Washington is a beautiful place to be a makeup artist by completing a makeup artistry program at an accredited beauty school or community college. Makeup artists in Washington obtain either a cosmetology or esthetician license which require1600 or 600 hours of beauty school training respectively.
Personal appearance makeup artists are schooled in such things as basic makeup application, face/skin types, cosmetics, camouflage, airbrush techniques, simple special effects, bride/wedding makeup, fashion/runway makeup and photography makeup. Theatrical/production makeup artists need more advanced training in areas like film/media effects, aging techniques, character makeup, period/ethnic makeup, use of prosthetics, injury simulation and bald caps.
Bureau of Labor Statistics salaries (2013) for makeup artists are as follows:
Take home pay is typically much higher than what is shown here, as government reports don’t typically include gratuity. Client tips typically add between 15% and 25% to a makeup artist’s take home pay.
Makeup Artist Salaries in the State of Washington
The following table published by the Washington Department of Labor lists average annual salaries and hourly wages, from highest to lowest, for personal care workers (includes personal appearance makeup artists) statewide and in various metropolitan areas.