The Makeup World: Portfolio Is Everything

Portfolio is Everything - Despite What Schools Say!

Make-up Artists will email me asking for advice from everything from their resume to their advertisements etc. Theres so much that is unsaid online, in the real world and in the makeup industry about how to "make it" or "present your best".

The truth is- Make-up Artistry is not brain surgery and we are not corporate executives or your traditional business professionals.

We don't work 9 to 5, monday through friday. Most of us do not get paid vacation, sick days, etc. I am not saying that Make-up Artists are not smart and that we need no training whatsoever. I am simply saying that - our industry is a lot different and our jobs are a lot different than most.

A lot of new make-up artists naturally think that to be considered a good make-up artist or be "saught after" they need an impressive education. A lot of big make-up schools in New York City and other cities want potential students to believe this too.

The truth is, unless you are an assistant to some one famous on T.V. or learning make-up zen from some sort of published Make-up guru -
NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Big Companies, Makeup Counters, Everyday Clients, Brides, Photographers etc etc - all want to see your portfolio and your talents. The people that will seriously hire you want to see what you have to bring to the table whether you show them in person or have a dvd or (preferred) Portfolio.


When starting out in the Make-up World, I knew that make-up was my passion. I decided to go to Cosmetology School (which really only teaches hair!). I did this for my "peice of paper" so that I could become a Licensed Cosmetologist. I thought this would make me more appealing to companies and that it would open up more doors. In the end, I hated Hair and never wanted to touch it again.
The best part of graduating and working in the industry was finding out that none of the jobs I applied to even cared about my education.


It is good to have a resume (always). I personally, change my resume to suite the job or company I am applying to - based on what they are looking for (because I do special fx, body painting, beauty and more). When I first started out I used my resume frequently and took it around with me. I found that fewer and fewer companies wanted to see my resume and were more interested in seeing my portfolio. Currently, I rarely ever have to send a resume any where and many of my clients find me online or through other companies/word of mouth.

The truth is that - you are not a doctor-----You are a makeup artist.
Experience is awesome - however, talent is even better. People do not care if you have been doing bad makeup for 10 years. However, if you have been doing awesome makeup for 2 years - you'll probably get hired despite your experience!

I think a lot of makeup schools believe that their name alone gets their students jobs. However, saying you went to "________ " Makeup School isnt the same as other Industries when you say you went to Harvard or Yale. There is no "harvard" of Makeup Schools.

People really aren't impressed by what schools you've been to.
In some Makeup Artist jobs, having some college helps for management positions (but often- most managers have NO college or even cosmetology experience).

The truth is- that we are in a very creative field - in which there are few requirements - other than - skill, professionalism and portfolio.

I think a diverse portfolio is much better than having taken 10 courses with 10 different schools for 5 years lol! A diverse portfolio shows that you have the talent and you've done the work. It would be awesome if every job was like make-up artistry - where people just wanted to see what you had to bring to the table (instead of some peice of paper you got from a college).