As a makeup artist, does insurance matter?
Yes.

Do you need insurance?
It is the responsibility of every professional to work with the right tools of the trade and that means not only having the right training and experience, but also that you support yourself and your business with the right administration set up which includes various forms of insurance.

By protecting yourself, you are also protecting your clients and you demonstrate that you take your craft seriously and are serious about providing a quality, professional service.

If you are a business owner, you should have in place various business insurances from professional indemnity to public liability, from equipment, fire and theft to employee insurance.

Whatever type of makeup artist you are, insurance should be the number one item on your makeup artist kit list.  All too often, it is way down on student and practitioners’ priority lists.  And, according to research, over 53% of professional makeup artists don’t carry any form of insurance (public liability, kit, professional indemnity).  Does this ring a bell?

Find out more below, and visit www.imakeupmatters.com

We have been talking for the past two years about the importance for beauty and makeup professionals to respect the health and hygiene of their customers.  Research published by Dr Elizabeth Brooks of Jefferson Medical College, clearly confirms that without proper hygiene standards in place at the beauty counter, customers risk infection - everything from E-coli, conjunctivitis, herpes simplex and strep.  Saturday is the worst day for contaminated makeup testers and E-coli means serious hygiene issues.  "Whenever you see E-coli you should think 'E.coli equals faeces,' ..."That means someone went to the bathroom, didn't wash their hands and then stuck their fingers in that moisturizer" say Brooks. 

Bacteria live in all our lashes and using mascara, whether on yourself or as a professional makeup artist on clients, means that it's very easy to contaminate not only the mascara tube, but your customer. The moment the mascara wand touches the lashes, bacteria is transferred to either the product tube or directly to the other eye. Bacteria thrive in dark warm environments, and with four to six months, a mascara tube will be overrun with bacteria.

The dangers of double dipping mascara wands are real and can lead to a number of serious infections such as conjunctivitis, blepharitis and corneal ulcers.

QUICK TIP - Cut off the mascara wand as soon as you have bought your new mascara and throw it away - you will never then be tempted to use it and risk infecting your client and will be forced to use disposables! This works!

Just like mascara, it's really easy to forget to use disposables when it comes to lip gloss and lip colour.

Remember that if you cut off  the foam applicator head or the bristle brush that comes with your new product when you unpack it and before you put them into your pro makeup kit, you will have to use a disposable or a spatula to get the product out. 

Don't risk contaminating your clients and your products by NOT using the right tools and follow our SAFE BEAUTY practical tips.  Just like our mascara tip, this works!

Concealers are usually cream based and come in different types of packaging, from jars to palettes, from liquid tubes to twist brush applicators. Bacteria will thrive in all these products and, therefore, it is important to avoid double dipping. Do not to use the applicator that comes with the concealer on your client.  You must decant either on to a clean palette, a clean hand or petri dish.  Cut the applicator off any concealer that comes with the product and take out any brush that is included in the packaging. 

Do not use twist products directly onto skin. These are the ones that tend to slip through the SAFE BEAUTY hygiene kit, so put some red sticky tape around the tube for danger.  This works!

Modern day foundations come in a variety of types from the latest silicone based airbrushing products to mineral pressed powder.  Firstly check the contents to understand what's in your product so you know how different products will react to bacteria from use. Check the shelf life date too. As a makeup professional, storage of foundations is really important so you don't turn up at a job with a foundation in the right colour, but hasn't been used for two years and has gone off! Decant fluids into small bottles that you can easily transport and keep clean and keep the original products in a cool, dark, dry storage area.

Decant liquids into palettes, petri dishes or on to the back of a clean hand and always use clean foundation brushes - never double dip into the original product packaging - and if using fingers, make sure your hands are 100% clean.  Latex free sponges work well ensuring that your client doesn't have a reaction to latex.  Do not use twist any products directly onto skin.

This is one of the most obvious makeup products for passing on germs if not used correctly and because of the way lipsticks are made for application by consumers, you can't exactly "cut off the applicator".  Two top tips - firstly put a bag of clean plastic spatuals on the top of your bag of lip products so you always have to move the spatulas to get to the lipsticks and, therefore, remembering to use them!  Take a little of the product off with the spatula and put into a sanitized mixing palette, petri dish or the back of a clean hand before using your lip brush to apply colour. 

QUICK TIP - ensure your lipsticks are germ free by cleaning them with our Izo Pro wipes which will disinfect the product.  It's so easy to use a lip brush and go from lip to product and back again - double dipping!