Health and Safety & Quick Foundation

Make-Up lesson with Sian

Today we discussed the correct set up, health and safety and also the application of a perfect base. We went the through the foundation application and different techniques such as the difference between a heavy and a light base.

Most of your work as a makeup artist will be gained through your reputation. Therefore having a clean kit and good hygiene is necessary. You need to present yourself in a professional manner and therefore if you have a job that starts at 6am, that means you should be there, ready to start your first look at 6am. Meaning you should calculate enough time to get there and set up your kit to its highest standards.

A consideration in how to become a makeup artist is building those habits that will ensure the happiness and welfare of your clients. But to grow a successful and long-term makeup business the health and safety of both you and your client should remain front of mind at all times. Doing so will mean that good practice will swiftly become those good habits and you’ll be able to operate safely without constantly worrying about it.

We spoke about

1. Avoiding cross contamination

One of the biggest things to be aware of is cross contamination. It is so important to use clean makeup brushes, dispose of (disposable) mascara wands, keep your hands clean etc.

This goes both ways. A polite reminder to your client to inform you of any infections such as such as cold sores will help you manage the risk. Those type of conditions are contagious and could contaminate your entire kit, or worse .. you could infect others. If your client is suffering from any of these things makeup should be avoided and if it is a trial it can be moved to a later date. If your client is a bride suffering from that on their wedding day ask them to provide their own makeup and you can use disposable tools so as not to cross contaminate.

If you are suffering from any of these conditions take great care as to not use any of your tools or makeup from your kit. Do not touch your face or the infected area while with your bride and most importantly carry your hand sanitizer with you at all times and use it frequently.

2. Keep in mind your kits lifespan

Your kit won’t last forever. This is important to remember. Your lipsticks, glosses, cream shadows, cream liners, mascaras, foundations and concealers will eventually expire. Most of them have a year lifespan before they need to be replaced. Therefore you must keep an eye on this, old makeup can cause skin reactions on clients.

Powder makeup such as blushers, powders, eye-shadows etc. can virtually last forever as they are not liquid based and therefore don’t require preservatives to keep them fresh. Just keep the clean with alcohol. This will also keep them oil free – oil from the skin can be transferred to the pressed powders, discolouring them and making them hard to use.

3. Keeping your kit clean

After every client you must wash your makeup brushes. Carry a makeup brush cleanser or use soap & hot water to thoroughly cleanse the face.

Some things can’t be cleaned very easily such as eye-shadows and blushers (though you can use a spray on alcohol that dries quickly to try and sanitize them). However, you can cleanse your lipsticks, eye-liners and lip liners by simply using a hot, wet cotton pad and wiping down the lipstick, taking off the first layer of colour.

To clean your pencil tools such as liners for eyes and lips simply use a pencil sharpener and it will sharpen it, taking away the first layer.

4. Insurance

Insurance is the next part of your kit that you must think about. Not only to protect yourself but to protect your tools and your clients. If anything were to happen that was in or out of your control, you need your insurance.

Sian then went on to the demo. She made sure that all her brushes and tools were clean and disinfected before proceeding. She then cleansed the models face using a cotton pad going from the centre of the face towards the outside. She then placed a cotton pad under the eye and used a basic eye shadow brush to lightly remove any excess mascara. This is a gentle and professional technique to do that.

Sian decided to show us how to do 'dewy skin'. If your model has good skin, a light base is best, less is more. Sian mixed different tones to colour match the model. She first colour matched on the forehead followed by colour matching the cheeks. We found that the forehead could do with a darker foundation compared to the cheeks. She then lightly buffed it into the skin to blend using light feathery motions with a duo fibre brush - patting the brush will help the oxidation (thickening). She used different colours of foundation to 'contour' (bring out the inner point of the face) i.e. the T zone. She concealed around areas with shadow and then using an even lighter concealer to lightly highlight brow bone and cupids bow. She then sealed with a very light dusting of powder only in the areas which needed, in order for the look not to look sweaty. Here are some demo pics:

Here is my attempt:

I was pleased with the overall result. I thought I applied the base evenly and that I brought out a good dewy effect. I applied the foundation using a flat brush and I then buffed it out with a buffing brush to give it a flawless finish. However looking back now, I would have gone a shade lighter in order to colour match her skin a bit more with her chest and then I would have lightly bronzed it up rather than gone a shade darker overall. Overall I think it worked out well and a Dewy look turned out to suit my model very much.