Inside a Make-up Kit: Essential Tools of Your Make-up Trade

Mirror, mirror on the wall; brushes, liner, powder, and kohl.

Every beauty conscious woman (and man!) owns a handy, vanity tote containing essential make-up items. Likewise, every make-up artist lugs around a case filled with equipment used to create magic on the human face. Inside the case are some absolutely must-haves – essential tools of your make-up trade; while others can be complimentary. Nevertheless, the entire kit works in tandem to deliver on a flawless, make-up promise repeatedly.

No doubt we are all familiar with most tools employed in the make-up artistry trade – eyeshadow, foundation, blusher, liner, etc. – and can even reel them off mindlessly, sometimes with the attendant available colours. But did you know that among these objects are some, the fundamentals, that a make-up artist must include? They are essential tools of your make-up trade and constitute the minimum requirement of a facial beauty toolkit and can dramatically transform an individual in the blink of a perfectly lined eye. After all, a make-up artist is only as talented as his/her tools; investing in the right ones is one sure way to repeat success.

So, what are these instruments, if we may refer to them as such? These essential tools of your make-up trade? Let’s find out together and peek inside a make-up kit.

Weapons of Facial Enhancement

Brush set
Perhaps the most useful tool in the kit. There’s a reason the moniker, make-up artist, has artist as a part of it; you create a look with colours the same way a painter does with his watercolours. You both wield brushes to produce a result, either a beautiful face or a picture. A good set of brushes will prove beneficial to your craft and the looks you create.
Of the several that can be found inside a make-up kit, we’ll mention six of them:
Foundation brush
Concealer brush
Blush brush
Lip brush
Shadow blender brush
Angled brow and liner brush

Primer
This is the photoshop of make-up artistry. Another important staple. Imagine having your very own photoshop tool that you can manipulate at will. Primer can smoothen any imperfection and leave an unblemished facial canvas in its wake. It allows for seamless application of make-up products, and can also give the skin extra radiance.

Lipstick palette
The lipstick has to be the most prominent of all make-up effects. No matter how colourful the face appears to be, the eyes are drawn to the lips most of the time. It is the king (or queen) of make-up. A face without lipstick should be a faux pas and deemed an unfinished work.
The lipstick palette in your make-up kit would have several nudes, reds, pinks, and other shades that let you mix and match them according to the look you want to create. Lip glosses, lip balms and lip liners are included here as well.

Foundation & concealer palette
You will find most of these as creams in a make-up kit and they come in tones for various skin types, ranging from fair to dark. Foundation, as the name suggests, forms an even base for the complexion, conceals flaws and can also function as a moisturizer/base layer for more complex cosmetics. Concealer hides a plethora of sins on the face – discoloration, fine lines, age spots and other blemishes around the eyes – and serves as a layer for eye shadow/ lipstick and even as a contouring product.

Eyeliner pencils
These are quick and simple to use, and can totally transform the human face. A make-up artist cannot live home without them. They can achieve varied results when applied in various places, but the one look eyeliner pencils are famous for is the smoky eye outline that gives added allure and suits about anyone.

Eye shadow palette
You must have noticed by now the palette nature of some of the make-up kit tools. This is so because it gives the make-up artist a variety to work with and choose from to meet the clients’ needs and expectations. The eye shadow palette could come in neutral hues – taupes, browns, bronzes and cream coloured – or more eye-catching, bolder shades.

Brow kit
A mini kit within the make-up kit specifically for the eyebrows. All that attention to the eye area will be for naught if the brows are poorly maintained or groomed. The brow kit usually contains tweezers, an eyebrow pencil, an eyebrow powder, and an eyebrow pomade.

Mascara
Mascara, oh mascara! Many beauty experts say it is the king of make-up because, with one or two coats, it makes the lashes come alive with thickness, length and volume. And who doesn’t want to flutter full-bodied lashes or lower them demurely? No make-up kit should be without this critical part of facial beauty enhancement. Like eyeliner pencils, it is an absolute must-have.

Bronzer
This adds more dimension and drama to the face. By dusting a little of it across the cheekbones, into the hairline and around the neck, it infuses a touch of colour onto the face canvas after it has been duly perfected and primed.

Contouring Palette
This little fact bears repeating – having a palette means having a variety. And most make-up artists choose that route. They are essential tools of your make-up trade. In a make-up kit, the contouring palette could be creams or powders in several different shades of colour. Though contouring requires at least three matte brown shades – one each for light skin, medium skin and dark skin. While the highlight variety can be in two neutral-toned matte options – one light or medium and one medium or dark, and one glitter highlight.

Related: Four African Make-up Artists Share Their Journeys into the Facial Beauty Business

Setting powder & setting spray
Setting powder can be loose powder and a powder puff or pressed powder and a brush, depending on the preference of the make-up artist. It is applied after the foundation.
Setting spray, on the other hand, is the last step in the facial beauty process. Few spritzes of it on the face can hold make-up in place to prevent smudging, fading and flaking.
Both the setting powder and setting spray will ensure a flawless and long-wear, make-up look. Both are essential tools of your make-up trade.