Where Pro Makeup Artists Buy Makeup in LA 💄

This post was originally published in March 2019. It was last updated in January, 2022.

LA is best known for being the mecca of the entertainment industry and it’s the perfect place for aspiring makeup artists. I mean… can you imagine the entertainment industry without makeup artists? The two of them go hand in hand. The city boasts more beauty schools than any other metro area in the U.S. The competition to stand out is super stiff, but more so nowadays with the rise of beauty gurus and social media. I follow a few celebrity makeup artists on Instagram and I’m always in awe of their array of colorful palettes and little jars. But… where do they get their supplies from? When you watch any TV show or movie, do you ever stop to think about the work done by the makeup artist?

In this post, I’m going to delve into the three main stores in Los Angeles where professional makeup artists go to stock up on their makeup essentials. First of all, I was shocked that these stores, which are makeup and skincare heaven, are relatively unknown to the average customer like you and me. These stores are only known by a small population, which consists of makeup lovers like me, pro makeup artists, makeup students and industry insiders. 

I remember one time I was trying to find a makeup product from Makeup Forever that wasn’t at Sephora. I always thought that the brand sent the products to makeup artists directly, which they do most of the time for a newly released product. I love going to Sephora and Ulta, but I found it fascinating to go to specialized beauty stores and see this side of the makeup industry.

I loved browsing the special FX makeup, the endless aisles of wigs, brushes and palettes that makeup artists use on sets on a daily basis. 

These specialized beauty stores boast aisles and aisles full of makeup products, hard-to-find skincare brands and well-known beauty brands with double the inventory of Sephora. You would never think these beauty items could be found in the San Fernando Valley.

If you go to any of these stores, my only piece of advice would be to not come here in a rush. There’s so much to see! 

Naimie’s

12640 Riverside Dr, Valley Village, CA 91607

2721 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505 – This location opened in 2019, a few months after this article was published.

Naimie’s has been in business for over 27 years, making it a one-stop shop for makeup artists and hairstylists. Did you know that the makeup artists from Friends would get all their supplies from Naimie’s? The show was filmed nearby at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

When I first walked into the building, I was a little underwhelmed. There was a wig boutique to the left and a hair appliance store to the right, both closed for the day. I made my way to the elevator and pressed 2 not knowing what to expect. The doors opened and that’s when I was welcomed to makeup heaven. 

In a nutshell, Naimie’s is the Home Depot of makeup. The size of the business is huge. Ten times bigger than Sephora. 

I was shook!

Naimie’s also carries drugstore brands like NYX and high-end brands: Laura Mercier, Makeup Forever, Huda Beauty, MAC, Nars, Anastasia BH among others. Imagine Ulta, Sephora, drugstore makeup, indie makeup and FX makeup all in one place. Despite all this, don’t expect to find the same brands you’ll find at Sephora, like Tarte or Too Faced. 

If you’re a SAG member, makeup student or a licensed makeup artist, they offer amazing discounts up to 50% off, which is a great deal. But If you’re none of the aforementioned, they offer discounts as well! All you have to do is sign up on the first floor. In my previous jobs, I had the opportunity to be on sets and photoshoots. I would always marvel at the makeup artists’ kits and wonder where they got their products from, and now I do!

At the back end of the store there was a huge section that carried FX makeup and a beauty salon in a backroom for makeovers. 

Z palettes!! I first found out about these when Lili Reinhart did her Vogue Tutorial. You can only find these palettes online or at specialized beauty retailers. These are another staple in every makeup artist’s kit. This magnetic customizable palette allows you to store your favorite eyeshadows in one palette, instead of carrying 3 different palettes at once. 

I was shocked when I saw the super hard to get Embryolisse Lait Cream. Apparently, Target carries it, but it’s always sold out and it’s a hassle to get online. 

Stacks and stacks of clearance makeup products under $16: Laura Mercier, Stila, Mac, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Stila, Lime Crime… the list goes on and on.  

Compared to the following two stores, many of the brands carried at Naimie’s can be found at Sephora: Huda Beauty, Supergoop, Bobbi Brown, Kat Von D, Laura Mercier. To check the complete list of brands and product selection, go to the website here. 

Sidenote: I also found out that these beauty supply stores usually receive new releases before Sephora does. When I went to Naimie’s, I saw the new Supergoop’s highlighter collection. Later that day, Supergoop announced on their Instagram that it would be available in stores very soon.

Nigel Beauty Emporium

11252 W Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Seven minutes away from Naimie’s lies Nigel Beauty Emporium in North Hollywood. Although the size of the store isn’t nearly as impressive as Naimie’s, the place is fairly big. There’s a separate space with endless aisles of wigs, and if you enter this section, you will see countless autographed pictures of famous people on the wall. 

Nigel carries many of the same brands Naimie’s does, but here they have a much wider inventory. Nigel Beauty Emporium carries over 1,000 brands! They don’t just carry Bioderma’s micellar water, they carry the whole line! It was my first time witnessing such a thing in the US. Very rarely do you see the entire Bioderma line in one designated place that’s not online. Speaking of French products, Nigel carries the whole line of Avene, Embryolisse Lait Crème and other hard to pronounce French and Korean skincare brands. 

Their hair products were a curly girl’s dream. Dr.Miracle is a brand my mom used back when I lived in Spain and I haven’t seen it since I moved here. Also, I must say that the employees were much nicer here and more accommodating than Naimie’s. 

In this previous post, I talked about independent glitter beauty brands like Lemonhead, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and Lit Cosmetics. I thought the first two could only be found online or at Riley Rose in Glendale. Well… The three of them are available to swatch for hours and hours on end at Nigel Emporium!! OCC is currently discontinued, but they had a huge box filled to the brim with their products: bronzers and piles of and piles of lipsticks. 

At this point, you will be asking yourself, just like I was: How in the world do they manage to  carry all these brands and products?

One of the employees at Nigel told me that usually they contact all the brands, but sometimes the brands reach out to them. They also work directly with movie studios and have contracts where Nigel is their main supplier. Another employee told me they work with Marvel and a lot of sitcom productions. In the rear parking lot, they also have a different business space for the FX Department, where trucks come in day in and day out. There’s also a production services room in the back of the store. If you park in the back you will see it. 

This close-knit relationship between movie studios and beauty supplies stores allow makeup artists to know what products are in demand. That’s why when you hear a celebrity swear by a specific product their makeup artist passed on to them, you’ll know it’s the real deal. After all, Bioderma, the OG of all micellar waters, has established itself as a cult-beauty product thanks to makeup artists who used it on celebrities and models backstage. It’s a full-circle process. 

It also makes sense that hard-to-find skincare brands and smaller indie makeup brands would rather have their products available in specialized beauty stores. Here, the products are going to be used professionally and not leisurely by 15 year-old girls at Sephora.  

When I told the employee that all this time I thought makeup pros got their supplies from Mac and Sephora, she shook her head no and said that makeup artists don’t get the discounts and amazing promos they do in these stores. They can get up to 50% off! Plus, it’s more convenient to get everything in one place.

They also had what seemed to be countless makeup brushes from Anastasia Beverly Hills and Hourglass. 

If you pay close attention to the customers, you will notice most of them are makeup artists. One person was requesting some type of product (glitter I think?) to create fake tears for a photoshoot, but they didn’t have it. I also saw the occasional actor with their makeup artist heading straight to the wig and hair section.

I was also dumbfounded by how prominent and essential the hair department was in movie studios. One would think that actors get their hair done with just blow driers and other hair tools and just call it a day. I was doing some research, and I came across an article about Camille Friend, the hair department director of Marvel’s movie Black Panther. I IMBDed the movie and, get ready for this, between makeup artists and hair stylists, 86 people made up the whole makeup department! Furthermore, all movie productions have a background hair coordinator. Oh, and guess who was the hair supplier for the movie? Nigel Beauty Emporium!

I was looking for castor oil and that’s what I bought. But I’m telling you, if you’re just looking for beauty products, be aware because you might do some great damage to your credit card. Price-wise, don’t come here expecting everything to be dirt cheap because it’s not. Except products that are on clearance, the prices don’t vary that much from their original retail price. 

Website: nigelbeauty.com

Instagram

Frends Beauty Supply

5244 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607

This is another beauty destination in LA that has been around since the 1940s. 

Out of these three stores, this is the smallest one, but their selection is top-notch. They carry Bioderma, Sigma brushes and a bunch of other indie makeup brands like Young Blood Cosmetics. Compared with Nigel and Naimie’s, Frends & Beauty leans more towards FX makeup.

Note: Frends Beauty Supply is the perfect spot to stock up on high-quality makeup brushes. They had Sigma Brushes and Stilezzo brushes for 50% off at the cash register. The reason being was that they were receiving a new launch, so they wanted to get rid of the old ones – and what a bargain! I bought 3 Sigma Brushes for $10 each. I always find myself lusting after Sigma brushes whenever I go to another beauty department store. They’re really famous and super high-quality, but they retail between $25 and $35 each! 

If you watch Byrdie’s Just Five Things, a Youtube series where celebrities, makeup artists and editors mention their must-have beauty products, a few of them are drugstore. Notice in the photo below the Revlon Foundation and the Covergirl Mascara. 

Lucas Papaw Ointment is an Australian multi-purpose lip balm. In the last few years, it has gained a cult following and raving reviews from celebrities like Natalie Portman, Lucy Hale and Alison Brie. This product is super hard to find and it’s highly coveted by makeup artists. I didn’t think it would be physically available in the US! You can still order it off Amazon for super cheap, but I was surprised to find it at Frends Beauty and Nigel. 

Overall, it fascinates me to see how makeup products are passed down from makeup artists to celebrities, since that’s where all the product knowledge lies. Whenever a product is well-loved by a professional makeup artist, it’s like bible for celebrities and clients. I guarantee you that every celebrity uses something that was recommended to them by a makeup artist. 

Due to the fact that Frends Beauty leans more towards FX makeup, they had a super big room in the back with containers of fake blood, prosthetics and every imaginable fake body part made of latex! 

Just like Nigel Beauty Emporium, a quick peek at their Instagram will give you a deeper insight into their roster of clients.

Nigel Beauty Emporium, Frends Beauty and Naimie’s, hold workshops to educate aspiring makeup artists about the industry. I saw the prices online on the Frends Beauty website and they’re exorbitantly expensive, but you have to weigh in the fact that most of the guests are renowned industry insiders. Camille Friend, who I mentioned above, is teaching a class next month at Frends Beauty to encourage aspiring makeup artists to pave their way in the entertainment industry. Rose-Marie Swift, the founder of the most loved celebrity clean makeup line, RMS beauty, did a masterclass a few months ago at Nigel. 

Would you believe me if I told you the last time I went to Frends Beauty I got these items from Anastasia Beverly Hills for only $24.37?

Website: Frendsbeauty

Instagram

Curiosities:  

💄DermaColor Kryolan. I found out about this brand from Candace Swanepoel in her Vogue beauty tutorial. She pulled out the little pot of concealer and introduced the product. This stuff is heavy duty and will cover any darkness or discoloration. It’s so highly pigmented that the sales associates told me they use this on set to also cover tattoos. On Youtube, the few reviewers are mostly Middle Eastern and Indian girls who use it to cover dark circles. Since it’s a lesser known brand, the information out there is pretty scarce, but the reviews I read thus far on makeupalley.com are outstanding. So of course, when I saw the product at Nigel I knew I had to try it on. The helpful salesperson swatched different shades before finding my perfect match. I thought it was a concealer but she told me that Dermacolor, besides being a concealer, is a color corrector that cancels out all the darkness and that pro makeup artists always use it before going in with a thinner concealer. It retails for $17 and has a two-year shelf life.

💄Kim Kardashian also uses the Dermacolor palette, which is available at Nigel and Frends Beauty. She and her makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, also love the Ben Nye powder, which again, can only be found at these specialized beauty retailers. 

💄Another thing that caught my attention was how NYX, which is a low-end drugstore brand, was omnipresent in these three stores. The products there are different than the ones you can usually find at regular drugstores and beauty shops like Ulta. The brand certainly does the job of providing makeup artists with simple yet effective neutral colors. This is a screenshot from the Frends Beauty website. Everything is sold out!

💄Frends Beauty doesn’t offer samples, but Nigel Beauty Emporium does! So, if there’s a specific skincare product you want to try, don’t hesitate to ask! The return policy on the other hand, isn’t that flexible at Nigel. Once it’s open and used, you can’t take it back. That’s why they offer an amazing sample policy so you can rest assured that the products will work for you.  

💄Every employee is super helpful, and since the majority of them are makeup artists themselves, they all have an impressive wealth of knowledge.

💄I was looking for an oil cleanser. My trick is to ask a sales associate what the most popular (insert product) people go in there for; do not ask for product recommendations or you might get swayed by their personal preferences. I wanted an oil cleanser and one sales associate recommended a Korean brand that she was super intent on selling me because it was the one she used and loved. I tried a different route and asked another sales associate (there are a lot!) what oil cleanser was the most popular. She told me the Emminence Oil Cleanser was their best-seller and that it was also highly praised by makeup artists. I had never heard of that French brand before, so I bit the bullet and bought it. When I tried it on at the end of the day, I kid you not, it removed my mascara in one swipe! No leftover residue! To add the cherry on top, it’s formulated with clean ingredients. Also, in a recent article from IntoTheGloss titled, “Makeup Artists On The Secret To Smooth Foundation” (read it here), Dana Delaney said she used the Emminence Facial Recovery Oil on their clients. Boom! 

Update (2023): To this day I’m still using the Emminence Oil Cleanser! It’s a game-changer!

💄Here concludes my lengthy post. If you live in LA and are a die-hard beauty junkie, I suggest setting aside time from your schedule and driving to these three stores!! They’re all within a mile from each other, which makes it even more convenient. Whether you just want to browse their endless inventory or you’re looking for skincare and beauty recommendations, these beauty supply stores will have what you’re looking for. I also enjoyed learning about the inner workings between makeup brands, makeup artists and movie studios!