Personal care and service
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
Median pay
$97,150
Growth to 2035
+6%
faster than average
Openings a year
600
Time to qualify*
12 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to makeup artists, theatrical and performance
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance: 57% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
- Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
- Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
- Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
- Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
- Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
- Requisition or acquire needed materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics.
- Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
Also called: Commercial Makeup Artist (Commercial MUA) · Hair and Makeup Designer · Makeup Artist (MUA) · Prosthetic Makeup Designer · Special Effects Makeup Artist (Special Effects MUA) · Special Makeup Effects Artist · TV and Film Makeup Artist (Television and Film Makeup Artist)
Outlook and AI
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance held 4,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 4,600 by 2035 (+6%, faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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