Dear LMM,

I am just starting out in makeup artistry and have got a basic kit together, but wondered if I should invest in a special chair, makeup station and my own lights. What are your thoughts?

Thanks, Sarah. 

Dear Sarah,

I think it depends on what type of makeup work you will be doing, and where. Personally, on the jobs I do, I never take a chair, table or lights with me.

Most of my work is studio based, and all those things are supplied.

Inside an uptown studio.

Similarly, when a shoot is outdoors on location, a “location van” is usually provided. These vehicles are equipped with everything you need (apart from the makeup), and the model sits inside to have her face made up.

On trips abroad, I make the best of what is available. Generally, on overseas jobs there is a production team that helps out with any equipment requests, which is a bonus. It is their job to make the creative team’s job easier, and they usually do.

Occasionally I work on a client in a hotel room, and this can sometimes require a little bit of improvisation.

In this downtown hotel room, an armchair dressed in a towel doubled as my makeup station.

I think most makeup artist’s would agree that it is difficult to apply good makeup in the dark. Admittedly, there have been times when I have found myself confronted with poor lighting (at location houses, for example) and have borrowed spare lights from the photographer. In my experience, they are always more than happy to help out.