Making a Living As a Professional Makeup Artist
“Halloween Makeup Artists are a dime a dozen, but there is a rare few who have made a name for themselves, and have the ability to leave an impression…for good…at any event. It’s hard to find a makeup artist that has done it all. But when you do…you have a one-of-a-kind look, a ‘wow’ factor, a unique style. ” ~ Greg Burris, Photographer,ocalographer, fashion photographer and makeup artist.
“The makeup artist that scares you the most is not the professional that just does it everyday, it’s the professional that has done it all before, and done it better. The ones that make you look like a clown are the professional stage makeup artists. ” ~ Karen O’Flynn, Stage makeup artist. As seen on NY Times, Fox News, CNN, Los Angeles Times.
“A makeup artist can only be as good as the last makeup artistry work that he or she did. And there are so many trends in makeup artistry. So many styles, so many looks. And it just keeps growing. You can see more makeup artists at more weddings, balls, conventions, on TV, on the internet. There is a constant flow of new makeup artists.
A makeup artist can make anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars a week, depending on what part they work on. The salary range depends on the amount of experience, talent and skill that an artist has. The more experience that an artist has, the more lucrative their job will be. They usually start at the bottom doing something simple, like putting on face-lifts. As they get more experience, they get promoted and their yearly salary increases.
Some makeup artists have had formal training to become a professional in their field. There are different requirements for getting a formal education versus just working your own job. For one, in most places in the United States, becoming a makeup artist is required to have some form of certification. In other places, there are training requirements as well, depending on the specific industry that they want to work in. However, for many places, makeup artists just have a high school diploma or GED and then many years of experience working as an employee.
Some artists start out by being personal assistants to beauty salon owners and skin doctors. As their skills and knowledge grows, they often leave that position and open their own practices. Their customers tend to be extremely demanding, so having a professional makeup artist in your corner can make a world of difference. This is especially true if you are looking for special products such as waterproof mascara that are difficult to find in stores.
Most professional makeup artists will start off their careers making airbrush makeup. They are often less costly than other types of makeup artistry because there is not a huge difference between the price of a good airbrush makeup gun and a compact professional camera. Because of this low overhead, the cost-per-unit prices are often much higher than they would be for other artists to begin with. The skills they acquire from working with clients can also translate to big time earnings. Those who have been doing airbrush makeup for a while can command very nice salaries.
Stage makeup artists generally don’t take as many jobs as their stage makeup artists do, but they do still make a lot of money. Stage makeup artists mainly do special effects makeup, but they still need to know how to apply makeup to people and have a bit of a technical savvy. A stage artist may not need a large arsenal of makeup products, but they sure do know what to do in a pinch. That’s why many stage makeup artists make a little extra money by offering private lessons to those who are interested in getting into the industry.
