If you have been wanting to start a home-based career in makeup artistry, then, this one’s perfect for you. We are going to share with you a step-by-step guide on how to actually do it and be successful at it!
Over the past couple of months, the country and the world have faced one of the most difficult times in history.
The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely changed a lot on how we live and has affected a lot of people’s livelihood. Too much that some businesses had to close down because making a profit was tough.
There are a lot of different industries that were affected by the current situation, in fact, one of the hardest hit is the beauty and fashion industry.
However, even when facing uncertainties, one thing’s for sure — the industry is thriving. It’s trying to cope with the situation — not letting its guards down.
In an article published by the Los Angeles Times, it says that “Although no one — not even the trend analysts who make their living forecasting such things — is exactly sure what the future of fashion looks like, what they agreed on is that, because of the pandemic, the future of retail and design is actually arriving way ahead of schedule, with back-burner projects front-burner and fashion’s never-ending hamster wheel getting a good, hard look.”
In relation to this, in the same article, Ana Correa, who is an associate editor for footwear and accessories at trend-forecasting firm WGSN, was quoted saying that they have forecasted trends for 2021 that are already coming to reality now.
RELATED ARTICLES:
The associate editor was particularly referring to two particular trends, which are “the home becoming a more important part of daily life” and the other one is what she calls “’designed-for-digital’ things that resonate on a Zoom call or in an Instagram post such as statement earrings and iridescent colors“.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the beauty space, DIY options are certainly on the rise because a lot of Americans these days are not comfortable going to salons to get treatments — a result of the fear caused by the pandemic.
As with career makeup artistry, while a lot of people in this industry are worried about where their careers are heading to given the current situation, thanks to technology and the internet, new possibilities are getting in the way – and that’s what we are going to talk about today.
Just when you thought your career makeup artistry is over, well, apparently, there are other options for you! As mentioned earlier, today, we are going to particularly tackle on how to start a home-based career in makeup artistry.
Specifically, we are going to tackle the following:
- What is makeup artistry?
- What does it take to work in makeup artistry?
- How much do people in makeup artistry make?
- How to start a home-based career in makeup artistry?
If you’re ready to dig into these information, then, let’s start!
WHAT IS MAKEUP ARTISTRY?
Makeup artistry refers to the work that makeup artists do.
According to MakeupArtistEdu.org, makeup artists are those people who “use their talents and their tools to makeover, transform, and improve a person’s face (and sometimes their body). Their work corrects imperfections, highlights positive attributes, and remedies issues”.
Meanwhile, CareerExplorer defines a makeup artist as “a professional artist that uses mediums applied to the skin to transform or enhance the appearance of a person”.
While other people often refer to makeup artists as beauticians or cosmetologists, in reality, their job is actually a bit different as makeup artists focus mainly on makeup and do not offer any other types of beauty services.
Makeup artistry or application of makeups goes back at least 6000 years ago. At that time, ancient Egyptian Pharaohs would hire specifically trained servants to apply cosmetics to make them look like gods.
In the recent era, makeup artistry has become in-demand especially in the film and television industry, politics, theatre productions, and special events.
Before we proceed, here’s a video by ChetChar wherein she shares a few tips for newbie makeup artists. We thought the video is something every beginner must watch.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WORK IN MAKEUP ARTISTRY?
There are a lot of people who would like to take a chance at making a career makeup artistry. But the question is, how does one really qualify for the job?
Well, here’s some good news — anyone can be a makeup artist as long as you have the talent and skills. Sometimes, just as simple as having the passion and desire to become one — similar to other forms of arts, while having innate talent and skills is an advantage, going through training and workshops will also help a lot to develop or enhance the skill.
However, apart from your makeup artistry skills, to be an excellent and successful makeup artist, you must also possess traits or qualities such as:
- Ability to assess customer needs
- Ability to evaluate customer satisfaction
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to work with tight time constraints
- Excellent communication/interpersonal skills
- Excellent critical thinking skills
- Excellent judgment and decision making skills
- Good listener
- Patient
- Resourceful
- Tactful
HOW MUCH DO PEOPLE MAKEUP ARTISTRY MAKE?
In this section, we are going to talk about the salary of a makeup artist. The information we are going to provide you will hopefully help you have a better grasp of how much one can make in this kind of profession.
Technically speaking, how much you make as a makeup artist depends on the work that is needed to be done (or the requirements of the client), the makeup artist’s skills and expertise, and years of experience.
The more experienced you are, the higher your salary rate will be.
However, to give you an idea — according to ZipRecruiter, makeup artists in the United States earn a national average of $23 per hour. The rate can go as low as $7.93 per hour up to as high as $47.60 per hour.
So, if you have makeup artistry skills, you better consider pursuing this craft or you may start with getting makeup gigs for a side hustle because it definitely pays well as compared to other jobs out there. Needless to say, in most cases, makeup artistry allows you to work on a flexible schedule especially if you own the business.
HOW TO START A HOME-BASED CAREER IN MAKEUP ARTISTRY?
Now, speaking of business, at this point, we are going to talk about starting a home-based career in makeup artistry.
To be honest, given the current situation in the country, having to consider your health and safety, starting a home-based career in makeup artistry is a great idea.
We know what you are thinking – and that’s what we are going to share with you in the next parts of this section.
To start your home-based career in makeup artistry, all you need to do is follow these steps:
- Develop Your Makeup Artistry Skills
- Get a Formal Education
- Build Up Your Professional Makeup Artist Kits
- Get Online and Market Your Business
- Continue Honing Your Skills
Now, let’s talk about each item –
Develop Your Makeup Artistry Skills
As mentioned earlier, while some people are gifted with talent and skill in makeup artistry, others just learn along the way.
However, whether you are skillful or not, it is important to first of all develop what you have.
Develop your skills, at the same time, develop your love of cosmetics into something professional.
You know what? A lot of people thought that just because they know how to do makeup on themselves, that’s enough to do other people’s makeup.
Well, while it can be true for some, in other cases, that does not go that way. Some people are good at fixing themselves but does no good when fixing other people.
If you want to become a professional makeup artist, and you want to make a name and make money in this industry, it is important to be competitive.
Thus, work on developing practical application techniques, which can either be learned through self-study, watching video tutorials or by taking a course.
You know the saying, “Practice makes perfect”? That is very applicable if you want to become a pro in makeup artistry.
Considering practicing your skills on family and friends to start off. As your skills progress, slowly try doing the makeup of other people beyond your circle until you get to master the craft.
Also, another way to develop your makeup artistry skills is to attend short courses or workshops. Doing an internship for professional makeup artists will also help you learn even more about the craft.
Get a Formal Education
While you can do what we have already mentioned above, it’s a totally different story if you really want to pursue a professional career in makeup artistry.
If you want to become a pro, it is best to consider going to school and taking formal education on makeup artistry.
Yes, there are lots of institutions across the country that offers various programs in this field. You can research online to find out what’s nearest you.
Some of the most well-known schools on makeup artistry in the country though include Make Up For Ever Academy in New York, which covers pretty much everything you need to know about the craft and the industry as a whole. The academy particularly offers master programs that include beauty, fashion, TV and film, and stage and artistic.
The program runs for six months and provides certification upon completion, which, by the way, something you can brag about. Needless to say, it can add up to your rate.
If you want a more serious study, you may also consider obtaining an associate of arts degree in cosmetology in local community colleges.
Whatever route you choose, at the end of the day, it’s about mastering and becoming a pro of the craft, which adds up to your credibility and reputation as a professional makeup artist.
Build Up Your Professional Makeup Artist Kits
Okay, for some makeup artists, they build their resources over time. Meanwhile, for others, they do it all at once — a one time, big time thing.
As a makeup artist or as an incoming makeup artist, your makeup kits are the most essential tools you have. Without them, you cannot do your work.
Your makeup kits are your investment. Similar to any other investments, make sure to invest wisely. After all, you are going to use this a lot of times. Needless to say, you are using it in one of the most sensitive parts of the body – the face. So, it really has to be worth it.
While some novice makeup artists build up their professional makeup kits by buying affordable pre-packaged palettes from top brands and then utilizing discount coupons from various department and specialty stores, other artists prefer using makeup tools and kits from top brands.
Your kits actually is another way to attract clients especially the high profile ones.
Yes, building your makeup tools and kits may require a few bucks, but here’s the thing, they’re your very resource of profit so you have to ensure that the quality of your tools and kits are high. After all, the last thing you want is to have an unhappy client because of the products you used on his or her face, right?
Again, as we have said earlier, consider your tools and kits as an investment. Only go for trustworthy and reliable products.
Get Online and Market Your Business
We are particularly talking about starting a home-based career makeup artistry, and what better way to make money remotely as a makeup artist than online, right?
We all know how influential social media is. In fact, in this day and age, everything seems to be online – which is why it is not surprising that we are talking about building a home-based career in makeup artistry right now.
Surely, you cannot do someone’s makeup online, but, you can use social media platforms to market your business, and to actually make business.
Let’s talk about marketing your business first —
Technically speaking, marketing your business means marketing yourself. Your skills in makeup artistry is your product. You, yourself is the business.
While there are still restrictions at the moment, what you can do is build up your social media presence so when things get back to normal, people can easily find you and book your services.
Build an online portfolio. This you can do via popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Although ideally, the best platform to use for your portfolio is by coming up with your own website. Having your own website will make you look more credible and a real pro in the craft.
Now, another way to make use of your time, at the same time earn from home as a makeup artist is by making an online business out of it –
No, we’re not talking about forming your own makeup line (although that’s an amazing but pricey option), we are particularly talking about the following:
Start A Makeup Tutorial Blog/Vlog –
Blogging and video blogging (vlog) are two of the most popular and most effective ways to make money online.
As a makeup artist, you can use these platforms to actually make money while doing what you love to do.
If you are someone who has a passion for writing, then go ahead and start your own blog focusing on your makeup artistry craft. If you are more comfortable talking in front of the camera, then consider doing video blogs instead via YouTube and other similar online platforms.
By writing a blog or making a video blog, you are able to do what you love, inspire, and share knowledge with your followers, and the best of all, make money from home. It’s definitely a win-win situation.
Offer an Online Makeup Artistry Workshop
Another means to make money online and pursue a career in makeup artistry is by offering an online makeup artistry workshop for a fee.
There are a lot of online courses, online workshops, and similar stuff these days, which is not surprising because a lot of people now are just home.
So, instead of keeping all the knowledge and information within yourself, make a difference, and help change the lives of others by conducting paid online workshops.
Direct Sale Makeup Products
Unlike the first two options, this is a little different. This is not a typical career in makeup artistry. However, we thought of including this here because if you are a makeup artist selling direct sales makeup products, you can do product trials to your potential customers, who can eventually become your future clients if they find your work beautiful.
It’s actually like hitting two birds with one stone – you get to market and sell products, at the same time, market your makeup artistry.
Continue Honing Your Skills
As we have mentioned earlier, makeup artistry is a very competitive industry to be in, and in order for you to be ahead of everyone else, you have to continuously offer something new or something unique. You have to always step up your game.
Now, the best way to do that is by continuously honing your skills through courses and workshops and training on makeup artistry.
Luckily, there are a lot of them online. All you have to do is search, and then choose what entices you the most or what’s applicable to you.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON CAREER MAKEUP ARTISTRY
As you can see, even with the current situation, you can still find a way to start off and pursue a career in makeup artistry even while in the comfort of your home.
Do you see yourself starting off your home-based makeup artistry career soon?
Leave a Reply