What Is My Skin Type?

Posted on12 September 2012AuthorH&MUA TeamLeave a comment

Knowing your skin type is important in determining what types of products
you should use, and what products you should avoid.
Naturally moist, smooth and supple balanced skin has sufficient amounts of
water, oil and special chemicals called “natural moisturising factors” – a
collection of water-soluble compounds that are only found in the top layer
of the skin (stratum corneum).
What are the Skin Types?
Skin types include normal, dry, oily, combination and sensitive, and your skin
type depends on a combination of three factors:

 Water content: how much water is in your skin, which affects how
hydrated it is, and its suppleness and comfort;
 Oil content: how much oil you have in your skin, which affects its
softness;
 Level of sensitivity: how tolerant your skin is to certain substances,
which affects how it reacts to the ingredients found in products.
Most skin types are inherited, though your skin type is not necessarily static
– it can change for a number of reasons, including getting older, changes in
environment, season to season, illness and medication.

Normal Skin Type

Normal (or balanced) skin has the right amounts of water and oils, creating a
good balance:

 No or few blemishes
 No severe sensitivity
 Barely visible pores
 A radiant and smooth complexion
If you have this, then lucky you! You can use lots of different makeup
products, don’t get excessively shiny or have a dull complexion.

Dry Skin Type

Under normal circumstances, 95 percent of each of our skin cells is made up
of water. It’s the water content that determines how moist or supple your
skin is. Dry skin happens when the sebaceous glands don’t produce enough
oil to keep the water in. Dry skin varies from a general feeling of tightness
after washing that is eased with moisturiser or a few flaky patches, to skin
that is itchy, inflamed or scaly. Dry skin can also be called dehydrated skin.

Dry skin can produce:

 Almost invisible pores
 Dull complexion that looks matte and rough
 Flaky patches
 Red patches
 Less elasticity
 More visible lines and wrinkles
 Dry skin can also make you more prone to scaling, cracking, irritation,
eczema and infections
Dry skin may be caused or worsened by:
 Hereditary factors
 Ageing or changes in hormones
 Weather such as sun, wind or cold
 Living or being in a dry climate
 Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from tanning beds
 Indoor heating or air conditioning, as they dry out the air causing a low
humidity
 Ingredients in cosmetics or household products
 Excessive washing and bathing, especially in water that is hot, and
using harsh products that strip the oil from your skin
 Medications and illness
How to care for dry skin:
Dry skin cannot be treated by drinking extra water or eating oily foods. The
water needs to be trapped into the skin by oil. There are some simply things
you can do to ease dry skin or avoid making it worse:

 Use gentle soaps that are “super fatted” as they tend to dry out your
skin less.
 Avoid medicated, abrasive, herbal and deodorant soaps or ingredients
that are drying to the skin such as alcohol or witch hazel.
 Use a rich moisturiser after washing or bathing and keep applying as
needed throughout the day (basic moisturisers generally do as good a job
as more expensive ones too!). They will utilise oily ingredients to trap
water in the skin’s surface, reducing moisture loss.
 Use cosmetics designed for dry skin.
 Repeated contact with water makes dry skin drier as the water-holding
cells in the skin leach their water when they come into contact with water.
So wear gloves when cleaning or washing up, and avoid long hot baths.
 Protect your skin from the elements, so use suncream in the sun and a
barrier such as petroleum jelly in cold or windy conditions.
 Don’t let indoor temperatures get too hot and dry – a humidifier can
put moisture back into the air.
 Don’t use or sit in air conditioning for long periods of time.
Oily Skin Type
Oily skin occurs when the sebaceous (oil) glands in the skin secrete too much
oil. This can lead to problems like acne, blackheads and blemishes.
 Oily skin can produce:
 Enlarged pores
 Dull or sallow-looking skin due to sluggish circulation
 A shiny skin due to excessive oil
 Blackheads, pimples, spots or other blemishes
Oily skin may be caused or worsened by:
 Hormonal imbalances
 Stress
 Diet
 Exposure to heat or too much humidity
 Being rough with your skin, scrubbing it too hard
How to care for oily skin:
 Wash your skin no more than twice a day and after you perspire
heavily.
 Use a gentle cleanser designed for oily skin and don’t scrub as this can
stimulate the oil glands to produce more oil.
 Don’t pick, pop or squeeze spots. This prolongs healing time and may
scar or damage your skin.
 Use makeup and skin care products labelled as “noncomedogenic” as
they don’t tend to clog pores.
 Use cosmetics designed for oily skin.
Combination Skin Type
A combination skin type can be dry or normal in some areas and then oily in
others. A common area to be oily is the T-zone: the nose, forehead and chin
(it forms a T shape!). The nose, followed by the chin and forehead, has the
highest number of active oil glands. This skin type is sometimes referred to
as “normal with an oil T-zone”.

Combination skin can produce:

 Overly-dilated pores in the oily areas
 Blackheads or blemishes in the oily areas
 Shiny skin in areas of oiliness
Combination skin may be caused or worsened by:
 Genetic or hormonal factors that cause an imbalance in how much and
where lipids are produced
 The weather
How to care for combination skin:
 Combination skin may benefit from slightly different types of skin care
in different areas (though the difference between the T-zone and the
cheeks are not extreme).
 Use products designed for combination skin.
Sensitive Skin Type
If your skin is sensitive, it’s helpful to find out what causes it so you can stay
away from things that make it react. You may have sensitive skin for a
variety of reasons, but it’s often in response to particular cosmetic products.

Sensitive skin can produce:

 Redness or high colouring. Black skin will show darker patches
 Inflammation
 Itching
 Burning and blistering
 Dryness and flakiness
 Peeling and scaling of the skin
 Feels warm to the touch
Sensitive skin may be caused or worsened by:
 Ingredients in cosmetics. Fragrance and preservatives are the common
culprits of a reaction to a product. Other ingredients to watch for are
alcohol, acids (like alpha-hydroxyacid or “AHA”), bismuth oxychloride used
in mineral makeups and sodium lauryl sulfate. Reaction from chemicals
that come into contact with the skin is called “contact dermatitis”.
 Anything else that contacts your skin like jewellery, clothing labels etc.
Nickel is a common cause of irritation from jewellery.
 Using alkaline products can upset the skin’s natural acid pH, causing
sensitivity or irritation.
 Being rough with your skin and scrubbing it too hard.
 Facial treatments and laser peels. Some mild irritation is inevitable, but
this should subside fairly quickly.
 The weather – cold, wind and prolonged exposure to the sun.
How to care for sensitive skin:
 If you have a severe reaction to a product/item, stop using it
immediately and remove it from your skin. Consult with a doctor.
 To prevent future sensitivity, stop using the product or item that has
created the reaction.
 Look for products that are labelled as “hypo-allergenic”, “dermatologist
tested” or “allergy free”. They are designed for sensitive skins, so should
have less chance of triggering a reaction, but this is where understanding
what causes your skin to flare is important.
 Use gentle products that are free of fragrance, preservatives, harsh
exfoliants and anything else that may aggravate your skin.
Contact dermatitis can be caused by allergens or irritants. If you’re allergic
to a substance, your immune system makes antibodies against it, which
causes a reaction. You can also be sensitive to irritants, but not truly allergic.
To see if you are allergic to a substance, get a patch test done by a
dermatologist. Even natural or organic ingredients, such as essential oils and
fragrance, can cause reactions in sensitive skin, so don’t assume that
because it’s natural it won’t cause irritation!
So that’s our guide to knowing your skin type. Whatever your skin type, keep
it clean, moisturised and protected from the sun ☼
Facial Anatomy and Proportions
Posted on9 June 2012AuthorH&MUA Team9 Comments
Our face shape is created by the underlying bone and muscle structure. A
makeup artist should understand facial anatomy and proportions to be able
to enhance a person’s features, to create the makeup and character look
required, or to make an actor or stunt double look like someone else.
Prosthetic work needs a solid knowledge of anatomy and how the body is
proportioned. For hairdressing, knowing the bones of the cranium is
important for sectioning and cutting lines, as well as understanding facial
proportions for styling.
The Skull
A skull is composed of two main parts: the cranium and
the mandible. The cranium is a series of joined bones, which allow for very
little movement, and the mandible is the moving lower jaw.
The human skull can also be divided into two categorical parts:
the neurocranium and the viscerocranium. The neurocranium is the
protective structure surrounding the brain and the viscerocranium is
formed by the bones supporting the face.
Alas, poor Yorick. The bones of the human skull.

Bones of the Face

 Nose:  the two bones that sit side by side and form the bridge of the nose
are called the nasal bones. We can make this look wider or narrower with
contouring, create a broken nose or correct a wonky nose.
 Temple: the slightly concave temple area at the side of our eyes has
the temporal  and sphenoid bones sitting underneath it.
 Cheeks: our prominent cheeks are created by the zygomatic bones.
Highlighting on the top make cheeks look wider, and shading underneath creates
shape and depth.
 Jaw: consists of the upper jaw area made up of two maxilla, and the lower
jaw – the moving and powerful mandible. We can define a jawline with a little
shading under the jaw bone.
 Eye: the eye socket or orbit is formed by seven articulated (i.e. joined)
bones: the small thin lacrimalbone that sits in the inner eye; the frontal bone;
the ethmoid bone; the zygomatic bone (cheeks); the upper jaw maxillary bone;
the tiny palatine bone in the back of the socket and the sphenoid bone.
Bones of the Head
 Occipital bone: the bone that creates the curve at the back of the head just
before the nape. Often used in hairdressing as a reference point for cutting.
 Parietal bone: sits under the crown.
 Temporal bone: which helps to create the indentation at the temple.
 Frontal bone: forms the forehead.

Muscles of the Face

Some of the muscles found in the face

Muscles are either cardiac, striated  or non-striated:

 Striated muscles are attached to the bones and allow us the freedom of
voluntarily movement i.e. we are in control of it. So when we frown, smile and
gurn generally, we control that movement using our muscles. These are the
muscles we work with.
 Cardiac muscle is in the heart
 Non-striated muscles (also known as smooth muscles) are generally
involuntary and work automatically.
There are lots of muscles in the face. They allow us to move our faces
to make expressions and to communicate, and the muscles around the
mouth are important for speech.
We can use makeup to convey an emotion or to add to a character’s
disposition e.g. adding lines and shading to the brow can add tension, anger
or sadness.
It is also the muscles, along with the skin, that contribute to our looking
older by sagging and creating lines and wrinkles – this is important to
understand this when creating an ageing makeup.
Facial Proportions and Symmetry
Proportions, angles and contours of the face vary with age, sex and race –
giving rise to the myriad of faces out there.

Facial Harmony
For facial harmony to exist, there has to be a balance between all the
features. No individual component of the face exists in isolation, and
changing any one part of the face has an affect on the face as a whole.

That’s why when someone has even a discrete plastic surgical procedure, we
may not know what has been done specifically, but we can spot that there is
some sort of difference in the person’s face as a whole.

Symmetry

You can draw a line right down the middle of our face – going down the
middle of the forehead, nose, lips and chin, and the features on either side
roughly match each other. Note: roughly!

No one’s face is perfectly symmetrical and minor differences occur in

everyone.

Some differences are just more or less noticeable than others.

For example, look at the picture of Uma and George, showing how faces are
not perfectly symmetrical (but, in their case, still looking pretty good!). The
centre picture is their real face, just as it is; the left image shows the left
sides mirrored; and the right image shows the right side of their face
mirrored.

Facial Geometry
While everyone’s face does vary, there is still a pattern of geometry and
mathematics at work, giving us a guide as to how a face is proportioned –
and indeed the whole body follows a “proportion formula”.
For example, take your eyes – your face’s width is about “five eyes wide”.
There is “one eye’s width” between your eyes.

There is a whole science behind facial proportions, but we’re not going to get
that deep and, for those interested, there are lots of books on the subject. All
we need to know is how features relate to each other generally, and how we
use makeup to change the perceived size and shape of our features.

Facial proportions – how the face is “five eyes wide” (Photo courtesy of http://macksnotebook.blogspot.co.uk)

Natural and beauty makeup is about balancing features through

contouring – the highlighting and shading.
Therefore, you can change the perceived distance between features, or how
prominent something looks.

For example, if eyes look “close set”, we use highlighter in the inner corners
of the eyes to create the illusion that the eyes are set a little further apart.

Likewise, we use highlighter on cheeks to push someone’s face out wider to

balance a long face, or use shading to shorten a long chin. And so on.

If we are creating characters, we can use exactly the same principles.

Sometimes we use these principles in reverse to go against “the norm”,
creating quirks or oddness in a face.
Know your facial anatomy! Look at how the muscles lie, how they move and
how they contribute to expression and ageing. Know where the bones start
and finish and how they are shaped. Understand how features lie in relation
to each other. On a side note, have you ever seen a forensic facial
reconstruction of someone using just their skull as a starting point?
Impressive stuff. Now, go stretch your zygomaticus and run free!

Skin Deep: A Look at Our Skin Structure

Posted on12 June 2012AuthorH&MUA Team2 Comments
Skin. We’re covered in it! The largest organ of our body and without it we
cease to be. Acting as a barrier between our body and the environment, it
protects our muscles, bones, ligaments, nerves, organs and everything else
squidgy in there. It also connects us to the world around us.
Skin can tell us a lot about someone and the condition of our skin can be a
daily obsession or problem for many. Skincare is big, big business. Here’s a
look at skin structure, the layers of the skin, functions and a bit about
pigmentation.
What Does Our Skin Tell Us?
Skin varies from person to person and varies in appearance with age, sex
and race. It can also change from season to season, and reflects our general
well-being, health and lifestyle.

Our skin type and colour is primarily determined by genetics, but out lifestyle

choices and things like our health all play a part in how our skin can appear.
Medication, hormones, smoking, prolonged sun exposure, working outdoors,
illness – they can all affect our skin’s appearance and condition.
What Does Our Skin Do?
The skin’s main functions are:

 Protection: Skin protects our internal bits from injury, chemicals and

pathogenic invasion. It also helps protect against UVA and UVB sun
damage. Sweat and sebum combine on the skin’s surface to create an
acid film, the acid mantle, which discourages the growth of bacteria and
fungi.
 Sensation: By stimulating a variety of nerve endings, our skin helps
us to sense the world around us by responding to touch, heat, cold,
vibration and pressure.
 Temperature regulation: Skin controls our internal temperature,
keeping a healthy person at about 37 degrees Celcius (98.6 Fahrenheit).
As the outside temperature increases, our blood vessels dilate to increase
heatloss, along with the production of sweat which evaporates to aid
cooling. As the temperature drops, our blood vessels constrict, reducing
blood flow and heatloss.
 Preventing loss: Skin provides a semi-impermeable barrier to fluid
loss and prevents other nutrients from leaving the body.
 Storage and synthesis: Skin stores lipids and water and synthesises
vitamin D (via sunlight exposure).
 Excretion: Salt, urea and other chemicals are excreted via sweat.
 Absorption: With a low permeability, most foreign substances are
unable to get through our skin. Some ingredients can be absorbed by the
outer layers of the skin and medicine can be administered through the
skin by ointments or by means of an adhesive trans-dermal patch (e.g.
nicotine patch).
 Appearance: The health of our skin, lifestyle and age group can
generally be seen in our skin. Skin can be enhanced with makeup,
decorated with tattoos and piercings and, for a myriad of reasons, can
develop a variety of issues or problems, often causing misery for the
owner.
Layers of thick (non-hairy) skin and thin (hairy) skin (click to go large)

Layers of the Skin

Our skin is a complex system of layers, cells, nerves and glands. There are
three main layers: the epidermis (the bit on top that we see),
the dermis (thick elastic layer underneath) and finally the hypodermis (the
subcutaneous or fatty layer).
The Epidermis
The epidermis is thinnest, outermost layer of the skin and varies in thickness
in different parts of our body (between 0.04 and 1.5 millimeters thick). It is
made up of overlapping layers of skin cells and contains no blood vessels,
but lots of nerve endings. Even though it is thin, the epidermis has five sub-
layers or strata:
Histologic image detailing epidermal layers

 Stratum corneum: Also known as the horny layer and is composed

of several layers of flat scale-like cells that are continually being shed and
replaced. The skin cells in this layer are dead and they combine with lipids
(oils) produced by the skin to produce a protective, water-resistant layer.
This layer is important for maintaining the integrity and hydration of the skin
(the oil traps the water in the skin cells), and any disruption to its processes
can cause a variety of skin problems. It’s this layer that we scrub and polish
to exfoliate loose dead cells to refresh our complexion.

 Stratum lucidum: A thin, clear layer of dead skin cells found in areas
of thicker and non-hairy areas of skin like our hands and feet, as it helps to
prevent friction between the granular and horny layers. Also known as
the clear or lucid layer.
 Stratum granulosum: Also known as the granular layer, where
keratin proteins and water-proofing lipids are produced and organised.
 Stratum spinosum: Is where cells start to synthesis keratin.
 Stratum germinativum: Also known as basal layer. This final layer
of the epidermis is responsible for continually renewing the epidermal
cells. All skin cells start life right here through a process of cell division
 called mitosis, then move up through the epidermis layers until they end
up flattened and dead on the skin’s surface. This layer also
contains melanocyte cells, which produce the brown pigment called
melanin that provides the skin’s natural colour and helps to protect
against sun damage.
The bottom three layers of the epidermis are called the germinative
zone and this is where the living skin cells are made.
The top two layers of the epidermis are collectively called
the keratinisation zone. Here, the skin cells die off and become
progressively flatter, finally begin shed from our topmost layer of skin – a
process called desquamation. It takes about three weeks for a newly made
skin cells to go from the basal layer to reach the horny layer.
The Dermis

The dermis and hypodermis or subcutaneous layer

The dermis is much thicker than the epidermis and is strong and flexible. It
consists of connective tissue, nerves, sebaceous (oil) glands, hair
follicles, sweat glands and lymphatic vessels.
It gives the skin structure and protects the body against stress and strain.
Think of it as the skin’s scaffolding!
The dermis consists of two layers:

 Papillary layer: Lies directly beneath the epidermis and is rich in

blood vessels which feed and nourish the epidermis layer. It is also this
layer that creates the pattern of ridges found on our finger tips (yup, our
fingerprints!), palms, soles and toes, helping us to grasp by increasing
friction.
 Reticular region: Composed of dense, irregular connective tissue
with collagen and elastin fibers. These protein fibers give the dermis its
strength, elasticity, flexibility and firmness, allowing us to move and
stretch. These fibers become weakened with age, lack of moisture,
environmental damage like sun damage and exposure to UV light, or
frequent changes in weight (which can result in stretch marks appearing).
The Hypodermis or Subcutaneous Layer
This layer provides the connection between the skin and the underlying
muscle and bones, as well as supplying the skin with nerves and blood
vessels. It also contains about 50% of our body fat, which protects, cushions
and insulates the body, as well as providing fuel.
How Big is Our Skin?
Our skin weighs about 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) on average and covers 22
square feet (2 square meters). Pretty big.

Our Skin Colour and Pigmentation

Human skin shows a wide range of diversity and colours, and is determined
primarily by our genes. Skin colour is determined by at least five pigments:

 Melanin: a brown-black pigment made by melanocyte cells in the

epidermis. The amount of melanin in our skin is primarily determined by
genetics, and creates our natural skin colour. Black skins have a greater
concentration of melanin than white skins, and albinism occurs when
there is little or no melanin produced by a person.
 Haemoglobin: a purple-blue pigment, found in red blood cells in the
blood vessels in our skin.
 Oxyhaemoglobin: a red pigment found in blood in the blood vessels
that are present in our skin. When we blush or are hot from exercise, it is
the blood vessels dilating that causes us to look more red.
 Carotene: an orange-yellow pigment present in the epidermis and fat
cells of the hypodermis.
 Melanoid
Uneven Pigmentation
Uneven pigmentation affects most people at some level, from freckles, sun
spots and moles to more extreme uneven pigmentation like vitiligo and port-
wine stains.

Pigmentation can be affected by several factors including UV exposure,

medication, hormones, heredity, medical conditions, the thickness of the skin
itself and healed injuries. Some common terms and conditions relating to
skin pigmentation are:
 Top to bottom: Freckles on a young face, vitiligo showing patches of hypo-
pigmentation and ‘liver spots’

 Hyper-pigmentation: Means darker than

normal pigmentation, which appears as darker
patches.
 Hypo-pigmentation: Means the absence of
pigment resulting in lighter or white patches, as seen
in conditions like vitiligo.
 Freckles: Small patches of skin with more of
the brown pigment melanin, which are triggered by
exposure to sunlight, creating darker-coloured spots.
Freckles can increase and go darker in colour with sun
exposure; likewise they can fade.
 Lentigo: Is an area of darker pigmentation
that has an increased number of melanocytes (which
produce melanin). A lentigo (plural: lentigines) is stable
in its colour whatever level of sunlight exposure occurs,
making them different to freckles.
 Liver spots: Also called “sun spots” referring
to the darkened spots caused by a history of
unprotected sun exposure in older people. This is a
type of lentigo.
 Vitiligo: A skin condition that causes loss of
pigmentation from sections of the skin, leaving white
patches. Can be debilitating for the sufferer.
 Birthmarks: A small or large irregularity that can appear anywhere on
the skin. Vascular birthmarks are caused by an overgrowth of blood
vessels e.g. Port-wine stains and salmon patches. Pigmented birthmarks
are caused by an excess of melanocytes and pigmentation
e.g. molesand café au lait spots.
For people affected by their skin pigmentation, camouflage foundations are
incredibly useful.

Professional camouflage makeup products include Dermacolor,

Supercover Professional Makeup, Dermablend and Veil. They have a greater
pigment content than high-street makeup brands, meaning less product is
needed, and they come with powders that really set and waterproof the
foundations. This means they will stay put in water and all weather
conditions.
Tanning
We need some sunlight to produce vitamin D, but excessive ultraviolet (UV)
light can harm the skin. Melanin controls how much of the sun’s ultraviolet
radiation (UVA and UVB) penetrates our skin. While a little direct sunlight is
good for us, too much UV radiation is very damaging to our skin, so when
exposed to too much UV we produce more melanin to protect our skin. The
more melanin we have, the darker our skins will look.

So, there’s a look at skin. Incidentally, if you took off all of your skin, it would
cover a dining table.

Good Working Practices and Preventing

Cross-Infection in Makeup
Posted on19 January 2012AuthorH&MUA TeamLeave a comment

A guide to some of the skin, scalp and

eye conditions we may come across when working in the beauty industries,
and how good working practices can help prevent cross-infection.
Makeup can get contaminated through poor handling procedures during
manufacturing, defects in the product’s “preservative capacities” (i.e. how it
inhibits spoilage organisms and prevents the growth of pathogens) and by
being used – this is where working hygienically comes in.
Good working practices and working hygienically can substantially
reduce the risk of cross-infection, and help prevent the contamination of your
makeup. Sadly, not everybody working in the makeup industries, from
beauty counters and bridal to catwalk, film and TV, works to a high standard.
Dirty brushes, unwashed hands, double dipping and general lack of good
working practices are rife. Infectious conditions like conjunctivitis and sties
can be caused by poor makeup hygiene and contaminated makeup products.
Providing an unsafe service puts your clients and your career at risk.

Here’s our guide to working hygienically.

Identifying Common Infectious
Conditions
 Conjunctivitis: the inflammation of the conjunctiva – the outermost
layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. The infection can
cause a red and watery eye with sticky secretions. Most commonly caused
by viral or bacterial infection, but can also be caused by an allergic
reaction e.g. hay fever or cosmetic ingredients.
 Impetigo: a highly-contagious bacterial infection of the skin, more
commonly seen in school children and those who play contact sports.
Causes dry, honey-coloured crusty spots with reddened patches. Is often
found on the face, arms or legs. Caused by Staphylococcus aureus and
sometimes by Streptococcus pyogenes.
 Stye: also known as a hordeolum. A stye is caused by the infection of
a sebaceous gland at the base of the eyelash follicle, resulting in a painful
red swelling that develops on the inside or outside of the eyelid. It is
usually caused by staphylococci bacteria, though a blocked oil gland can
also trigger a stye. Chronic blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) may
increase the risk of styes.

Fungal Infectious Diseases

 Ringworm: a fungal infection that can affect the skin, scalp or nails.
Athlete’s Foot is ringworm that affects the feet. Ringworm creates circular
areas of dull rough skin surrounded by raised red rings.

Parasitic Infectious Diseases

 Head Lice: infestation can be in egg form (known as nits) or as the
adult lice. Nits attach to the hair shaft and appear as a creamy/white dot
along the hair. Usually spread by head-to-head contact, which is why it
creates an infestation at a school so easily as children play and have close
contact. It is easily treated and the lice can be killed quickly with products
from the chemist.
 Scabies: a rash caused by an allergic reaction to the itch mite
Sarcoptes scabiei. Often appears in skin folds, like the midriff, and on the
inside of the thighs and can look like a series of dry spotty bites. Can be
spread via close contact.

Viral Infectious Diseases

 Herpes Simplex: cold sores are small blister-like lesions which
usually appear around the mouth. Caused by the herpes simplex viruses,
cold sores are highly contagious and infection can be easily passed from
person to person by close direct contact.
Common Non-infectious Conditions
Non-infectious conditions
include dermatitis, psoriasis, vitiligo, acne and alopecia.
These conditions are not at all contagious; however, special care and
discretion should be used when carrying out hair and makeup application to
ensure the client’s comfort and dignity. And good working practices apply no
matter what.

Preventing Cross-Infection in
Makeup
There are a number of simple measures which can easily be
taken to avoid the spread of infection, and to help prevent
micro-organisms being passed from skin to brushes to makeup
to skin.

Such measures should be regarded as good practice,

irrespective of whether or not a person being made up is
regarded as having an infectious condition.

IT IS HOW YOU SHOULD WORK - ALWAYS - EVERY DAY ON

EVERYONE!
Good Working Practices in Makeup Include:
Always wash your hands before and after a makeup

 Wash and dry your hands properly before you start

a makeup, and again after you finish. Be seen to be washing
your hands – it’s good for clients to know you care about
hygiene. Drying your hands is equally as important – damp
hands spread germs. Wet wipes are great to have on set,
especially as hand washing facilities may be scarce.
 Always ask a client if they have any allergies or
known sensitivities before you start a makeup. Not 100%
guaranteed they won’t react to something, but you can
eliminate any triggers they do know about. Always do a test
patch for substances that are known to cause issues with
people, like latex or hair tint. Not a cross-infection prevention,
but it is good practice to do this with clients.
 Do not blow on your brushes or makeup. This blows
spit and germs all over them! How’d you like the waiter to
blow on your food as he plonks it down in front of you?!
 Avoid sharing makeup. For one-off clients where you
are using your makeup kit, use a clean implement (e.g.
spatula or brush) to remove a tiny amount of product. For
long-term clients (like on a TV series), use individual
containers or “just for them” makeup items per person.
 Don’t double dip. Double dipping means going from a product to a
face/skin, then back in the product. It is easy to avoid, especially for cream
and liquid products – just use disposable applicators or a spatula to
remove a small amount of product, ideally to put on a palette. It amazes
me how many makeup artists we see double dipping! Like using the
mascara wand in the tube on lots of people, or sticking fingers in a pot of
Carmex, to the lips and back in the pot – and then offering it to all and
sundry, who also have a go. Why not just get everyone to spit into a glass
and take a sip? Gross! Use a cotton bud instead of your finger and don’t
dip it in the pot after it’s been on your kissers. Ah, it’s not really that
difficult is it!
 Sharpen pencils after use. Once you’ve done a nice bit of liner,
sharpen the pencil before putting the lid back on. This keeps the lid
cleaner and also preps the pencil ready for use, so you don’t have to fiddle
with sharpeners in the middle of a makeup.
 Use makeup disinfectant sprays. There are several spray products
available that are designed to kill most of the bacteria that may be lurking
on your makeup. The sprays can be used on all makeup, including creams,
powders, pencils and tools. Particularly great for pressed powder products
like eye shadows and blushers. Read about our Makeup Kit Favourites:
Cleaning and Hygiene for more information.
 Use disposable sponges and clean/disposable powder puffs for each
client. For crowd work, inexpensive bath sponges are great  – tear it into
small pieces and use a fresh bit on each background artist. It is noticed
and appreciated – we’ve had many comments from background artists on
our good standard of hygiene. No one wants a used sponge on their face!
 Do not share towels. Use clean/freshly washed individual towels or
disposable towels. Imagine someone has wiped their face/hands on the
towel – would you then want to put that on your face? Nope… and neither
do your clients!
 Don’t keep makeup beyond its shelf life. If it smells or looks
funny, don’t use it – throw it away.
 Sterilise all brushes and tools after use. For example, use
Barbicide for hairdressing tools, clipper spray on clippers, and isopropyl
alcohol to disinfect makeup brushes and metal tools (scissors, tweezers
etc.). If something hasn’t been used for a while, it is prudent to give it a
quick disinfect and wipe before using.
 Be extra careful when a client has a skin, eye or
mouth infection. Only use disposable (single use) makeup applicators
that are immediately disposed of after use and don’t double dip. The
makeup artist must wash their hands and use hand sanitiser after
completing the makeup before moving on to another client, or touching
their own face/skin/hair.
 Sweep up hair cuttings and clean hair tools. Not only is hair on
the floor super slippy, it is simply good practice to clean up after a hair
 cut. Clippers should be thoroughly dusted and cleaned of hair, then
sterilised using a clipper spray product. Hair tools should also be sterilised.
 Clean and sterilise anything dropped on the floor. I mean, this
should be fairly obvious, but then nothing would surprise me! Don’t pick
that brush up and carry on using it after picking out the hair you haven’t
bothered to sweep up and wiping it on a towel you’ve just cleaned your
manky feet with!
If your work does involve applying makeup to faces, you should be working
as above. Always. No excuses! If you don’t work with cosmetics and only
ever use your makeup and brushes on yourself, then it’s still important to
wash brushes regularly – and not to stick your dirty tramp fingers in your
makeup!