Today was the first day of New York Fashion Week and I'm working for Maybelline again - I'm painting the Maybelline ambassadors who work in the bus in the main foyer. The work is simple, pleasant and profitable :)))
And I return to the answers to the eternal make-up questions :) This time - a question from Tatyana:

"Nastya, hello! I would like to ask you for advice. I live in Italy, now I have started to develop contacts with local photographers, although everything is somehow complicated here... I think you will understand me, since you also live abroad. Maybe You will think my question is stupid, but still)) How did you meet photographers? What’s better? Write to an email, ask to meet in person, or what?... I’m kind of at a loss. I wrote to agencies, but they don’t even answer. ..
By the way, it’s very common here for photographers to invite a makeup artist to a paid shoot for them, supposedly to evaluate how he works. I'm just at a loss - it's just that every first photographer does this! I just give up..."

Eh, Tanya! How familiar are all these feelings to me! During these four and a half years that I have been living in the USA, only the last year can be considered truly productive. In the sense of career-work. At the same time, let me remind you that I have an additional advantage - I know the technique of body painting, unlike many of my colleagues, so I can carry out unique orders. Therefore, today I will try to tell you with examples from personal experience how to speed up your entry into the industry of a new country. I will try to choose general points that I think will work everywhere. Although there are specifics in each country and there are a lot of differences between Italy and the USA.

The points:

1. You will need three to five years of full-time work in a new country to build a career as a makeup artist. ( my count, no guarantees)
2. Most likely, your portfolio will not correspond to the new market and will need to be almost completely rebuilt.
3. You need web website, meeting the requirements of the new market in the appropriate language + English, for example, Italian + English.
4. It is necessary to explore the possibilities of social Internet activity in a new country. Social networks and some events, parties in “real life”.

To write or not to write to photographers? My answer is yes, write. You can attach several photos of your Internet resolution to your email to show off your work and indicate your website. I also have this trick. I collected several of my works without retouching, mainly beauty and close-ups. I show them to the photographer when I contact him to show my level of work. I absolutely know that many photographers do not like to work with new makeup artists, because they are afraid that they will ruin the shoot. I have already heard such stories - they say, the makeup artist does good work in the book, but on the shoot everything was very bad - uneven tone, crooked lips and eyeliner... Elementary, Watson - what we see in the book and on the website - work after retouching. I heard a story about how one photographer had to retouch his makeup for several months, practically “painting” it all over again - after an unsuccessful meeting with a makeup artist! No wonder photographers are cautious! And more about photographers. Everyone is interested in what you can, as they say in America, put on the table. That is, what are your ideas and do you have a team that will help implement it. Make sure you have prepared versions of mood boards and stories that you can implement as a makeup artist. If in your letter you write that you know a manicurist, hairdresser, etc. - which will help you realize the whole story - this will increase your chances of success. And about the tactics of communicating with the photographer. I write once - I don’t like to impose. Many, of course, do not answer. But there are guys who attack photographers with artillery frequency - they write e-mails, comments on social networks, and are constantly showered with compliments and willingness to work. And this tactic ultimately works - many photographers I know gave in to annoying applicants. True, as a rule, the acquaintance did not last long - such annoying people are given a chance with reluctance, out of necessity, and any mistake is a guarantee that he will not be invited again :) In general, decide for yourself, the main thing is to compare your portfolio, as they say. Don't try to jump too high. Unless...you're willing to pay the photographer! Yes, this is also a method and a very effective one - you pay the photographer for his work, receiving as a result photographs for the portfolio and the image of the makeup artist who worked with the Etakani Photographer (after all, no one knows that you paid). I would love to use a paid method of meeting a photographer, but at the time when I needed it, I simply didn’t have that kind of money :) In the USA, a shoot of this kind can cost from 750-1000 dollars (this, of course, is exclusively the photogaf’s rate) .
You must have yours with you Business Cards. It is not forbidden for a makeup artist to have a card with information on one side and a beautiful picture on the other. Ideally, this should be a graphic closeup; the more interesting the execution, the more intrigue. This picture on the back of Julie Begin’s business card, I know, “catches” many:

About the agency. Of course, it is a huge illusion to hope that you, a new person in a foreign country, will be of interest to the agency. They need professionals with their own client base, this is the main interest of the agency. There is no point in taking on someone unknown but talented; an agent can keep you in mind for several years, watching your growth, and at a certain point - get in touch. But - not before you start earning properly) But you can get a job as an assistant at an agency and work with the makeup artists represented, receiving little money - but this is very interesting! Assisting is the best school for a makeup artist. If I lived in Italy, I would ask to be Linda Cantello's assistant :)
In America it’s like this: every agency has a drop-off clock: at this time, any professional can bring his portfolio and leave it at the agency for review. You can leave a note that you are a job seeker as an assistant for makeup artists in the note on the first page.
Be socially active- go to parties, parties, especially events organized by cosmetics brands - MAS does this, for example. Well, don’t forget the Internet - create a page on Facebook that will be dedicated to your work, comment on your friends and colleagues. Find it. what other resources are available - there are social networks for beauty industry workers. There used to be such a popular site Model Mayhem, but at some point I stopped even going to it - there are too many low-level models, makeup artists, etc., the real pros are getting lost. There are other social networks that are popular in different regions. I've heard many stories about a fashion bank, a social network for stylists. Usually everyone complains that all sorts of spam comes through it and vonnabiz models ask for a photo shoot. So I can tell you that in American networks everything is the same! But sometimes something works.

If you live in Europe, don't limit yourself to one country - you can and should go to all European fashion weeks, work in London and Paris, even if you live in Milan. It's not easy, but the path is still the same, through agencies. Write to agencies that represent famous makeup artists in Paris and London - at some point it will work!

And further. Let's just throw away all illusions. Do you think everything was perfect, rosy and simple for me in New York? As soon as I arrived, clients and magazines came running to me asking me to work for them? How many free shoots have I done and am still doing? Dozens. And I can’t use all the results on the website and portfolio, unfortunately. There are clients who still haven’t and won’t pay me back - I was simply used because of my inexperience. How often did I have to carry heavy suitcases in the subway and along slushy streets, because I needed to earn those fucking 200 dollars, and there was no way to spend money on a taxi. Now I can boast about interesting projects and magazines and earn good money from my work. However, all this was not as easy as it might seem to the readers of my LJ :) Let's be realistic - a career requires hard work even in your home country! I can only wish my colleagues who have moved a lot of strength and patience. Just like myself :)

There are many professions whose representatives devote themselves to creating or emphasizing beauty. Many of them work directly with people: hairdressers, manicurists, stylists, makeup artists. We can continue to list a number of these interesting professions, but now we will focus on makeup artists.

Almost every second person believes that the work of a makeup artist does not require any skills or abilities at all: take courses for two weeks, and then swing your brushes and shovel money. But Reconomica I spoke with a representative of the profession who debunked these myths. Below, read the whole truth about how a makeup artist actually works, what difficulties he faces, and what is needed to become a true master of his craft.

My name is Brown Violanda. I am 20 years old, I live in the city of Omsk, my work experience is 2 years. I think that the profession of a makeup artist is an art, it’s a small holiday during work, because it’s so nice to bring beauty into the world, emphasizing the natural beauty of a girl, which she might not have previously noticed.

To work as a makeup artist, you must love to give joy and have a positive attitude, since clients subtly feel the unpleasant nature of the artist and, because of this, may avoid him. Also, perseverance, tact, accuracy, punctuality, attentiveness and, of course, inspiration, which a makeup artist simply needs, will not hurt, because his path will definitely be difficult, and you need to have the strength and desire to overcome all difficulties on this path to professional success.

What you need to start

Before work, careful preparation is necessary: ​​large financial investments, which, unfortunately, are not available to everyone, which makes it very difficult for even talented people to enter the profession.

At first, I was happy with every new purchase and felt an acute lack of funds to purchase all the cosmetic products that I needed.

At first, my income was very small: mostly I worked with models for a portfolio for free, or they paid me exclusively for the cost of cosmetics. All the money earned went to replenish the makeup artist’s case, which contains brushes, sponges, decorative, caring and cleansing cosmetics. Everyone needs a makeup artist's case in their work: in rare cases, a salon can provide cosmetics for work, but the profession itself implies constant development, improvement, and courses that cannot be completed without having your own case.

Portfolio is the main document of a makeup artist

There are also many controversial cosmetic products that some makeup artists are delighted with, but others do not want to use them. Salon cosmetics cannot be completely adjusted to the preferences of the specialist. Therefore, I, like most beginning makeup artists (and two years of work experience does not make you a master), work from home and on location.

Sometimes I temporarily rent a studio and quite often participate in photo days, where it is necessary to do quick and high-quality makeup and hairstyle for the model, while the photographer takes photographs and then retouches the photo. Afterwards, the photographer, you as a makeup artist and the model have a photo for your portfolio. Such a mutually beneficial condition is a quid pro quo.

At first, you will have to participate in such cooperation often, since the skill of a makeup artist can be assessed by his photo in the portfolio, which is the most important document of a specialist.

It doesn’t matter to the client how many courses and advanced training I have completed, but what matters is the quality of work I am ready to provide.

As a rule, the client chooses a master based on a photo of his work. However, legally the photographer is more protected in the case of cooperation of this kind, so it is important to have communication skills in order to find a common language with the photographer and the model.

The role of training in the profession

Before you start putting together a portfolio, you need to undergo training with a highly qualified master teacher who will help you understand the basics of makeup, eyebrow shaping, etc. This is called the “Basic Makeup Artist Course.”

It is important to find a really good teacher and take courses with training on models.

It is necessary to combine both theoretical and practical parts, however, this course may soon become insufficient: sooner or later there will be a need to deepen one’s knowledge, because there is simply an endless variety of faces and their characteristics.

Learning over time should not stop

It is important to immediately focus on regular master classes and lessons. After the basic course, I have already completed quite a lot of them: color mathematics, coloristics, lifting makeup, smokey makeup, wedding makeup and others. I have not yet met a single master who did not aim for training or inspiration at master classes. It also makes sense not to skimp on training and turn to a truly worthy makeup artist-teacher. I repeat: it doesn’t matter how many certificates and diplomas you collect, because clients are practically not interested in this, but your skills and knowledge will always be above all else.

The knowledge and skills of the master are important for the client.

Is it worth applying to become a makeup artist at a government agency?

There is also a training program “Styling and the art of makeup” at the faculties of government institutions, but makeup artists themselves do not recommend undergoing long-term training there, since it does not correspond to modern trends in makeup, does not provide sufficiently correct knowledge, and difficulties may arise with the selection of cosmetics.

Perhaps such an institution can produce a good makeup artist (which I doubt), but several years spent on dubious training are not worth it, since good courses allow you to enter the profession after only 2 weeks of training and practice on models.

In any case, in the future it is necessary to constantly improve.

Computer technologies to help the master

So, you've completed the courses, put together a case of cosmetics, and created your portfolio. What's next? I, too, was puzzled by this question at one time, but the information age itself gave me the answers: I created a work account on social networks. As a rule, they are created on VKontakte and Instagram, where you need to post photos of your work, come up with competitions, and add, among other things, information of an educational and entertaining nature.

The account is a good intermediary between the master and the client. Sometimes it is worth using paid advertising promotion services.

It is important to be able to write competently and interestingly: the account should not only exist in fact, but also be interesting for a potential client.

Little by little, a base of my clients began to gather around me, whom I attracted at photo days, with the help of work in accounts, portfolios, and some began to constantly use my services.

In order to work effectively with each client, using special programs on a mobile device, I maintain a client database, which allows me to never forget about makeup appointments, always remember the time of the client’s last visit, enter my calculations and calculations, and work out a system of discounts. I advise every master (no matter whether he is a beginner or an experienced one) to have such a smart assistant at hand.

Where is it better to work: in a salon or at home?

Working with a client for direct payment, excluding photo days, can be done both in a salon and at home.

The first case has its advantages:

Working from home also has its advantages:

• The ability of the master to travel to the client’s home (which, for example, is necessary for wedding makeup).
• The opportunity, in addition to commercial work, to devote time to art and work for oneself.
• Not all clients like having several seats in the salon, because this causes difficulties in communicating with the specialist when, for example, a loud client is sitting next door.

Features of home work

It is important to understand that to work from home you need a specially equipped home studio with good lighting and the absence of relatives and children. In the room where the work is being done, it would be unpleasant for the client if I was doing makeup in the kitchen while my husband was grumbling around me and the children were running around. Also, to work at home, the master needs, in addition to everything, to purchase a ring lamp with cold and warm lighting, a large mirror, a cosmetic table, a comfortable chair for work and a suitcase on wheels for cosmetics.

Visits to clients

Lately, I’ve been trying not to make visits to a client’s home, only in the case of wedding makeup, because once, while doing makeup for a client, I encountered unfounded threats from her husband, who was drunk. The client, of course, made an effort to calm him down, and we had to interrupt the makeup, and I had to go home with an unfulfilled order. Afterwards I thought about having a means of protection with me.

After discussing this with colleagues, we concluded that it is better to avoid visiting the client’s home than to bear responsibility for the use of self-defense in the future.

Unfortunately, children often ruin expensive cosmetics and equipment, and parents do not take time to think about what to do with them while they work. That is, going to your home has, of course, advantages, but I’m afraid that it is only possible for wedding makeup, which requires special preparation and rehearsal.

How much does a makeup artist earn?

Earnings vary depending on the quality of cosmetics you use, what economic region you are in, and the level of your work. As a rule, the initial price is about 300 rubles for makeup, but later these funds are not enough to cover all expenses, and the price must be increased. Too low a price subsequently leads to decline. The makeup artist begins to think: “Why should I work, improve my level, if the price for my services is already quite low?”

If you raise prices without developing in the profession, the decline will be felt even more acutely, because if the price increases, most clients will stop using the services of this master, if he is a beginner.

How best to increase prices for your services

With gradual improvement of one's skills, an increase in prices seems logical approximately in this order: 300>500>700>1000>1500>2000, etc. On average, a master charges 1500-2000 rubles. for makeup, and the visit of a makeup artist to your home is paid additionally.

The most painless time to raise prices is at the end of November or early December. At this time, there is a general increase in prices, and at this level it will be easier for the client to accept the increase in the cost of the master’s services.

This is very important: to understand the client’s psychology, to find an approach to each individual and to people in general.

Registration of individual entrepreneur

A makeup artist can work as an individual, or can form an individual entrepreneur. Most often they prefer the first option. I would recommend registering as an individual entrepreneur, because, despite the percentage paid in taxes, after registration you will have official recognition, legal guarantees and protection for the duration of your activity. If there is no opportunity to register an individual entrepreneur, then work as an individual, usually this has no consequences.

To those who are starting to work or planning to become a makeup artist, I would like to wish patience, determination, and inspiration. It is important to soberly assess your abilities and capabilities, and not start your journey without at least a minimum set of high-quality cosmetics (which at the initial stage will cost from 30,000 rubles and require additions). Find a good teacher and get a strong foundation from him, get good knowledge (often this requires a flight or a trip to another city, but the knowledge is priceless).

It is important to love your client with all his shortcomings, to be able to hide these shortcomings, emphasizing his advantages.

It is important to hide the imperfections of the face, focusing on the advantages.

Makeup is, of course, good, but this is not a service for every day, and you should understand that eyebrows will be your bread and butter for some time. Train as an eyebrow artist, and you will always have a client. In addition, many make-up artists also master the art of hairdressing: this knowledge and skills attract people, since most often the client wants to work on eyebrows, makeup and hair at the same time, and the choice falls on a master who has all these skills. And, perhaps, after this you will grow into an excellent specialist, become known as the now popular makeup artists, and will earn no less than them.

It all starts with ourselves: people are drawn to a purposeful, adequate, pleasant person, which allows us to conclude that we need to work not only on our skills, but also on our internal qualities, because there is no limit to perfection.

This concludes my article, thank you for your attention.

In studio portraiture, the makeup artist and photographer almost always work together. This tandem has existed in professional model photography for a long time. A makeup artist is not a stylist, not a hairdresser. When photographing models, you simply cannot do without his services. And the better the mutual understanding between the photographer and the makeup artist, the better the result of their work will be. That is why these two specialists need to discuss in advance, even before starting to work with the model, all the details of this work, all the little things and nuances that may arise when photographing.

The model usually chooses her hairdresser herself, and arrives at the photo shoot with a ready-made hairstyle. Many of them even have their so-called “own” hairdresser. But a makeup artist is needed directly in the studio; he must do his work right before the start of shooting, and sometimes even during the photography process. Only in this case the result will be successful.

A good makeup artist will always be able to give a model a unique look.

Many people think that a makeup artist is just a makeup artist, that he can, guided by the rules of color correction, knowledge of skin types, face types and many other professional skills, create a unique, spectacular image for a model. In addition to all this, a good makeup artist can hide defects in the model’s skin and emphasize the characteristic features of the face (and not only the face) of the person being portrayed. A true master of his craft will be able to carefully, in detail work out every little detail, every millimeter of the model’s skin. A highly qualified makeup artist, in addition to everything already said, knows perfectly well the properties of all visualization tools without exception, their textures both in studio light and in the light of photo flashes.

Naturally, a good makeup artist is not just a person who has completed a month-long makeup artist course. A good makeup artist is an experienced specialist. And the courses teach only the very basics, the fundamentals of this most complex profession. Well, for example, only standard makeup application schemes. A good makeup artist, in addition to a huge amount of knowledge, must also have a lot of practice, a skill that comes with age. Only a master with extensive experience will be able to delve into and understand all the nuances of the interaction of light and shadow.

Is a conflict or dispute possible between a makeup artist and a photographer?

In practice, unfortunately, such cases also occur. For what reason can disagreements arise between a photographer and a makeup artist? Well, for example, this is the situation. Makeup artist Ivan spends a lot of time and effort to create a specific image for model Tatyana. And photographer Stepan tells Ivan that this image doesn’t suit Tatyana at all. That you need to do everything completely wrong.

That is why we recommend, in order to avoid such conflicts and mutual misunderstandings, the day before starting work, make at least a few sketches and coordinate them with each other. In such work, visibility is necessary. In words, orally, all the little things cannot be discussed and conveyed. And one more important detail. The photographer must notify the makeup artist in advance about how long the photo shoot will last. This is necessary so that the makeup artist is better prepared for it and properly prepares the model for photography.

When working with a novice makeup artist who has not previously worked on photo shoots, the photographer needs to warn the beginner about some of the features of such work. Well, for example, that the tone should be applied not only to the face and neck, but also to the décolleté area, and even completely to the arms and, moreover, to the legs, if you plan to shoot a full-length model. Otherwise, the photographer will have to spend a very long time correcting the color of these areas in graphic editors.

Naturally, the work of a professional makeup artist is expensive. But the amount requested by a makeup artist is not always an indicator of his skill. That’s why, before agreeing to work together, if you don’t know this person, it would be a good idea to ask him to show his own portfolio.

Makeup artists, you will earn THREE times more!

We will simply teach you to be a cool, sought-after specialist who can earn much more.

It is relevant to improve qualifications for already working makeup artists, as well as for beginners, those who want to get a new profitable profession.

ATTENTION! A stylist’s income per client starts from RUB 5,000. in 2 hours of work

If you already had a lot of clients, now you can simply earn three times more money with the same amount of work!

But the best part is, we promise that your expenses for our course will pay off in just four weddings. Next is net income. Do the math and you will realize that you won’t spend anything. Everything invested in your training will be returned quickly!

Learn to see the entire look from shoes to earrings, teach your model bride to choose a veil or accessories, and most importantly, know how to create a luxurious, stylish, trendy hairstyle that will be perfect all day long.

Gone are the days when clients rushed from salon to salon, from master to master, in order to receive the full range of services; now clients want everything at once from their favorite reliable and trusted master. It is enough to simplify the life of your brides: just imagine, she comes to you and only you and completely trusts her image. With what great joy the bride will receive this.

Your benefits for the bride:

Brides are looking for stylists! People you can trust completely based on a portfolio, meeting and rehearsal. Become such a valuable unique specialist, of whom there are very few in Kaliningrad! You are truly missing in this market!

There are tons of your clients and your money here! Just take all this beauty for yourself! And you won’t notice how your brides will become beautiful and stylish, how you won’t have a place in your diary.

The Village continues to tell how the budget of people of different professions works. In the new issue - a makeup artist. A makeup artist's salary depends on his portfolio, the number of clients and the direction in which he works. Some choose beauty salons, other makeup artists work only at weddings, others conduct master classes or personal lessons, work on shows, filming, and television projects. The cost of makeup in a nude style is on average 2–5 thousand rubles, and you can get an individual consultation and analysis of a cosmetic bag for 5–10 thousand. We found out from a girl who gave up a career in IT for make-up seven years ago how much she earns and what she spends her money on.

Profession

Visagiste

Average income

100,000 rubles

Spending for the whole family

9,000 rubles

communal payments

4,000 rubles

40,000 rubles

products

15,000 rubles

entertainment

40,000 rubles

private kindergarten, tutors and clubs for children

4,000 rubles

cosmetics

12,000 rubles

gym

2,000 rubles

How to become a makeup artist

I graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University. After college, I had a good career: I worked in the distribution of computer components. Neither I nor my family considered makeup as a possible profession, but I always liked doing makeup and painting others. When I was on maternity leave, I decided to take a personal lesson from a makeup artist. I was impressed by how complex the science is, and a trip to the USA, where the industry is most developed, helped me finally decide on the choice of occupation.

My husband supported me from the very beginning. Mom and many relatives decided that I was leaving a good position to do “strange things.” After all, at first you have to invest a lot, they don’t take you seriously. But my husband is a golden man. He knows what a highlighter is, and when on a trip I want to buy some million-dollar jar, he says: “Of course, buy it!” Sometimes he watches RBC TV and remarks: “Look how bad her makeup is.” The husbands of makeup artists have no choice: they begin to understand makeup.

I have always approached everything thoroughly, which is why I chose a makeup school with long-term training and practice. The training cost 100 thousand rubles. I did pretty well along the way, but I had to work a lot for free. A blog helped in attracting clients: there I talked about how I was studying and posted my work. Back then Instagram was just gaining momentum, I opened an account and started putting together a portfolio.

I went to New York to study several times. A trip there will be very useful if you want to master the coolest techniques, spy on tricks and work with interesting brands of cosmetics. Even now, after seven years of work, I am constantly learning: reading, watching, going to master classes. Our profession does not allow stagnation: if you slow down, you will fall behind the locomotive.

Carier start

The first year I earned no more than 20–25 thousand rubles a month. The orders were brought by an announcement from a friend of mine who runs a fairly popular blog. Over time, my Instagram account also became popular. I realized how large a percentage of the audience comes through social networks when I was in the hospital. Then I wrote that I was temporarily not working, and no one called me for some period. Of course, customer recommendations are no less important. If you make up the bride beautifully, she will definitely tell her friend who is getting married about it.

I got my first television projects thanks to contacts from New York. The producer liked my responsibility, and he began to invite me to future projects. Now I recruit makeup artists myself. I don’t take part in photo shoots and commercial shoots very often, but I know makeup artists who almost constantly work in tandem with a photographer. There are also shows and fashion weeks, but this is more for the portfolio and does not bring in money.

After makeup school, it is best to go to work in the corner of some good cosmetic brand - Mac, Bobbi Brown, Nars. Then you immediately have access to a huge amount of cosmetics and a consistently large flow of people. You can test different products, train on people with different appearances, skin types and wishes. This is how your hand fills up in a few months. You can give a client a cool make-up in the store, then he will ask for your contact and become the first client. Another opportunity to start a career is to write to a photographer and, if he likes it, work together on a shoot. You can also become an assistant to an experienced makeup artist, and after a while he will begin to share orders.

Features of work

A makeup artist's day can be super busy if the shoot starts at seven in the morning and ends at three in the morning. Or when at 06:00 - the first bride, at 09:30 - the second, and in the evening there are also private clients. Or prepare 20 people for a corporate event from 10:00 to 17:00, and then conduct a personal lesson.

A makeup artist is the person with whom a wedding or shoot begins. If he is late, everything else will move. You can’t be late, so I always play it safe and leave my country house two hours before.

I had a case when the show was held on a ship, and it sailed at nine in the morning. The day before I was hit by rotavirus - I couldn’t move away from the toilet, let alone get to the ship. I had to urgently look for one of my colleagues. This is your area of ​​responsibility: if something happens to you, you need to find a specialist no worse than that, otherwise word of mouth will quickly change its tone. Then my friend snapped and went instead of me.

When I first started, I thought that working as a freelancer would allow me to do everything. But now it often happens like this: “Oh, what a good fee,” “Oh, my beloved regular client,” “Oh, what an interesting project.” As a result, I work five days, 12–14 hours, and arrive at the end of the week and hear: “Mom, we forgot what you look like.”

Choosing a Niche

Makeup artists can choose a direction of work for themselves: wedding makeup, TV project, commercial shooting, and so on. Some, for example, position themselves exclusively as makeup artists for brides or work mainly at destination weddings abroad. This kind of work is not for me: I have two small children, but I have been to destination weddings a couple of times. Of course, they are paid better; flights, accommodation and meals are included in the price. In two days you can get at least 30 thousand rubles.

Another part of my work is personal training. I give my students basic knowledge on decorative cosmetics. The girl comes with her makeup bag, we sort it out: we understand what is suitable, what is not suitable, and what needs to be purchased in addition. I try to ensure that the girl leaves not only with an understanding of how to apply foundation correctly, what a makeup base is and how to paint her lips correctly. I want that when a consultant comes up to her in the store and says: “Oh, you don’t have a primer? Take it urgently,” she replied: “Calm! I have moisturizer." I try to adapt to my students. If a client comes with a makeup bag the same size as mine, then we can have time to work on eyeliner, smokey eyes, red lipstick and a bunch of other things. But 80% of clients only have mascara and the wrong foundation in their makeup bag. It happens that my makeup artists themselves “pump up” - a colleague from Finland recently came.

Of course, there is competition in our field, but the stories are different. For example, if I can’t come to a regular client and send a colleague in my place, who in the end the client likes better, then what’s the point of being offended? Competition makes it difficult for customers to choose. Nowadays, a bunch of tools - from Facetune to a ring lamp - allow you to change the final result. Sometimes the work in the photo looks simply magical, but in real life it differs significantly. But be that as it may, makeup artists should not publicly pour negativity on each other. In this sense, we need to take an example from the American community, where everyone praises the work of their colleagues. In our country, it is very rare for a top makeup artist to approach another and mark the work. Although I personally have many friends who are makeup artists: we help each other out, share new products, and sometimes clients.

Difficulties

Freelancing is not always a convenient schedule. This is a frankly heavy suitcase with cosmetics that you carry on yourself. It’s good that I have a car; those who don’t, pour cosmetics into small jars so that it’s not so heavy. But here you need to understand that the client pays not only for the end result, but also for the surroundings. Apply with Tom Ford lipstick, not with a brush from a plastic container.

Sometimes makeup artists think of themselves as artists and condescend to their clients. I try to remember that I work in the service industry. At first, when you are just building up a name and a base, you may come across all sorts of people. Today, all my clients go for makeovers that they see on my social networks, and do not ask to “make an extravaganza”, which I will not do.

Experience comes with the first joints. Often a person has unlearned, found a win-win combination, he is very confident in himself, takes out his favorite shadows - and bam, it no longer looks beautiful on a particular person. The young makeup artist is lost and begins to urgently think about how to fix everything. An experienced makeup artist always analyzes first.

Communication with customers

You need to be able to communicate competently with the client so that he does not see frightened eyes and shaking hands. The better a makeup artist can speak, the easier it is for him to work. It is important not only to paint, but also to tell what you are doing, although if the client does not want to communicate, it is important to shut up in time.

For a bride, the best day of her life begins with me. I can’t let her remember how her aunt came to her with a dirty head and in a bad mood. By the way, in the beauty industry everyone is judged by their clothes. You can't look like an accountant. And one more rule: all cosmetics must be perfectly clean.

There will definitely be those who don’t like the way they were painted. It is important to remember that makeup is still a subjective thing. Let’s say you didn’t manage to feel the client to the end, but this is not a reason to move on to a showdown. Makeup can always be fixed - it's not tattooing or hair coloring.

I had a funny incident when I was painting a designer: she was under substances and perceived colors distorted. Therefore, when I took golden eyeshadow, she said: “Purple doesn’t suit me.” There were actresses with a hangover, but here everything was simpler. When working with celebrities, it is important to remember that these are people who have little time, and during makeup they have a hundred more things to do. Therefore, the task of a makeup artist is to contrive, but crawl up and carefully apply makeup while the person is doing his business. One time my client fell asleep, I put a pillow under her head and finished her makeup.

Income

When I was a product manager, one of my tasks was monitoring prices. If I monitored makeup prices in Moscow, I would have to work hard. There is makeup for both 3 thousand and 20 thousand. There is Gohar Avetisyan for 40 thousand rubles. But Elena Krygina is no longer a makeup artist, she is an entrepreneur and a driving force who has made a great contribution to the popularization of the profession.

Today the cost of my services is slightly higher than the average in Moscow. On-site makeup costs from 5 to 7 thousand rubles, depending on the day of the week. If you also need to do styling - from 8 to 10 thousand rubles.

For a day of filming on TV, my usual rate is 15 thousand rubles. If some projects are very interesting to me, I can give a discount. A personal lesson costs 10 thousand rubles. If I give a master class, my fee varies from 15 to 25 thousand rubles, depending on the number of participants. Previously, I also did eyebrows, but now I have a studio where girls work, whom I taught everything. Eyebrow correction and tinting is a very good skill for a makeup artist. If you don’t have a job, you can do eyebrows and earn a normal amount in a day.

The average income of a makeup artist in Moscow is 100 thousand rubles. Wedding makeup artists can earn up to 300 thousand per month in high season. My income is quite stable and equal to the market average, but sometimes I work less than I could because I try to devote time to my children.

Expenses

We live in the Moscow region, in a three-room apartment. We pay 9–10 thousand rubles a month for utilities. We buy food at “Your House”, sometimes some tasty things at “Azbuka”, something at the Danilovsky market, but at the same time in our house there is “Pyaterochka”, which we also go to. A family of four costs 40 thousand rubles.

A private kindergarten costs 20 thousand rubles per month. A tutor in Russian, mathematics and English, as well as classes with a functional training trainer - about the same amount. There are also computer programming courses for older children and equestrian courses for younger ones. Sometimes a nanny comes to us.

Entertainment is also mainly for children: some parks like KidZania, museums, excursions, although they also love cinema and restaurants. I think I’ll spend at least 15 thousand rubles on this.

We don’t have loans now, we even try to save, but not from my salary, but from my husband’s bonuses. My salary goes to current expenses and family needs.

I don’t have any free time, and when I have a minute, I sleep. Now most of our holidays are sponsored by my husband, but there was a period when my husband was left without work and I supported the family: although I worked very hard, we had enough for everything.

I buy beauty items every month. I can spend a thousand or 15 thousand - it depends.