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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Recession Proof Your Makeup Kit - Tight budgets require a little creativity by: Leonard Engelman

Today’s economy affects your make-up purchases as much as your grocery purchases. So when your production company presents a laughably small make-up budget for a project, how do you make these purchases, as well as the products in your kit or storage area, meet the demands?


First, ask cosmetic companies if they’d be willing to supply products in return for a film or TV credit. (M.A.C. and Make Up For Ever are among the companies that have done this). Don’t despair when you see magazines list all the expensive products that were used to create a megastar’s beautiful make-up: The actress and the make-up artists probably didn’t pay to use those products. They were most likely supplied by the cosmetic company or paid for by the production company.


Second, find multiple uses for single products. Too often our cases contain several products that will do the same job. You can use products like wax, Naturo Plasto or nose putty for wounds or protrusions, but you can also dab a small amount on a shiny area to diminish the shine- and they all cost less than anti-shine products. Need to simulate tooth decay? Just add a little dark foundation and work it between the teeth for instant ugliness!


Where to Buy Budget Products

Beauty Supply Stores

Many products are discontinued simply to make room for the next season’s colors. Ask store managers for these discontinued products, which can cost 25 to 50 percent less.


Pancake-type products (such as Ben Nye, Mehron or Max Factor) are great for body make-up, necks, hands and arms. Apply with a sea sponge or a less expensive large synthetic sponge. These products are quick to apply (sometimes even faster than airbrush) and last forever. Pancake also makes a great eye shadow- it dries quickly and gives completely flat coverage, which is great for a natural look.


Alcohol-based color palettes such as Skin Illustrator contain multiple colors, but their cost may exceed your budget. If you need these colors mainly for bruises and wounds, buy the three or four colors you need in the liquid form. If you want to create a dry palette, pour the individual colors into sections of a watercolor wheel (from an art store) and let them dry down. That way, you buy only the shades you need and achieve similar results. Use alcohol-based colors to create discolored teeth, instead of spending money on tooth enamel. Alcohol-based colors require 99 percent alcohol; everything else works well with 70 percent alcohol, which is easier on the skin and cheaper through beauty supply stores or drug stores. You can spend $6 - $60 or more on a foundation. Experiment with RCMA or Ben Nye foundations. They provide good coverage to your sponge as you work the foundation. If you’re looking for complete coverage, Kroylan Dermacolor Palettes are great. Buy the small palette at a much lower cost. When you find that you’re using up one particular color, don’t buy a whole new palette, buy a jar of the color and continue to replace it in your palette. Use a thin amount to make realistic discolorations on the face, especially under the eyes; it also covers tattoos, scratches, bruises, and blemishes. Very few companies make pencils firm enough to create a natural, hair-like look for eyebrows. I like the Ben Nye eyebrow pencils, but another cost-effective choice is the Ebony Jet Black Smooth Pencil from Eberhard Faber (they’re especially inexpensive at the art supply stores).


Loose face powder costs much less than pressed powder in a compact (you’re paying more for the compact than the powder itself). Pour the powder into a two-ounce plastic bottle with a flip-cap, then squeeze out the powder you need. And keep an actor’s puff for several days.


You pay a lot for pre-cut sponges. If you buy and uncut block sponge and use utility scissors to create the shape you want, you’ll see big savings in the long run.


Drug Stores

You can spend from $6 - $25 on mascara, but Maybelline makes several inexpensive types that work well. The company also makes a good eyelash curler for the price. Your budget may also mean you have to forgo the $35 lipstick. Revlon and Clarion cost less and have great colors, and if several artists on your team need the same colors, you can buy one lipstick and divide it among small refillable palettes.


Menthol Blowers work well for creating tears, but they’re also expensive. Instead, poke a good sized hole in the bottom of an inexpensive menthol inhaler. Remove the cap and blow from the bottom through the inhaler toward the actors’ eyes and you have tears for much less. Speaking of tears, you can save on costs per tissue if you buy a bigger box.



Art Supply Stores

Watercolor wax palette paper is great in the trailer or on the set. You can buy it in a beauty supply store or in an art supply store (much cheaper per sheet). Simply remove several sheets and cut them to your desired size. A palette will last you a long time.


Shop Around

Make-up brushes can be expensive. Stock up at the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show, where you can often find discounts on various professional brands.



Avoid using expensive water-misting products like Evian for sweat or eyeliner water. Instead, use tap water in a two – eight ounce bottles with a fine mist sprayer. You’ll get much better results for much less money. If you carry a two ounce water bottle in your case, add a cut-down sprayer that fits your bottle. Now you’re ready at a moment’s notice.


For cheap tattoo transfers, complete or choose your art work and copy the form on a photocopier. Apply the transfer as you would an alcohol-based tattoo transfer, but use acetone instead. And to create a dusty or dirty look, use products already in your case: a dark shadow cream color; a dark pancake or a dark alcohol-based color does the job quickly and easily.


Finally, choose your skin-care products wisely. The better the skin condition, the better your make-up looks and the less work you have to do. There are many products to choose from, although, as you probably expect, I always recommend TaUT Skin Care Products. (In the interest of full disclosure, I’m the owner and a user!)

Leonard Engelman
Director of Education, Cinema Makeup School
Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Branch Governor for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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