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What are the Different Make-Up Artist Jobs?
Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders
If there's nothing you love more than picking out the perfect shade of eye shadow or lipstick, you may find yourself interested in jobs for make-up artists. Make-up artistry jobs offer a great deal of creative satisfaction, as well as relatively high wages. Whether you choose to work for someone else, search for freelance make-up artist jobs, or start your own company, the opportunities in this unique career field are greater than ever before.
In high-end salons, make-up artists are employed to help clients get ready for special occasions. This may include working with a group of teenagers getting ready for prom, a bride preparing for her wedding day, or a woman accompanying her husband to a formal charity ball. These make-up artist jobs also include an element of personal coaching, since many clients will want to know how to recreate a particular look on their own.
Professional portrait photographers may employ make-up artists who help their clients look their best for a photo shoot. For example, make-up artists are often needed in the areas of glamour photography and wedding photography. Knowing how to use make-up to accentuate a person's best features is a skill that takes practice, but having a client fall in love with how she looks in her pictures can be a very satisfying experience.
It should come as no surprise that make-up artist jobs and the world of high fashion often go hand-in-hand. Make-up artists are needed to work behind the scenes at runway shows and shoots for magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Glamour. Fashion make-up is dramatic and highly stylized. Make-up artists are often asked to design different looks to match a particular outfit, so there is a great deal of opportunity for creative expression in this area.
Those with an interest in the performing arts can find make-up artist jobs in theater, television, or movie production. However, theatrical make-up and special effects make-up are areas of expertise that often require several years of training beyond what is needed for other make-up artist jobs. Additionally, erratic schedules and the need to work under tight deadlines make this aspect of the make-up artistry field uniquely challenging.
If you enjoy working with people on a one-on-one basis, becoming a personal make-up artist for a well-known model, actress, or singer is another option to consider when looking for make-up artistry jobs. Celebrities who are constantly being photographed often employ a team of professionals to help them look their best. If you enjoy thinking of fresh new ways to give your client a distinctive look, this may be the perfect choice for you.
Dana Hinders
Dana holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. She has loved being part of the WiseGEEK team ever since discovering the joys of freelance writing after her son was born. Dana also hones her writing skills by contributing articles to various blogs, as well as creating sales copy and content for e-courses.
Learn more...
Dana Hinders
Dana holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. She has loved being part of the WiseGEEK team ever since discovering the joys of freelance writing after her son was born. Dana also hones her writing skills by contributing articles to various blogs, as well as creating sales copy and content for e-courses.
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![People who love make-up may find a career as a make-up artist rewarding.]()
By: ctvvelvePeople who love make-up may find a career as a make-up artist rewarding. -
![A mark-up artist may help prepare a bride for her wedding day.]()
By: nakaA mark-up artist may help prepare a bride for her wedding day. -
![Some make-up artists work on the sets of photo shoots for magazines.]()
By: bonninturinaSome make-up artists work on the sets of photo shoots for magazines. -
![Make-up artists may work with models for cosmetic ads.]()
By: AriwasabiMake-up artists may work with models for cosmetic ads.
Discussion Comments
@pleonasm - It depends on where you go, I imagine. If you're getting a makeover at a department store makeup counter, you're going to get a hard sell because those girls mostly work on commission.
If you go to a place where the makeup artist depends on tips or a salary you are going to have a more pleasant experience. Just remember that no one goes into a make-up artist career looking to sell products. They want to make people look beautiful, but they have to make a living as well.
@bythewell - I hate having my makeup done by professionals though because they always seem to be trying their hardest to sell you something. I'm not sure if make-up artist training includes this or if it's pressure from the company, but I always end up feeling like I'm being pressured and it makes me very stressed.
The worst part is when they give you little insults that are supposed to make you want to buy their products. I've had makeup artists tell me all kinds of things about how I'm too red or too pale or too blotchy and that if only I would buy this particular cream all my problems would go away.
I know this isn't true of every makeup artist in the world, but it seems like a majority of them are like this.
Having a decent makeup artist can make such a big difference. I couldn't believe how nice I looked in my graduation photos and I think a big part of that is paying to get a professional makeover before they were done.
I wouldn't get it done for every occasion, but when you know you're going to be put in front of a camera it definitely makes sense to find someone who knows how to apply makeup well.
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