Simire MUA wrote:
Oooo! This makes me steam up so much!! I had 3 items nicked from my kit at a show a few months back. I have a lockable kit, however i had to run after a model to complete a look which probably took 5-10minutes and returned to find 4stick foundations missing. It was a fashion show so i had to bring in my full kit to manage different ethnicities and looks. Not a huge loss as these were my cheapo foundations i had bought a while back. Nevertheless stealing is so repulsive. I have my suspicions....I would have flipped if it had been my RCMA or MUFE foundations.

If a makeup artist on this forum can come up with a handy tip on minimising theft, then i'll be eternally grateful.

Ooo, glad it was your cheap ones, even so, the whole concept is just icky. I'm pissed because it was my nice smashbox nude liners that went missing, and I pretty much use those on every face I do. I try to stay by my kit too, but it's just not always possible.

Elizabethmakeup wrote:
I also mark everything in my kit and all of my brushes and I lock my kit. If I have a room with a lock, then I insist on the key and lock it on my way out.

Yeah, having a locked room is probably the ideal situation. I was thinking about this last night. Location probably plays into this issue quite a bit. I suspect the more traffic going by the more likely it is that things go missing. Maybe trying to station ourselves in places with less traffic when possible could help to minimize theft. It would make it more obvious since people would have to go out of their way.

Elizabethmakeup wrote:
Someone needs to invent a booby-trap that goes off when someone unauthorised opens the case: It will let off a loud BANG, cover the person in paint and shout 'thief, thief, thief' over and over.

It's already been invented.  Banks have special packets of money to give to thieves.  It looks like a bundle of bills but there is a packet of dye on the inside.  When the bank robber leaves the bank the bundle explodes covering all the stolen money with the dye and possibly the robber as well.

kat makeup artist  wrote:
if i need to go toilet i pack everything away and roll it with me, keeping in mind i always go before i start working and i have amazing bladder control lol.........

Hee hee! I'm having a schoolgirl giggle about this. Job advert for Mua.....must also possess a robust sphincter...

Seriuosly though, it is quite sad how we have to keep eyes locked onto our kit the whole time. I did make up for one of the acts at an event recently and was still habouring bitterness over the loss of my cheap but equally loved foundation sticks. The dressing room was on a different floor with no lifts and the show on the ground floor. I missed practically the entire event as i had a large case i could not be bothered to drag all the way downstairs in case they needed to come back up for touch ups or change of looks. Very sad indeed.

Tegan Lynn MUA wrote:
So, it finally happened to me. I strongly suspect that a photography assistant walked off with my two favourite lipliners. I can't prove any of this, so I'm not going to press the issue, but it's made me think.

Lots of times make-up application is done in a room separate from where the shoot is taking place, and I'm expected to leave my kit unattended while shooting is going on if I'm observing for touch up purposes. Short of packing everything back up in my kit again, which isn't really practical if I need to do another look, I'm not sure how to stop theft from occurring.

One thing I am going to do from now on is make sure that all my smaller products that would be more prone to theft (lipliners, eyeliners, mascara, etc) are organized in a way that I can use them right out of my kit and put them back after. That way I can lock up those pocket sized items easily, without having to take any extra time to put them away.

I'm wondering, what steps do you guys take to prevent theft from your kits?

1. Identify each piece of your kit. Put your initials in permanent ink on the back of each container as soon as you get home from the store. I have small foil stickers with my initials that I put on each container I have.

2. Keep a current inventory (use a spreadsheet) of your makeup. Know what you have.

3. Have locks for all of your makeup cases. If you must leave your cases, lock the case and lock it to a solid object.

4. Ask the photographer about security ahead of time. Don't leave your kit unattended even for a minute. Others don't know how much your kit is worth and most don't care.

5. Set up security policies. Set your makeup table against a wall, or in a corner to limit access. Define your area with a makeup chair, light stands and keep everyone except the person you're working on out. People shouldn't be browsing or handling your makeup, for both security and sanitation reasons.

6. If your kit is stored in your car, cover it up and lock the doors even if you're going away for just a minute. Take your kit out of the car as soon as you arrive home.


If something does go missing points #1 and #2 may help you to recover it. You can show exactly what is missing and can identify it.