How Much Can I Really Make as a Makeup Artist?

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Life as a makeup artist can be pretty beneficial. From flexing your creative muscles to helping people look your best, there’s a lot to love about a career in makeup. As a bonus, you can make good money as a makeup artist, too!

Pursuing a career in the beauty industry comes with a host of benefits. For many, it’s rewarding to make a living embracing their passion for makeup, and the ability to stay creative, connect with clients, and help people reach their ideal outcomes is worth its weight in gold.

Still, the financial aspect of being a makeup artist matters. You need to sustain your lifestyle, care for your loved ones, and chase those financial goals that keep you motivated. This leads to an extremely important question–how much money can a makeup artist really make?

Makeup Artist Earning Potential (& How to Maximize Yours)

While your primary goal as a makeup artist might be helping people or giving your all to your artistic expression, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a bit of money along the way. As rewarding as a career as a makeup artist can be, you need to live, save for retirement, and otherwise put yourself in a healthy position financially.

Luckily, makeup artists can earn good salaries, especially if they reach the upper echelons of their craft. Like most jobs, the earning potential of a makeup artist can range dramatically depending on your experience, education, specialty, and geographic location.

How extreme of a salary spectrum are we talking about? Makeup artists make between $30,000 and $170,000. That’s a pretty massive difference!

Before you begin spiraling (or salivating), the average makeup artist’s salary is $71,000. Depending on where you live, that is a solid salary that can help you live comfortably and embrace new opportunities that present themselves.

The key to improving your earning potential as a makeup artist? Reading the tips below and implementing them into your career, of course!

Diversify Your Skillset and Services

If you want to maximize your earning potential as a makeup artist, you need to bring value to your clients. This starts with your skillset and the services you offer, making these two interconnected aspects of your beauty pro career among the most important things to perfect.

The more skilled – both artistically and technically – you are, the more in-demand your services will be. People will come to you because they admire your work and trust in you to deliver excellent results. The better you can build this reputation, the greater financial dividends you will experience.

Of course, you need to offer services that people actually want. This starts with understanding your target market. Then, you can cater to them. To attract a larger audience, you should diversify your services. Just make sure that you don’t stretch yourself and your resources too thin too quickly.

Find a Specialty

While your generalized skill and diverse services will help your makeup artist career take off, becoming known for a specialty will unlock tremendous opportunities. Don’t worry about sacrificing one for the other, either – you can offer multiple services alongside your specialty.

When you are recognized as being among the top makeup artists for a particular skill, service, or technique, word gets out. People will want to come to you thanks to your reputation, and if you deliver the best, you will continue to thrive.

This doesn’t happen overnight, but with time, effort, education, and even some training from other top makeup artists, you can identify your passion and pursue your specialty with tremendous results.

Become a Marketing Maestro

Marketing is key to your financial success as a beauty pro. You must identify your target market, understand what appeals to and motivates them, find ways to reach them, and do so in a consistent manner.

From social media marketing to word-of-mouth advertising, the way you reach your potential customers is up to you. Focus on their needs, clear communication of the value you offer, and a strong, consistent voice that helps them understand your brand.

As you build your client base, it is important to encourage your customers to return. Part of the formula for customer loyalty is simply delivering amazing service and a stellar customer experience. If you want to go above and beyond, consider starting a customer rewards program that provides perks to return clients.

Lean into Retail Sales

It’s easy to get caught up in what you love–providing your clients with incredible makeup services that are hands-on and allow you to interact with them on a personal level. If you want to boost your earning potential as a makeup artist, however, you should consider expanding into retail sales.

Whether you opt to sell products you use daily or decide to try your hand at white-labeling your own products, adding a retail store to your beauty business can drastically expand your ability to generate revenue. From a small retail section at your physical salon to an online store where customers can shop 24/7, the possibilities are practically endless.

Protect Your Livelihood

As you grow your makeup artist business, you need to ensure you are protected from accidents and legal issues. That’s where beauty insurance comes in. By investing in a makeup artist insurance policy that includes general liability insurance, professional liability insurance, and more, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your livelihood is safe and secure.

Finding success as a makeup artist doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. With a bit of guidance and a plan, you can unlock your full earning potential and enjoy the rewards of your hard work.

For more beauty news, tips, and tricks, be sure to subscribe to Elite Beauty Society. You can also visit our blog for the latest beauty industry insights and trends.