A practical guide for professional makeup artists (particularly in media) on raising rates, attracting better clients, and building a sustainable career.
So how are your rates looking? And further, when was the last time you gave yourself a raise?
I was recently DMed by an artist who was fearful that if they raised their rates, all their clients might leave. Here’s what I’ve learned about that scenario over the years;
Quite possibly. But let them go.
In this article we’re going to talk a bit about the “psychology” of pricing, why under-charging is a trap, and how to switch your mindset to feel confident about charging the rates you deserve as a pro makeup artist.
Early Career Foundation
Now of course there are caveats to this. When you are just beginning you need to work as much as you can in as many different situations as you can so you can start to get the know the industry and people in the industry and start building your foundation. This of course does not mean accepting any and all treatment or any and all conditions. This is just to say that when we’re starting out we are not in a position to make monetary demands, generally speaking. The beginnings are the time to learn, absorb, and then filter so you can land on a work path that resonates for you as an artist.
All that said, a few years into your career doing “any and everything” will no longer be what’s up, and it’ll be time to move on from clients who either can’t or don’t value you.
And whether you realize it or not, your rates are a part of what gives potential clients an idea of how to value you.
When Should You Raise Your Rates
There’s a lot of different advice rolling around on the internet regarding when to raise your rates. I would consider looking at the following scenarios;
- The cost of living
- If you’ve been Undercharging
- If you’re feeling over-extended at your current rate
- When you’re moving from Junior to Senior
The Cost of Living is a no-brainer. If you are a professional and particularly if you have no other income and being a makeup artist is your primary gig, you have to charge enough to actually make a livable wage. Corporate and government jobs give cost of living wage increases (at least they used to 😳). We’re no exception, we need to eat too.
If you’ve been undercharging, it is always the right time to STOP. I go into why becoming “The Discount Artist” is a trap below. It’s also not great for the profession as a whole. Once rates go down they almost never come back up. People are shocked when I tell them you used to easily get $1200-$1800/day for a Lookbook back in the day. Yep.
If everyone and their best friend is booking you at your current rate, that means you’re in demand and you can demand more. This happens a lot with private client artists who get “Booked and Busy” and then never move their rate needle again. Again, yes, there is a goodly chance you will lose some clients when you do this but looking long term you’re starting to make the move to buying back your time. Let’s say you make $6000/month as an artist. If you can make that same amount with 8 bookings instead of 12 bookings, that’s four less bookings you have to take. That’s more time for you in your life. OR you just take those 4 bookings at your new rate and make more money. Either way, #winning
Going from Junior to Senior is the trickiest because there is no clear cut framework. However there comes a time in every freelance makeup artists life where certain types of jobs are beneath their station. Sometimes this happens quickly, but most time it happens gradually over time. Your role as an assistant changes here, the types of referrals you start to get change there, and next then you know you’re working on a different caliber of projects. And when that happens, your rate must follow suit. In fact, a lot of time your rate will just change because of the projects you’re now working on. So its important that when you quote a rate, you quote in your new normal rate zone and that don’t hustle backwards. As the saying goes, yesterday’s rates are not today’s rates.
Understanding Rate Psychology for Makeup Artists
There’s a truth about low rates; Consistently undercharging looks “thirsty” and can actually signal uncertainty to clients about why you’re available. (We’ll talk about “over-availability” some other time).
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Makeup artists are not commodities. This shouldn’t be a situation like when someone is shopping for the best price on a dishwasher. Raising your rates breaks the cycle of attracting price-focused rather than quality focused, you-focused clients.
Yes you. Because ultimately in a career what we all want is for folks to recognize and hire us as an individual instead of just hiring “a makeup artist”. The goal is clients who value us for us. This is how we get repeat clients, longer term relationships, and ultimately get quality rates without push-back (or at least without indignation).
Higher rates often (not always, but often) leads to better client behavior. Translation: Clients who pay more oftentimes treat you better because they see more value in you. Conversely, and this is something I’ve said many times, you will never work harder IN YOUR LIFE than you will for a below-rate client, guaranteed. Trust me they will want everything under the Sun for as many hours as they can hold you, for as little as they can pay you.
Additionally – and this is particularly true of higher-end private clients – clients often trust pricing as an indicator of expertise. Thus artists who charge too little are often seen as a red flag. Now of course there are those folks who will proclaim on social media that ‘I can’t believe this person charges XYZ” or “I don’t think makeup artists should cost ABCDEFG”, and that’s fine. Those aren’t your people. A race to the bottom is a fast lane to a short and unfulfilling career. Just remember that at any given time while someone might be working for $150, someone else is working for $1500.
Don’t Fall Into the Low Rate Trap
Early in my career I’d rather work outside of my career in something else (generally various computer work) rather than work at low makeup rates because I never wanted to be known as The Discount Artist (a phrase coined by makeup artist Mary Erickson, the founder of Camera Ready Cosmetics). Understand that if you lower your rates not only will you not necessarily get more work, you risk getting stuck at this new, lower, rate tier. You also risk getting stuck working jobs that are non-career building. Where yes, you are getting a small check, but no, you’re not building. You’re working one-off jobs here and there, you aren’t creating lasting work relationships, you may not even be producing work that you can use to market yourself for more and better work. It can become a pretty vicious cycle that’s difficult to break out of. Hold the line and you’ll survive the climb with your career intact.
Strategic Rate Increases: Mindset and Method
So how do we raise our rates without losing all of our clients? Well really, we’re talking about a mindset shift.
First of all, accept the fact that you WILL inevitably lose some clients but that’s OK. It always comes back around. It may even come back with that same client. I’ve experienced clients telling me NO to a rate, only to circle back when more money was found in the project budget.
Also – don’t be afraid to pass a job off to your fellow artists. What’s not working for you may be perfect for someone else AND clients LOVE it when you refer another artist to a job you can’t fulfill. They will generally remember your professionalism and keep you for future bookings. When your hands are open to give, they are also open to receive. 👍🏾 (Friends don’t refer friends to wack jobs, however. If it’s something you wouldn’t take because it’s a ridiculous request, don’t recommend/refer someone else to it. Genuinely bad jobs bring us all down.)
Secondly, you’re probably subconsciously letting fear and loss frame the way you are thinking about your rate negotiations increasing your rates. We all do it! No one wants to lose a job when we’re asked “how much?”. Asking for more – particularly as artists – is a skill that has to be developed. Here are some examples of how to re-frame those thoughts that might be holding you back from rate victory…
Reframing Your Rate Fears: 5 Mindset Shifts for Makeup Artists
Rate Fear: “If I charge more, my regular clients will leave”
Reframe: “By raising my rates, I’m creating space for clients who truly value my work will grow with me.“
Seriously. Everyone works lower paid jobs to start their career, but you don’t want to stay there indefinitely. Give Thanks for those experiences and opportunities and continue to move forward. Eventually it’s time to tell low rate jobs/clients to Be Out.
Rate Fear: “Other artists charge less than me”
Reframe: “I’m not a commodity. I do not compete based on price. My rates reflect my unique talent and expertise, as well as my reliability and professionalism.”
As the expression goes, Trust Your Dopeness. If other folks want to work for $1.50, that’s on them. While there’s always something we can all learn and some way we can improve our artistry, don’t doubt that you are a good artist NOW.
Not JUST in terms of being good at doing makeup but in terms of being nice, being pleasant to be around, being clean, showing up on time, etc.. These things matter and no, not everyone who calls themselves “a pro” can make these claims.
I’m gonna lean in on this aspect because it’s important: there are lots of folks calling themselves a “professional” whose behavior is anything but. So many of the early opportunities I got came from being nice, following directions, and being easy to work with. Seriously. I didn’t have a killer book or what-have-you. Not being Whackadoodle McWhackerson was a goodly percentage of my early success, and is a continued part of my success to this day.
Rate Fear: “I don’t have as many years of experience as other artists”
Reframe: “My rates reflect the quality I deliver today. I bring fresh perspective, current techniques, and focused dedication to every project. As my experience grows, so will my rate, but that doesn’t mean I need to undercharge at this stage in my career.”
On the hiring side, they will often give more weight to someone’s experience. It is a valid indicator of someone’s overall value to be able to say they’ve worked at a certain level for an extended period of time. Trust, you’ll understand 10-15 years from now that you are, in fact, worth more than you were when you were starting out ;-).
That said, being newer doesn’t mean giving up the farm. Jobs have an intrinsic value, so if they want to hire you a client should expect to pay market rates. And once more with feeling, $300/day is NOT a market rate for any media work other than the most local of local advertising. Stay in contact with makeup communities/other artists and keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening and don’t get played because you are “new”.
Rate Fear: “What if I’m not ‘good enough’ for these rates?”
Reframe: “My rates reflect not just my artistry, but my reliability, professionalism, and the complete client experience I provide. I consistently deliver professional results.”
To Be Blunt: If you really aren’t “good enough” you just won’t get booked – or more importantly RE-booked. If you constantly get that one-time shot but never hold onto a client, that’s a sign that some part of your game isn’t up to par. Likewise, when you do raise your rates some clients may run to the hills but some will likely stay, and further you should be able to attract new clients that are in your new rate class. If those things aren’t happening, it may be time to look at what you can adjust to demonstrate your value.
Rate Fear: “The market is tough right now – I should lower my rates to get more work”
Reframe: “Maintaining my rates shows stability and confidence. In a tough market, flexibility is an asset but there are other ways to increase my value other than slashing my rates.”
Please don’t.
I understand, and I feel like most creatives have felt this at some point in their careers. It’s hard out there for a hustler in times when the economy is on shaky ground. And look, we’ve all taken some jobs that might not be what we would normally do because we need cash. There’s no shame in that. BUT wholesale price cuts are not a precedent you want to set in your career.
As professional creatives, we negotiate (or if you’re represented, that’s what your rep is doing). A rate might be a bit lower with a regular client in return for the regularity of work they provide. When working with a client for the first time, we may charge full rate but offer a 10-hour day instead of an 8 hour day (for example). Or we might give a one-time discount for a faster payment turnaround time. We can respect that everyone is doing their best – particularly in tough times – but we need to make sure a project is worthwhile for everyone involved – including ourselves.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Negotiating is a muscle that you must exercise regularly in order to get better. As a working professional, there’s really no reason to be scared about talking with your clients about money. Is your accountant scared to tell you how much it will be to prepare your taxes? No lol. You’re a professional makeup artist who needs to get paid for the professional service that you provide, and your makeup rates need to stay in line with who you are and what you offer as an artist and with the current rate of living. Quote your rates with confidence and rest assured that there is a future client out there who will think you’re worth every penny.
© 2026, Tania. All rights reserved.