Where To Work As a Makeup Artist? Job Opportunities

Where can I work as a make-up artist, is one of the questions that people who are thinking of training as professional make-up artists usually ask themselves, and who want to dedicate their career to doing what they like the most.

Currently, the work of makeup artists is used in many fields, such as film, television, theater, fashion shows, photo shoots and special events.

Professional makeup artists may also work in beauty shops and salons, or as freelancers.

As we can see, there are several professional opportunities for professional makeup, which is why it is a very interesting job option.

In this article, we are going to see where a make-up artist can work, and what professional opportunities this profession has that allow a person to turn what they like the most into their work.

How to be a professional makeup artist?

To work as a professional makeup artist, you must first train as such and thus learn the theory and practice of this profession.

Currently, it is possible to train as a professional makeup artist through online teachings, through which you can learn everything you need to develop this profession.

This is an advantage since anyone who lives in towns far from any school will be able to train and have the opportunity to work on what they like.

Once the training is over, it will be necessary to follow some advice that will allow us to open the doors of some of the professional opportunities that we will see later.

These tips are as follows:

• Training: as we have already said, it is necessary to take makeup courses or programs, which are taught in beauty schools. These courses must offer everything necessary to be useful when working, with content such as different makeup techniques, history of makeup or colorimetry, among others.
• Gain experience: once we have trained, it will be necessary to practice and gain experience in the field of makeup. This can be through internships, as helpers, or by doing makeup for friends and family. The latter is a great advantage, since to achieve this practice we will not have to be hired in any business.
• Create a Portfolio: Create a portfolio of makeup work, including photographs of our best work. If we have been able to practice with family or friends, it will be able to help us a lot to achieve this point. Having a good portfolio will be our best letter of introduction, since it will show what we are capable of.
• Get contacts: try to create connections and weave a network of contacts in the world of makeup, including photographers, stylists, fashion designers… the more people related to makeup we meet, the more job opportunities we will have.

Once we have put these points on track, it will not take long for job opportunities to develop our work.

Where to work as a professional makeup artist

We are going to see what are the professional opportunities for a professional makeup artist, and where she will be able to work.

As we will see, there are many job options that exist, and this makes this profession very well received by newly trained people.

The first thing we must distinguish is that a makeup artist can be self-employed, or hired in an establishment or business.

In the first case, you must work as a self-employed person, and in the second as an employee.

In this section, we are going to see job opportunities for makeup artists of both types.

Beauty and makeup salons

This is the most common job opportunity for a professional makeup artist.

In this type of business, a make-up artist will work under his contract, applying her knowledge to the clientele of the center.

In addition, you can also perform other functions, such as advising clients on the right makeup for their skin type and preferences; sale of makeup and skin care products in the salon; scheduling and setting client appointments, and representing the salon at promotional events and beauty fairs.

As we say, it is one of the best options for those newly trained makeup artists, since it allows them to gain experience under the protection of other professionals who already have a good background in the field of makeup.

Makeup at home

A job opportunity for professional make-up artists, and that has been very fashionable for a few years, is that of a make-up artist at home.

An at-home makeup artist is a professional who travels to the client’s home to apply makeup.

Her job is similar to that of a makeup artist in a beauty salon, but instead of having a fixed space to work, she works in different locations.

In this type of work, the makeup artist will need to be very flexible in her schedule, in order to accommodate the needs of her clients.

This is an option used by many women who must attend a wedding, event or ceremony, and who do not have time to go to a beauty salon.

In this case, it will be mandatory to have a good makeup case, where we must take everything we need to be able to work in the places we travel to.

Theater

The theater in an activity that, to this day, continues to be well received and we can see plays that are attended by many spectators.

As we can suppose, in the theater teams there must be makeup artists who are in charge of preparing the actors and actresses.

A professional theater makeup artist is responsible for creating and applying makeup on actors and actresses in a theatrical production.

Theatrical makeup differs from fashion or beauty makeup in that its goal is to help actors characterize themselves and create characters onstage, so directing guidelines should be followed.

It is a somewhat more complicated output, since generally experienced profiles will be required, but not impossible.

Film and television

When we talk about film and television, we automatically think of big productions and famous shows.

However, we must know that there are many regional television networks, and film productions of more modest levels, in which the work of makeup artists is needed.

This means that we should not rule out this line of work thinking that film and television is working for Hollywood movies, and in series like Game of Thrones.

There is a very wide world related to this sector, and it represents a good opportunity for professional makeup artists.

Fashion

Being a professional makeup artist in the world of fashion is a fairly common job opportunity for these professionals.

We once again emphasize what we have commented on in the previous section, and that is that we should not think of the field of fashion as in the catwalks of Milan or Paris.

Within fashion, we find everything from local fashion shows to photo sessions for small clothing and accessories stores.

Also, let’s not forget that there are many online clothing stores, which need their models to be properly made up in each photo session, in order to display the products on their website.

Therefore, let’s not lose sight of this option, which we often overlook.

Internet

The world of makeup has jumped onto the internet in the form of bloggers and YouTubers, which are dedicated to showing their makeup techniques to the whole world.

In general, it is usually about tutorials where it is shown how to do a technique. Correct defects, curiosities…

YouTube and internet blogs are the most common outlets, but we must not forget that we also have Instagram and TikTok at our disposal, with which we can make ourselves known and disseminate our content.

We must say that this is a field that has been heavily exploited in recent years, but that, being original, it can find a niche and end up becoming a source of income.

Makeup classes

When we think of the work of a makeup artist, we automatically do so in the sense that these professionals put makeup on a person so that they can look radiant that day or night.

However, we must know that there is a new trend that is to offer self-makeup classes, that is, to teach women how to properly put on makeup for their day-to-day.

More and more women are deciding to hire this service, which is offered by professional makeup artists.

It is usually done at home and has the advantage that it allows these people to be known as make-up artists, who will turn to them when it is necessary to put on make-up for a wedding or major event.

Professional makeup today

The profession of a professional makeup artist is currently in high demand, especially in the world of fashion, film, theater and television; and also in the personal and private sphere at a particular level.

Makeup artists work to create a certain image on a person, whether it is for a photo shoot, a special event, or a film, theater, or television production.

They can also work in cosmetics stores or as a freelance, something we have seen before.

Makeup training and technical skills are essential to succeed in this profession, so it is highly recommended to choose courses taught by recognized schools, whose content is valid to develop this job.

In make-up training, technical skills are learned to apply and combine different make-up products and cosmetics, as well as strategies to create different looks and effects.

Makeup courses can also include teaching about the history of makeup, current trends, and specific topics needed to develop the profession:

• Basic makeup techniques, such as how to correctly apply foundation, concealer, powder…
• Eye makeup, lips and eyebrows.
• Day, night, and special event makeup.
• Makeup for photography and television.
• Makeup for different skin types and skin tones.
• Makeup for transformations and characterization.
• Use of professional tools and products.
• Tips for creating a portfolio and looking for a job in the world of makeup.

Read Also: 24 Best Makeup Artists in the World

With this, we have already seen the information regarding where a professional makeup artist can work, based on current job opportunities for this profession.