Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution – The Minimalists
It’s a trend that’s blown up in the last five years and although it’s not a lifestyle for everyone, we think it has the potential to be utilised by artists working in the industry. As makeup artists, our job often requires us to be excessive consumers, by stocking our kits not just with products that we NEED, but also products for those ‘just in case’ moments. We are also responsible for creating a hefty amount of waste due to our use of disposables. There’s no way we can strive to be minimalists in this industry right? Well, we truly believe that with just a little extra effort and thought, there are simple things you can do to become a more mindful artist.
Everything in your kit should bring value to your job. You can strive to be both a makeup artist and minimalist.
Find products that serve multiple purposes
Often, items can be used for more than one thing if you think a little outside the box. It might be using a tinted cream for both lips and cheeks, or utilising foundations you already own as a lighter coverage concealer. Your favourite products may surprise you and using them for more than one purpose can help lighten your kit up.
Declutter your kit regularly and check dates
Makeup products are far from non-perishable and most have a recommended use by date on the packaging. It’s a good practice to go through the entirety of your kit every few months to dispose of any products that are past their date. This keeps out of date and useless items out of your collection which might otherwise be taking up room in your kit. Mascaras are the big ones to watch out for! Dried up products = bad application!
Avoid buying too many multiples of products ahead of time
We get it. Sometimes those pro sales and discounts are too good to pass up. However, if you are on a journey to be more mindful about how much is in your kit, we encourage you to avoid purchasing more than two at a time unless you specifically require that. This lessens the chance that you might someday realise that backup foundations have been sitting in storage for years and have gone bad. Only stock up when you need to and that way, you’re less likely to end up with unnecessary items.
Pare down your collection by purchasing palettes that contain multiple shades
When you have favourite brands and formulas, always check to see if they make palettes which contain a good variety of colours. This can save the extra storage and cost of individual colours and items. Obviously, aside from eyeshadow palettes, this works especially great for lip, cheek and face palettes. Alternatively, you can also depot products into a palette to save room as well but we will be talking about that more in part two of this discussion!
