As a makeup school in Los Angeles, we get so many questions about people not only wondering if they’re too old to take a course or if they have no idea what they’re doing in makeup. We quickly dispell any negative connotation they have about the beauty industry and let them know that age is nothing but a number, it’s all about the type of skills that you can bring to the table. During our Professional Makeup Course, we go over certain skills that every makeup artist should master if they want to succeed in the industry. It could range from pushing yourself to take a look to the next level, timing, or communication.
In the fast-paced and growing beauty industry in Los Angeles, you need to be able to outshine the competition. You may say you already have the skills, but it won’t hurt to double check what you may be missing. There are so many essential skills of a makeup artist needed in Los Angeles, but here are a few!
1. Communication Skills
As the first point, this is one of the most important. One of the early lessons we teach our students is to always communicate with your client. You have to be on top of your emails, texts, direct messages through social media, and phone calls– the way you want to connect with your client is up to you. However, make sure that you’re not making it difficult for that client to get ahold of you! As soon as they reach out to you or vice versa, you want to make the experience for them as easy as possible. Confirm all details, show up on time, and with a smile on your face! Even while on the job, communication is still so important. We urge our students to break out of their shell and talk to the person in their chair. Start off with the basics: introduce yourself, ask what skin type they have, if they’re allergic to anything, etc. It’s never great to be too quiet but it’s also never great to be too chatty either. Keep a great medium and always make sure you’re asking questions like, “Is my pressure okay?” or “Is anything uncomfortable?” Talking to them is also helpful since you’re able to give them directions so you can apply makeup faster and easier. Remember you have a job to do!
2. Working Under Pressure
No matter how smooth a booking goes, you always need to prepare yourself for the worst. Prepping for a shoot, bridal client, event, etc can already be stressful but just make sure that you’re prepared. When the worst happens, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and try to figure out how to handle the situation professionally and effectively. If you’re in the middle of finishing up a look, never show to your client that you’re rushing and panicking. A rushed makeup look is never a good one, so just try to take your time even though you’re in a pinch.
3. Time Management
One of the great things about being a freelance makeup artist is that you set the schedule. You get to choose what days and times work best for you. We never suggest canceling on a client! It doesn’t matter if the pay is greater than the original scheduled one, you’ve made a commitment and should honor it. If you really do need to cancel due to an emergency, make sure to find a timely replacement and not leave your client hanging. With learning how to manage your time, it should also come into your makeup application time. In our Professional Makeup course, we go over many time drills and have our students execute a complete makeup look (lashes included) in 70 minutes or less. Yes, it’s great to have a schedule made for you, but you also don’t want to spend 3 hours perfecting your clients’ makeup. Do it in a time frame that’s perfect for you and reasonable for your client. With that time set, make sure you’re accomplishing an amazing look while still paying attention to detail. Always start on time and make sure you end on time.
4. Detail Orientation
As a makeup artist, it’s up to you to completely revamp your client’s look and make them love it– no matter if it’s a simple day bridal look or a smokey eye. You want your client to look at your makeup and marvel at the amazing job you did. When it comes to makeup, make sure it’s the best look you’ve ever created and try to outdo yourself each time. Our courses at Chic Studios are hands-on and intensive, meaning that you’re constantly doing makeup throughout the course of the day. If there’s a certain focus technique that you’d like to work on (eyeliner, lips, lashes) we make sure that you’ve practiced it and are experts at it. Once you’re in the real world, our instructors won’t be there to correct mistakes and tell you what to do differently. It’s up to you to keep on practicing and perfecting small details in your looks in order to shine.
