Make-up artist
Make-up artists apply make-up and style hair for people appearing on camera or in front of a live audience.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a make-up artist, you could:
- research make-up and hairstyles of different periods and cultures
- organise your make-up team and assistants
- create styles based on the director and production designer's instructions
- apply actors' make-up and style hair at the start of a day
- check that design ideas work under different conditions
- create special effects make-up
- take notes and photos for reference and continuity
- be on set or backstage ready to redo make-up and hair
Working environment
You could work at a TV studio, in a theatre, on a film set or at a film studio.
Career path and progression
Many make-up artists work freelance and develop their career by building a network of contacts and receiving recommendations from clients.
With experience, you could become chief make-up artist or make-up designer. You could also develop specialist skills, for example applying body art, or making facial or body moulds for creating and fitting prosthetics.
You could move into areas like:
- fashion and photography
- print and digital media
- special effects
You might also work in medical aesthetics, using make-up techniques to cover scars and skin conditions to help improve a client's psychological wellbeing and confidence.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- design skills and knowledge
- the ability to work well with your hands
- artistic and creative flair
- the ability to work well with others
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- to be flexible and open to change
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- courses run by private training providers
You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or a degree in make-up, such as:
- make-up for media and performance
- media make-up artistry
- theatrical, fashion and special effects make-up
Subjects that show your creativity can be useful for getting on to university make-up artistry courses.
These include:
- art and design
- performing arts
- drama or theatre studies
You'll usually need a print or online portfolio of your work and ideas for course applications and interviews.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You could study for a college qualification in:
- make-up
- theatrical and media make-up
- make-up artistry
- hair and media make-up
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You could apply to do an apprenticeship, for example:
- Beauty Therapy Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Hairdressing Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Hair, Wigs, Make-up and Prosthetics Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
With a qualification in hair or beauty and practical experience, you may be able to apply for assistant make-up artist jobs.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
You could start out as a trainee or assistant to a make-up team, or find casual work doing make-up and hair for extras in crowd scenes.
You could get experience in salon, wedding and events make-up. You might also work in cosmetics sales, and build a professional portfolio to demonstrate your skills.
You could volunteer behind the scenes in theatres or amateur dramatic societies to get some experience.
You can do specialist make-up and beauty courses through commercial beauty schools.
Career tips
It's a good idea to get practical experience and put together a portfolio of work to show employers what you can do.
You could:
- get involved with amateur theatre
- take part in student film, theatre and photography projects
- help out at charity or student fashion shows
- work shadow an established make-up artist or photographic stylist
Further information
You can find out more about careers in stage and screen make-up from ScreenSkills and Get Into Theatre.
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