When I began as a Makeup Artist, I really found difficult to get my kit started. Makeup is very expensive when it comes to build a makeup kit, because you need multiple products and brushes, accessories, a makeup bag, etc. But here I will give you some tips I found VERY helpful to slowly build your kit, focusing on having good and affordable makeup.
First tip is to prioritize which products are the most important to have of good quality. In my opinion, foundation is what can make or break your makeup look. Make sure you spend the most in foundation, having good products for the base of the makeup makes it easier to work and nail the rest of the look.
Second, try to find the stores or brands that can provide you with discounts or points that you can use towards your purchase, so you can save some money. A lot of makeup brands offer discounts if you are a professional makeup artist. You must qualify for it but it never hurts to find out to see if you qualify or not since the discount can be from 15-40% off. Some of the brands I know have this type of discounts are Nars, Charlotte Tilbury, Urban Decay, Smashbox, Shiseido, Sigma (Brushes), Bdellium (Brushes), Makeup Forever, Mac Cosmetics/
My last tip is focus on re-invest what you get as Makeup Artist into building your kit. I know you might have other bills to cover, but maybe is not a bad idea to get a part time in a Makeup Store and save some money while you build your career as a Freelance, that way you can buy and get free products from your job and work aside as a Freelance Makeup Artist.
I hope this article was helpful, starting this career is difficult, time consuming and can be a little overwhelming at times, but after you get going you will be the happiest Makeup Artist ever!
Bye Bye!