I love this question because in the past 3 years or so, becoming a “makeup artist” is something that I feel has somewhat lost its meaning.  There are a lot of hobbyist who love makeup and decide to call themselves “makeup artists”.  While I love the enthusiasm and attention the field is getting, it makes it hard to differentiate between the two.  So here are a few things you should look for in a great makeup artist.

• What is their makeup history?  How long have they been doing makeup? Have they done makeup for more than friends and family members? Have they been paid for makeup jobs?  Have they done makeup on different skin tones? This is important because it is relatively easy to become very skilled at doing your own makeup, but it’s another thing to become skilled at doing makeup on other people.  Especially people who don’t have the same skin tone and facial features as you do!
• Do they use hygienic practices?  Does your makeup artist make mention of the safety in sanitation? Are they using hand sanitizer before every client?  Are they using disposable wands and tools? Do they spray or wipe off their products before using them on your face? Do their brushes look clean?  It is possible to transfer germs and bacteria via dirty makeup brushes and improperly sanitized lipsticks, glosses and eye liners.  Before you hire your next makeup artist, ask them what their hygienic practices are, and see if they mention any of the things I have.
• Do they seem to be excited to meet you and happy to be at work?  For me, being a makeup artist is not work- it’s play!! It’s a fun and creative outlet that I can actually make money doing!  Any good makeup artist is in love with doing makeup and all the quirky things that come along with it.  If your makeup artist comes to greet you without a smile and contagious excitement – buyer beware!
• Honesty.  Honesty is the last great trait of a makeup artist I’m going to discuss here, but it can easily be one of the most critical.  It is very important that any makeup artist you hire is completely honest with themselves as well as their clients.  A good makeup artist is going to tell you (politely) that a specific technique you may want or color choice that you may have, might not be the most flattering on you in terms of your face shape, eye shape, undertone coloring etc.  Another thing your makeup artist should be honest about is their skill level.  There is no “one shoe fits all” with makeup artists, some of us are better or not so good with certain makeup trends and techniques.  And that’s ok, but the artist you are working with should be honest enough to tell you BEFORE you hire them!  Equally important to a makeup artist’s honesty is the honesty of the client.  As a client you owe it to the artist you hired to let them know if you aren’t pleased with a certain aspect of your makeup (don’t wait until they finish the whole look to tell them you don’t like the eyeshadow).  Any good makeup artist is used to and adept to dealing with feedback- and they will make the necessary adjustments to suit your needs, with no hard feelings.

So keep all these things in mind next time you’re looking for a makeup artist.  Here at Kodi The Pro Makeup Services, we do all these and more!