TUTORIALS | Makeup 101: Tools and Disposables

Hey Beauties,
Its the 7th month already *whew*, I can't believe how much the months have gone by. In all,
I thank God for his goodness. Hope you all are feeling the weather, Happy July to you all.

I get asked by beginners especially, about tools and what they really need in their kit. Today we will be discussing tools and disposables. For those who know me, they know I am a true believer in sanitation and cleanliness with my makeup kit.You prevent transmission of skin infections or germs from one client to another when you are sanitary. What better way to do this than with the use of certain tools and disposables.  Disposables as the name implies are disposable makeup tools which you toss after use or give to the client for keeps for personal use after using it on them. Want to know the must haves? Dive right in!

Spatula or Palette Knife

Double ended spatula/palette knife

The palette knife is a tool that every makeup artist who knows his/her onions shouldn't toy with. It is an essential tool to say the least. It can come double ended like the one in the picture or just with one end. A palette knife is mostly made of stainless steel to aid for easy cleaning but can also come in durable plastic.
Uses :

• A palette knife is used to scoop out product eg. concealer or lipstick from the jar/tube/container it comes in unto a palette.
• It can also be used to mix up different shades of products when working. 
• A palette knife can also be used for depotting products, see depotting tutorials here

Palette

LaVaque Stainless Steel Cuff Palette

A palette works hand in hand with a palette knife. When you scoop out product from its container with a palette knife, you transfer it unto a palette. You then take product directly from the palette instead of taking from the jar or container itself. That way you minimize the risk of transferring germs or contaminating your kit.

 There are different types of palette available. We have the normal stainless steel palettes in different shapes, the paw palette, the cuff palette(pictured above), even durable plastic palette. I prefer the stainless steel palette because they are easy to clean and sanitize. It can be wiped clean with facial wipes when you want to clean them or spray with alcohol when you want them sanitized. I own the LaVaque Cuff palette presently. I love it because I just wear it on my wrist, adjust it to fit and it leaves my both hands free while I'm working.


Eyelash Applicator

Eyelash Applicator

An Eyelash Applicator is used basically to apply strip lashes. It comes in different shapes, colours and makes. It has a unique shape which helps beginners especially, who are still finding it hard to apply strip lashes with plain old tweezers, do so effortlessly.  For a seasoned makeup artist, an eyelash applicator can also come in handy. You can use an eyelash applicator to hold the lashes in place, apply your lash glue and sit the applicator on a surface while the glue gets tacky. You can use those minutes the glue is getting tacky to do something else. The temptation to blow your breath on your clients false eyelashes (flying germs) on the lashes to dry faster is taken away.


Q-Tips

Q Tips/Cotton buds are the ultimate beauty tool as I choose to call it. Qtips come in two basic forms: the rounded tip and the pointed tip. The middle/handle is mostly made of paper or plastic. I usually go for the paper one because its more flexible and can be used in hard to reach areas of the face.
Q tips can be used to:

• Remove gunk from the eyes
• Clean a mistake when working 
• Remove excess product when you go in a little heavy handed
• Create a smudge effect when working on some eye looks
• Apply certain products onto the face
• Clean cuts/bruises when there is an accident on set
• The pointed Q tip can also be used to apply eyeliner as well.

Mascara Wands/Spoolie Brush

Mascara wands

 Mascara wands come in two basic shapes; the basic and the spiral shaped one. I use them to groom the brows and to brush through the brows as to evenly distribute brow products when filling in the brows. Once I'm done with the brows, I tilt my mascara tube upside down to get product out of it unto a palette. (Tip: Please never dip your disposable mascara wands into your mascara tube ) Then dip my mascara wands into the mascara on the palette, wiggle the wand and apply mascara unto the eyelashes. You can decide to get the spiral or plain wand, depending on which one works for you



Shadow Shields

Shadow Shields

Shadow Shields as the name implies are used to shield the face from eye shadow fall out. When you have applied your base and have eyeshadow work to do, you can apply shadow shields underneath the eyes to catch fallout. That way, the face is still clean and the eye shadows and glitter doesn't ruin it. Another good use of the shield is to create that sharp edge when doing some eye looks.


So that's it for now dearies.
Watch out for the concluding part of Tools and Disposables.
If you have any further questions or contributions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

Till my next post,
Stay Beautie-ful & Radiant