Establishing Your Rates as a Makeup Artist

When establishing your rates, keep in mind these key factors:

• The quality of your kit and supplies

  If you are skimping on quality in your kit because you can’t afford it, you aren’t charging enough for makeup services. You should be using top quality products on your clients. It represents who you are, your experience, and education. If you are doing a skincare prep that includes a luxury skincare regime, you need to charge accordingly.

• Education

  Education is important. It is the difference between and amateur and a pro. Your rates should reflect that. If you can’t afford continuing education, you aren’t charging enough. To remain a top artist, continuing education is an integral part of your success. You Tube is great for inspo but it is not education.

• Experience

  If you have been working as a makeup artist for years, your pricing should reflect your experience level. An experienced makeup artist with years of hands-on experience who has kept up with continuing education should be charging more than someone just starting out. Your prices should go up as you gain more experience and education.

• You are a Pro

  They are hiring you because you are a pro. You spend countless unpaid hours researching, packing your kit, and sanitizing. You don’t cut corners. Your rates should reflect that. A 60 minute appointment could easily include up to 2 hours of prep and post work depending on the job. Creative jobs include more time for research and errands. If you feel like you can’t afford to take the time you need for prep and post, you aren’t charging enough. You are not a pro if you cut corners.

• Travel

  You travel to your client at their convenience. Makeup is a luxury service. Travel costs more than having your client come to your location and takes up more time. A 60 minute appointment at your studio vs. a 60 minute appointment with 2 hours of roundtrip travel are two very different things.

• Schedule

• You take clients on weekends, holidays, and very early mornings. These times and dates would be considered an overtime or double time pay for all other industries.

• Benefits

  You don’t have 401k, sick days, or insurance as an independent artist. This should be factored into what your rates are.

• Part-time Makeup Artists

  If you work full time with benefits and do makeup on the side, please keep in mind how your pricing affects the industry and your fellow artists. Offering cheap rates because you don’t need it to pay your bills, negatively affects our industry. You deserve to make the going rate for your art regardless of if you do it “on the side” or not. By charging appropriate rates, you contribute to our community in a positive way.

• DO NOT let clients bully you into lowering your rate. You might not be in every client’s budget and that’s OK. What they think you make vs. what you make after factoring in the above are two different things.

• Work smarter, not harder!

  I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave them in the comments below.