We’ve collected our favorite tips for building a budget-friendly, professional makeup kit from scratch. Whether you’re looking to specialize in bridal makeup, editorial glam, movie special effects, or dabble in a little bit of everything, we have some tried and true tricks that’ll help you get the tools you need to do the job right. 

The Basics

Let’s start at the beginning. You are going to need a sturdy and reliable case for carrying your supplies, including versatile and quality brushes and well-made and mixable makeup products that let you do a lot with a little. 

Your Set Bag

A set bag is an important piece of the puzzle, and also one where you can fall into spending too much money. When picking a makeup case, consider your needs. Do you travel by car or public transit? Are you going to need to bring along prosthetics and other special elements? Or, are you just planning to start small? 

Live in a big city and don’t have a car? A case that turns into a backpack or rolls like a suitcase may be ideal, especially ones that include a small side bag for on-the-fly touch-ups. 

You may also want to depot some of your cosmetics, like pro MUAs do, to create customizable palettes for efficiency in more compact containers. This helps save space in your set bag and provides better visibility of the shades you use most often.

When it comes to your case, lean into practicality, quality, and efficiency. This will protect your most precious tools and act as an important sidekick. 

Your Brushes

If you go into any makeup store, you will see brushes for every possible application and in every possible shape and size. It can make your head spin, but you don’t need all of them. 

To start out, you just need a good: 

• Powder brush
• Foundation brush
• Eyeshadow brush
• Eyeliner brush
• Blush brush

Look for professional-grade brushes from top brands, like Bdellium. You can also incorporate a blending brush or opt for some foam beauty blenders. 

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However, even if you only use a few styles of brushes, you’ll need multiple versions of those for optimal hygiene for your clients or talent.

When looking for brushes on a budget, there are plenty of brush options out there. Should you go with all-natural or synthetic? Natural brushes are made of various types of animal hair. A sable brush will be ideal for smaller bristles and more precise application. Goat hair is perfect for a large face brush, because the soft hair will apply powders delicately and evenly, giving it an airbrushed finish. 

But don’t overlook synthetic options. There are plenty of affordable and high-quality synthetic brushes that can give you a great result, too. 

The Makeup Products

Here is where the variation comes in. The products you decide to carry in your makeup kit are as unique as the services you offer to clients. So, consider those services: Do you offer bridal makeup, SFX prosthetics, film/TV makeup, or some combination? 

• Bridal Makeup

For a bridal kit, prioritize glowy palettes, buildable coverage, and waterproof products. Oftentimes, brides want a beautiful, soft glam look. You can achieve this with products that make their skin look flawless and highlight their best features. 

Brides will want to look like the best version of themselves, not transformed into someone else. Invest in:

• Waterproof mascaras
• Silicone foundations for long-wear
• Finishing powders
• Setting sprays

• SFX Makeup

Now here is where we get really creative. When it comes to building out an SFX kit, try to stick to what is tried and true. Pro brands like Ben Nye and Mehron have versatile products that have been creating shocking looks for years.

In your set bag, you’ll also need:

• Airbrush tools
• SFX palettes, like those from Skin Illustrator
• Body paints
• Quality adhesives
• Latex
• Gels of varying viscosity
• Bald caps
• Fake blood
• Scar and wound FX
• Silicone or prosthetic foam for building those extra special effects 
• Film and TV Makeup

If you are building a film/TV kit, prioritize makeup that will stand up to long days, bright lights, and even hours of sweat. Stick to silicone-based products to give a longer-lasting finish that will stand up to sweat and heat. Avoid mixing silicone products with cream products, because that can cause the makeup to pill, separate, and it isn’t as long-wearing.

You’ll also want to rely on setting powders that don’t give a flashback on the camera, as well as setting sprays that can resist sweat on hot sets.

A film/TV makeup kit should also always have a “go bag,” which is a sort of side bag that you can put important products in and for quick touch-ups on set. Some of your most used products to include in a caddy bag are a lip color, blotting paper, and a face powder. 

Whatever your speciality, prioritize quality, efficiency, and flexibility in your makeup kit. 

Kit Hygiene 

Kit hygiene, and we cannot emphasize this enough, is the most crucial part of your makeup kit. You could have the greatest products in the world, and if you do not have clean applicators and solid hygiene practices, you might as well be playing with a kid’s kit. 

For a pro MUA kit, you’ll need hygiene essentials, including:

• Hand sanitizer
• Cinema Secrets brush cleaner
• Alcohol spray for sanitizing powders and palettes
• Cleaning wipes
• Disposable applicators

There is no need to go out and blow your savings on every trendy new product or tool. Trust in the things that have been proven to work by the professionals who have been doing this for decades, and make sure they can easily be transported.  

Make It Yours

As you go along, you’ll figure out what works, which palettes need to be more accessible, and which brushes you grab again and again. 

Using the same brush for multiple applications? Invest in two or three more. Always going to the same palette for lips and cheeks? Get another one with different-toned shades. You’ll learn how to carefully curate a kit that works for you. 

Make It Last

Searching for professional makeup tools doesn’t need to be a cause for anguish or stress. After all, you’re just perfecting the tools with which you do your art. When putting together your kit, take it seriously, but also let your curiosity and imagination drive the car a bit. MUAs aren’t great because they stay in perfect lockstep with one another. MUAs are great because they find a way to speak through their tools that resonate. Take the first steps and put together a kit of tools that you can speak through. After all, you are an artist, and this is your medium.

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