The best products to include in their kits in 2025 are shared by celebrity hair and makeup artists. Make use of them to revamp your beauty routines for the new year and organize your New Year’s Eve glam.
When it comes to creating their beauty kits, professional hair and makeup artists don’t play around. In a field where new products are introduced on a regular basis, things are tested and tried out before being worn on the faces of well-known customers. They only include skincare, cosmetics, or haircare products in their professional kit—the crème-de-la-crème in terms of consistency and performance, so to speak—when a formula has exceeded a previous favorite or offered something genuinely novel. This is why a sincere recommendation from a coworker will always be more valuable than expensive marketing campaigns and influencer endorsements.
When it comes to your beauty routine, it can be simple to get into a rut, but if you allow any TikTok-viral trend influence your next beauty buy, it can also be an expensive process of trial and error—especially in the luxury segment, where large price tags are legitimate deterrents. Rather than waiting for an industry expert to unveil their next miracle beauty product, why not get right to the point and weed out the extraneous hype?
Consider the well-known makeup artist Zara Kaplan, who frequently glams up her clients prior to public appearances and advertising campaigns. For a very long time, the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil was her go-to eyeliner for underlining the upper lashline, which helps the eyes stand out and the upper lashes appear larger. Then one day, while she was standing in my kitchen, she disclosed that the ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starr Point Made 24-Hour Gel Eyeliner Pencil was her new favorite pencil for smudge-free longevity.
In a recent text, Kaplan disclosed that she had replaced the industry-favored ONE/SIZE On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Setting Spray, her longtime favorite setting spray, with the Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Liquid Blurring Balm Setting Spray, which she finds to be just as effective but less “intense.”
I scheduled my purchases in both cases before you could say “add to cart.” (Anecdotally, the most powerful technique for generating real sales conversions may be the objective judgment of a professional.) Professionals can also use the same methodology. “I get inspired to try [new products] and mix things up when I hear from my fellow makeup artists or clients about what they are loving,” Kaplan acknowledges.
Trust is the key to the answer. A variety of reputable hair stylists and cosmetics professionals have shared the notable items they have added to their kits below. Find out which ones can serve as the basis for your next beauty experiment by reading on.
Fara Homidi Mini Smudge & Contour Lip Pencil
The velvety and smudge-proof Fara Homidi lip liners have lately captured the heart of celebrity makeup artist Diane Caranica, who described the shade Faun above as “amazing.” She used to be enamored with the neutral hues in the Kevyn Aucoin Unforgettable Lip Definer line, which she still frequently reaches for. However, she is completely enamored with the texture of Fara Homidi pencils and the cool-toned shade’s capacity to provide depth and contour to the lips. A hint: delicately define or overline the cupid’s bow on the upper lip and the bottom center of the lower lip for the perfect lip contour.
Rhode Pocket Blush
A-list celebrities such actresses Emma Stone, Daisy Edgar Jones, and Lola Tung are frequent clients of celebrity makeup artist Misha Shahzada. She has always loved using cream blush to give her customers’ faces healthy, dewy finishes. My ever-expanding beauty wish list was immediately topped when she told me via direct message that her current favorites are the highly anticipated Rhode Pocket Blushes. Caranica continues by saying that she frequently chooses the hues “Toasted Teddy” and “Tan Line” for her client Kirsty Godso, who also happens to be Hailey Bieber’s trainer.
Ilia Lip Sketch Hydrating Crayon
For a while, merchants were unable to maintain several shades of the chubby lip pencils from the clean beauty brand Ilia in stock due to the intense publicity surrounding them. These moisturizing, matte-finished lip liners are worth adding to your toolbox, according to celebrity makeup artist Katrina Klein. They come in fifteen different shades, and because of their wide circle, they can easily cover the entire lip while still providing the precision and permanence of a lip liner. For a sleek finish, cover them with your preferred gloss and reapply it frequently throughout the day.
Davines Oi Travel Set
Celebrity hair stylist Austin Yi, who styles celebrities and other celebrity hair stylists (including the Kardashians’ favorite Chris Appleton), is among the many well-known supporters of the Italian “clean” and regenerative haircare brand. For years, Yi has suggested Davines’ Oi range, even for hair that has had relaxing keratin treatments, color, or gloss. Celebrity colorist Tania Whitter and her assistant Isabella Nunez agree via text, “We love how soft and shiny the hair feels from the Davines Oi [collection], especially after our Kenlan non-toxic smoothing treatment.” You can try the shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner in a single travel-sized kit, but use the full-sized Oi Butter mask in the shower as a deep conditioner for maximum moisture.
Danessa Myricks Beauty Mini Yummy Skin Liquid Blurring Mattifying Setting Spray
As previously stated, Kaplan’s most recent setting spray recommendation is Danessa Myricks’ award-winning recipe. With its matte finish and blurring effect, the setting spray is supposed to do away with the need for powder setting. With less vigor, it achieves the same level of effectiveness as her previous favorite by ONE/SIZE. “You will still want to add back some ‘sheen’ or moisture using a touch of highlighter after using the spray,” Kaplan suggests.
Earth’s Cure Glow Glaze Highlighter
Kaplan frequently uses this exact highlighter to give her face that gloss. Consider this glowing balm as the post-facial glow in a box. Celebrity makeup artist Casey Gore helped formulate it, and during testing, she took professional makeup artists’ preferences into consideration. Additionally, she considered the demands of customers of different skin tones, from teenagers to those over forty. It leaves a long-lasting sheen that is “without anything shimmery or glittery” and feels “hydrating but not sticky.” This is the exact reason why other professionals in the business have come to like it in its handy stick form.
Jeumont So Eye-Ronic Reusable Eye Mask
The reusable beauty segment is expanding as the beauty industry works to prioritize sustainability. With the help of celebrity makeup artists, such as Dieux’s partnership with Violette or Kelly Zhang’s cosmetics company, brands had already started introducing reusable eye patches. However, Jeumont’s sassy silicone eye patches make the sustainable beauty exchange more alluring. To optimize absorption and gently smooth out wrinkles, apply the reusable patches on top of your preferred eye cream or serum for ten to twenty minutes. After that, put them away in their case until they’re needed again, and remember to take a selfie in between.
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Foundation
“Due to its exquisite consistency, this has been a mainstay in makeup artists’ kits for years.” It produces a skin-like sheen, which I adore,” Kaplan explains. Professionals like celebrity makeup artist Katrina Klein and makeup artist Diane Caranica have long used the foundation, which was recently revamped. Sydney Sweeney, an actress who wears the shade 5.75 shown above, is a devotee and the current brand face of Armani Beauty. The foundation’s smaller sizes are perfect for traveling, when every last bit of weight can be a problem, and for trying out different tints.
Kristina Holey + Marie Veronique Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser
A thorough double-cleanse is necessary at the end of the day to remove makeup, leftover sunscreen, and sebum. The oil cleanser is the initial stage; it releases the majority of the product and dirt, which can then be removed with a warm, moist washcloth. Next, use your preferred water-based or gel-based cleanser for the second cleanse. The “holy grail” cleanser of choice for integrative esthetician Jenn Mills, proprietor of the studio CultSkin by Jenn in New Orleans, is the luxuriously pure cleansing oil from Marie Veronique’s holistic beauty line. According to rumors, the omegas may help thin the sebum that causes blockages, making it an excellent option for skin that is prone to acne or congestion.
Vivant Skincare Mandelic Mini Duo
Mandelic acid may be the right choice for you if you have acne-prone, pigmented skin that is too sensitive for the typical active ingredients used in dermatology. Amaju Amoruwa, a dermatologic nurse practitioner, notes that alphahydroxy acid is a gentler exfoliation that “penetrates the skin more slowly and superficially” due to its molecule size, which is almost twice that of glycolic acid. She and famous facialist Melissa Imperial are big fans of Vivant Skincare’s mandelic acid-based formulas, which address “aging, texture, hyperpigmentation, and acne” all at once. It is worthwhile to try this AHA if you have sensitive skin that breaks out (due to clogged pores, acne, or even dermatitis).
