Will you be my makeup artist?

Unless your some diva with the ability to hire a makeup artist on a regular basis, you probably have no idea what your doing when you call one to get some info about your event. I imagine it's something like buying a, er, lady of the evening...awkward and unsure. You think you have an idea about what your supposed to ask, but really, all you have to go on is what so-and-so's cousin or sister or mom said, and a smattering of information written by uninformed editors to fill the gaps between ad space in $5 magazines. Hopefully, we pick up where you left off, but sometimes the questions don't exactly give us an opening. So, let me help you out. Consider this your hand delivered cheat sheet to calling one of us up and sounding like a cool cat on a hot day-

1) Tell us your name and what dates or events you want covered.
The thing is, you may have 20 minutes worth of quizzing to find out if we are the one for you. But none of that matters if we are already booked for your date, and it makes us feel like jerks having to cut you off to check that first. Also, those of us who have a legitimate agency or practice usually field dozens of calls a week... you won't be our only call that day, so if you don't tell us your name, you fall into a space where you'll basically have to repeat the entire conversation a week later. Again, we feel like jerks. (You may have to do that anyways if we are slammed, but help us out here!)

2) Don't make assumptions based on what you heard in a forum, chat room, or from your mom's/ cousins/ sisters stylist.
There's really no formula to makeup. Sure, there's tips and tricks and generally accepted idea's of what looks good and what sucks, but there isn't exactly some government endorsed evidence to support any of it. The most common example of this misguided advice I hear is "do you do airbrush makeup?" No. It's assumed that because some companies charge more for it, or someone had it, that it is the one and only great way to have makeup, which is far far far from the truth. The better choice would be to look at a companies portfolio and resume and reviews long before you pick up the phone. Like what you see and hear? If so, then it's safe to assume whatever the company is doing is working well. Would you ask the chef if they only cooked in All-Clad, so long as the food was amazing? Trust me, if the artist's products or technique sucks, you'll know it by looking at the photo's or hearing about it thru reviews. And, the perfect makeup line does not exist. Pretty must any reputable artist you come across is using stuff across the board. We use what gets us the results we want, and if you like those results, you like us.

3) Ask the right questions.
Here's what you need to ask an artist or agency before you book them:
Do they require a contract and/or deposit?
What's the cancellation policy?
What artist will be showing up that day?
What is the booking procedure?
What's your rate, and what does it include?

And here's what you need to find out on your own:
Do you like their portfolio?
Do they come across as having been in business for a while?
Easily accessible- IE phone number, email address?
Do treat you kindly and professionally?


4) Do your homework, but don't dilly dally.
Make no mistake, you should definitely do your homework. Look at portfolio's, read reviews, make a few calls. But keep in mind that even tho we all say "Sorry, can't hold your date without a contract or deposit", we generally put it in our books with a question mark so we remember to call you up in case some else tries to book it. It's just a courtesy (at least with my company), because it's important for me to feel like you KNOW how much I value you as a client. That being said, we hesitate when giving your date away because we want to check with you first. When you sure you've met "the one" (makeup artist, of course!), get it booked.

Hopefully you leave this post feeling well informed and ready to get yourself all hooked up with an MUA knowing that your making a good choice AND giving your future artist warm fuzzies!