Want to increase your makeup artist salary? You’ve come to the right place! Today, QC Makeup Academy alumnus, Gabrielle Rivera, is here to reveal 6 awesome niches that can help you book more clients and boost your income!
How Education Will Impact Your Makeup Artist Salary
The professional makeup industry is one that is highly saturated. As a makeup artist, you may question which steps you can take to increase your salary, keep a consistent cash flow, and maintain steady client bookings.
For starters, it’s important to understand that proper education is a key niche that’ll help you to increase your rates! When clients or companies are looking to book a makeup artist, the fact that you have a reputable certification will put you far ahead of your competition. Similarly, having the right credentials to your name will help you build client to trust a whole lot easier. After all, they’ll be able to feel confident that you truly are the best of the best! Furthermore, they’ll be able to see this through the time and work you’ve put into becoming a legitimate subject-matter expert.
The Value of a Niche
Another excellent way you can increase your makeup artist’s salary is by honing one or more niches. A niche is a specialized area of the market that’s considered rare. Niches are often things that are in high demand but are not as regularly offered. Furthermore, it’s also that special something that can make you unique from the other MUAs in your area!
Niches That’ll Increase Your Makeup Artist Salary
1. Airbrush Makeup
Aside from knowing how to apply traditional makeup, airbrush makeup is a popular technique in both the bridal and Special FX worlds. The benefits of airbrush makeup are that it can be long-lasting and quickly applied. Moreover, this type of makeup creates a natural, seamless finish. Adding airbrush makeup to your skills is a fantastic way to gain more clientele, increase your bookings, and boost your makeup artist salary!
Helpful Resources
Here are some resources/articles on airbrush makeup that will provide you with even more information, guidance, and tips:
- Tutorial: QC Makeup Academy Airbrush Machine
- QC’s Airbrush Makeup Workshop: Creating a Fantasy Look [Tutorial]
- 4 Reasons to Add Airbrush Makeup to Your Career
- Airbrush Makeup: Safety and Etiquette 101
- Airbrush Makeup vs. Regular Makeup: Which is Better?
- My Honest Review of the Airbrush Makeup Workshop
- 5 Surprising Career Paths for Airbrush Makeup Artists
- 4 Worst Ways to Use an Airbrush Makeup Machine
2. Hair Styling
Hairstyling is another skill set that easily goes hand-in-hand with makeup artistry. When clients are looking to book an MUA, more often than not they’re also looking for a hairstylist. What better way to increase your makeup artist salary and build your clientele than by providing both of these services under one roof?
QC Makeup Academy’s Hair Styling Essentials Course teaches you how to create studio hairstyles that you can use to work in the bridal, studio or editorial settings. Knowing how to create hairstyles alongside makeup applications will allow you to create a full, finished product!
Helpful Resources
Here are some resources/articles on hair styling that will provide you with even more information, guidance, and tips:
- Hair Styling vs. Hair Dressing: A Breakdown
- The 4 Most Popular Jobs for Hair Stylists
- The Top 7 Must-Have Hair Styling Tools for Your Business
- 4 Reasons You SHOULDN’T Add Hairstyling to Your Makeup Business
- Graduating From an Online Hairstyling Course – How Much Will You Make?
- 5 Reasons Why an Online Hair Styling Class is Perfect For You
3 More Niches To Boost Your Makeup Artist Salary!
3. Global Beauty
Beauty makeup truly goes beyond knowing the latest social media trends – especially those only popular in your area of the world. Something that can help you stand out, work with a larger range of clients, and increase your makeup artist salary is to know how to apply global beauty makeup!
QC’s Global Beauty Workshop will teach you how to create applications that are international. You can refine your skills in order to address a range of cultures and religions. Furthermore, you’ll discover how to properly apply makeup on all skin tones and types!
Helpful Resources
Here are some resources/articles on global beauty makeup that will provide you with even more information, guidance, and tips:
- Why I’m Taking QC’s Global Beauty Workshop
- Must-Have Products for Your Global Makeup Course
- Why You Should Take a Makeup Artist Class in Global Beauty
- Global Beauty Course Sample: Corrective Makeup for Deep Skin Tones
- 4 Things You Can Do With a Global Beauty Certification
- The Importance of Global Beauty for Your Makeup Career
4. Special FX Makeup
When you think of special effects makeup, you might only think of Halloween-style makeup. However, SFX makeup goes FAR beyond that! This area of makeup can be created for movie sets, TV shows, theater, and so much more. In terms of bumping up your makeup artist salary, learning special effects makeup is a solid strategy!
QC Makeup Academy’s Special FX Makeup Course will teach you the basics of color theory, bruising, applying bald caps, working with prosthetics, and much more. Through this program, you’ll learn how to apply crepe hair, develop unique characters, create cuts and fantasy makeup – just to name a few things! Knowing this range of skills is guaranteed to make you a more valuable asset to agencies, as well as clients.
Helpful Resources
Here are some resources/articles on special effects makeup that will provide you with even more information, guidance, and tips:
- My Review of QC Makeup Academy’s Special Effects Course
- QC’s Special FX Makeup Course: Zombie Assignment
- Special Effects Makeup for Film
- Special Effects Makeup: Don’t Commit These 4 Sins!
- How to Create a Special Effects Character Look From a Script
- Special Effects Makeup for Beginners: 5 Best Ways to Start Learning
5. Fashion Styling
As a professional makeup artist, you need to be able to see your client in the entire picture: hair, makeup, and fashion. When working on-set for a photoshoot, film, or television, it’s important to understand how the fashion aspect will fit into your makeup and hair applications.
Think of makeup, hair, and fashion as the ultimate holy trinity. Together, they create the most rounded-out, completed look – and this is exactly why QC Makeup Academy offers a Fashion Styling Course! This way – alongside your makeup and hair training – you truly learn how to master all three fields.
Once enrolled in this program, you’ll discover how to conduct fashion consultations with clients, work with textures and tones, and determine what works best for each individual’s body type. This skill-set pairs great with makeup and hairstyling to help you create the perfect look, from head to toe!
Helpful Resources
Here are some resources/articles on fashion styling that will provide you with even more information, guidance, and tips:
- Why Fashion Styling Services will Help Your Makeup Artist Training
- 3 Critical Questions to Ask Fashion Styling Clients During the Consultation
- 4 Reasons Why People Hesitate to Enter the Fashion Industry
- 5 Popular Fashion Styling Jobs
- Help! Where Do I Find Fashion Clients?
- How Much Do Personal Fashion Stylists Cost?
- How to Style Shy Fashion Clients
- Why Fashion Styling is the Perfect Addition to Your Makeup Certificate
Bonus Niche: Virtual Makeup Services
Lastly, another option that can help increase your makeup artist salary is to consider signing up for QC’s Virtual Makeup Training mini-course. By offering clients virtual makeup and/or skin care services, you’d be able to consult and work with clients from all over the world!
These days, it’s easy for individuals to turn to social media for answers or advice regarding makeup or skincare. But imagine the benefits of having YOU as a consultant to provide factual, professional expertise instead! This course will allow you to work from home, make additional money for your business, and connect you with more clientele than you could ever imagine.
Here are some resources/articles on virtual makeup and skincare that will provide you with even more information, guidance, and tips:
Now that we’ve reached the end, my only question to you is: What are you waiting for? You have the power to increase your makeup artist salary by investing in yourself and your skill-set. So, don’t wait a second longer to make the future happen for you, today!
Ooooooh what a fun read! I’d also say that skincare would definitely help boost salary.
Thanks for sharing!!
Jordan