How to Get Your Makeup Work Published

How to Get Your Makeup Artist Work Published

Ever wonder how a makeup artist ends up working backstage at New York Fashion Week or gets her work published in a fashion magazine?  Do you ever wish you too could be on the set of a fashion photo shoot and watch the magic unfold knowing your makeup will be on the pages of a fashion magazine or better yet on the cover of Vogue?

Pursuing your dream career in editorial and fashion makeup artistry can often be a difficult endeavor with so much pressure from all that we do in our everyday lives, it is easy to get caught up in all of our responsibilities, and often we find ourselves working long hours just trying to make ends meet.  But there is a way to take your makeup artistry skills and get them working for you in the fashion industry, all you need is a little know-how, a lot of courage, and a strong desire.  You can get your makeup on the pages of a fashion magazine or better yet on the runway at New York Fashion Week.

It’s time to get your work published as a makeup artist.

Build Your Makeup Skills

Your first step to working in editorial or with the fashion industry is to hone your makeup skills. This will set your work above and beyond that of other makeup artists, in other words, you must have master level makeup skills.  To be the best you must continually be practicing makeup on as many faces as possible and in as many genres as you can.  This will give you the ability to walk into any makeup session and apply makeup with flawless results to anyone no matter their skin type, skin tone, or makeup request.  You should have the skills to do stylized makeup that is often out of the box and over the top.  Check out the makeup on the runways of New York Fashion Week and you will see most of the models wearing makeup applications that are far beyond just enhancing their beauty.  New York Fashion Week makeup is all about bold looks that require high-level makeup skills.

Build Your Portfolio

Your portfolio is the single most important factor in getting yourself set up to work in high fashion and editorial makeup. If a photographer, editor, or director can’t see your work in a professional portfolio you have no chance of even getting an interview to be a member of the makeup team.  Your portfolio needs to be a website that is easily accessible with one click, showcases the skill level you have in makeup that has variety and flawless detail.  A portfolio is, in essence, your body of work showing others what you can do as an artist.  A website is the best place to build your portfolio and in today’s prefabricated websites it is easier than ever to create a professional portfolio using pre-built templates.  Check out the beautiful and free templates from wix.com.  Social media is great and Instagram is a good tool when you want to quickly share your work with friends and clients but it is not the place to share your work with potential photographers who may hire you for editorial work or with producers and designers who are looking to build a makeup team for their upcoming runway fashion shows.  You as a makeup artist need to have a professional website that showcases your body of work, your portfolio.

Build Your Relationships

You don’t need to have high-level connections to connect!  You do however need to build relationships both in person and online with those who are the influencers in the fashion and editorial industry.  This means it will be your responsibility to reach out and connect with those in the industry who are the best at what they do, that you admire, and want to work with, then take the next step and make an appointment to meet with them and introduce yourself.  It will be up to you to share your story and show them your makeup artistry work and then show them you are the ultimate professional who works hard and can produce the results they are looking for.  Building relationships and being a top-level professional will be the only way you will ever get the opportunity to work with the influencers of the fashion and editorial industry.  Building relationships will mean connecting with all types of industry professionals such as local to international photographers, fashion designers, fashion show producers, makeup companies and corporate cosmetic leaders, fashion models. And never forget to network with your fellow makeup artists, they might just need your assistance at their next booking or event.

Remember: If you don’t ask the answer will always be no!

Pursue Every Opportunity

The best part of being a professional freelance makeup artist is getting the chance to work with so many amazing people doing some amazing things and as an artist, you get the opportunity to be creative and put your own personal spin on all you do.  The best part is getting the chance to pursue every opportunity that is given to you and finding the strength inside of yourself to push the limits of your work.  As a professional makeup artist, it is up to you to say yes, even when it might not always fit into your comfort level of makeup skills.  Pushing the envelope on your own work means you are able to take every opportunity that comes your way and gives you the extra credibility once you have completed a project.  The expression, “biting off more than you can chew,” isn’t always a bad thing, sometimes taking on more than we think we can, can give us the courage to pursue our dreams with a fierce attitude of complete confidence.  I am a firm believer in the word YES.

Saying, “yes” can open up many doors that we might never get the chance to walk through.

Follow Up & Follow Through

If I could put this one on the top of the list I would.  Following up on every opportunity that comes your way could be the single most important thing you do for your business.  You need to follow up with every person who reaches out to you and follow through on every commitment you make.  These two important elements if handled properly will give you credibility and will be how you build a strong and successful business. Leaving the follow-up and follow-through out of your business plan will sabotage all of your hard work and could end the relationships you have worked so hard to build with those who put their faith in you and your makeup artist skills.  Take the time to thank everyone who provides you with opportunity, everyone you work with, and if asked to share their knowledge, skills, and talents along the way with those who are looking for referrals.

Getting your makeup work published is just like any other part of your makeup artistry business, it will require you to pursue your goal with complete focus that may require all of your attention but the end result could be getting your makeup work on the cover of a magazine or on the runway of New York Fashion Week.  No matter what you aspire to do with your makeup business it is all up to you, there are no limits to what you can accomplish.

I was blessed to have had my makeup artistry published along with my fellow makeup artists on Team Voodoo in Joli En Style Magazine and their coverage of Couture New Your Fashion Week. Thank you, Pete Peter, for making so many dreams come true.