If you're an aspiring makeup artist, this one's for you:

There’s a lot of anxiety when starting out as a makeup artist. You want to be prepared and of course, you want to have the latest makeup tools & products in your kit. But let’s be real, with the number of influencers to follow and learn from these days, knowing where to begin gets pretty overwhelming.

These are just a few things I wish I had known a lot sooner.

  1. Avoid overspending when building your kit

I’ll start off with this – YOU DON’T NEED EVERYTHING INFLUENCERS ARE USING. Be strategic with your purchases when building your kit. For a budget friendly start, try trusted drugstore brands or look for retailers that have pro/student discounts. Finding tools & products that are multipurpose/versatile can also be great wins (e.g. A foundation palette that can also be used for contouring or to highlight).

Be mindful of how or where you spend your money and always think of each purchase as an investment. We all know how pricey good makeup can get (please don’t resort to buying counterfeits as an alternative).

Keep in mind that this is your business and it will take a while to get back what you put in. So make sure to have a list of what it is you need for your kit to avoid unnecessary spending.    

      2. Practice, practice, practice

Being a Makeup Artist means being able to work with whoever sits on your makeup chair. 

So if you’re just starting out, it’s best to take advantage of your family and friends and do their makeup for any excuse – for free. That way you will get used to doing makeup on different skin types and facial features and ultimately be more prepared for when you start to take on paying clients.

Also, ask for feedback! This will help you identify your areas of improvement. 

      3. Be open to collaborate with other freelancers

Be open to collaborating with other creatives. 

Work on free shoots. You can use this opportunity to network, gain experience working on sets and it’s also a great way to get content to build your professional portfolio.

You never know who you will meet, so remember to always put your best foot forward.

        4. It’s not about you

When you do decide to take on bookings, it’s important to remember that your clients always come first.

That means even if you have a “vision” for how you want the final look to be, you need to consider what it is your client wants and make sure you deliver just that (even if that means no false lashes).

You can give your professional opinion on a client’s request but no matter how good of a makeup artist you are, you will unlikely get booked again if you don’t know how to compromise and adjust. Hence, it’s not about you.

       5.  Don’t be so hard on yourself

Doing makeup takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Like all industries, it’s not easy in the beginning and it will take time to build your clientele. So don’t be so hard on yourself and trust the process. It’s all part of the journey! 🙂

I hope this helped!

If you have any questions or comments, let me know! I'd love to know what you think 🙂

Keep an eye out for a separate blog that includes more tips and details such as pricing 😉

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