For aspiring and seasoned professionals, Bartholomew Photography has seen what exceptional headshots can do! After scheduling your headshot session, you may go the extra mile and hire a professional headshot makeup artist. We feel this is your best decision and you will not regret it!

What To Look For In A Makeup Artist

You may wonder what steps to take to find the perfect professional makeup artist. It can be tricky, especially in a world with thousands of self-proclaimed makeup artists on Instagram. Luckily, we have curated some essential tips for choosing professional makeup artists for your headshot makeup.

Study Their Portfolio

What type of images are displayed in their portfolio? If their portfolio consists of Instagram images or looks done on themselves, they are probably not "professional." They have experience working with a real photographer in a studio, not just someone with a smartphone or filters. If an amateur applies your makeup, it will show headshots.

Are the professional headshots displayed high quality? It's essential to look closely at the headshots displayed in their portfolio. If they are poor quality, but the makeup artist shows enough pride in them to have them in their portfolio, that means they are good. You will be able to see the headshots in their portfolio if they have experience working with Bartholomew Photography.

Do you like the makeup in the headshots? If the makeup portrayed in the photographs, especially the headshots, match your style and taste, then you would probably like what this makeup artist could provide for your headshot makeup. On the other hand, if the makeup is costumey, colorful, and shimmery in all of the photos, then ask to see if they can provide examples of more natural and neutral work for headshots before deciding.

Ask Them About Their Makeup Kit

Every professional makeup artist will have a makeup kit that they will bring with them to the sets and photo shoots. Here are a few questions to ask them about their makeup kits before hiring a professional for your headshot makeup.

1.    What brands of makeup and products do they use?

This isn't to say that the makeup artist you hire for your headshot makeup has to use only the highest quality products, but you should have some standards. Think of creating the perfect headshot makeup in comparison to preparing a meal. You can tell if high-quality ingredients were used, correct? It's the same with makeup. The camera and lights will be able to pick up on the quality of makeup! To learn more about tips and tricks for putting on headshot makeup click here.

2.    What is their brush and applicator cleaning protocol?

When you think about how many faces their brushes have swept across, you should ask how often they clean their brushes. Steer clear from anything looking crusty or gross. If you don't feel comfortable with their tools touching your face, you should look elsewhere for headshot makeup.

3.    How often do they replace their makeup?

We've all had mornings where our mascara clumps or is dried out when it didn't seem to be the day before. Or when you try to get the very last drop of foundation out. This is not something you want to happen on the day of your headshots, especially by your professional makeup artist. So during the interview, asking how often they replace their makeup is ok to ensure you don't run into cakey, dried-out, clumpy products the day of.

4.    Do they keep their kits well organized?

You can tell a lot by how someone keeps their workspace. Technically, a makeup artist's kit is their workspace; if it's a mess, that can signify how they run their business. Remember, your headshots are an investment in you and your brand. Therefore, you want to ensure that whoever you hire to do your headshot makeup runs their business professionally and will provide you with the best look.

5.    Make sure they have your shades in their kit.

Professional makeup artists typically have many shades in their kit, but it never hurts to ask before you hire them. Whether you have a trial run or ask them to match their in-stock shades to your skin tone, you must ensure they have the correct formulas!