The Most Unusual Beauty Products MUAs Keep In Their Kits to Solve Common Beauty Problems

“The craziest thing in my kit is Lansinoh’s Lanolin Breastfeeding Salve, aka nipple cream. It sounds nuts, but it is one of the best balms I’ve ever used. It instantly soothes and hydrates the driest skin. Added bonus: if you apply enough, it can double as a pretty good gloss.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Amber Amos

“As professional makeup artists, we need to be ready to work on any number of skin types, tones and conditions—makeup is never ‘one size fits all.’ I have some nontraditional things in my kit like aspirin tablets to take swelling down from a blemish, and a lot of artists also keep KY Jelly in their kits to use as a primer.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Courtney Hart

“I keep Pears Soap in my kit; it makes a great brow gel. Just spritz it with water, rub a mascara wand over the product, and brush through the brow. It lasts better than most brow gels on the market.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Jamie Dorman

“My kit consists of a lot of beauty products and some fun tools. One of them is the ReFa; it’s what I use to prep skin before applying makeup. Every time I take it out in front of someone, they are so interested in what it is because it can look like a sex toy. I like to call it pleasure for the face! It tightens and lifts while giving the face some circulation. The result is a mini, noninvasive ‘facelift’ with a side of glow.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Kira Nasrat

“I always keep floss picks handy. You never know if a client will need to get something out of their teeth at the last minute. Scotch tape is a life-saver when glitter goes awry and you need an easy, quick clean up! I also keep a pack of straws with me; these are great so clients can easily sip drinks and keep lipstick intact.”

–Sarah Lucero, global executive director of creative artistry for Stila Cosmetics

“I keep baby shampoo* in my kit to wash brushes, safety pins to de-clump lashes and spatulas to cut lipsticks.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Julie Hewett

*Image used for illustrative purpose only.

“One that’s not so weird but always raises questions is my heated lash curler*. Most makeup artists don’t carry one, and my clients are always intrigued by it because it’s definitely weird-looking. I also keep a deodorant sponge with me (it cleans white marks) and blue eye drops for those days when your eyes are super red!”

–Celebrity makeup artist Anton Khachaturian

*Image used for illustrative purpose only.

“A spoon: the oldest and most classic eyelash curler of them all. It gets right up against the lash base. Place it at the base of the lashes and press your lashes up against it with your thumb for a hard-angled curl. It’s useful for editorials when we are doing a wide-eyed look or for everyday use to curl your false strip lashes upward after they’re already glued down on the eye. I also keep a glue stick in my kit. It’s the cheapest (and best!) brow tamer out there and holds brushed-up brows in place like no other.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Tasha Brown

“I carry a menagerie of things just in case I need them. I’m always toting around my GlamCor lighting system, mouthwash, every international electrical converter, Stevia, a flashlight, Just For Men for dying eyebrows back, and a small medical triage and pharmacy, to name a few.”

–Frankie Boyd, makeup artist for Streeters

“I always carry a jade roller* for rolling the skin, and tape for removing sparkles.”

–Romy Soleimani, makeup artist for Streeters 

*Image used for illustrative purpose only.

“A credit card to hold under lashes to make them super full without getting on the face, Scotch tape to create perfect lines, red Kool-Aid for a lip stain, and a lighter to melt product.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg

“Clear Elmer’s Glue to hold unruly brows in place (I use it with a disposable mascara wand) and Post-it Notes. They help me cheat a straight line either for eyeliner or an even cheek contour.”

–Celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin