to say.Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask photographers, stylists, and models for their opinions.Be nice to everyone. Even when my skills were just okay, I was invited back because I was pleasant.Never stop learning. When I think about my own skills, I know I’m not done learning. I love watching other people do makeup. A good
artist is secure enough to be open to new ideas and learning new techniques.It’s not about you. Great makeup artists focus on the client and don’t ever let their own egos get in the way. It doesn’t matter if the client
is a celebrity, a supermodel, or a regular woman. It is about her, not about you!Love what you do. Great makeup artists never lose their passion for makeup.CAREER OPTIONS
Makeup artists have the opportunity to work in so many different areas. Career options vary from long-term jobs in television, with regular pay and benefits, to
freelance jobs working on short-term runway, print, or film projects in a variety of locations and with a wide range of styles.
Department Store Counter
Artists generally work for a specific makeup line, teaching customers to choose and apply their own makeup. This job involves sales, and the compensation is often
commission-based.
Bridal
Working with brides is both rewarding and very demanding. You need to do consultations and a run-through in addition to the makeup on the day of the wedding.
The job usually involves traveling to the bride’s location. Sometimes it will include doing makeup for the rest of the bridal party as well.
Beauty Salon
Makeup artists working in salons often find themselves in a teaching role. They do makeovers, help clients practice techniques, and are often called to do makeup
for special events and weddings. Fashion and media work is sometimes booked through salons.
Television
Working on a set involves creating character looks and might include anything from doing basic makeup to designing looks for elaborate characters, aging the
actors, creating the appearance of illness, replicating injuries, and much more. Artists sometimes work for years on one television show. Careers generally begin
with assistant positions in the industry. Artists develop books of their work and a résumé. After gaining experience, artists are allowed to join a union, which
provides opportunities, some job security, medical benefits, and a pension. Most television shows require makeup artists to have union membership.
Film
Shooting a film can take just days or several months, sometimes in multiple locations. The film industry is hard to break into, but not impossible. Any large-budget
film requires makeup artists to have union membership. Which union you should join will depend on the area of the country in which you are working.
Television Commercials
Artists who work in this field are usually experienced in another aspect of the industry and have built a strong reputation either in print advertising or music videos.
Early in my career, I used to watch famous models correct the makeup I had done on their faces. The result was good–they always looked better, and I
learned so much by watching them.