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Kandice Delgado

How to become a freelance make-up artist in 2021 

Words Kandice Delgado 

What’s more empowering than becoming your own boss? I’ve encountered a lot of people throughout my career that are shocked from the type of earnings you can make as a freelance make-up artist. My favorite disposition from people is why make up? My answers always the same. Make-up is so much more than winged liner. Make-up is confidence when someone can’t find it that day or the reason someone felt brave enough to show up. Make-up is ART. Make-up is POWER. I want to provide you the tools to build your dream make up artist career.

EDUCATION

There are so many ways you can get your start in the beauty industry. That’s one of the things I love most about it. Talent can come from anywhere if you educate yourself! 

1.  Self-taught: I’m a self-taught make-up artist as well as so many of the artists I admire, so these are super close to my heart. With the number of online tutorials, masterclasses and merely through experience you can refine your skills enough to take on any client. I have been in the industry for over ten years and love to attend masterclasses continuously keeping myself up to date with techniques/trends. 

2. Make up academies: these are really great for beginning artists that have a strong desire to learn about the field but are not sure where to start. These are institutions that do not license you but provide extensive knowledge on techniques and trends. Some of the most well-known make-up artists such as; Priscilla Ono, Mario Dedivanovic and Bobbi Brown offer courses that will award certifications by the graduation date. 

3. Cosmetology school: the make-up courses are typically not extensive or hands on but once you have the license, you're guaranteed to be able to walk through any door. A cosmetology license allows you work in different areas within the beauty industry including styling hair for clients if you want to offer both. 

4. The best education is experience! No matter which field you desire to work in hands on experience is invaluable, it’s important to utilize your resources now. So, get out there, ask to collaborate with your favorite faces, work on your friends, anyone and everyone so you can gain the experience you need to become a strong artist! 

BUILDING YOUR PORTFOLIO 

Building your portfolio is one of the most important tasks in your career. Breaking into the field it’s really important to have images that display your work. If you have a concept in mind collaborate with your favorite photographers and models to get the images you need. I created a breakdown of things to consider and check off to have a powerful portfolio;

1. Invest in quality lighting; a few systems I personally use, and love are The Make Up Light, Glamcor, Neewer and the Ring Light.

2. Take quality photos; make sure your lens is clean, the focus is on your model and if you’re working with a photographer to always receive your images. 

3. Build your website; this is the fun part you have the opportunity to create a site that reflects your personality and style. 

4. Using social media as your display; not only will you have a site to display all your images and work but using social media to diversify your reach creates multitudes of opportunities. 

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE 

Social media is one of the smartest marketing tools in the world. There are millions of businesses starting from home that are making more money than corporate jobs. It’s also incredibly important you utilize this as free marketing, sharing your images while creating a community generates more revenue than you can imagine. Each individual app has different algorithms and even though it’s hard to always get it right when posting, the more you educate yourself on each platform the better. With the right lighting, images and a consistent posting schedule you can build your clientele right form home. 

Now these steps aren’t everything for creating your freelance career, but they pave a great foundation for it. There are many other things to consider such a work ethic, building your kit/sanitization practices, professionalism and most importantly authenticity.