3 Simple Tips On How To Become A Makeup Artist?

Do you have a flair to do makeup and give great looks to people around you? You can quickly judge as to which color lipstick suits the person beside you on the basis of the skin complexion. If you possess aesthetics and passion for utilizing your creativity in making people good-looking, then chose makeup artist as your career. Learn how to become a makeup artist and what you need to build your career in the makeup industry. Educational qualification for a makeup artist may vary. Both certification course and associate degree are available for the makeup artists. To become a professional makeup artist, you need certification. Read the article to know how to become a professional makeup artist.

How To Become A Makeup Artist?

Step 1. Develop The Skills

To improve your makeup skills, it is important you always experiment it. You can apply to yourself or others. This helps develop your makeup technique and gives your art perfection. Being a perfect makeup artist for yourself does not suffice, when you apply makeup to others you learn the different set of skills like coordination and motor skills.

• Make sure you apply makeup on all types of skin and on different skin colors. Additionally, include people with the different face shapes, different age groups, and diverse eye colors. Get people with different skin complexion medium, fair, dark and olive skin. You will be exposed to wide horizons of the art. This gives flexibility to work with any clients.
• Using different brands and experimenting with these products, will help you gain deeper knowledge. Most of the makeup artists prefer few products over the others. Quality of the makeup varies on the type of finished product used. You may try with powdered or liquid foundation and to know which is best for what type of skin.
• Tools like makeup wands and brushes are available use various types of tools. The brushes are available in different sizes, textures, and shapes.

You can experiment using different types of tools with different products on different skin tones. This helps you deepen your makeup knowledge.

Acquaint Yourself With Your Different Looks

Have an open mind and eyes to whatever you see regarding makeup and fashion. Remember you are budding makeup artist practice reading magazines regarding fashion, browse through the fashion blogs thoroughly, watching movies and plays. While watching pay attention to the different type of makeup you witness. Make sure you deliver what your client desires. Update yourself with the latest beauty trends and you can advise them on what gives them the best.

Learn to distinguish between night and day looks. Remember the following things:

1. Usually, daytime makeup is minimal. Pink shades are suitable for the lips, also restrict yourself to two shades of natural lip color of the person. Use a neutral eye shade and a little mascara for eyes and nothing more than that.
2. Nighttime makeup needs something more. It requires dramatic makeup for eyes or lips (not both). Well defined cheekbones.

• Having an outstanding red lip is no little than any other makeup. Find out which shades of red suits the different skin tones. Say, for instance, wine-colored shade will go well with dark skin and orange shades look great on the fair complexion.
• You will come across clients requesting to recreate a certain look of the celebrity at any parties, magazines or shows. Familiarize with the terminologies of the makeup industry so that it is easy for you to understand the client’s request.

Step 2. Get Educated And Experienced

1. Get into Beauty School

Remember there are many opportunities to get hired in any of the makeup counters without being to makeup school. However, if you have the money and time you can enroll into any of the beauty schools to learn the techniques from the experienced people in the industry.

• Different schools follow a different curriculum. However, the skeletal structure of the course includes basic skills (wedding makeup) and advanced makeup skills (makeup with special effects). Courses can never replace the natural talent, acquainted experience and skills developed during practice.
• Being a licensed cosmetologist is an advantage over the competitors.
• Chose the fields of interest in the makeup artistry and opt for the courses accordingly.

2. Hunt for A Job At A Cosmetics Store

This job gives you an opportunity to apply different makeup products for different types of people. Find out and apply for this kind of positions at beauty stores. The best part is you are getting paid for practicing your skills.

• Retail experience aids you in getting into landing jobs in beauty stores or department as your job includes selling of the products apart from makeup services.
• Positions open in spa and beauty salons require higher experience. Do not refrain yourself from applying.
• If you find difficulty in getting employed, try getting an internship from any of the salon or spas. Enquire about the apprenticeship or internship programs and make them clear that you need a real time experience of makeup.

Step 3. Design Your Career

Choose A Industry

Makeup industry is a widespread one. Make a decision on whether you work with TV stars or movies or maybe with musicians or models. You can also start your own business doing makeup for special and wedding events. Once you decide the stream, come up with your own brand specializing in a certain type of makeup.

• Some of the fields open to you are bridal, special effects, airbrushing, theater and fashion.
• Associate with makeup artists and stylists in your desired field. Look out opportunities for internship or entry level positions so that you can enter the industry.
• Make collaborations using creativity. Offer your coworker wedding makeup or if your friend is good at making videos you can ask her to make a video showcasing your makeup artistry. As you do this, you will start building your career and honor your skills.

Making A Portfolio

Build a portfolio that displays your talents to the employers and the prospective clients. Make sure it contains your excellent work that reflects your unique skill and style. You can hire a professional photographer or invest in a camera of high quality to take the pictures for the portfolio. Remember pictures can either make your portfolio or break it. Find models those go well with your style of makeup artistry and you will enjoy doing makeup for them. However, they may by any chance need not to be professional models. You can include the photos of “Before” and “After.” Make an online portfolio says a website or blog apart from printing the portfolio. Online portfolio has wide user base, it reaches bigger number of audience and also can be promoted in social media. In both online and offline portfolio, ensure you highlight your brand and promote it. Showcase your unique talent in the portfolio so that it attracts the prospective client.

Marketing Yourself

Are you looking out for a full-time job with a company or working as a freelancer on the project basis then start marketing your skills and make sure people around you recognize you as a makeup artist.

• Explore the options available in the area to find out the openings and apply for the positions. Take your portfolio along with the resume to interview.
• In the starting stages of your career, you may need to volunteer to offer your service. This helps in improving the content of the portfolio.
• Word-of-mouth is a great way of publicity, use it to the fullest. Friends and family help you in doing this. Let them hire you for wedding makeup, formal occasions or parties.

Portfolio

• Online portfolio is better than the offline. Online portfolio has a wide base and it is easy to edit, you can add or take off content easily.
• The standard size of the pictures for a printed portfolio should be 11×14 or 9×12. Insert these pictures in a leather binder containing plastic sleeves in them. This gives a professional look to your portfolio. However, this is a pricey project but it is worth if you take it with you when you meet a potential client.
• In the case of online portfolio, you can purchase a domain name or use WordPress to upload your pictures. Hire a web designer or a college student to design a website for you. You can also use blog template as long as it looks professional. Using facebook or myspace looks unprofessional.
• Having quality pictures in your profile, increase your chances of getting the clients. You can hire a professional photographer to take the pictures. Don’t take any chances in case of photographer. You have invested a lot in doing things. Moreover, you have invested a lot of money and time into it. A bad or average picture may not give you back the investment. Further, you can hire two or three local models, try doing makeup in various styles. Ask your photographer to take the shots of the models in different ways. Include the head-shots also.
• Let the portfolio include these styles avant garde or experimental makeup, clean makeup that is simple and flawless, beauty makeup and editorial makeup. Keep a separate portfolio for bridal makeup, if you are planning to make it as your career. Don’t include the bridal makeup in this portfolio.

Publicity

Making your professional business cards is the first step in publicity. Cards should be professional and clean and it should include your name, email address and the URL of your online portfolio and perhaps phone number. Remember to keep it simple.

Showcase yourself and be known as the wedding planners, party organizers and makeup artists. When you meet them, dress professionally with huge but professional makeup on your face. This is big marketing you can do to showcase yourself.

Give out your business cards to event management teams, local planners, students of high schools and colleges, retailers and everybody else who you know. Don’t worry building reputation takes some time.

Tips:

• Makeup artists are more likely to make average money or less than that. If you are looking out for fame and fortune, switch over to other options.
• It takes time to build the reputation in the meantime, you can opt for side jobs like bridal makeup, makeup for events in the meantime. You can slowly get into full-time professional makeup artist.
• Discover your skills and find what you are best and make that as your career. Say, for instance, if you are good at bridal makeup then take up for full time or if you are good at theatrical makeup go for it. Once you find the best one for you, focus on that to stand out.
• Have clean and neat workplace. Makeup artists at spa and salon, it is important to keep the place tidy. A hygienic salon or spa not only lower the risk of health issues to the clients, but also makes the clients comfortable and visit again. The happy clients recommend your service to others.
• Stay updated regarding the blooming trends in the market. It is crucial for you to know all the new soon after or before arrivals. This helps you to provide your client the best service. You can become aware of the latest trends by joining any of the professional networks or subscribing the industry publications.

Practice Is The Key To Success

Anything needs practice to attain perfection, makeup is no exception. On yourself or on others, try different looks and new styles. The more you practice, the better you do. Once you learn makeup from the professionals, practicing makeup every day is important. Just learning from a professional artist do not make you perfect.

Working at a makeup counter is the best option to get routine practice. Your makeup skill will be exposed to different skin tones, different ages, and variable face shapes. Starting as a counter artist will build you up as an expert makeup artist as customer service is the major aspect of makeup. As counter artist, you can play with the different type of products. Getting more exposure as a counter artist helps you build a great career ahead.