Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
Also known as: Beauty Advisor, Beauty Specialist, Beauty Stylist, Beauty Therapist, Body Make-Up Artist (Body MUA), Certified Technician (Certified Tech), Character Artist, Commercial Makeup Artist (Commercial MUA), ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Much faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
- Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
- Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
- Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
- Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
- Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
- Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application.
- Assess performers' skin type to ensure that makeup will not cause break-outs or skin irritations.
- Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
- Requisition or acquire needed materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics.
- Write makeup sheets and take photos to document specific looks and the products used to achieve the looks.
- Examine sketches, photographs, and plaster models to obtain desired character image depiction.
- Attach prostheses to performers and apply makeup to create special features or effects, such as scars, aging, or illness.
- Evaluate environmental characteristics, such as venue size and lighting plans, to determine makeup requirements.
- Design rubber or plastic prostheses that can be used to change performers' appearances.
- Create character drawings or models, based upon independent research, to augment period production files.
- Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
- Provide performers with makeup removal assistance after performances have been completed.
- Demonstrate products to clients, and provide instruction in makeup application.
- Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.