If you know me well, you know I used to have debilitating anxiety. Like, always get my meals to go at restaurants, debilitating. Like, not want to leave my house…sick to my stomach…bathroom 20 times in an hour, debilitating. If you don’t know me… well, now you know. TMI? Oh well! 2024 is the year of authenticity!

My anxieties would peak at the beginning of every single new job. Every time, without fail. I’d be lying if I said I had totally defeated all of my anxieties, that anxiety was a long distant memory of the past. But! I HAVE made huge strides in learning coping mechanisms and moving through my life in a positive direction, by not allowing my anxieties to control the opportunities I accept and reject (and that part is important too, because what you say “no” to can be just as important, if not more so, than what you say “yes” to but we’re talking anxieties here not the power of “no”… maybe more on that another day.)

You might be wondering, what does this have to do with properly packing a set bag? Well, a lot, for me anyway. Maybe it’s my Virgo moon, but the more prepared I am, the less I can hear that little voice in the back of my mind, whispering all of the things that can and probably will (OMG!) go wrong. And even when I can hear that little voice now, it’s just a whisper, not a full-throated shout like it used to be. So, my biggest coping mechanism for anxiety, at work, is packing a well-stocked and organized set bag!

One of the many ways I haul it all to a commercial or a day-playing gig.

So, let’s begin by getting just one thing straight. There is no perfect set bag that works for every single makeup artist, and is also perfect for every single situation, but I do think the Vivian Set Bag + a medium Hulken bag (not sponsored… but it could be wink wink) gets me pretty close! Now, I also have a few different set-ups, as seen in the previous image, that involves Zuca cases and a very strong collapsable cart that I use mostly for one-off gigs, like day-playing or commercial work, but I wanted to focus specifically on the on-set workflow, for Film/TV when I’m working a full-time project. I would be more than happy to break down what day-playing or commercial workflow looks like in a different post, if you’re interested!

Here’s me in my on -set workflow, featuring The Vivian Set bag and MYO pro travel makeup case, with Actor Carlos PenaVega.

Now, I often make modifications to EVERYTHING I use, and I highly recommend you do the same… But these two bags are such work horses and practically perfect in every way (ala Mary Poppins, but they put Ms. Poppins to shame by how much they can pack in! Do you doubt it? Just keep reading.). they have saved my neck and back as well as my proverbial ass, when I have been able to basically pack a small makeup trailer in that Hulken and drag it through the woods! ANYWAY! On to show and tell… that’s really why you’re here right?

Up first, is my absolute favorite work horse, that always comes to play, even when the Hulken stays back in the trailer. The Vivian Set bag. Now, truth be told, I was actually dead set against liking this bag when I first saw it. GASP! I know, but I said 2024 was the year of authenticity, so here we are. Every set bag I had, up until the Vivian, was clear and I could easily see every single thing inside my bag, I knew exactly where it all was. No way was I getting a black opaque set bag! Boy was I wrong... Not only do I now prefer the all-black bag, but I also don’t think I will ever go back to a clear, plastic vinyl set bag. But who's to say.

Here is the current state of my Vivian set bag. A little worse for wear, I told you this was NOT sponsored haha! But she has a LOT of life left!

This bag is perfect for working with one or two actors but can also work if you’re doing Background work or have more actors…and I’ll show you how. (This involves my favorite Hinza bucket, but we’ll get to that later). For each actor, I love to use the MYO Cosmetics Pro Travel Makeup Cases, they have a variety of colors to choose from, helping to make them more easily distinguishable. (plus, the case is perfect for me and my personal makeup for when I travel!)

A look inside the vivian…the workflow on a night shoot in the middle of the woods. Notice the pink and blue MYO cases!

The Hulken (with optional rain cover, now they make hulkens with a built-in cover! SMART!) in all her glory! You can see, if you look hard enough, that I have added a layer of gold duct tape around the bottom as a preventative measure against the wear and tear of dragging this poor thing through the woods, down the streets, you get the idea.

Looking into the belly of the Hulken beast! I have customized the inside by reinforcing the walls with corrugated plastic panels, a canvas bucket insert and a purse organizer!

So, I said earlier that I implement another item when more than one or two actors are under my watch, and that is the Swedish Hinza bucket! It is perfect for carrying actor bags easily to set!

By using the Hinza to carry all of your individual actor bags, your Vivian set bag is free to hold your more specific tools, and shared/expendable items like sunscreen, blotting papers, tissues, disposables, etc.

I am always evaluating my workflow and making changes to make my life easier on set! I am constantly taking notes on my phone, exchanging links to awesome new products with my peers and generally upgrading how I work for each new project and new talent! Figure out what works for you! Check out what your peers are doing! And don’t let your anxieties of being unprepared ever get in the way again!

And… cut! Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes action. A new blog post premieres every Friday brimming with savvy advice, clever techniques, and exclusive conversations with the veterans of the industry. Stay tuned!! Follow along on Instagram, YouTube and coming soon to Spotify!

Until next time!

-Amber Michael

The properly packed set bag (how I use preparation to alleviate anxiety)