💡 Why it matters: Brides, models, actors and event-goers all book makeup artists. Wedding, film and fashion industries keep growing, and many artists build their own brands and teach others.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Nigeria's wedding, film and fashion industries keep growing.
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦500k – ₦2M
- Mid-career
- ₦2M – ₦7M
- Senior
- ₦7M – ₦20M
≈ ₦167k – ₦583k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Indicative mid-career range (our estimate, not yet checked against an official source). Incusim estimate
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Makeup artists, theatrical and performance (OEWS data). Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Job Bank occupation: Make-up artist and wig maker. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Match makeup to skin tones and the event
- Do bridal, fashion, TV and film makeup
- Create special effects looks for films and theatre
- Keep brushes and products clean and safe
- Market your work online and manage bookings
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Artistic eye
- Steady hands
- Customer care
- Hygiene and safety
- Business sense
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Assist a professional makeup artist at weddings and shoots
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Start as a trainee or assistant on a make-up team
- Gain experience in salon, wedding and events make-up
🇺🇸 United States
- Assist a working makeup artist on sets and events
- Build a portfolio and social media page for bookings
🇨🇦 Canada
- Assist an experienced artist on film, TV or events
- Build a portfolio and take bookings for weddings and shoots
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Practise on yourself and friends
- 2Learn about skin types, products and safety
- 3Take a makeup course and get a certificate
- 4Assist experienced artists on real jobs
- 5Build a portfolio and a social media page for bookings
⏰ A day in the life
You arrive at a bride's home at 6am with your kit, prepare her skin and apply her makeup. Then you touch up her bridesmaids and head to the venue for final retouches.