Unexpected perks of being a Makeup Artist that I didn’t expect when I first started!

The perks of being a Makeup Artist and / or Hairstylist go way beyond the obvious (in my opinion this is getting to play with makeup or hair every time you work!). Initially this was my own motivation – to do something I loved and create an income out of it. However once my business got traction in the early days, I found there was so many more things I hadn’t realised:

1.     Choosing Your Own Path – there’s so many pathways available to you:
- Bridal and Special Occasion (one of my personal favourites!)
- Fashion – where you can exercise far more creativity than in the Bridal market
- Film – creating characters and how a character will appear on screen – think of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow – this was a collaboration of makeup, hair and costume departments (as well as Johnny himself) or Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s where her makeup and hair became trends women followed.
- Teaching women how to do their own makeup beautifully and make the most of themselves. This is really rewarding – most women find their looks by trial and error and to give someone the tools and techniques to look their best is very empowering and can significantly impact their self esteem.
- Retail – Great for getting exposure to many different faces, furthering your product knowledge, building a clientele, increasing your sales skills as well as networking.
- Product Development – The ability to create your own products, or being asked by a brand to help develop their ranges. Many famous Makeup Artists have gone down this road.

2. Setting your own Schedule – You have quite a bit of flexibility with setting your hours, certainly with when you’ll take holidays and for how long; also where you’re prepared to travel to and at what time. I personally never take clients before 11am or after 1.30pm on weekdays (trials, personal tuition etc) as this prevents me being subjected to peak hour traffic.

3. Flexibility of how many hours you want to do: You get to decide if you just want a side hustle doing this part time (particularly if you have children) or whether you want to go full tilt and go full time – the choice is always yours!

4. Life Balance: Whether it's family gatherings, hobbies, or simply time off, you can create a balanced life that keeps you passionate and inspired.

5. Opportunities to travel: Destination weddings (I attended a wedding last year in Italy where the Makeup Artist was paid, including travel, to do the bridal party in one of the most beautiful locations in Italy!). Fashion work often is shot in some of the most amazing locations. Many brides are getting ready in stunning AirBnB’s or luxury hotel suites that are essentially your ‘office’ for the day!

Having these skills has massively opened up opportunities and flexibility for me, beyond anything I could have imagined when I first started out. So worthwhile – the personal freedom, the ability to exercise creativity, the friends and colleagues I have made over the years and the personal satisfaction and control I have over everything I do! I’m not sorry I gave up nursing to be where I am now and am so thankful for the makeup courses in Melbourne as well as overseas that I’ve done. It really helps getting into the best makeup academy you can can be taught by those who have the runs on the board and can get you to where you want to be.

Me behind the scenes doing hair and makeup touch ups for a bride before she greets guests at her wedding reception