Trial-Sized Treasure Trove....

One of these days, (hopefully in the very near future) I will post a picture of my kit. I've always been extremely baffled by artists that carry kits the size of military sea bags. Living and working primarily in NY, and being a heavy public transportation taker (quicker and effective way to get around), a makeup kit the size of a small boating craft, is NOT an option for me. My kit has to be small, concise, precise and on wheels. I've heard from newer artists and various assistants just starting out, that they have the hardest time pairing the sizes of their kits down. It's a skill that is developed over a period of time coupled with having both experience and confidence. Having every product that one could possibly need packed inside of 18" is no easy feat, but I've managed to do it successfully for almost the past ten years.

One tip I will share here is pair down on the size of products that you put in your kit. Anything that you can find in miniature or pack in a smaller quantity, do so. If your kit is not going away with you to some far and away place for an extended stay, then there is no need to carry full sizes of certain types of products.

Today, I stumbled across some products that will definitely help to maintain my 'light' load, if not lighten it further. The first would be a mini nail kit even more, mini. (Sidetrack with me for a second: I carry a small nail kit with basic necessities to not only remove nail enamel, but that also includes: cuticle oil, emory boards, orange sticks, and a variety of basic nail colors.) Enter in: the Seche Vite mini travel kit. Seche Vite is one of my favorite topcoats as it quick dries to a high shine glossy finish and the brush has nice bounce and nail coverage. The kit comes with a mini (.15ml.) Dry Fast Top Coat, Crystal Clear Basecoat, Seche Rose Nail Lacquer and a double sided heavy duty nail file. I lucked out in finding mine at ULTA for $4.99 (a steal)

I also picked up 1 fl.oz miniature sizes of Skindinavia's Makeup Setting Spray, Makeup Saving Moisturizing Spray and a full size .5 fl.oz.Face & Eye Makeup Primer. Apparently, they were on massive clearance ranging in price from .99 to $5.00 (I think they are liquidating the current inventory as perhaps they won't be stocking it in the future) BTW, don't sleep on Skindinavia. Their primer is my favorite; in my opinion, even better than the Smashbox Photofinish. I don't use primer often, but when I do, I reach for theirs. Their various makeup sprays, are not be underestimated either. In fact: "Skindinävia treatments are formulated to last a very long time. They have a time released delivery system that encapsulates millions of tiny nano-spheres barely wider than a ray of light. As each layer of spheres releases their contents, the next layer begins working. Clinical trials show Skindinävia treatments last exponentially longer than standard products." I couldn't have said it better myself...actually I didn't, those are words are straight from the horses mouth, ahem, I mean the Skindinavia website. So boys and girls, the lesson of the day is: small, lilipution, miniature, trial sized, tiny, itsy bitsy, teeny weeny. You guys get the idea. Smaller in this case, is definitely better. Enjoy lightening your loads!

xx!
-K

Sampling of goodies from Skindinavia found sinfully cheap and in miniature form.