If there's nothing you love more than picking out the perfect shade of eye shadow or lipstick, you may find yourself interested in jobs for make-up artists. Make-up artistry jobs offer a great deal of creative satisfaction, as well as relatively high wages. Whether you choose to work for someone else, search for freelance make-up artist jobs, or start your own company, the opportunities in this unique career field are greater than ever before.
In high-end salons, make-up artists are employed to help clients get ready for special occasions. This may include working with a group of teenagers getting ready for prom, a bride preparing for her wedding day, or a woman accompanying her husband to a formal charity ball. These make-up artist jobs also include an element of personal coaching, since many clients will want to know how to recreate a particular look on their own.
Professional portrait photographers may employ make-up artists who help their clients look their best for a photo shoot. For example, make-up artists are often needed in the areas of glamour photography and wedding photography. Knowing how to use make-up to accentuate a person's best features is a skill that takes practice, but having a client fall in love with how she looks in her pictures can be a very satisfying experience.
It should come as no surprise that make-up artist jobs and the world of high fashion often go hand-in-hand. Make-up artists are needed to work behind the scenes at runway shows and shoots for magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Glamour. Fashion make-up is dramatic and highly stylized. Make-up artists are often asked to design different looks to match a particular outfit, so there is a great deal of opportunity for creative expression in this area.
Those with an interest in the performing arts can find make-up artist jobs in theater, television, or movie production. However, theatrical make-up and special effects make-up are areas of expertise that often require several years of training beyond what is needed for other make-up artist jobs. Additionally, erratic schedules and the need to work under tight deadlines make this aspect of the make-up artistry field uniquely challenging.
If you enjoy working with people on a one-on-one basis, becoming a personal make-up artist for a well-known model, actress, or singer is another option to consider when looking for make-up artistry jobs. Celebrities who are constantly being photographed often employ a team of professionals to help them look their best. If you enjoy thinking of fresh new ways to give your client a distinctive look, this may be the perfect choice for you.