Beauty Tool Kit

I recently emailed Dasha from Green Make-Up asking if she could give me some recommendations or tips on products and essentials to put in my Natural Beauty tool kit. 

The reason for this is i've just signed up at Tafe to do a make-up and skin care course so I can get some qualifications and recognition behind me to start my own business. It's all very exciting and I cannot wait to start this journey. 

This is the reply I recieved: 

Hello Zara!

Thanks for passing by!

It's nice to hear that you are growing as an artist with green tools!

I'll try my best to answer you one by one to your questions:

A list of essentials to put in my tool kit?

If you meant a list in general I give you in attachment a general make-up kit checklist that I found very useful, especially at the beginning of my work. I still have it in case someone needs it.

It's a reminder checklist so that you don't forget anything before you go to work. 

Regarding my list of brands: are those that you have mentioned + those on my blog + some "older" brands that I have as a color referrer.

I hardly tell you the exact list of products, because it's full of different brands and products that I use intuitively, depending on the work. I also mix many products together and put them in palettes for instance. I also have some of my home-made products, like herbal balms, mix of essential oils, etc. 

Right now I am even upgrading it with some new products that I still have to check before and decide.

Many times, I also have to rearrange the kit depending on the work I do. (Marriage is not the same as video, fashion...). 

In short, I am and will be in constant update of my kit, especially with the evolving green products. 

I always advice to make-up artists that they should not stick just to one brand, as this way you don't grow as an artist.

Every make-up artist should know the general list of essentials, like that one that I gave you. Then during time and work, the job of a good make-up artist is to accurately search for new products, textures and finishes, to discover them. And just through this process everyone will find what works the best for him/her. 

Never buy something because someone just said that is good, it may not work so well for you. So I recommend you to use the products that YOU like working with and to constantly upgrade your make-up kit. This way you will also grow as an artist, your senses will sharpen, you will be more open to new things and you will broaden your horizons in every field.

For example, in my make-up kit there are different brands of products (even some of the past because they worked for me in color/texture) and I never stick to just one or two brands.

Another thing about the products: search for different colors and textures and so build your kit according to them: for instance: you may prefer mineral powders or creamy foundations instead of

liquid ones, so you will look after those more and build your kit with different colors and brands that have mineral powder foundations. I am not a fan of lip glosses for example and I don't have so much

of them in my kit, so building a kit depends also on your make-up artist style.

About disposable tools, sanitizing wipes & natural sanitizing products suitable for cosmetics:

With disposable tools I suppose you meant lip gloss/mascara wands? Or even sponges?

Anyway, I noticed in the past that in US there is a big need and also some kind of "law" regarding hygiene. Which is not bad at all, I care very much for the hygiene, too. What surprised me was their almost obsessed use of huge amounts of disposable wands and high percentage of cleansing alcohol. Years ago while in contact with some US artists I also started to use these disposables. 

But honestly, I don't use them all the time. I prefer to sanitize the product before. What is more important and not so reasonable for many people is that if you will have fear and paranoia that something bad will happen, it will. I never had any bad experience with this, but I must also say that I care very well for the hygiene in my make-up kit every time I use it. I'm not fearful that something bad will happen to anyone. You may have the cleanest kit in the world, and your client can get an infection anyway. Everything does not depend on you and the rational aspect of things. If you do your job the best you can, from your heart, if you care for your kit = clean it and have fresh products, because you love your work and you trust, then nothing bad will happen. I realized also that all that paranoia with the hygiene is due to huge attacks of the pharmaceutical industry that is scarring people all the time with new diseases, infections, and consequently with a tremendous amount of fear, which is the root and cause for every disease.

I use the following disposables: cotton tissues, cotton discs and q-tips. Unfortunately, I still don't have always an option to buy all the time organic so I use also normal ones. I don't like make-up remover wipes, because they are a breeding ground of bacteria’s, even though they are green. I don't like the wet tissue immersed in the old liquid. 

For sanitizing my hands I'm very green :) I use my mix of essential oils, a tea tree hydrolat or the Bentley organics hand sanitizer: http://greenmakeup.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/washing-and-disinfecting-hands/

It's still quite hard to find an effective green brush sanitizer and cleaner on the market. I do the following: I have a lot of make-up brushes and so I always use clean ones. After use, I wash them every time gently with an organic soap: http://greenmakeup.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/how-to-clean-your-make-up-brushes/ Before using them I spritz them with the natural hydrolat of organic Lavender and Tea Tree that has lots of antibacterial properties and a nice nontoxic, aroma therapeutic smell. 

Regarding other disposables like puffs and sponges, I have a lot of them from the time I wasn't green and I also bought eco puffs from EcoTools that are now discontinued. But anyway I don't use sponges very much.

As you said, I agree not to produce waste. I also recycle some nice jars and bottles and reuse them.

What brand primer and other essential products like that you use?

The same brands as you listed. Vapour has a great one: Liquid soft focus instant skin perfector. I also like Inika's primer and 100%pure, but I have to say that I'm not so much obsessed with primers at all costs, because I rather prepare well the skin with massage and a skin care ritual chosen on the skin type/condition. I like to use primers, especially when there is no time to prepare the skin and I also like to try and discover new ones, but as I said I'm not a fan at every cost. I love oils, especially for mineral make-up and new organic moisturizers. Pai has very good ones. I did a post about it: http://greenmakeup.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/my-new-discovery-pai-skincare/

Hope my answer was helpful :)

Best,

  I was ecstatic to receive this reply, not only was it quickly received, but it answered all of my questions and gave me a great base to start with. 

Thank you very much Dasha.