Which case to buy??

When I first started out as a makeup artist. I wanted to put my kit into something very professional looking.  So I took myself off to Charles Fox and got myself a huge makeup aluminum box with draws and compartments.

1st makeup case

It cost me the best part of £200 and when I put all my kit in it, I thought it looked the business, I carried it on a trolley and I felt brilliant.  This lasted all of half an hour when I tried to lift it up the stairs at the tube station.  It weighed a ton!  It was a great case, if I was hired by the BBC for a long contract and could keep it in the makeup room indefinitely and had it delivered by forklift, but it just was not practical for carrying on the tube.

So I purchased an ordinary suitcase, but with a "durable" hard side to it to protect my makeup during flights. They are easier to carry on public transport, but lets face it, they are not built for the sort of abuse us makeup artists put them through. So I have had handles snap off, countless zips broken, not forgetting the time  a wheel flew off into oncoming traffic.  I had to drag the case home ( like dragging Dawn French home, face down by her hair! Result,  an aching back and a case in shreds down one side).

As I got more regular clients, I didn't always need  to carry everything AND the kitchen sink, so when traveling by public transport, I limited it to a holdall (for tissues and hair equipment etc) and a small beauty case

They are compact and light and I am able to carry everything I need in them. I have two, one filled with makeup for black skins and the other for white and I tweak each case as and when I need to.  These cases are available at BeautyBox and prices range from £40-£60.

Finally, there is a fairly light weight makeup case designed specially for today's form of makeup artist.  It's sturdy, with robust wheels. It even has a hard top, for those moments when you can't get a seat on the tube, just sit on your case. As well as the seat it also has a handle at the top for easy lifting.  If like me, you carry all your blushers, eyeshadows etc in clear pastic zip bags, you can just slip them into your case, but the case also comes with its own little bags. It's made by ZUCA and prices start at £194.00 at Screenface (cheaper if you buy them in the States).    A high price, but when you bear in mind that ZUCA give you  "LIFETIME" guarantee, I think you can consider it a good investment.