FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
General subscription questions.
Why haven't I received my magazine yet?
What are my payment options?
Where can I find a good school to learn make-up?
I live outside the United States. Can I still subscribe?
Where can I buy Make-up Artist?
Do you have any advice for those who want to be a make-up artist?
How much does a make-up artist make?
Do I need a license to do make-up?
How should I conduct myself when day-checking?
Skincare & Cosmetic Surgery

Why haven't I received my magazine yet? See Video
We send out the magazines the week we publish them. In the worst case scenario it can take up to six weeks in the United States for subscribers to receive their magazines. This is not typical. We strive to get our magazines to you as soon as we print them. Sometimes, however, the postal system has difficulty in the delivery.

Also, if you happened to subscribe after the fifteenth of the month before we publish you will not receive that publication, but the next one.

What are my payment options?
Simply click here to make your payment on-line. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Other methods of payment include mailing a check* or money order in (US funds only). Send your payment along with your invoice to Make-Up Artist Magazine, Subscriptions Department, 4018 NE 112th Ave. Suite D-8, Vancouver, WA 98682. You may also pay using a credit card by calling our office at (360) 882-3488 or faxing us at (360) 885-1836.
*All bounced checks will result in immediate termination of your subscription, plus a $25 fee.
Where can I find a good school to learn make-up?
See our links page under "Schools"
I live outside the United States. Can I still subscribe?
Yes! You can subscribe online or you can send a money order to Make-Up Artist Magazine in U.S. dollars drawn from a U.S. bank. A one year overseas subscription is $49.95. Two years is $97.95. Or FAX your subscription with your credit card information to 360-885-1836.
Where can I buy Make-up Artist?
We are sold in 50 countries. In the U.S. you can find us at Border's, Barnes & Noble, Bookstar, and most major newsstands. See our stores page for one near you. If would like, you can purchase a single copy by calling 800-805-6648.

Do you have any advice for those who want to be a make-up artist?
Make-up Artistry in motion pictures is an exciting field. It offers many challenges and rewards. There are many things to consider if you want to pursue this career. Lets look at the pros & cons. First I am going to give you some straight talk about the downside of doing make-up in motion pictures and television. WARNING If you are not tough, this could burst your bubble.

1.) Supply and Demand There are more make-up artists then there are jobs. 
At this time make-up in the United States, England, and Canada, is a very crowded field. If we did not get a new artist in the next ten years, every movie, TV show and commercial would still be made with the make-up artists we have now. Please don't be shocked or discouraged. I will explain. It is similar to sports. Only pursue being a professional athlete if your passion for it is so great that you don't care if you make a living or not. The same goes for make-up. Using the same analogy, if you are going to train and compete, your goal, like the athlete, is to beat your competitor. When you "make the team", someone else gets cut. In essence, Which make-up artist working now shall I replace? It is survival of the fittest. Many artistic people don't understand the principle of "supply and demand." This may sound a bit harsh, but when you remove all the warm fuzzies, that is the reality of it.

2.) You will not work all the time. 
Most make-up artists do not have as much work as they would like. You might be off for weeks or months.

3.) Long hours 
When you are working, plan on a 12 - 16 hour day, 5-6 days a week. These can be day or night maybe both. Working in film can be like joining the army. They own you till they are through with you. You don't know when you can go home until it is time to go, also that's when you find out your call time for the next day. You cannot plan for anything in your personal life during the week. If you work episodic television, you will work about 70 hours a week. Many nights you will just get your turn-around. That is a union term for the minimum time between your wrap and your call time. Usually 9 hours for crew. That means you have 9 hours to drive home, sleep, shower and drive back ready for work.

4.) Location 
You may have to live in a hotel away from family and friends for up to 6 months - year. This may sound exciting at first but after a month or so, your opinion will change. Ask any salesman who travels.

If this is not what you had in mind, there still many jobs for make-up artists outside the entertainment industry Print and photography, salons, retail, manufacturing, just to name a few. Another option is volunteer work. You can get the fulfillment of the art without the hassle. Theatres, churches and student films need make-up artists all the time. If after hearing all this and if you still want to do make-up in motion pictures and television for a living, I encourage you to do the following:

1.) Be an excellent make-up artist. 
 We don't need any more mediocre ones.

2.) Make sure you get good training. 
The best schools in the U.S. are in Hollywood. But even more important are the instructors. The school is only as good as the teachers. Often they change from week to week. Many schools use professionals who work in the field. Of course teaching doesn't pay as well as working on a film or TV show, so the best time to get an education is when it is slow at the studios. Make sure you see the resume and if you can the portfolio of the instructor who will be teaching you, when deciding on a school. You can get a pretty good idea on our message board of who's hot and who's not. See our links page for a list of schools.

3.) Be informed.
Get these for your library:
Books: See www.makeupbooks.com
Videos: See www.makeupbooks.com
Magazine: Make-Up Artist Magazine: The voice of the make-up industry.You should order back issues 4 & 9. Read The article on Dan Striepeke (issue 4) & Ronnie Specter (issue 1) These are great interviews, packed with insight and wisdom about doing make-up in the entertainment industry. All the books and videos above and more can be ordered through the magazine's online store:  www.makeupbooks.com
Internet: Our web site, makeupmag.com has many resources, on our site and links to many others.
Message Board & Chat Room: You can learn a lot from other artists. Being apart of our online community will helpful in learning, networking and just sharing with others who are passionate about make-up artistry.

4) International Make-up Artist Trade Show. 
It is THE make-up event of the year. There are seminars by the best in the business. You can get more education in one weekend then a month anywhere else. All of the major schools will be represented. The best networking possibilities are at this show. I can't stress this enough. This is not to be missed. It can make a major difference in your career. See our web site for more info.

I trust that by reading this it will empower you with all the information to make the best decision for you. My desire is not to crush anyone's love of the art of make-up, but to help you find what's the best outlet for that passion. I hope this helps.

How much does a make-up artist make?
Salary varies too much to put a number on it or even a range. It's kind of like asking what an actor makes. Some work for free while others make millions.

Do I need a license to do make-up?
You need a license to work in a salon. However, a license is not required to work in the entertainment industry where you work on performers. The government doesn't have people qualified to license this kind of work. This has been one of the functions of the union. Now that the producers have canceled the testing of artists, the government might require a license.

How should I conduct myself when day-checking?
Work Image:
1.) Always keep in touch with the union to make sure your name is on the availability list (for unions).

2.) When given a work call, find out what your assignment will be, that way you will not have to carry all your special cases.

3.) Arrive on time and set up immediately. By union rules, you have 18 minutes to prepare. Find out the ready time for your specific make-up and the estimated time allotted. (It's a good idea to keep track of your start and completion times).

4.) Ask what make-up colors are permissible.

5.) Upon completion of your make-up, check your performer in daylight. Natural light is a better gauge than most make-up stations.

6.) Follow through with your characters on the set. Be attentive, and watch your people like you would a major star.

7.) Fill out your paperwork during the workday; don't go looking for them at wrap.

8.) Thoroughly clean up your performer and assist with others. A little initiative is never forgotten.

9.) Wrap out in a timely fashion. Time cards with excessive time beyond wrap always get questioned. (Name recognition for this is not desirable).

Note: The box rental has become a "given" or a "how much." It is not part of our union contract. A production company can pay nothing or as much as it desires, it's all negotiable.
Personal Image:
1.) Wear clothes and groom appropriately; a day checker is part of a team.

2.) I shouldn't have to mention clean kit, clean tools, and clean brushes. With infections and diseases so prevalent, you must protect yourself and your performer. You must sterilize and use new disposable products (i.e. sponge, puffs, etc.) for every performer.

3.) Improper language can be thought of as amusing or totally tasteless; it is a very fine line. Be careful of what you say and do because a joke to one person may be sexual harassment to another. Most female workers do not appreciate sexual and crude innuendos. Female workers who try to equal the crude mouths of others are not respected.

4.) Gossip, which I have discussed before, becomes the devil's workshop for idle minds. Those artists who have reputations for gossip are unaware that it is part of their own personal image, and not appreciated. Gossip not only includes the put- down of others, but the woe's of oneself. Pity is hard to come by in this business.

5.) When you are day checking, don't talk negatively about your supervisor, the performers or production; you are paid to help, not to offer opinions. This is a good way NOT to get a call back or to ruin a friendship. When you are the supervisor you can make the rules. As a day checker you work under other's rules, so play by them.

6.) Talk, talk, talk is all part of the daily work place. Many performers in the make-up chair want to use this time for meditation or mental line rehearsal. Be considerate, check with them before being a "Chatty Kathy" Maybe that performer doesn't want to share your life or need your personal counseling.

7.) Smoking is a personal habit, so I am only going to offer my observations. Fewer people are smoking, so the habit is more obvious. Smoking diverts creativity and energy, and it becomes the train of thought. With the red stage lights flashing, the cigarette circle is caught outside when the work is inside. Also, consider the nicotine odor on your clothes, hands and breath. It can't be eliminated, only masked because nicotine permeates. I have had actors say to me, "That make-up artist is really good...but I prefer a non-smoker," and as a result, make-up artists have lost work.

8.) If you have discussed the potential of upcoming work on a show, have the courtesy to check back with the make-up supervisor before accepting another offer. When working on a day call, always check before accepting a different call for the next day. Production depends on you for continuity.

Attitude! Attitude! Attitude!

Leave It At Home

As a daily hired make-up artist, consider yourself blessed for the day because someone thinks enough of your work image (talent) and personal image (personality) to want you there as part of the team.

Skincare & Cosmetic Surgery
Make-up artists should be knowledgeable about all products used on an actors face. Who else on a movie set should the actor turn too? Not the gaffer. Not the teamster. Not even the medic. It is our field that is expected to have this advice. Talent may even ask about cosmetic surgery. When that subject comes up, I explain that I am not a medical expert but I do know of this and that procedure. In the end, I give them names and sometimes numbers of known experts who can best advise them.

Back to skincare: I know there is a lot of "snake oil" out there. One only has to go to a spa or salon show to see self appointed wizards doing dramatic incantations on some 19 year old hard body in a thong saying "LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE!!".   lol. Don't let that discourage you. We should be able to say the emperor-has-no-clothes. We are supposed to be able to tell the difference. There are excellent skin care products that ARE effective. Check out Makeup411.com's Best of The Best section. It features the products MA's use most including skincare. It would behoove you to find a good dermatologist that you can work with in a mutual beneficial relationship. He/she will provide information to you and you recommend actors and others to him/her.

MA's should try and be as valuable as they can be to their clients.  Knowledge and experience in all matters of our field builds trust.  Having it will give you the edge over those who don't.