After 10 years in the beauty industry, I can say assisting has played a major role in shaping me into the artist that I am today. It teaches you to adapt to various personalities and situations. Being an assistant with a new artist is like going on a first date, where you must quickly learn and observe everything about the person. Throughout my career, I made many mistakes, and I want to share my experiences with you to create a cheat sheet for aspiring Makeup Artists. Here are 10 advices on how to be a successful makeup assistant.
1. Be Early
Arriving early, not just on time, is a non-negotiable in any industry. Being late can tarnish your reputation and affect the entire day’s energy. As an assistant, setting up, and understanding the run of day before talents arrive is crucial for a successful job.
2. Be Present
What separates a good assistant from a great one is being present at all times. Always stay alert and avoid wandering around. A single moment of being there for the key artist can make a significant difference in getting a call back.
3. Wardrobe & Hygienes
As an assistant, you represent the key artist. Showing up with sandals, smelling like cigarettes, or looking tired is unacceptable. Such actions reflect on the key artist, and talents notice them. Dress professionally; a black shirt, black jeans, and comfortable shoes works well. Be aware of your hygiene and avoid overpowering odors.
4. Organized & Clean Kit
As an assistant, being prepared is key. Having an organized and clean makeup kit allows you to locate products without having to scramble through bags and pouches. Also, never arrive on set with dirty brushes.
5. Observe & Think Ahead
This skill is what separates a great assistant from the rest. Watch the key artist closely without being invasive. Anticipate their needs and be one step ahead of them. If you see the key doing eye shadows, instead of them turning back and forth to grab more products, bring the palette in front of them on their dominate side, if you see they are doing a liner and made a mistake, get a dry and a wet Qtip ready incase they need it, or before setting up their kit, take a photo of the suitcase so it can help you when it comes time to pack up. These are things that can make a huge difference. I am not saying everyone will like this. It’s important that you observe and learn about the person you are assisting, always read the room.
6. Put Down Your Phone
We are living in a time where social media plays a huge role and sometimes this can result in not getting a call back. Remember, your job is to be there to support the key. You being on your phone can make the key look bad in front of the rest of the team. When you assist on a bigger job, there will be NDA in place and by you using your phone, that can result in you and the key getting fire from the job and into legal issues . On the other hand, if the key asks you to capture content for them, then thats a different story.
7. Posting Without Credit
Never post the work without crediting the key artist or claiming it as your own, this is a big no no. Always check with the key artist first, some might be cool with you posting, while others may have specific rules and do not want you to post at all. In the end you get paid to be there to assist and that is all.
8. Avoid Gossiping
No matter how big or how small the room is, someone is always listening and observing. Never gossip on set. It is extremely unprofessional. Keep your opinions to yourself. You are there to do your job as an assistant.
9. Opinions & Product Recommendation
This happens quite often, and it’s our nature to share our opinions, techniques and product recommendation. My opinion is, it’s better not to do it unless they ask. This is a huge no no especially if an assistant does it in front of a client or talent.
10. Always Ask First
When someone other than the key artist wants you to change or start on a makeup, always ask the key first. You were brought onto the job by the key artist, so the only person that you should listen to is they artist themselves to avoid all issues.
11. Bonus Tip
Be loyal, never go behind the key artist’s back communicating with the client privately for future jobs. No money is worth ruining the relationship with the person that brought you onto the job. This is basic ethic.
Conclusion:
Remember, every experience counts. You will encounter all sorts of personalities, and it’s all part of the journey growing as an artist. I assisted some incredible and kind Makeup Artists but at the same time, I’ve seen assistants get sent home, yelled at, and physically pushed. It’s not something we want to hear or see but it’s a reality in the industry. I hope these tips can help
If you enjoyed the read and like to donate a coffee, Zelle vanktr@gmail.com & Venmo @vanktr