Going into business for yourself is scary but rewarding – you are your own boss, there’s no one to tell you want to do! But… you are your own boss, and there’s no one to tell you want to do. For a driven individual, this won’t be a challenge – set yourself a task and accomplish it. End of story! But if you’ve never set out on your own, it’s easy to be confused and unsure of the next step.

Be Organized
From booking clients to planning your day to packing your kit, you are in charge of every aspect of your day to day operations. Keeping organized will not only keep you on top of your to-do list, but can ultimately save you money, especially when it comes to doing your taxes.

Tip: Get a filing cabinet or box to keep all receipts and paperwork in one place – this will mean less work for you come tax time, but also less work for your accountant.

Knowing where everything is, showing up on time, and marking tasks complete off your to-do list will help you feel in control, and will also let clients know you’re on the ball, which goes a long way to inspiring their confidence in you.

Tip: Keep a detailed planner of appointments or a client roster with detailed notes about each client – their likes, dislikes, allergies, etc. This way you can consult it before each appointment or if they reach out with a last minute request or question and you’ll have all the information you need at your fingertips, and they’ll feel like they – and their business – is valued and special.

Get Social
The web is the great equalizer, and if you haven’t already, now is the time to set up a website and register for social media accounts, not only to share your daily inspiration and accomplishments, but to also learn tips, tricks and techniques from others in your industry.

Social media is a wonderfully amplified and cost-effective, word-of-mouth tool to regularly interact with friends, clients and your industry community to build a loyal following, which can and may ultimately lead to new clients.

Work Smart & Hard
Unless you are excellent at networking, when you start out as a freelancer you’ll find yourself saying yes to most any job opportunity that comes your way, and being able to accept a client at a moments notice will go a long way to helping build a loyal clientele.

Look The Part
Though image may not be everything (even in the beauty industry), “looking the part” – styled hair, nice makeup and well-thought out, appropriate outfit – can show a potential client that you take pride in your work and the finished product.

Believe In Your “Brand” & Be Assertive
When we say brand, we simply mean yourself – believing in the service and person providing it (you) is the first step to building confidence in yourself and your clients.

Believing in yourself also means you respect yourself and expect the same from current and potential clients. Although some instances will require you make reasonable allowances, you are allowed to set rules for yourself (and, by extension, your clients) and stick to those rules. There will always be people who will try to take advantage of you, or treat you poorly. As your own boss, it’s up to you to decide what and how much you are willing to accept, but if you state that your business doesn’t book weekends, don’t let someone bully you into working. Remember, once you make a few exceptions it’s difficult to get things back on track. Set your business policies and you’ll have them to turn to in situations that warrant it.

With hard work and dedication, its totally possible to turn your part time passion into a full time freelance career. When you want a refresher course for basic skills, or add new techniques to your arsenal, peruse our selection of certificate courses, or contact us today for more information.

At least once over the course of a makeup artist’s career, you will find yourself face to face with a difficult client – they don’t know what they want, nothing you do pleases them, and they can leave you feeling emotionally and creatively drained.

Though dealing with a Debbie Downer can leave a sour taste in your mouth for the rest of the day, don’t let it sour you against future interactions. There are a few things you can do to save both of you from an embarrassing outcome, although sometimes knowing when to walk away is the best move you can make.

State the services you’re rendering – Regardless the client’s attitude when they get to their appointment, you should offer in advance an outline of the services you are about to provide so that both you and the client are clear on what is to be expected. Though it shouldn’t have to be said, the client sought you out because of your particular expertise, and though it may seem easier said than done, it’s important for you to try to remain as professional as possible in a non-professional situation.

Maintain your focus – It’s common for clients to feel so comfortable in the chair with a makeup artist or hair dresser that they open up about the things going on in their lives, even when those things may be negative. If you have established boundaries at the outset of your appointment or client/makeup artist relationship, you can rely on those when the client starts to talk to or treat you in a way that makes you uncomfortable. You can remind them in a polite but firm way that you are simply providing a service and that they are close to crossing the line.

Don’t take it personally – It’s hard not to feel like you’re being personally attacked but try to remind yourself not to internalize a client’s behaviour. They may be complaining about the work, but 9 times out of 10 they aren’t frustrated or angry with you but with something else entirely. Everyone has their good and bad days, try to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Ask them to leave – At a certain point, enough is enough. If you’ve established boundaries, firmly and calmly let the customer know that their behaviour is inappropriate, but they continue to cross the line and talk or behave in an abusive manner, they have to leave. You can give them two options – take a few moments to recollect themselves and continue on in a way that is respectful to both of you, or leave and find someone else to take care of the services they need.

Dismissing a client should be your last resort, once you’ve exhausted all other options. It’s never easy to confront a client who’s behaving in appropriately, but it’s important that you respect yourself in this situation. When working on a set, you shouldn’t try to confront the client alone and can and should involve the director or production manager. As a freelance artist, however, asking a client to leave is up to you. If they were referred by another client, without going into specific details you should let that person know what happened, and that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated by future clientele.

It can be said that one of the major benefits of working as a makeup artist is the opportunity to meet and work with new people. Often, each new day brings a completely new set of faces, and any artist worth their weight in finishing powder should be prepared for any eventuality.

This isn’t always the case and, unfortunately, one fed-up model is calling out the industry as a whole.

South Sudanese model Nykhor Paul has walked runways and graced the covers of magazines since 2008, but she recently took to Instagram to express her frustration with her perceived racism in the industry, and artists being ill-prepared to work with darker skin tones.

“Why do I have to bring my own makeup to a professional show when all the other white girls don’t have to do anything but show up WTF,” Paul writes.

Paul points out that most major brands create shades for skin tones like hers, and doesn’t understand why makeup artists don’t have them in their kits.

“A good makeup artist would come prepared and do their research before coming to work because often time you know what to expect especially at a show! Stop apologizing it’s insulting and disrespectful to me and my race it doesn’t help, seriously!”

Hey, Nykhor, we feel you! Faces come in every shade, and just like Boy and Girl Scouts, a makeup artist should always be prepared, lest they not be invited back! Of course, no one expects your kit to be stocked with colours to fit every skin tone at all times (you’d be lugging around a trunk in that case), at the very least do your research a few days before your due on set, and don’t be afraid to ask who you’ll be working with.

Choose to fill your makeup case with products that do double duty, like skin-matching formulas or pigments that can be layered for different effect. When it comes to foundations and concealers, it’s a good idea to have at least five main colours – from lightest to darkest – as part of your core kit so you can mix them as needed.

Whether you’re working on a blushing bride or the walking dead, the job of a makeup artist is to transform faces and make people feel beautiful (or frightening, in the case of the zombies). Makeup is for everyone, your kit should be too.

As little girls we learn how fun it can be to experiment with makeup – mascara wands and colorful tubes of lipstick tempt us into the mirror to imitate our mothers.

While some of us grow out of it, others take this playful obsession to the next level, experimenting with colors, styles, techniques and more. When makeup becomes more artistic self expression than simply a cover up for blemishes, you should consider channeling your artistic energy into a career as a makeup artist.

Putting aside the fact that this path is inherently versatile ( and don’t forget the definite possibility of working with famous faces), deciding to turn your creative love of makeup into a successful career can be rewarding for so many reasons:

Job Satisfaction, Guaranteed

Don’t let the fun behind-the-scenes footage fool you – the life of a make up artist is not easy. Early hours and grueling shifts, you’re on call and expected to be ready at a moments notice to produce the perfect contouring, exquisite color, or believable weeping wound. But there’s little more satisfying for a makeup artist than transforming your subject into someone – or something – else with nothing more than pigment and elbow grease.

Meet Tons Of New People

Whether you work with professional models and actors or a bride and her bridal party on the most important day of her life, the nature of the industry requires you to meet people and make lasting relationships. Of course you’ll be faced with difficult clients and maybe you won’t be able to please all of the people all of the time – it’s expected, but for every Grumpy Gus you’ll have five happy clients that will remind you why you got into this field in the first place.

Did We Mention You Can Travel?

A true artist goes where the work is, and freelance makeup artists are no exception. Most makeup artists will be asked to travel at least once over the course of their career, which means you may end up in cities and countries you never dreamed of seeing.

Make Someone Feel Beautiful

You already know about the magic of makeup or you wouldn’t be considering makeup artistry as a career, but the one most important reason you should use your powers for good: transforming a client’s face in a way they never believed possible. Models, movie stars, mothers – no matter their background, making someone feel good, inside and out, is worth more than a pay cheque..

Okay, we’ll admit it. The creative world is filled to the brim with talented folks wielding their brushes like wands but that doesn’t mean you can’t carve out a successful niche for yourself. Back up your god-given talent with certification from the Beauty Institute Canada. Beauty Institute Canada helps passionate beauty and team-2health providers hone their skills with a variety of diploma and certificate programs designed to prepare students for high – profile positions in the ever increasing and recession proof beauty and health fields. We endeavor to provide our graduates with the necessary skill level to become successful in their new careers. For more information about our diploma programs, workshops or financial aid options, please contact us!