rather purchase from a manufacturer other than one I have recommended.)
Some items are a matter of personal preference and are made by so many manufacturers that I have not made any specific recommendations. However, please keep in mind that you are going to makeup many people, each with their own particular needs, and you'll need to cover all the bases as far as color and type of makeup are concerned. You're going to find that the requirements of each job will vary, sometimes wildly, and you want to be prepared.
Please note that in my experience, I have found that most people who wish to become professional makeup artists are usually lacking in three things:
• Brushes. You must have a wide variety of brushes, both round and flat, that range in size from 1/16-inch wide (or around) to 1-inch wide (or around). You must have a variety of types of brushes (blush brushes, adhesive brushes, lip color brushes, etc.). It is far better to have too many brushes than too few.
• Foundations. There are lots of different skin tones and types, and you must have a wide selection of both creme and liquid foundations.
• Liner Colors. I don't mean lipliners or eyeliners. I mean the rainbow of creme (usually) accent colors used to contour the features, to create realistic and fantasy effects, and to break up the unnatural smoothness of a base of foundation to make it look more like skin.
Absorbent Cotton
Acetone (Please note: Pure Acetone not to be confused with nail polish remover)
Adhesives:
Recommended: RCMA Matte Adhesive #16, Duo Surgical Adhesive, Pros-Aide. (Please note: Dow 355 has been determined to be harmful to the environment and is no longer being manufactured, so it will not be discussed as part of the East Coast School Crash Course.)
Alcohol (70% & 99%)
Baby Wipes
Blood:
Recommended: Paramount Stage Blood, Kryolan Fixblood (Fixblut), Paramount Congealed Blood
Blush:
Creme—Iman, Mehron Blushtone, Ben Nye Creme Rouge, RCMA Cheekcolor & Genacolor, William Tuttle Blusher
Dry—Iman, Ben Nye Dry Rouge, Ben Nye Professional Cheek Blushers, Kryolan's 10-Shade Dry Rouge Palette, M.A.C. Blushers, Paramount Dry Rouge, RCMA EC #2 Dry Blushes
Brush Cleaner—Acehol (a product made and named by Mr. Thomas using equal amounts of acetone and 99% alcohol), commercial brush cleaner (these must clean and disinfect thoroughly while leaving no residue on the brush), shampoo, and conditioner.
Brushes (Please note: The type of bristle in each brush must ultimately be determined by how it feels against the skin. Do not purchase brushes according to their price! Many synthetic bristles are kinder to the skin than natural bristles. Go to a large art store which carries a variety of popular brands, such as Grumbacher, Winsor-Newton, etc., and remember—it is much better to have too many brushes than too few.)
Acetone Brush (for melting the edge of a bald cap)—get one 5/16″ or 3/8″ round
Blush Brush—get at least two
Dye Brush (toothbrush type)—get one or two
Detail Brush—get two 1/16″ or 1/8″ rounds
Eyebrow Brush
Eyeliner Brush Eye Shadow Brushes (rounded tip and flat)—get at least four; two of each
Hairbrush (rat-tail)
Lipstick & Lipliner Brushes—get at least two reusable types and a dozen disposable types
Mascara Brushes (disposable)—get a dozen Powder Brush
Highlighting and Shading Brushes—get at least two 3/16″ or 1/4″ flat or bright, and at least two ½″ flat or bright
Spirit Gum Brush (the small ones that come attached to the bottle cap are too small and flimsy to be of much use)—get one 5/16″ or 3/8″ round
Castor Oil
Chamois
Cleansers (cold cream, liquid)
Clown White (cake, grease, liquid)
Collodion (flexible, used as a sealer and non-flexible used as scar material)
Combs
Cotton Swabs
Cortisone Cream 1%
Crepe Hair (real & wool):
White, blond, light brown, medium brown, red, dark brown, black
Dental Spatulas (flat & wax)
Dermacolor:
Recommended: D-5, D-10, D-17, D-30, D-32, D-34, D-40, D-56, D-305, D-1W (get 2)
Derma Wax (soft & firm)
Detachol (a liquid solvent made especially for removing Pros-Aide, but which can be used for removing spirit gum, PAX, RMGP etc. A must have!)
Emery Boards
Eyebrow Pencils (assorted):
Blond, medium brown, brownish black, black, auburn, grey
Eye Drops
Eyelash Curler
Eyelashes (false, assorted strip, and individuals)
Eyeliners (assorted cake, pencils, and liquid)
Eye Shadows:
Dry—Ben Nye Pressed Eye Shadows, Ben Nye Pearl Sheen, RCMA 12-Color Dry Eye Shadow Palette, RCMA Eyecolor #1 Water-Applied, RCMA Eyecolor #2 Dry-Applied, Paramount Eyeshadow.
Creme—William Tuttle Eye Shadows
Foundations:
Cake—Max Factor Pancake, Kryolan Aquacolor, Mehron #110 Star Blend Cake Makeup, Ben Nye Color Cake Foundation.
Creme—Joe Blasco Creme Bases, Max Factor Panstick, Iman Cream to Powder Foundation, Kryolan Supracolor Creme Foundation, M.A.C. Studio Series, Mehron Celebre and #400 Creme Blend Makeup, Ben Nye Theatrical Creme Foundation, RCMA Color Process Foundation, William Tuttle Creme Foundation, Visiora MV Modeleur Creme Visage.
Liquid—Clinique, Iman, M.A.C. Face & Body Foundation, Mehron #111 Liquid Makeup, Visiora VN Fluide Visage Liquid Face Makeup, Visiora CN Fluide Corps Liquid Body Makeup.
Rubber Mask Greasepaint—Mehron RMGP. Recommended: Kryolan RMGP 12 or 24 Shade Palette
Gloves (disposable examination gloves, latex or plastic)
Glycerin
Hair Clips (large and small)
Hair Coloring (assorted liquid, powder, spray, stick)
Hair Dryer (small hand held)
Hair Gel
Hairpins (large and small)
Hairspray
Hair Trimmer (buzzer)
K-Y Jelly
Lining Colors:
Recommended: Kelly's Soft Liners in black, bronze, blender tone, chestnut brown, gray-violet, leaf green, maroon, medium rose, mikado, ocean blue, spice, sunburn, white.
Lip Balm
Lipliner Pencils:
M.A.C. Lipliner Pencils, Ben Nye Lip Pencil, Ben Nye Professional Pencils
Lipsticks:
Ben Nye Lipsticks, RCMA Lipstick, Kryolan Lip Rouge Color, Mehron Glostone, Mehron Lip Rouge.
Makeup Cape
Makeup Palettes (commercial or homemade)
Mascara (black, brown, clear)
Mirror
Moustache Wax
Pencil Sharpeners (lip pencils, eyebrow pencils, and eyeliner pencils)
Personal Hygiene Items:
Breath drops, tooth paste and brush, deodorant, soap, etc.
Perspiration/Tears (50/50 glycerine and water)
Polaroid Camera
Portable Makeup Box(es), Bag(s)
Powders (assorted loose and pressed)
RCMA No-Color, pigmented (any brand), translucent (any brand)
Powder Puffs
Razors (disposable and single edge)
Safety Pins
Scissors:
Barber shears, cuticle, safety, thinning shears
Sea Breeze Antiseptic
Sealers (water based, plastic)
Shaving Cream (travel-size can)
Soap
Spirit Gum Remover
Sponges:
Black plastic stipple, foam rubber, natural silk (sea sponge), red rubber
Stopplepaste (by Kryolan. A soft wax in a bullet-type applicator for adhering chopped hair to the skin for a stubble effect.)
Tissues
Tooth Enamel (black, stain, white)
Top Stick (toupee tape)
Tuplast (scar material)
Tweezers
Water (aerosol spray and squeeze bottles)