How Much Money Can You Make With A Makeup Artist Business In Australia?

Should I run my own makeup artist business?

How much could I charge my clients?

Could it be a profitable full-time business or a good side hustle?

If you’ve been wondering whether you should venture into makeup artistry as a freelancer or even salon owner, we’ve got good news!

Running a makeup artist business can be extremely lucrative if you’re skilled and have the marketing knowledge you need to promote your business the right way.

So, without further ado, here’s a run down of what becoming a Makeup Artist business owner entails and some insights into potential earnings.

What Do Makeup Artist Business Owners Do?

If you’ve been working for someone else so far, you’re probably not so familiar with the managerial and admin aspects of running a business.

So, here’s a list of some of the main responsibilities you’ll have as a Makeup Artist running their own business:

• Sorting incoming inquiries and responding promptly
• Meeting with potential clients
• Advising clients on styling, design, and cosmetic products
• Travelling on-site and transporting required equipment
• Using your experience and in-depth knowledge of beauty techniques to apply makeup and cosmetic products to a range of skin types
• Ensuring makeup application is optimised for photos or videos
• Regularly updating your website, portfolio, and social media channels
• Creating content for your social media channels
• Advertising your services
• Monitoring your business’ financial health
• Dealing with suppliers and customer service issues
• Hiring and managing staff
• Handling payments and invoices

How Much Money Can You Make With Your Makeup Artist Business in Australia?

According to Talent.com, the most skilled Makeup Artists earn on average $163,300 a year or over $82 per hour. 

However, the amount of money you can make as a makeup artist business owner can vary based on your area of expertise, location, and amount of work you put in.

Here are some examples:

Bridal Makeup Business

These are the prices bridal makeup businesses charge per person in Australia on average. This doesn’t include touch-ups on the day, more complex makeup styles, or popular wedding dates.

• Adelaide: $104
• Sydney: $127
• Melbourne: $123
• Brisbane: $110
• Darwin: $130
• Perth: $119

Note that if you’re a highly-experienced Makeup Artist with an impressive portfolio and commit to spending the day on-site for touch-ups, you could charge over $800 per day.

General Makeup Services

Here’s the average hourly rate per city for Makeup Artists providing general makeup services according to indeed:

• Sydney: $55.70
• Brisbane: $65.77
• Melbourne: $60.87
• Canberra: $52.10
• Gold Coast: $56.11

Naturally, these hourly rates are simply indicative as they represent average earnings in the industry. As mentioned before, you could make a lot more if you have a great reputation and can build a solid customer base.

Business Insurance Can Help You Save Money

As a Makeup Artist, you should consider holding public liability insurance. That’s because you are liable for any third-party injuries or damages resulting from conducting your business, whether on your premises or in your clients’ homes. This could be incidents like trips, slips, and falls, which public liability covers. What’s more, part of your work involves applying products to your clients’ skin. Now, they could develop allergic reactions and make a claim against you. That’s where product liability insurance can help by covering the compensation costs.

And to help you find the best insurance policy for your business, we’ve created an instant quote generator, where you can get an estimate on market-leading insurance in seconds. Simply enter your occupation and expected revenue to get started.