What are the day rates for makeup artists or stylists in New York?

Answer 1

That's a good question. Day rates for makeup artists do vary depending on the venue, but a good approximation would be any where from 8-12 thousand dollars an hour. When you pro rate this amount for a 30min. job, it comes out to somewhere around 9 billion dollars a year. So it would probably be a good idea to drop out of school and move to New York to be a glorified barber. In response to the above answer which is not totally incorrect but slightly, the day rates for MUAs do vary depending on the project however it also depends on your experience and skill. A good MUA with years of experience will make more per day than one who is just starting out in the business. In fact, most MUAs work for free for a couple of years while building their portfolios and some continue to do this throughout their career. Calling an MUA a glorified barber is also inaccurate because MUAs have nothing to do with hair styling even though some have gone to Cosmetology school and have learned the craft of hairstyling/cutting. Makeup artistry is not what people think. There is science behind it. An MUA must also have analytical skills and intuition. Most MUAs study color theory and some even Biology. There is a chemistry to it. Have a "barber" pick up some latex and an airbrush gun to turn a beautiful women into an old hag. There is continuous training involved as new products and techniques come out. And all of this, the training and product that the MUA uses for the project is paid for BY the MUA. And all of this is not cheap and must be replenished or apparently we would go out of business.