6 Tips to Grow Your Business as a Professional Makeup Artist

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Being a successful makeup artist goes beyond perfecting your contouring technique or having a steady hand with eyeliner. Yes, skill matters. But turning your artistry into a business that provides you with a reliable income stream takes more than a deft hand with the brushes. Start thinking like a business owner.

This doesn’t mean becoming a spreadsheet sorcerer or chart champion. But to avoid costly mistakes and entrepreneurial headaches, you need to have a plan and make intentional rather than reactive choices. 

Here are a few tips to grow your makeup artist career.

Hone Your Skills & Never Stop Learning

Do you need a diploma in cosmetology to become a professional MUA? Not necessarily. But you do need to build your skills and practice them so you can provide every client with high-quality service. 

Are you a structured learner? Check out the courses offered by Ogle School or the Aveda Institutes. DIYing your learning at the academy of YouTube? Just make sure you follow the advice of other professionals. Don’t chase after the trendiest beauty influencers, many of whom focus on doing their own makeup. You want to learn how to create the best makeup looks for clients. 

Stay on top of current and classic trends. When your client asks for this viral liner shape or a classic look, you should know exactly what that is and how to execute it. Keeping track of beauty-adjacent industries, like fashion, also helps you show you know your stuff, especially in niches like bridal aesthetics, where fashion, beauty, and even decor are meant to work together.

Find a Business Direction That Works for You

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You may love doing bridal makeup, makeup for TV and movies, or going all-out with theatrical looks or artsy beauty editorials. Maybe you enjoy creating beauty content. Any niche can be profitable, as long as you’re willing to put in the work. Just remember to research and try out the different types of makeup artistry before you niche down. 

Once you’ve chosen your specialty, strategize ways to make this work for your business. Create packages that appeal to your market. Be present in their spaces. If you focus on weddings, get on bridal directories, blogs, and Pinterest boards. For editorial work, send your portfolio to your favorite publications. 

Build Your Network and Lean on It

Referrals and collaborations count for so much because no MUA operates in a vacuum. If you’re a bridal MUA, you’ll be working with wedding coordinators and stylists. With TV or movie work, there’s an entire film crew to factor in. 

Networking goes a long way in this industry, and some of the best jobs can come when you’re asked to work as part of a team or referred by someone who knows you and your work well. 

Reach out to industry veterans. Touch base with other professionals you’ve worked with. Tap into your local salons and beauty stores. Attend local events, introduce yourself to vendors, and mingle with other attendees. You never know who might recommend you for your next gig.

Wield the Internet Like Your Not-So-Secret Weapon

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For marketing, the internet and social media spaces are your best friends. And you can start out without spending a dime. Just don’t go with the same-old, same-old content. Showing static photos of your makeup jobs or your selfies in an uncurated gallery won’t help you stand out. 

Instead, recruit friends for small test shoots, where you can document every step of the process. Go beyond the usual Pinterest and Instagram, and get on TikTok and other platforms. 

Find out where your market is and what kind of content they’re looking at. Go there, do that. Rinse, repeat.

Invest in Your Business

In any business, there are ways to cut corners and things you shouldn’t scrimp on. Consider reserving a good part of your budget for your beauty supply haul. After all, high-quality supplies yield better results for the cameras. And when you show you care about what you’re putting in your clients’ hair and on their skin, it shows you care about your clients as people. 

But say you’re building your MUA business as a content creator. Investing in your business might mean upgrading your tech, like lighting and cameras. Having a clear view of your business direction helps you decide what to spend on.

Grow Your Business the Smart Way

Growing your business means different things to different people. It’s less about scale and more about strategy. Expanding might mean taking on more clients, creating your own products, teaching classes, creating content, or a mix of these things. 

Go at your own pace. You could start with a makeup workshop for teens or a skincare class for moms or perimenopausal women. There could be a PDF guide to color matching or a bridal beauty checklist. Play to your strengths and passions.

Ready to start your professional MUA business glow-up today? Just like studying your client’s face before you suggest a look, learn the lines and curves that shape the kind of business you want to create to build it beautifully.