Tips for becoming a freelance makeup artist

If you’re pursuing a career in makeup artistry you may have considered freelancing. Becoming a freelancer is a desirable job. You get to pick your own hours, set your own rates and choose your clients. But getting your foot in the door can be difficult, especially when you’re just starting out. Making a name for yourself can be difficult so we interviewed Amina Najmeddine who’s been freelancing in Edmonton for over a year. With over a thousand followers across her social medias, she offered some tips on how to advertise yourself, your work and how to start off in freelancing. 

How did you start as a freelancer?

It started from me doing my aunt’s makeup and my cousins and I realized I really enjoyed doing it.

What would you recommend to a person just starting out in freelancing?

Be confident, be cautious and be original! What I mean by being cautious is that there are a lot of accounts that startup just to scam sometimes and unfortunately it did happen to me. So if someone offers you a collaboration or a position as their ambassador, be sure to do lots of research. It’s okay to decline them. 

How do you advertise yourself?

Instagram and having a big family also helps. 

How do you bring in new clients?

Since I work at Sephora it kind of works in my favor because a lot of the clients ask me if I do it outside of Sephora and I give them my contact information that way. Again also having a big family helps. 

How do you use your social media accounts for advertising?

I mainly use my Instagram account for advertising just trying to be myself while making videos and posting content. Using the right hashtags and tags are important. I’m starting to use a TikTok account to advertise, just trying to use the most popular apps to advertise. I use my Instagram account to attach my location so anyone that scrolls by my Instagram will know there’s an Edmonton based makeup artist possibly near them and I have my contact information on there as a way they can contact me.

Do you have any certifications for freelancing? And do they help you bring in new clients?

I do not have any official certifications. I am certified through Sephora Canada. I honestly know freelancers that are both certified and not certified and they are just as busy as each other so I’m not sure. I think that if you are good at makeup and follow safety/hygienic rules you should be okay but it’s always good to have that certification to back you up. 

How much do you charge your clients?

I charge $70-$120 depending on what they are looking for.

How much does a starter makeup kit cost?

I mean it depends on what products you’re getting. I got all my stuff separately. But I wanna say $450 give or take. Honestly, I use if not all, mostly Sephora products.

If you’d like to see more of Amina’s work and her journey of being a freelancer you can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @bellaamaakeup. 

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