What You'll Do

  • Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
  • Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
  • Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
  • Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
  • Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
  • Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
  • Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application.
  • Assess performers' skin type to ensure that makeup will not cause break-outs or skin irritations.
  • Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
  • Requisition or acquire needed materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics.

Essential Skills

Speaking 3.75/5
Reading Comprehension 3.62/5
Active Listening 3.5/5
Critical Thinking 3.25/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.25/5
Active Learning 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.12/5
Coordination 3.12/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.0/5
Service Orientation 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.0/5
Time Management 3.0/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Innovation, Dependability, Social Orientation, Adaptability

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Near Vision 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 3.88/5
Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.88/5
Visual Color Discrimination 3.88/5
Finger Dexterity 3.75/5
Visualization 3.62/5
Manual Dexterity 3.62/5

Technologies & Tools

Adobe Photoshop Appointment scheduling software Autodesk Maya Autodesk Mudbox Blogging software Bookitlive Clear Books Client databases Customer relationship management CRM software DatInf DigiMakeup Email software Facebook Instagram Intuit QuickBooks Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Pixologic Zbrush SavingFace Twitter

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.8/5)
  • Innovation (High importance: 4.55/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.47/5)
  • Social Orientation (High importance: 4.31/5)
  • Adaptability (High importance: 4.24/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Beauty Advisor Beauty Specialist Beauty Stylist Beauty Therapist Body Make-Up Artist (Body MUA) Character Artist Commercial Makeup Artist (Commercial MUA) Eyelash Technician (Eyelash Tech) Hair and Makeup Artist Hair and Makeup Designer Lash Artist (Eyelash Artist) Makeup Artist (MUA) Makeup Technician (Makeup Tech) Makeup Worker Prosthetic Makeup Designer Special Effects Makeup Artist (Special Effects MUA) Special Makeup Effects Artist TV and Film Makeup Artist (Television and Film Makeup Artist)

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.