Commercial Hair and Makeup Artist

Working Schedule

• Hair and Makeup Artists often work flexible schedules with variable hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Work might involve frequent travel and stays away from home. Typical days vary from relaxed periods to hectic ones.

Typical Duties

• Clean and tone skin and apply makeup professionally
• Use makeup to enhance or minimize features
• Work with costume and set designers
• Review work details ahead of time to ensure all required items are stocked and on-hand
• Consult photographers, directors, and clients regarding hair and makeup needs for particular events, shoots, or scenes
• Aid with makeup removal
• Order additional items such as beards, wigs, or special prosthetics
• Be on standby during live shows or filming to adjust areas and provide touch-ups
• Hair and Makeup Artists may specialize in the following categories:
  • Commercial, print, or editorial modeling, for fashion shoots, commercial advertisements, or runways 
  • Department store counters
  • Bridal events
  • Headshots for actor closeups
  • Film and TV
  • On-camera personality, including news anchors or show hosts
  • Theater makeup designers, who may or may not be required to stay on set during shows if the cast does its own makeup after seeing the designs
  • FX: Special effects makeup, which typically requires far more advanced and specialized training

Additional Responsibilities

• Stay up-to-date on fashion trends
• Maintain a makeup kit filled with applicable brushes, tools, and products
• Know your work schedule and always be on time
• Keep clients relaxed and comfortable sometimes for long periods 
• Keep track of character appearances and changes during shooting
• Set and work within budgets 
• Review drawings or photos to assist with planning and application 
• Show clients what products you will be using on them

Soft Skills

• Ability to work independently
• Artistic
• Cooperative
• Customer service
• Dependability
• Endurance to stand on your feet for long periods
• Normal color vision
• Patience 
• Persistent 
• Resilience and composure under pressure
• Resourcefulness
• Steady hands and good hand-eye coordination
• Strong communication skills, including active listening 
• Superb attention to detail
• Time management

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of a wide range of hair and makeup products, tools, and application techniques
• General understanding of product ingredients and skin types
• Experience with lighting and photography
• Basic familiarity with accounting and calendaring platforms, databases, photo imaging programs, spreadsheets, and office software 

• Advertising agencies
• Media production companies
• Motion picture and video Industry
• Performing art companies
• Television broadcasting

Hair and Makeup Artists are key players for an extensive range of endeavors. Without their timely efforts, reporters, celebrities, entertainers, and models can’t do their jobs. That’s why Hair and Makeup Artists are expected to be fully prepared and always on time. Sacrifices revolve around demanding schedules, being away from home a lot, traveling to remote locations, and working long hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays. This type of work appeals to those who love a hectic lifestyle, but it can become a challenge over time. 
 
Sometimes it’s tough working with new clients, especially celebrities and models who might have trouble suppressing their ego or controlling their frustration levels during a long session in the makeup chair. Another issue is that some clients have allergies to certain cosmetic products, so you must be mindful and ensure their safety and comfort by asking clients (or their agents or managers) about things to avoid. 
 
At the end of the day, it is the Hair and Makeup Artist who runs the risk of bearing blame if something goes wrong. Despite the pressure, it’s always rewarding to see a client’s smiling face when you’ve done your job correctly, and they show their appreciation! 

Anyone can enter the fast-paced world of Hair and Makeup, but it currently tends to be a female-dominated occupation. However, increasingly men are taking advantage of opportunities to join in on the fun. This career field appeals to artists and creatives of all types, especially those who love fashion and beauty. Just remember that starting up can get expensive as you build a makeup kit filled with quality products. 
 
With the rapid growth of the entertainment and fashion industries, the market is expanding fast. Indeed, there are more ways to enter this field than ever before! From fashion shoots to TV broadcasting to bridal events, there’s no shortage of demand for professional, experienced Hair and Makeup Artists. As a result, workers will never get bored since they can relatively easily transition from one area to another with a bit of additional training. Competition is fierce, but for those with passion for their jobs, there is plenty of work to go around in this rewarding industry. 

Most future Hair and Makeup Artists probably enjoyed spending hours doing their own hair and makeup or that of friends and family. They may have grown up watching tutorial videos or obsessing over fashion and glamor magazines and advertisements, paying close attention to the styles and looks of their favorite personalities. Many might have even kept track of the many different looks of celebrities, comparing how they look on film or TV to their public appearances. 
 
At heart, they are visual artists who prefer to use living human beings as their canvas, painting faces and molding hairstyles as temporary works of art to be captured on film or in photos, or perhaps only seen for a few hours during a play or concert.