Pro Kit Tips | #1 Consider Your Clientele

Starting your own professional makeup kit can seem like a hugely daunting task, especially when you see those currently established in the industry with their kit of the latest luxury makeup worth a few grand. Whilst I am still finding my own feet and I am far from an expert; I have picked up a handful of tips to help make establishing yourself a little easier. As I build my business, I want to share the experience and any tips I discover along the way; so here is the first instalment of the new series Pro Kit Tips. 

Tip #1 | Consider Your Clientele 

When starting out, you don't need to buy foundation and lipstick in every shade available; but rather base what you buy around the clients your initial clientele. For example, knowing my own immediate connections, starting out I am most likely to be working on lighter complexions and so I base my initial purchases on shades to suit this specific skin tone.

When choosing foundation for your kit, rather than buy every shade variation, buy 2-4 options in the colour range that you are most likely to be working on. Then, as you are asked to work on different skin tones, either buy a new shade when it is needed or you can even ask the model if she would be happy bringing her own foundation with her for a shoot. Don't be afraid to ask, as when starting out everyone is in the same position. As an up and coming artist in this industry, you need to keep your costs down as low as possible. If there is a chance of using a model's foundation rather than buying a new shade for £10-£20 that you are unlikely to use again, take it!

The same principle applies to lipstick; buy a nude and a dark lipstick to suit the skin tone you know you are most likely to be working with. As work comes in, buy lipstick shades when needed to suit the brief you have been given for that job. 

When choosing an eyeshadow palette for you kit, consider the type of work you are most likely to be doing. If you know you will probably start out exclusively doing bridal and beauty work then you don’t need to add a palette of dark or bright colours to your kit. Buy one good neutral, brown-toned palette that can allow you to create the variations you need and then buy more extravagant palettes as the work comes in and you are asked for these looks.

I hope you enjoyed this quick Pro Kit Tip and it helps anyone baffled by how to start out as a professional makeup artist. I am going to keep this series going, with a new post every week. I have a few tips I know I want to share but I would love to hear any specific questions you want answering! Comment down below or tweet me @DevonMartinMUA.

Devon

xoxo

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Makeup Hack | Multi-Functional Makeup?

One way I love to save a few pennies without scrimping on quality, is to realise the multi-use potential of my makeup. A trap that we can all be guilty of falling into, is believing too strongly the instructions on cosmetic packaging. Whilst I am definitely not suggesting to try that new autumnal berry lip liner as an eyebrow pencil (although if you are that daring, I say good for you), we do need to learn to see beyond the designated use of makeup. 

After a gorgeous golden eye look? Open up your bronzer and contour powders!

If you are looking for the perfect browns to create a bronzed eye look, then there is no reason why any contour or bronzing powders you own will not perfectly fit the bill. So rather than waste your pennies on a new eyeshadow palette, convinced by promotions that this is the only way to create the look you are after, have a look through powders you already own and see how they work as eyeshadows. 

Rather than buy a palette of bright shadows, have a root through your blusher draw! 

In the same way, highly pigmented blushers are perfect for creative eye looks utilising bright shadows. Rather than buy a palette of colourful shades that I am unlikely to use often enough to be a worthy investment; I use and spend my money on blush palettes. These not only provide the shades that I am after, but I know that I will use them daily for adding a flush to my cheeks.

These are just a couple of the multi-functional possibilities of your makeup. I think one of the best hacks that I can share is to break through the confines of seeing a product within the restriction of its designated purpose. This will save you money, room in your makeup bag, time and will still produce beautiful looks. 

Don’t be scared to be creative with your makeup, even if you do and it ends up being a disaster; just grab a face wipe and try again! Makeup isn’t permanent so don’t be hesitant to explore all the possibilities of your collection. I hope this little hack helped you all and I would love to know your thoughts! Leave comments down below or message me on Twitter and Instagram.

Devon

xoxo

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Kit Essential | The Pro Hygiene Collection

As a makeup artist, brush cleaner is an unquestionable essential. Whilst I always deep clean my brushes in-between jobs, when I’m on the job or working on myself, brush cleaner is my third hand. My favourite brand for this is The Pro Hygiene Collection, from which I love both their Makeup Brush Cleaner and Antibacterial Makeup Spray.

1. Makeup Brush Cleaner 

Starting with their Brush Cleaner, this is my favourite dry spray for sanitising and cleaning by brushes on the go or in a rush. I spray it onto either a cotton wool pad or the brush itself depending on the product I have been working with, and then swirl the brush around on a cotton pad to clean it. The makeup instantly disintegrates and is dissolved by the spay. After a couple of goes, my brush is clean and within a few minutes will be ready to be used again either in a different product or on another client.

The spray is £10 for a 240ml bottle and as only a couple sprays is needed at a time to remove all product, this one bottle definitely goes a long way.

2. Antibacterial Makeup Spray

The second product from the line that I also rely on regularly is the Antibacterial Makeup Spray; a product that is hard to come by. This sanitises your kit after you have finished a client’s makeup, making it ready to be used for your next job. 

When I have finished working, I spray this over my eyeshadow palettes, blushes and any other powder products I have used. I leave them to dry for a couple minutes before packing them away back into my kit. This sterilises your powders in between uses, meaning that each time you can use your brushes directly into your products and then onto your client.

At £15 for the 240ml bottle, this is a little pricier, but for anyone who is looking at building up their own kit it really is an essential! A high standard of hygiene and cleanliness is really what will distinguish you as a professional artist.

I hope you enjoyed this little Kit Essential post and I would love to know your thoughts as well your favourite antibacterial sprays for your makeup! Leave comments down below or message me on Twitter and Instagram.

Devon

xoxo

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Tutorial | Cream + Powder Contouring

Every girl in 2015 has become obsessed with achieving the perfect Kim K inspired chiselled cheekbones and contoured jawline. Today, I have a video for you all sharing my own two cent on the whole contouring controversy. In less dramatic terms, here's a video of me drawing lines all over my face in a bid to trick the world into thinking my face is slimmer and my cheekbones are more pronounced than they really are. If this sounds like something you want to see then click on the link below and we can all be crazy, contour obsessed together!

CLICK HERE

I would love to know what you guys think! Leave comments down bellow or you can message me on Twitter @DevonMartinMUA.

Devon

xoxo

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Drugstore Stars | Sleek Makeup Blushes

Even as a professional makeup artist, I still love and regularly use products from the drugstore. Certain items have a permanent place in my kit and one brand that I love in particular is Sleek Makeup. When starting out, I looked towards Sleek to create a basic kit that was affordable and still of a high quality so that the standard of my work would not suffer. Now, even with the choice of purchasing higher end brands, certain Sleek products have maintained a permanent place in my kit. Their Blush by 3 Palettes are my favourite from the drugstore; for their price, performance and packaging. 

At £10 per palette, each blush equals to just over £3. This affordable trio is encased inside a fittingly sleek, slim and professional looking black palette. For £20 you can add 6 blushes to your kit; varying from matte to shimmer shades; coral to pink tones and options suitable for light, medium and dark skin tones. 

At such an affordable price, you would expect to have to cut corners in terms of quality and performance; but with Sleek this is not the case. I love the quality of these blushes and honestly can’t see myself replacing them for higher-end options any time soon as the only difference would be the noticeable hole left behind in my bank account.

(Shade : Lace)

For options in my kit, I bought two powder blush palettes and one containing cream blushes. The powder palettes I chose were Lace and Sugar. Lace is perfect for light skin tones and contains two matte shades; a coral and pink tone, and a gorgeous light pink with flecks of gold shimmer running through it. Sugar is ideal for warmer skin tones and contains two matte shades; a dark plum tone and a warm peach. The third shade is a pink-toned brown with gold shimmer running through it.

(Shade : Sugar)

The cream blush palette I have is Californ.I.A, which follows the same format of containing two matte options and one shade with a slight shimmer. The palette is the perfect combination of pink and coral toned blushes and can be used for adding colour to the cheeks or lips on light to medium skin tones.  

(Shade : Californ.I.A)

This is just a very brief selection of some of my favourite Sleek items. These blushes are intensely pigmented, blend seamlessly into the skin and I am yet to find a client or occasion that they have not worked brilliantly for. I honestly can’t see myself replacing these for other options any time soon. I would love to know all your thoughts on the brand and these blushes if you’ve tried them in the comments down below!

Devon 

xoxo

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Tutorial | LORAC Pro Palettes

Whether working on a client or myself, I have found myself continually reaching for only two eyeshadow palettes; the LORAC Pro and Pro 2. The possibility of looks with just one, let alone both, of these are endless and today I wanted to share a recent smokey eye I created using the green, gold and brown shades.

After applying a primer to my lids, I started the look by taking ‘Sable’ on a fluffy brush and building this up as a transition shade through my crease. I then took ‘Cocoa’ over the top of this and also used a detailed to brush to run both shades along my lower lash line.  


Then took the shade ‘Jade’ from the Pro 2 Palette on a flat shadow brush and placed it onto the centre of my lid as well as the middle section of my lower lash line. I then went back in with a clean fluffy brush through my crease so that this shade blended smoothly into the previous colours. 

On a detailed brush, I took a small amount of the matte 'Black' and placed this on the outer and inner end of my lid. I blended this out with a fluffy brush so that the effect was a subtle definition on either end. 

I finished by spraying a small shadow brush with MAC Fix + before taking the ‘Gold’ and placing it on the centre of my lid and tear duct. I then gently blended over the top of this as to not remove any product but so that it flowed seamlessly into the other shades. 

I finished the look off by adding a thin line of black liquid liner along my top lash line, mascara and a set of strip lashes. I filled in my brows with my Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Dark Brown and set these in place with clear brow gel. I also decided to wear this look with a classic, cold red lip.

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial and I would love to know your current favourite eye look or whether you’ve tried out the LORAC Pro Palettes for yourself. Leave comments below and tag me on Instagram @devonmartin.mua if you recreate this look!

Devon 

xoxo

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Review + Kit Essential | ZOEVA Complete Eye Set

Some of you may remember that way back in March, the ZOEVA Rose Golden Complete Eye Set featured in My 20th Birthday Presents post. Well I have now had more than enough to time to test these brushes out and they have become both a personal and professional essential!

This 12 piece set will leave a £56.95 shaped hole in your purse, which works out at each brush costing you less than a fiver. In comparison to the price of higher end lines; this set is a true bargain and with one purchase you have all the brushes needed to create most looks.

The affordable price also doesn't mean you have to skimp on quality. They are amazingly soft, blend product flawlessly into the skin and, after a fair few washes by yours truly, they still feel brand new. Not to mention, they also look beautiful and far more expensive then they really are; what’s not to love? I now use these on a regular basis, either on myself or on clients as part of my kit.

As there are 12 brushes, I don't want to bore you all by going through every single one, instead I’ve picked out four that have been my favourite to work with.

1.  142 / Concealer Buffer

As a girl who can not leave home without her concealer, my attention was naturally drawn to this brush straight away. It has a dense dome shape and is perfect for blending concealer under the eyes, around the nose or over spots. The softness and density of the brush ensures that the concealer is blended flawlessly into the skin, without lifting away the product and removing the coverage. 

2.  228 / Luxe Crease

I doubt there is a makeup lover out there who does not own or heard every makeup artist, blogger and YouTuber using the cult MAC 217 blending brush. Well this Luxe Crease is my affordable alternative and, dare I say, personal preference. The bristles are amazingly soft and blend shadow with ease. I love the seamless transition of colour that this brush leaves behind and I have recently been preferring the texture and effect over my MAC 217.

3.  315 / Fine Liner

I'm sure we are all familiar with that constant battle to perfect our winged liner. Whether working with gel, liquid or shadow; creating a flawless feline flick always takes a silent pep talk, hold of breath and intense 10 minutes of concentration (or is that just me?). 

This brush, whilst not making winged liner a complete breeze, does make the task a lot easier. The angled head allows you to draw the line as close to your lashes as possible and the extremely fine, dense tip keeps the line immaculately precise. Whilst I can't promise that this brush will rid you once and for all of those dreaded liner sweats; I can promise that the task will seem far less daunting.

4.  317 / Wing Liner

In 2015 eyebrows became a national, if not international, obsession. I think we can all admit to being guilty of joining the quest to discover the products and tools that will help you create a pair of Cara D power brows of your very own. This brush has been my answer to just that. The incredibly fine, angled edge allows you to mimic the appearance of small hairs, so that whether you are filling in with powder or gel, the result is a full, natural and precise arch.  

These are my four favourites of the set, but I really have found a use for and love for all of the brushes. They are affordable yet perform amazingly well and I would recommend anyone who is looking for a new set of brushes to give these a go. Let me know what you think if you've tried them and your favourite brushes!

Devon

xoxo

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Kit Essential | MAC Prep + Prime Fix +

When I’m on shoot, there are a few items in my kit that are an absolute essential. This may not always be for their most obvious reasons and so I want to share with you the products that I personally rely on and a few tips of how to make the most of them. Today’s post is dedicated to a well known favourite: MAC Prep + Prime Fix +.

It terms of setting sprays, this isn’t one that is going to massively improve the wear and longevity of your makeup; however this isn't why I love it. 

Firstly, I always use Fix + to 'finish' a look. I find that a spritz of this helps to add a freshness and a slight dewy glow back into the skin. It stops the finished look from looking cakey by blurring the makeup together slightly and melting it into the skin. So, whilst not removing or disturbing the coverage, it keeps the makeup looking natural and not too heavy.

The second reason I rely on Fix + is that it allows me to make the most of my eyeshadows. As a newly qualified Makeup Artist, it can be hard to squeeze luxury palettes within my small budget. I’d rather buy from the drugstore, so that I have a greater variety of colours and finishes and I am able to create any look that is requested. Although, the problem is that the quality of the eyeshadows suffers so that the finished look isn't as professional. My answer? Fix +.

An investment in a £17 bottle will save you the money that you would otherwise have had to have spent on high-end shadows. Lightly spraying a brush with Fix + before picking up any product, will transform the quality of what you are using. Affordable, drugstore eyeshadows become richly pigmented, creamy and blend able; meaning that the overall finish of your look need not suffer! 

Below are swatches of the same eyeshadow but with and without Fix +:

(Left: Without Fix +. Right: With Fix+)

I still use this trick even when working with my more expensive palettes. If there is a certain colour that I want to really standout on the eye; such as a gold, silver, bright colour or a highlight. This is why I never leave home without my Fix +. I hope these few tips have helped or inspired you and I would love to know what you think as well as your makeup essentials!

Devon

xoxo

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Tutorial | Burnt Orange and Gold Smokey Eye

As an owner of blue eyes; I love nothing more than creating looks that will make the colour pop. The opposite shade on the colour wheel is orange; and so any bronze, orange or gold toned shadows are going to make blue eyes shine. Today I want to share with you a recent burnt orange, gold smokey eye I created, love and now can’t stop wearing!

This look, of course, is not restricted to only those blue eyed girls amongst you! It would look stunning on anyone wishing to create a summer themed bronze, glowing makeup look. Also, for those with a more delicate skin tone (like myself) this makes a perfect alternative to a dark smokey eye, which can sometimes look too heavy against a lighter skin. 

I started by priming my lids with my LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, and then added a thin layer of concealer over this before setting it in place with face powder. This three step routine is a must on my lid to ensure that the shadow stays in place and doesn’t crease. 

I then applied a bright orange shade as a transition colour through my crease. Having not been able to find the colour I was looking for amongst my palettes, I used my Sleek Blush by 3 in Lace. I took the shade 'Chantilly' on a fluffy brush and gradually built up this up, keeping the centre of my lid clear of colour. I also ran this along the length of my lower lash line.

To add depth, I then took the shade ‘Sable’, a warm, matte mid-toned brown from my LORAC Pro Palette, on a clean fluffy brush and blended this through the crease. I placed it over the top of the previous shade but closer to the centre of my lid, so that the orange was still visible on the outside edge.

Then on a large smudge brush, I took the shade ‘Espresso’ from the same palette and, shaking off any excess, placed a small amount of this on the outer corner and inner edge of my eye. I then gently ran a clean fluffy brush over the top of this to blend the colour in with the rest of the shades. On my lower lash line, I smudged out a brown kohl liner and then ran ‘Sable’ over the top. I also placed a nude liner along my lower waterline to widen and open up my eyes.

I finished the look by adding a vibrant gold to the centre of the lid. Taking a small, flat shadow brush, I first sprayed this with a little MAC Fix + before dabbing it into the 'Gold' from my LORAC Palette. The Fix + increases the vibrancy of the shade, turning it into more of a highly pigmented cream shadow; ideal for ensuring the centre of the lid stands out like I wanted. I also added a small amount of this to the middle section of my lower lash line.

I patted this on to the mobile part of my lid, and then took a blending brush and ran this back through my crease to ensure that the edge of the gold blended in seamlessly to the other shades. To ensure that the orange shade I started with still stood out, I took a small amount on my blending brush and gently ran this back over the edge of the look.

I finished by patting on 'Light Bronze' to the inner corner of my eye, adding mascara, filling in my brows with my Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade and spraying my Smashbox Primer Water over the entire look to set it in place. 

I think this will look amazing on anyone, regardless of eye colour or skin tone. I would love for you to give it try and if you do recreate this; be sure to tag me on Instagram @devonmartin.mua so I can see!

Devon 

xoxo

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Devon Martin | Makeup Artist - Website Launch

Today’s post is an exciting one; dedicated to sharing with you my recently launched website. For anyone who saw my previous post, you will know that I have been MIA from the blogging world due to becoming qualified as a professional makeup artist. Now home, it has been full speed ahead to get my business up and running.

As a website building novice, it’s safe to say that the last week has been a challenge. I have had to wade my way through endless internet jargon, search for explanations (for my explanations) and have been completely baffled by the difference between a domain and hosting. 

After pulling my hair out and spending days glued to my computer screen; yesterday my website was finally finished, domain bought and DMua was published online | http://www.dmua.co.uk 

I am more than happy with how it has turned out and would love for everyone to hop on over and have a look. You get to see my portfolio, learn a little more about who I am and see all the services that I offer. If anyone in the UK is ever looking for a makeup artist for a special occasion or shoot, then please keep DMua in mind!

Thank you for reading and I can’t wait to share with you the tutorials I have planned for next week. Also, knowing how much I struggled with figuring out how to build a website on my own, let me know if you would like a post showing the process I followed that worked for me.

Devon

xoxo

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Hello . . . Anyone Out There?

Hello? 

Anyone listening? 

Remember me?

*hides behind computer screen anxiously awaiting reply*

I am hoping that these words don’t simply bounce of the walls of cyber space and back to my own ears, but that maybe a few of you are still following this little place on the internet called Candid Devon. If you are, I thank you greatly and feel I owe everyone as well as myself an explanation for why this blog has been deafly quiet for the last month (or more). 

I am happy to share that I have finally full-filled my childhood dream of becoming a Makeup-Artist. I have spent the last month studying at the Central School of Makeup in Birmingham (UK) to become a professional, IMA qualified makeup artist and couldn’t be happier. For anyone in the UK living in or near the Midlands wishing to become a professional artist without having to relocate to London, I would 100 per cent recommend this school. My expectations were exceeded and I truly had the best experience of my life. I now feel ready to head out into the world and attempt to carve my own path as an artist. I won’t go into anymore detail now about the specifics of my course, but if this is something you’d be interested in for a separate post let me know in the comments below. 

Now finished, I am in the process of establishing myself as a freelance MUA. I have a logo, business cards, leaflets and a website soon to go live; it still doesn’t quite feel real that this is all happening. I have a portfolio, am a member of Model’s Mayhem, Purple Port and have been booked for my first shoot this saturday (what?!). I can honestly say that my confidence to do this is entirely thanks to the teaching, advice and on-going support I received by the Central School of Makeup.

I am also excited to get back into the swing of things over here on my blog. I have truly missed the freedom and excitement of having a space to create my own content. I already have a bundle of posts planned and can’t wait to share the recent makeup looks I am loving and reviews of newly released products.

If you have any questions or ideas for posts that you’d like me to write, I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below! Here are the links to my Instagram and Facebook pages as a Makeup Artist and I’d love for you to go check them out, like, follow and share.

Thank you for reading and I promise the wait for my next post won’t be quite as long!

Devon

xoxo

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Makeup Haul | Cult Beauty + Boots

A guilty online shop and in-store spree has led to a building collection of newly purchased beauty products that I've decided to throw together into this one haul. I am excited to share with you all the new makeup that I haven't been able to resist parting with my cash for. 

The first purchase I made was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Cream Contour Kit; the cream version of the highly coveted palette of professional sculpting powders. This has only recently been made available over here in the UK thanks to the online, high-end beauty seller Cult Beauty. When I saw that the palette had landed online, I eagerly hopped over to the site to place my order and I am excited to finally add this to my collection. 

An innocent trip to Boots led to several unexpected purchases as I am always powerless to resist new products when they are right in front of my eyes. 

Starting at the Smashbox counter, I picked up the Photo Finish Primer Water; a product I had been desperate to get my hands on yet had constantly found to be out of stock both online and in store. This water claims to hydrate and refresh your skin, create a sheer canvas for makeup and leave you with a vibrant complexion.

The newly released Step-By-Step Contour Stick Trio also caught my attention and, although a seemingly futile purchase considering the recent addition of the ABH palette to my collection, I easily convinced myself that this was a necessity. 

These pencils are in universal contour, bronze and highlight shades for defining and sculpting all face shapes. They are easy to apply, blend seamlessly and are perfect for a quick contour when in a rush.

Lastly I stopped by the Sleek MakeUp display, which I am rarely able to indulge in as my local store doesn't stock their products. I picked up the Face Form palette in ‘Light’, which contains a matte, ashy-toned contouring powder, an illuminating highlighter and a blush. The blush in this palette stands out the most as it is a pigmented rosy pink with flecks of gorgeous gold shimmer. 

I also bought the Blush By 3 Palette in the shade 'Californ.I.A', a trio of peach-toned cream blushers. I love using cream blushes to add a natural, dewy flush and I know that I will use this palette endlessly throughout the summer. Inside are the shades Newport Peach, The Surf and OC; all of which are amazingly pigmented, buildable and easy to blend. 

That’s all for this mix and match makeup haul and I hope that you enjoyed hearing about the most recent additions to my collection. I would love to hear all about your recent purchases as well as your current go-to products.

Devon

xoxo

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