Did you often take your mom’s cosmetics and play with it when you were a child?
As a teenager, did you spend long hours looking at cosmetics in drugstores? Did you save every penny and carefully imitate the makeup of celebrities?
Then you are probably meant to be a makeup artist! If so, check out the practical tips that we have prepared for you. Find out how to become a makeup artist in just 10 steps!
What is a makeup artist? Visagist is the name of a profession that offers services of professional makeup for various occasions to individuals, actors, models, and television workers, as well as facial care.
If you dream of doing this profession, consider the fastest way to pursue it. A specialized makeup course will prepare you for work. You will learn how to apply makeup for different occasions and gain the theoretical knowledge.
How much does a makeup artist earn?
It depends on her commitment and where she works. This is a profession where there is no limit when it comes to earnings!
If it is a profession you want to pursue, you need to learn everything about it. This will help you get into the industry faster, get used to it and make sure this is the job for you. How to become a professional makeup artist? Following our 10 tips, you will surely succeed in this profession.
Can every girl become a makeup artist?
The answer is “no”, and this is great. If you are creative, have a flair for makeup, and have a million makeup ideas that you realize in your spare time, you are probably one of the few people who are suited for being a makeup artist. The love of colorful cosmetics does not always go hand in hand with talent or patience for this profession.
You might as well want to compare average earings of a makeup artist to some other professions. If so, here is a comparison of how much does a dietician earn.
Make sure you have these 5 qualities of the perfect makeup artist:
- You can bring out the most beautiful features in faces;
- You are creative; you can come up with many makeups for the same look;
- You are very careful and precise – not only when doing makeup, but in everything you do;
- You love interacting with people – you enjoy talking, even while working;
- You have manual skills and prefer jobs in which the effect depends only on you.
What should a makeup artist be able to do?
This is someone who should be well-versed in fashion and beauty trends. She must not only be able to perform a classic daytime or evening makeup look, but also get crazy, going beyond the rigid framework.
Sometimes the makeup artist may also be to persuade a client of an idea; hence, it is advisable for her to have highly developed interpersonal skills.
They will be necessary, because she will work among people daily, realizing not only her own, but also their artistic visions, which require excellent listening and persuasive skills.
You need to cooperate with clients, especially the most demanding ones. You may have to deal with this kind of situation while doing, for example, bridal makeup.
Makeup artist is expected to:
- keep up to date with the latest fashion and cosmetic trends. She needs to keep up with what is the most fashionable and skillfully follow trends. For example, she should know how to do 80s makeup, which has been very popular lately;
- look at a client’s face, see the shape at a glance the way the eyes, nose and mouth are set; determine the type of complexion and thus be able to advise on the best makeup look;
- know everything about various cosmetics, their manufacturers, and beauty treatments. Thanks to this she will make a perfect cosmetics choice while working with a particular person;
- be able to choose makeup based on the occasion, the lighting, a specific client’s needs, and even the season;
- be able to cleverly mask beauty defects and emphasize other assets.
Is being a makeup artist a good profession?
Like any profession, the work of a makeup artist can bring fame and big money. The conditions are diligence and passion. If you love what you do and devote every spare moment to it, you will soon become a pro.
Hard work will allow you to reap the benefits from it after some time: earn more, implement only the best projects, hire employees, and spend less time on tedious work. So how to become a makeup artist?
10 steps how to become a makeup artist:
- Education. Formal education is not necessary to be hired as a makeup artist or to open your own salon. However, they allow you to gain some basics and, above all, support your skills with the certificates and diplomas. You can choose between:
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- high school of cosmetology,
- post-high school,
- cosmetology studies,
- vocational courses and trainings.
The choice of a specific educational path should depend on the career you want to pursue and the goals you want to achieve.
Combining a degree in your field with industry-specific courses and trainings (that you can also take during your career to improve your skills) would be a perfect solution. An interesting path may be to enroll in one of the many online courses in this field.
2. Develop your knowledge. Practical skills are obviously the most important in this profession, but you can only build on solid theory. The more basics you learn, the better for you! You should certainly consider and learn from.
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- textbooks – including academic ones on skin care and beauty treatments,
- instructional videos that you can find online – for example, tips how to do eye makeup with hooded eyelids, etc.,
- e-learning courses on various topics – not only in visage but also skin care,
- makeup tutorials by famous makeup artists – find out who is worth following,
- fashion magazines.
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There is no visagist who does not follow makeup and skincare related profiles in her social media!
3. Learn languages. You may think that languages have nothing to do with your dream job. Surely your biggest dream is to work with foreign models at fashion parades or to work on Hollywood movie sets. To make these dreams come true, you need to reach at least a communicative level of English to get lucrative contracts and be able to communicate with employers and models abroad.
4. Improve your manual skills. Spend time not only on learning and planning makeup looks, but also training your working, “dominating” hand. And not just by makeup brushes! Crocheting, collaging with your kids, stringing beads, or painting on canvas also may develop your skills.
5. Exercise the right hemisphere of the brain. Are you right-handed? Then train your left hand! It is not just about being perfect in using it and being able to do complicated make-up. But your right hemisphere handles creative thinking! Also, by writing or painting with your left hand, you improve your motor coordination and can become even more precise as a makeup artist.
6. Always present yourself impeccably. As a makeup artist, you need to be your own showcase. No one will want to use the services of someone who looks sloppy. Even if you do not have the beauty of a model, that is okay. Let your face always be smooth and perfectly painted.
The makeup you wear is your advertisement, which enables you to present your skills to the client. However, it is best to wear delicate makeup because it is the safest solution. Your hair should be fresh and pinned up in an elegant bun, your clothes should be neat but with a touch of artistic expression. Your hands are also important, and your nails should preferably be manicured and well-groomed.
7. Practice as much as possible. Offer your services, even for free, to friends going to a party or a wedding, just to gain experience and build a portfolio.
8. Test beauty products. You need to keep up with cosmetic trends, so get free testers and samples of skin care and makeup products. Through these types of activities, you can expand your contacts and learn how to negotiate. Make use of various opportunities to get in touch with brands which can help you achieve your goals.
9. Build a portfolio. Makeup friends, relatives or even strangers and then photograph them. You can do this yourself or outsource it to someone. It is important that your portfolio has great photos that highlight all the strengths of your makeup techniques. It is the most important document while looking for a job or an interesting assignment.
10. Promote yourself. Create a blog where you describe your makeup projects with photos. Offer the brands you work with to advertise their products in return for free samples or other forms of compensation. If you need to do your research first, check out some free online photo banks for inspiration and ideas how to present your projects in the best way possible.
The work of a makeup artist is 50% and 50% promoting yourself as a unique brand. It can give a lot of satisfaction, but it requires 100% commitment. Invest in your own skills and expose them properly.
Genuine passion can work wonders!
If you want to work within the field of beauty, but makeup is not your true passion or your strongest suit, it might be worth reading our article how to become a manicurist.
Finding nail ideas might be just as rewarding as finding most fashionable makeup looks!
