Are you completely in shock by the price quotes you are receiving from makeup artists for your wedding day? It can be extremely confusing, overly bewildering and downright baffling. Let’s be real, it’s just makeup…
If you’ve never had to inquire about having your makeup professionally done, you may find these makeup prices to be a bit over the top. By now you are probably thinking this makeup artist has got to be from another planet and you are bound and determined to find someone with lower pricing. Perhaps you are on a super strict wedding budget and you just can’t imagine why any bride would want to drop that much dough on making herself look gorgeous for her wedding. It’s just one day after all…nothing super special, right? If this is you, then stop reading….But, if you are the bride that wants to know why it’s going to cost a pretty penny to be flawlessly perfect, then please, read on….
Let’s begin by diving into the nitty-gritty world of makeup artistry for brides.
When contacting makeup artists, if you find a makeup artist that is in high demand, you can usually expect her rates to reflect this. You will find a variety of makeup artists. Those who work for a cosmetic company, those working at a retail makeup counter, those working in a salon and the self-employed makeup artist. Many artists work as Freelance Makeup Artists (these are artists who are contracted by either private individuals or companies to do makeup and are not employed by any specific company)
A Freelance Makeup Artist will generally set her price to account for time spent with you, the bride. Imagine the amount of minutes (maybe hours) expended with emails, telephone calls, texting and face-to-face meetings. All of these take time out of her working day and need to be factored into the cost. This is her business. She is her own employer, as well as employee and must cover all the expenses associated with being self-employed. This is how she makes her living to pay for rent, food, electricity, etc. A girl’s gotta eat….although I’m no stranger to Ramen Noodles….
The artist will have travel costs in both time and fuel to get to you on your wedding day. And we all know gas isn’t cheap, let alone free, so this expenditure must be calculated and included. Moving right along, in order to apply a fantastic, flawless bridal makeup, it’s going to take products, lots of products consisting of several forms of cosmetics and tools to get the job done. Your makeup artist will be using professional, quality makeup designed to look incredible in person and superior on film, all while lasting from the moment you walk down the aisle, to the final farewell following the reception. Inferior products and brushes may provide you with substandard results and perhaps a mediocre makeup artist at best. Do you really want this on your wedding day?
The largest measure in the cost of a makeup artist will be her experience and skills. Often achieved through a combination of education (workshops, schooling, seminars, etc.) and hands on practice, this is by far a very important contribution to the fee she charges. The more experienced and skilled she is, the more likely her rate will suggest this.
As a Freelance Artist, most professional makeup artists will do makeup on commercial accounts (think editorial in magazines, advertisements in print and television, film, TV shows or music videos, celebrities and on air personalities, etc.) The list is endless and can encompass a wide-range of skills and experiences. More often than not, these are the in-demand artists, the ones everybody wants. These are the artists that can make you look not just good, but spectacular. What bride wouldn’t want this?
Bridal Makeup, as in the makeup needed for your wedding day, can be just as demanding as makeup required for a feature film. Working in various environments and mediums gives an upper-hand to the makeup artist. This artist will understand proper application for dim or low light such as candlelight, natural (outdoor) lighting versus artificial (indoor) lighting and she’ll recognize how weather will affect a makeup application and prepare your skin with flawless detail!
Your geography will play an important part in defining what the average cost of a makeup artist will be in your area. If you receive one quote from a specific makeup artist and it’s unusually lower than others in the area, it may be in your best interest to take a moment and reflect. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you still want to consider that artist, certainly take the time to view her portfolio, ask for references and follow through with contacting them. Get past reviews from real brides and real clients.
So now that you’ve narrowed down an artist or two and you want to schedule a trial makeup consultation, you find out that the cost is the same as for your wedding day makeup. Although you are looking at the trial as a “test run” keep in mind it’s going to require the makeup artist to use the same amount of time, effort and product to get this done. Possibly more if you go through several looks.
If you work a 9 to 5 job, most likely you are compensated for the time you work. What if your employer did not want to pay you for training or while you learn a new software program? That would be quite the bummer….
Why won’t the makeup artist wheel and deal with you? Most pros set fair pricing and they prefer not to waiver from these amounts. It’s difficult to drop the rate for one bride and have it get around in the wedding industry causing the artist to now offer lower rates for everyone. So instead, she sets a reasonable price that is impartial and honest for every bride.
As most makeup artists understand wedding budgets and the ever-so-costly price of a wedding, many will offer discounted rates for multiple faces. You might get a lower rate if you have five people receiving makeup services rather than just yourself. Sometimes you may find artists who work in a salon may offer makeup at a slightly lower rate, but they will typically only provide the service in the salon and won’t offer on location, mobile makeup. This option may work for some brides, but it definitely isn’t for everyone.
Having a wedding is an inexpensive venture said no one ever!! Sure, you can cut corners and do without, but when you are looking to hire a professional, keep in mind you may need to pay appropriately for these services.
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