I recently posted an Instagram story featuring my newest on-set investment. Namely, a Bisley 5-drawer cabinet from The Container Store. The story garnered many inquiries about what products it had inside.
As many of my peers and fellow makeup artists wrote to me asking what makeup I use and exactly what products I had stored in there. There were many requests for a full product breakdown.
So join me as I take you through, drawer by drawer of my current 2021 makeup product station breakdown.
,
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
.
Top Drawer
.
Starting at the Penthouse, with some of my favorite concealers.
Tarte Shape Tape – these are for my everyday use working as a makeup artist on set. This is a full coverage concealer that I can also blend out if I need to.
Mac Concealer Palettes – undoubtedly some of my favorite concealer palettes that I use all the time. They are great for men, great for everyone!
I’d probably use something else if a performer had particularly dry skin, but I do love these palettes. Hoping to add the rest of the range to these two later this year.
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Concealer – currently I only have a couple of these in rotation, but they are just lovely! Full coverage and silky smooth to blend to your heart’s content!
Perricone No Makeup Concealer – this is a super lightweight and dewy concealer. They are quite lovely as well! This coverage isn’t going to correct deep discoloration, but it will definitely lighten and brighten under the eyes beautifully.
Lancer Studio Light Flawless Eye Concealer – I feel like this is my secret concealer that I just love, that I’m not sure if anyone else knows about yet, but I do!
You have to shake the tube a little to separate the ingredients, but once that’s out of the way it’s a dream.
My only gripe is that it is only available in two colors – light and medium. If the color range was broader, I would jump on them all in one hot minute!
Makeup Forever Ultra HD Concealer – I’m sad to say that these will soon be reaching their “retirement age” in my kit, but in the meantime, with the four various shades I have, I do love to mix and match and get full coverage like no other concealer.
Maq Pro Fard 10 Color Palettes – not to be confused with MAC Cosmetics in any way, shape, or form. These little guys have to come everywhere with me. It’s as if I get separation anxiety if they aren’t visible on my station whilst I’m doing makeup.
I love, love, love these palettes!
First of all they are tiny, and fit almost anywhere, yet they last forever!
I love to mix the correcting colors with other products all the time. Love em! This is yet another product that I’m hoping to add more Fard palettes to my collection.
But in the meantime, these two seem to be doing the job and going the distance quite well on their own.
Natasha Denona On Cover Invisible Correcting Palette – funnily enough, these creams remind me a little of the Fard creams I just mentioned. They definitely take that blue/purple out from under the eye.
Here’s yet another product I wish had more color options available. The Natasha Denona On Cover Invisible Correcting Palette is available in Light and Medium/Dark only. I use the Medium/Dark but honestly would hardly call it dark.
Second Drawer
.
There’s so much in here, I’m not sure where to begin. Okay, deep breath, and go!
Now on to the fun stuff of my makeup product breakdown!
Don’t you just love this selection? It’s probably the colors, but I love it! Especially my new Z-Palette full of gorgeous MAC and Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks custom made by moi for my current gig.
Makeup Forever Ultra HD Blush Palette – I have to start here because I adore these palettes!
This is a fantastic cream blush palette. The colors are gorgeous, the palette is gorgeous and they go on like a dream. This palette’s so good that I have two!
While we’re on the topic of cream blushes, what’s next? Ah yes, the Makeup Forever Blush Palette’s little sister, Stila.
Stila Convertible Color Cream Blush – these cream blushes are just beautiful. They are often common go-to’s of makeup artists I’ve worked with all over and with such a range of super-pretty colors, it’s not hard to see why. They go on so easily and can create really soft or more impactful looks.
My fave may be Peony, but they are all so pretty. Love the packaging too.
Various Powder Blushes:
- Maybelline Fit Me Powder Blush – Berry
- NARS – Dolce Vita
- Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic – Love Glow
- Mac – various colors!
Benetint Rose Lip and Cheek Tint – this is such a lovely product to add a quick flush to the lips and cheeks.
It’s great for kids. Perfect for those early period jobs where you’re trying to put makeup on a lady but they aren’t meant to appear to have makeup on. So pretty, and it smells yummy too.
Korres Lip Butter – in a few different shades here including Wild Rose, Pomegranate, and Jasmine, the clear one is Guava.
These are lovely, again for younger performers when you’re after some color without a full lipstick look.
The Crowning Moment of My Makeup Product Breakdown!
Drum roll, please!!!!
My Custom Z Palette Lip Palette
I’m just going to list the colors, because there are 20 in there.
Top Row Left to Right
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution
- Lost Cherry
- Gracefully Pink
- Walk of No Shame
- Love Liberty
- M. I. Kiss
- Pillow Talk Med.
- Very Victoria
- Pillow Talk (original, in middle row, far right)
Second Row Left to Right
MAC – a combination of the Amplified, Satin and Frost Lipsticks
- Media
- Film Noir
- Icon
- Shrimpton
- Spirit
- CT Pillow Talk (original, in middle row, far right)
Bottom Row Left to Right
MAC Satin Lipstick (except MAC Frost Lipstick Fresh Moroccan and MAC Amplified Lipstick Dubonnet)
- Fast Play
- Good Health
- Smoked Almond
- Brick-O-La
- Fresh Moroccan
- Dubonnet
.
Third Drawer
.
Foundations please!
Mac Foundation Palette – don’t these palettes look so stylish and sleek? I love how they look, their size (which DOES matter when it comes to makeup and storage!).
However, I would love to see Mac release a palette in extreme colors both darker and lighter than this. This is like the medium for me.
Bobbi Brown BBU Palette – this workhorse goes everywhere, does everything. If I have this, I know that everything is going to be okay!
Makeup Forever Ultra HD Foundation Palette – these bad boys are very quickly becoming my staple for men’s makeup on set.
I depend on them because I can use the creams for light corrective work if that’s all a face needs. I can also do a full face makeup with them if I need to.
This palette has definitely become my men’s go to, for sure!
Vueset Palettes – I have two that I keep close at hand at all times.
- Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer – Another go-to product that I sometimes do a full face with. I love these concealers. A little teeny tiny bit goes forever!!!
- Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Sticks that I recently re-homed into the Vueset as a space-saving exercise. Honestly, I don’t love these yet.
And they are definitely not to be used on anyone who is in any way of the dry-skinned variety. I’m hoping they’ll find their place in my makeup regime at some point soon.
And last but not least hiding in there…
Colorescience Mineral Corrector Palette – if you haven’t used these before, and you’re a working makeup artist, please do yourself the biggest favor and obtain one as soon as you possibly can!
These are little miracle workers in palette form.
Presented in a mineral powder, they conceal, correct redness, take out shine, are water-resistant, and are long-lasting.
And another thing, the Colorescience Mineral Corrector Palette SPF 20 is great for men, too. I always have these in my on set kits. So good. And absolutely one of my go-to’s at all times. I love these palettes so much, and don’t go anywhere at work without them.
Large Leopard Z Palette – another custom made beauty by yours truly, this is full of Makeup Forever Foundations and Correctors.
Originally they came in cute small palettes when I purchased them, but I decided to combine them into one palette to rule them all!!! Which it totally does.
I made this palette combination to keep for my background kit, but loved it too much (doesn’t it look pretty?) that it just kind of migrated over to my main kit.
Fourth Drawer
.
Okay ladies and gentlemen, the fourth drawer of my makeup product breakdown, and there’s a bit of everything here.
Some contour, highlight, brow books, some other bits and pieces.
And underneath all that hides another custom Z Palette with the Senna Brow Book Colors and also a Viseart Neutral Matte 01 set of colors too.
Also in there is a gorgeous Lancome Highlighter/Contour Palette. It’s a dark skin tone palette that I was kindly gifted by another wonderful makeup artist last year. And it’s divine!
Ben Nye Media Pro Poudre Palette – these are great pressed powders that I keep in my on set kit from time to time. I’d like to add the full Mojave Palette to these guys as well. They have great coverage and the darker tones particularly are beautiful on the skin.
Kevyn Aucoin The Contour and Highlighter Duo – admittedly this is a new addition that I haven’t used yet! Will update after I’ve given her a spin.
Senna Brow Book – is the only eyebrow powder form product I use these days. If someone needs a quick zshooshing of their brows, or just a little definition, then this is the first thing I grab.
I particularly love the blonde colors – they are great to add subtle shape and definition without screaming, “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy”.
Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette – this specific palette has some really soft taupes in it, that sometimes I even throw over the eyelids for a wash of color or to add extra dimension before doing the eyes.
It also has a few shimmery highlight colors to get all your shaping and contouring work done in one palette.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette – is my most active contour palette for sure. I wish they’d release a couple more with darker shades though. This is another versatile palette, and it just looks nice. I’m a sucker for a clean, sleak black palette.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Palette – yep, it’s is hiding in there as well. I think these are a little hard to come by these days. So maybe I should use this in demand palette more than I give it credit for!!
I tend to use powder contour over cream contour products in general, but the cream vs powder debate is definitely a case that’s firmly up in the air.
Fifth Drawer
.
And we reach the ground floor of this makeup product breakdown!
Liquid gold, or rather liquid foundations here. I do admit that I house many of my foundation sets separately, mainly because the bottles don’t quite fit in here in a stnading position.
Perhaps I will do that makeup station breakdown of my foundation products in a blog post all of its own!
Milk Makeup Blur Liquid Foundation – is a fairly new addition to my kit, thanks so kindly to my last boss (thank you Eryn, I love these!). That was my introduction to this brand and so far so good.
These foundations pack some punch, for sure. Full on coverage and smoothing and refining, this foundation will do the hard work for you with those that have less than perfect skin. Oil-free and silicon-free so it’s even great for those with acne or oily complexions.
Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation – is very similar in it’s aims as Milk Makeup’s Blur Liquid Foundation. It does contain an SPF 15 and it also does contain silica.
Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation – these are really nice too. I only have a handful but would like to add. This foundation feels light, but has full coverage and is perfect for the oily or combination skin folks.
Hourglass is also cruelty-free FYI.
Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done – in a tube is a great go-to for quick, fairly sheer applications. It’s lightweight on the skin and I use these a lot for men as well. Might be time for me to add some more to these babies!
Colorescience Tint De Soleil (in the teal blue tube) are lovely, sheer foundations. Think tinted anti-shine, and you’re on the right track.
They are lovely for blokes and can give a really quick glow to the skin if that’s all you need to do. Another drawcard is that it’s SPF 30 and waterproof too.
Giorgio Armani Face Fabric – is somewhat similar in texture and approach to the Colorescience Tint De Soleil. Face Fabric is also very sheer and I generally only use these on the gents.
.
.
Before finishing, I want to add that this is only what I have in my brand spanking new Bisley Cabinet. This is in no way my entire kit. I would be here for the next 20 years if I was going to write about every product in it!
These are a selection of my go-to makeup products, a breakdown of the (mostly) palettes that I like to have within arm’s reach at my station. Most days you are making up different people, and it’s important to be prepared for anyone.
I do love makeup palettes. They are very time-efficient, and that’s why I’m so stoked with my new storage cabinet for work in 2021.
It means everything can be accessed, or put away quickly. The cabinet is just moved to the ground of our trailer when we travel, and it just looks so pretty as well!
.
And there it is, the makeup product breakdown of my current makeup station setup as it exists in 2021.
What are your go-to makeup products?
