The Business of Bridal

As a full time freelancing makeup artist I learned really quick that the bridal business is a huge part of a full time freelancer's income. Bridal makeup is the most requested service from clients and the main source of client referrals. As a makeup artist it's your job to understand how important it is to have and maintain a flowing bridal business. It's wise to have a wide range of services to offer your brides and decent rates to compete with other artist in your local area. Also, marketing yourself is key, it's a great idea to attend bridal shows and networking "Girls Night Out " events to get your business out there to possibly new clients for you.

I've been in the bridal business my whole career as a makeup artist, about 9 years now. In fact my 1st "big gig" was a small wedding with only the bride and her groom. It was quite the experience for me as a new artist. My bride was the sweetest ever. She was easy to please with my artistry and she was willing to pay my rate without questions. I was confident and it was my goal to impress her because she was a member of an elite women's group, who had other women getting married soon. So I was sure to be on time and provide her with a bridal look she would love to brag about. This is the mentality you need to have to insure client referrals. In the following months I was booking her group member's weddings as well!

Word of mouth referrals are the most honest referrals you can get. Think of it like this, your client loved your service so much that when she has the opportunity to plug your business (for free) she is more than happy to share your information with whomever in need of your services. This part of marketing in my opinion is the best. It gives potential clients a first hand review of you & your business. If you've done your job properly and professionally, it'll be all good for your growing bridal business.

As the years passed my artistry skills improved, my clientele increased and so did my list of services for my brides, which now included lash applications, brow services, and the ever popular HD airbrush makeup. I would strongly suggest that you get the proper skill trainings for any service that you are planning on adding to your list of services offered. While bridal is the #1 source of income for makeup artist, makeup hygiene is the most popular reasons a makeup artist will end up in court. Brides and clients alike will sue you if your lack of proper hygiene had anything to do with causing them a horrible reaction or experience.

Which brings me to bridal contracts. I suggest you get your research going and get a legit contract that's fair for your clients but protects you as an artist/business. Get all of the licenses and IRS tax ids you'll need to operate your business legally in your state. Cover your butt!!! It's fun being an artist and doing makeup but its no fun having to appear in court.

Beside that if you're looking into becoming a full time freelance artist you're most definitely going to have to have a consistent flow of bridal clients to maintain income in between all the other non-bridal clients you'll get. Regular bookings are what you're aiming for in this business.

Be sure to read my post Here comes the Bride for a bridal client interview that  will give you a peek into what a bride is looking for when booking a makeup artist for her wedding!

Free Business Cards From Moo.com

They're here!!!!

I was recently shopping around on google for new business cards and came across a free offer from Moo.com I have in the past ordered free business cards from other companies but they weren't worth the time, effort of designing, or the shipping costs. They lacked luster, sported the company's logo heavily, felt super cheap, and at times I would find myself exchanging business with other makeup artists with the same design... No good!!! I need originality, shoot I am a creative artist. Exchanging a business card with someone who has the exact same design is not my style at all. But when the cards are free what can one expect?

I normally order my very pretty and stylish business cards from Zazzle.com. I love my cards from Zazzle, but I must admit replenishing them can be an expensive at the last minute. This is the main reason I was on the hunt for free business cards. So when I saw a new company (for me) I decided "How bad can these be?"

Right from the jump Moo allows you to customize your cards to the fullest. You're able to have multiple designs in your pack of cards, I chose 4 of my most liked photos online. That alone pulled me in fully. It tool me all of 10 minutes to design, approve, and pay the $5 shipping fee. My cards arrived packaged very nicely and BEAUTIFULLY printed. The cards are glossy and have a really nice quality card stock as well. I was given 50 cards total. The best part about these cards from Moo.com is that they have a small and simple Moo logo at the bottom right of the cards. It's not a loud logo at all.

Thank you Moo for offering the kind of free business cards buyers are looking to experience. I'm planning on ordering more from Moo really soon.

Airbrushing Kit building

It seem like yesterday when I opened my 1st airbrushing system package... Clients were starting to request airbrush makeup services from me and I was up for the challenge to practice and learn how to airbrush to keep up with their request, along with advancing my career as a makeup artist. For my birthday my parents gifted me my shiny red Dinair airbrush kit. After doing my research for which airbrushing system i thought would work best for me, I dropped huge hints for them. ;)

 I decided on the Dinair Airbrush system. My decision was made based on the portable size and great reviews from other muas I knew who were airbrushing. It wasn't until my 1st use when I fell in love with the airbrush system. It's light weight, small, and has stolen my heart. As you can see from the photo I own two systems. You don't need two compressors however, I would suggest an extra airbrush gun to have on standby. You never know when you may run into a clog or not have enough time to fully clean out the gun to switch colors. So having a spare is a good idea.  

Dinair's foundations are water and sweat resistant, they are also silicone and oil free. There are three sizes of foundation sold by Dinair, the .25oz., .05oz., and 1.15oz. I'm always looking for a good deal on makeup or an opportunity where I can get more product for my money. Which lead me to Camera Ready Cosmetics' brand of airbrush foundations. From my experience and continual use of them, they offer up the same product quality and last just as long as Dinair's foundations. The bonus with Camera Ready Cosmetics' foundation is the value. For the $25 price tag of Dinair's 1.15oz (the largest size they carry) I was able to get 2 of Camera Ready Cosmetics' 1oz (the smallest size they carry) for $13.99 or $12.49 when I used my CRC pro discount. CRC also carries a 2oz. bottle of foundation for $20.69 which is a better value deal compared to Dinair's 1.15oz $25 price tag. I LOVE both brands and suggest you use them both or any of the other brands out there.

So why would you buy Dinair when you can just have CRC? CRC has a great shade range consisting of 10 shades, while Dinair carries 20 shades. Also, Dinair carries everything airbrush from eye shadow to tanning, hair included. The beauty of airbrushing is the freedom to customize your client's shade matching. You don't need all 20 of Dinair's foundations. I highly suggest getting all of the CRC shades and the following shades from Dinair; Lt. Golden Beige, Cocoa, Dark Brown to have a decent airbrush foundation kit.

With any new technique as an artist you must first learn, practice, and master the skill before being able to offer the service. So please don't go out and preform airbrushing with out the proper knowledge of the technique. Because of how "easy" airbrushed is advertised, there are still some important things to know about what products DON'T work with airbrush makeup. There are cosmetic and skin care formulas that work well with airbrush and there are some that just don't. It's important you know the difference to be the best PROFESSIONAL airbrushing artist you can be.





Getting into airbrushing has been one an amazing experience . The possibilities are endless when it comes to customizing a shade and an amazing coverage for clients. You'll be able to offer a luxury service to clients that offers them 18 plus hours of staying power, water and sweat resistant makeup. You'll also benefit from the ability to increase your rates. Everybody is happy happy happy. 

Happy Airbrushing!!!