Hi queens! So you’ve come to the place in your pageant journey where you need a hair and makeup artist! Whether it’s due to convenience or mandated requirements by your pageant, hiring a hair makeup artist is an investment that can save you so much time and give you a polished look during competition. But you have to know what to look for upon hiring a hair and makeup artist. Read on for what I believe are the most important qualities to look for when hiring a hair and makeup artist for your pageant.
Pageant application experience
Pageant makeup is not your everyday makeup. It is different from prom. It is different from bridal. It is different from the makeup that you would wear for your birthday dinner. Pageant makeup for interview and on stage requires a very specific look and technique. Make sure that the makeup artist that you hire understands that and has makeup application experience in pageantry and the portfolio to prove it. Bonus points if they also know how to spray tan.
Diversity of clients
Let’s face it, we are all a little ethnic somewhere. You may have curly hair. Depending on when you’re competing your makeup shade will be different for a summer pageant than it is for a winter pageant. Maybe you have hyper-pigmentation and need to mix multiple makeup shades for an even look on stage. Maybe you have super textured skin. Hire hair and makeup artists who understand the complexity of complexions and hair textures. Hire someone who really knows their color theory and undertones. Pay attention to the diversity among the clientele of the hair and makeup artists that you are considering hiring, because when you are paying someone to do a job you want to make sure that you are not a challenging canvas for them. Additionally, even if you don’t consider yourself an ethnic beauty, our skin and hair textures can change overtime and you want your artist to still have experience with that, even if you haven’t.
Good reviews
Reach out to girls who have used the hair makeup artist that you’re thinking about hiring and ask them about their experience. It is one thing to do a job well but it is another to create an experience. Is the artist timely? Were they friendly? Did they educate and give additional insight to the products that they were using? Did they have a gentle hand when applying the products? Were they organized and clean? How do they handle being on a time limit? Are they helpful at easing nerves and taking direction of any changes clients want to make? These are a few questions you can ask to gain insight and see if the artist is right for you.
Ability to travel
Most times as a pageant girl you are traveling to the pageant, so make sure the artist can do that too. I would even inquire to see if they have the availability to travel with you to the next level, if your pageant goes national perhaps, if you have the option to choose your hair makeup artist. Most artists have a mile radius that they travel within and take on multiple girls at a particular pageant to pay for their traveling and lodging fees. Make sure that you inquire about these things as well because it will influence the cost for you as a paying client.
Ability to teach
Although having a hair and makeup artist can save us a lot of time and energy I firmly believe that every feminine woman should know how to do her own hair and makeup. With that being said I think it is important to hire an artist that can deliver the service, but also offers hair and makeup lessons. Not only is it a good skill to have but you never know when you will find yourself in a bind, such as a last-minute appearance, or if life happens and your makeup artist is running late or has a family emergency, etc. Like basic home economic skills, knowing how to do your own hair and makeup is necessary for a healthy, beautiful, and confident life.
I hope this blog post was helpful and brings you one step closer to finding hair and makeup artists that enhance the beauty that you already have!
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