Choosing a Makeup Artist

If I had a nickel for every horror story.

Grown women have cowered and cried over a bad makeup job. I had a model once tell me how her previous artist licked a q-tip and tried to use it on her face! Breakouts, dirty brushes, attitude problems, or just plain ugly makeup jobs can make a girl quiver in fear.

Anytime your using someones services for the first time, it's a crap shoot. The best laid plans of mice and men, as they say. It sucks that we usually learn how bad a company can be first hand, but you can certainly increase your odds of landing a good one if you have a basic idea of what your looking for.

When searching for a makeup artist, first and foremost know that the competition is cutthroat. If you live in a major metro area or even a large state and only find a couple, your looking in the wrong places. You should have at least a half a dozen or so to choose from, but more than likely alot more!

Testimonials are very effective in finding a great MUA. If other people have good things to say, then chances are you will too. Most websites have policies in effect so that all reviews are verified as legit. Also, it takes effort on our part to get former clients to write those reviews, good bad or otherwise. A MUA with reviews is an MUA who is pretty serious about their careers and makes the effort beyond just showing up to appointments.

Portfolio's can be a big help too. Your looking for a good selection of styles. If all you see is tight, curly updo's and your going to a corporate event, that may not be the artist for you. It's kinda a gyp to the client that Photoshop is so mainstream now, I've seen many a shoddy makeup artist with a great portfolio when it's mostly a graphic design team's work. There's no way to tell this except to look for consitency in the photo's. If only a few are amazing but there rest suck, it probably means that the MUA lucked out and got a good post-production clean up.

Now that you found an artist with great reviews and a smashing portfolio, the follow thru is going to seal the deal. Most of us are our own secretary's. That means, when work is good, we probably aren't going to be able to get back to you immediately. But, you should hear back from an artist within two days of your initial contact. We may be on set all day, but especially if you email us, we can usually write back from our Blackberry's an iPhones. You want an artist who responds in a reasonable time frame, answers your questions, and is freindly. This all confirms the good stuff you've read and the photo's you've seen.

Don't be afraid to have a trial if your unsure about your artist. If it's a big event and you need to be postive about the person your working with, schedule your trial. Yes, it will cost you extra, but it would be worth your peace of mind. Also, you can make sure that the artist LISTENS. One of the biggest complaints I hear about other artists is that they didn't listen to the client. You need someone who can walk the fine line between giving you good, professional advice and still giving you what you want. Sometimes that line can be shaky to tread, but an effort must be made just the same.

There are some truly amazing artists out there, just waiting to be found!