Are you someone who is always helping people out with their final looks at weddings and events? Well, how about giving it a professional touch and exploring a career path with your current skill set? Yes, we are talking about how to start a makeup business and become a freelance makeup artist.
We will be providing information on the skills you need and how you can establish your business with the right set of procedures. But before we do that, let’s learn more about freelance makeup artists.
Who is A Freelance Makeup Artist?
A freelance makeup artist specializes in enhancing looks for beautification or entertainment purposes. You may choose to pursue a degree or a diploma in cosmetology or take training from coaches. While some freelance makeup artists choose to run their businesses from home some may choose to open a studio in the long run. You can work for clients, including actors, performers, brides, or private individuals. A routine day of a freelance makeup artist involves meeting clients, preparing skin, applying makeup, and taking promotional pictures or videos.
How to Start Makeup Artist Business: 12 Steps to Follow
Here is how you can start your own makeup artist business:
1. Select a Niche
Makeup artistry is a vast field and you will need to select a niche. Some of the options include beauty makeovers, bridal makeup, and prosthetic makeup.
Furthermore, you can choose to micro niche and specialize in child makeup or offer services for a particular skin type. You can pick a niche where you can get the right training and build a sustainable client base. Last but not least, you need to consider your preferred working environment.
2. Develop Makeup Artistry Skills
Now that you have your education and makeup kit in line, it is time to get trainers and explore its various facets. You must complete an internship at a cosmetics shop or a salon. Another way is to accompany makeup artists on jobs. If you wish to become an entertainment-based makeup artist, you can choose to be an apprentice at art theaters.
Don’t forget to document your work and build a portfolio along the way. Most importantly, make sure you take permission before capturing photos and videos to maintain good relations with your clients.
3. Get a Makeup Certification
Some areas require you to have certifications from accredited beauty schools. You can also choose to receive a degree in cosmetology. And if you choose not to, getting a makeup certification is a must.
This will help you build a rapport with clients who prefer formal education at a beauty school. These institutions offer structured curriculums that help artists develop extensive knowledge of makeup. It will help you apply for senior roles at salons and enjoy seamless transitions if you plan to switch careers later.
4. Make a Makeup Artist Business Plan
Now that you have your certificates in place, it is the right time to make a business plan. For the same you need to don your researcher’s hat and identify your target market. You must have a unique selling point to attract customers and promote your services. Also, you must decide if you wish to start alone or get a partner. Last but not least, you need to identify your suppliers and develop a branding strategy.
5. Register Your Business
The next and most important step is to register your business. This will help you get tax benefits and legalize your establishment. For the same, you will need to conduct in-depth research on your provincial laws. Otherwise, you can rope in a lawyer to get the facts right. Most makeup artists use a sole proprietorship structure for their business. You can choose one that suits your requirements and pick a name that is easier to market.
6. Plan How to Finance Your Business
Any business takes time to grow and flourish. You will need money to purchase products, pay employees, rent a studio, get licenses, market your business, and fulfill other obligations. Thus, you must have clarity on how to finance them. You can choose to spend your savings, take a loan, or get an investor.
Whatever method you choose just make sure you plan it diligently and have 6 months of backup as the initial progress may be slow.
7. Select a Professional Invoicing Tool
Now that you have all the things in place, it is time to select a professional invoicing or accounting tool. We suggest using software that offers multiple makeup artist invoice templates. This will help you automate invoicing and get paid on time. Moreover, you will be able to customize your invoices and build strong relations with clients.
8. Purchase a Makeup Kit
Makeup kits are the most important purchase you will be making as a freelance makeup artist. Having a makeup kit aids in delivering quality services and building a solid rapport with customers.
Several cosmetology programs offer their students discounted kits. Moreover, having your kit communicates professionalism. Just make sure you keep yourself updated with the latest products, and you follow the best hygiene products.
9. Build Your Portfolio
Just like you think 5x before purchasing a product, your customers are equally skeptical about their looks. Thus, it is a must to have a website that does justice to your work. Make sure to add customer testimonials in text and video to make a good first impression.
Another way to grab customer eyeballs includes getting your services listed on sites and adding your portfolio. A thing to remember is that your portfolio must be navigable and should open with ease on desktop and mobile. Last but not least, you can showcase your growth journey to build an emotional connection with your customers.
10. Figure Out Pricing
Depending on the services you offer, you will need to fix a cost for your services. For eg. if you offer a complete bridal package, you can choose to offer discounts per function. Also, if you offer party makeup, you can have a list of services and their prices keeping in mind the cost of products and employee payments. You will need to plan all these aspects carefully and then work out a plan that benefits both – you and your customers.
11. Build Your Social Media Presence
A wood lost in the wilderness seldom gains recognition. Don’t do that to your business, and work on building a social media presence right from the get-go. It is one of the easiest ways to grow your reputation and income streams.
Not only do you attract high-ticket clients, but you can also target your posts within your location. Just ensure you post educational content while maintaining the interests of your customers. For the same, you will need to invest in good videography equipment to shoot video tutorials or click high-quality images.
12. Market Your Makeup Services
Social media is not the only channel to market your services. Your first few clients may or may not come from a social media platform. Word-of-mouth marketing, referrals, online and offline ads, and your blog are equally important to get you good leads and clients. Professionalism and the right marketing efforts will help you draw customers to your studio or get home bookings. You can also float fliers to tap customers who are not that active on social media.
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7 Must-Have Skills For Freelance Makeup Artists
Now that you have thought of registering your business, you can either choose to function solo or build a team of makeup artists. While your business will witness its highs and lows, your skills and seamless execution of your marketing plans are what will keep your spirits and revenues high. Here is a set of skills you must continue to work on in the field of makeup artistry.
1. Product Knowledge and Expertise
Whether you chose to do a course in Cosmetology or took training from a veteran, you should have in-depth knowledge about products. You must know about the instruments used, products suited for particular skin types, color theory, undertones, and the bone structure of each face. Since new products come into the market now and then, we suggest keeping an eye on the latest makeup trends via social media and the web to make an everlasting impression on your customers.
2. Creative Imagination
If you can visualize well and have an affinity for makeup, you will be able to take your creative skills a notch higher. The reason is that makeup artistry cannot be mastered without visualization. You must test out your skills and consider your limits before you step into the field.
3. Interpersonal Skills and Communication
Freelance makeup artistry not only involves amazing technical expertise, but you also need to leverage your stellar communication skills. This is a must to understand client needs and goals and collaborate with models, photographers, clients, and other professionals. Thus, make sure you are always courteous and confident when suggesting something and, all the more important, when you disagree with your clients.
4. Attention to Detail and Ability to Stay Calm
Rightly said, becoming a makeup artist is no child’s play. The sheer amount of adaptability required as per situation can be nerve-wracking. A possible way out is to invest your 200% in training, as it will help you understand how to handle stressful situations with ease. Blunders are an everyday affair in a makeup artist’s business. There are times when an eyeliner will not be perfect, whereas other times, a client may lose their cool.
Professional makeup artists are excellent problem solvers, who stay focussed and use their expertise to give a finished and polished look to the customer. Moreover, they know how to draw boundaries and always maintain their calm in the most chaotic situations.
5. Originality
While many think of how to start a makeup artist business, the ones with originality manage to make it successful. The idea is not to copy looks created by others but to have a distinct USP. Your personal touch and style quotients are what will set you apart from your competitors and eventually get retainer clients onboard.
6. Social Media Awareness
In the modern world, no freelance makeup artist or business owner has become big without social media. Sharing tutorials on social media via tutorial videos, shorts, and reels on YouTube and Instagram will not only boost your presence, but it will also open additional streams of income for you. You can also collaborate with influencers to promote your products and services, build a reputation, and get more customers.
7. Basic Photography
Well, if you are loaded with work and choose to hire a professional photographer, it’s completely fine. However, having basic photography knowledge is a must to market your work and cut costs. It will aid in building an exhaustive portfolio and simply your cold outreach methods.
How Much Does it Cost to Start A Makeup Artist Business?
It all depends if you wish to establish your studio or provide your services at your customer’s home. If you choose the latter, you can spare the cost of a business lease. Thus, you can start as low as 8000 USD. Roughly 3000 USD can be devoted to getting a professional website made and towards traditional website spending. The rest can be used to purchase makeup supplies and other equipment. Make a budget that fulfills your short and long-term goals. You can choose a budget plan that suits you. However, the more supplies you have in place, the better services you can offer.
Final Words
This was all about how to start a makeup artist business. If you follow the steps mentioned above, you will be able to streamline your processes and get your business up and running in no time. So, learn the right skills, develop your portfolio, market your services, register your business, and continue working on building your capacity to grow your business.
FAQs
Jayanti Katariya is the founder & CEO of Moon Invoice, with over a decade of experience in developing SaaS products and the fintech industry. He holds a degree in engineering. Since 2011, Jayanti's expertise has helped thousands of businesses, from small startups to large enterprises, streamline invoicing, estimation, and accounting operations. His vision is to deliver top-tier financial solutions globally, ensuring efficient financial management for all business owners.
