The Beauty Run

Artist Resources - Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Pro Makeup Discounts: 100 Brands You Can Save Money With As An Artist

... As a makeup artist, searching for all the pro discounts on offer can be a task not many of us are willing to endure. Essential to busine...

With the growing rise of Covid-19, there is no doubt we’re all worried. Whether you work full time and take beauty service bookings on the side, or are completely self-employed - maintaining good business etiquette during this time is more crucial than ever.

Those of you that are completely self-employed may be worried about the future of your business during these uncertain times. But fear not, we’re all in the same boat.

We wanted to give you some tips on how you can keep and maintain your client relationships during this time and come back from this better than ever.

Be flexible - But encourage postponement over cancelling

With the whole world on lockdown, naturally people are halting their own plans. Therefore it's inevitable that people will want to cancel their bookings and ask for a refund of deposits etc. As a business owner, who is running their business to a high standard - you should always try and honour this.

We’ve seen instances of beauty treatment business owners say that they won’t be offering any refunds of deposits regardless of the situation which is really bad client management. This will 100% leave a bad taste in your clients’ mouth, and after this passes they will avoid doing business with you again.

You may be concerned about how you will continue to pay your bills, so try and encourage your clients to postpone their session for a later date. You can also offer gift cards that will stay valid for a number of months as a way to encourage future bookings.

A lot of weddings and other big events have been postponed due to the virus, so let your clients know that you can still offer your services, and anything they have paid so far will be transferred to the new date.

Issue a public statement

From a PR perspective, public statements are important. Make sure your statements are informed and look professional. Whether you're sending them via email, or on social media... when writing your statement, keep your clients at the forefront of your mind and be kind and flexible. Show you care.

Offer refunds where clients have requested, and more than anything be understanding. You should be showing that you value safety over profits, both in regards to your staff (if you run a small business with more than 1 employee) and your clients.

Get creative & stay connected online

Although it may be hard, keep posting content. Stay connected with your clients and audience so that when this all passes, you’re still at the forefront of their minds. Be genuine, and continue to post your work.

This is the time to get creative with your content. Post Q&As on your stories (so your clients can learn more about you and your brand), host live sessions talking to your audience about your area of specialism.

Whilst the outside world has come to halt, the online world is thriving. Don’t stop posting and continue to stay engaged. Now is the time to do the behind the scenes work that will help grow your business.

Photo: OPI

Hone your craft

With a lot more time on your hands, now is the time to hone and perfect your craft. Read books, draw inspiration, create new looks. Whilst on lockdown this means you will have to use your own face as the canvas! Sign up to online courses and techniques you've always wanted to test out.

Anything that helps improve your craft, do it. Work may have stopped for now, but it doesn’t mean your creativity has to also come to a halt.

Offer resources & tips

A lot of your clients will be stuck at home with not much to do, or are even wondering how they can maintain their beauty rituals at home. Now is the time to offer resources & tips on how they can remove their nails at home, maintain their lashes, and even makeup & beauty demo tips and tricks.

Whether you decide to charge a fee, or offer it for free your clients will appreciate your efforts, which will help your business in the long run. Get creative!

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Build your business

As creatives, it's sometimes hard to find the time to work on the business side of your art. Now is the time to reassess your goals and think about how you will get there.

Do you have dream clients you want to work with? Are there any new services you want to offer? Do you want to re-market your brand? During this period of downtime is the ideal time to get back on top of your business and think about your overall targets.

When this pandemic is over, your beauty business come back bigger and better than ever if you use your time wisely. Stay safe and keep positive.

The Beauty Run x

Artist Resources - Monday, March 30, 2020

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Artist Resources - Friday, March 20, 2020

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Beauty - Wednesday, August 14, 2019

This Age-Old Tribal Secret Will Grow Your Hair FAST

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Artist Resources - Thursday, July 25, 2019

3 Beauty Videos You Can Learn From This Week

... MUA Arabia Felix - @arabia.felix ... YouTube is always overwhelming, from tutorials, to vlogs, and even GRWM’s – staying on top of ...

Fashion - Monday, June 24, 2019

These Are The Items We Need From Zara's Summer Sale

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With the rise of Instagram and YouTube, there’s no doubt the beauty industry is crowded. From beauty influencers, to makeup artists, and even beauty brands – cutting through the noise is now tougher than ever. However, with the social media landscape it means it’s now easier than ever to create a successful makeup brand from nothing. Whilst an "overnight success" takes years of hard work, here are some key tips for becoming the success you are so destined to be.

Don’t follow trends

Now this is really hard, especially with being on Instagram. When you see the perfect smokey eye, or glitter cut crease gaining a gazillion likes on top beauty pages – it’s so easy to get sucked into the Instagram abyss so much that your makeup begins to look like everyone else’s.

Not saying a smokey eye, or a glitter cut crease isn’t bomb (because no doubt that is our go to on a night out), but if you really want to cut through the noise – what makes you different? Sometimes you just have to let your creativity flow and go with what feels right in your gut. A successful makeup artist is a pioneer.

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A post shared by ＭＩＭＩＣＨＯＩ (@mimles) on Feb 19, 2019 at 12:35am PST

Know your market & work accordingly

If you’re just starting out, it’s important to get clued up regarding the market you’d like to get most of your work in. For commercial work such as advertisements and billboards, producers like to see clean ‘no makeup’ makeup that looks flawless but realistic on camera, whilst fashion & beauty can be more bold & creative.

When it comes to celebrities, think glamour. Flashback and oily skin under red carpet lights is a no go. Once you've decided what area you'd like to get the most work in, market yourself accordingly.

Build a professional portfolio

If you want to build your special occasion or bridal clientele, invest in a ring light, good camera equipment and ask your friends and family to be your models. If you’re wanting to get into commercial, editorial, fashion or beauty a professional portfolio is needed.

There are loads of groups on Facebook (such as this group), where photographers, models and stylists are always looking to collaborate on test shoots. This will help you build up your portfolio (as well as gain valuable connections) without having to spend any money.

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Gorgeous beauty editorial for @lucysmagazine by our MUA @gorniakmua 🦋 using @ctilburymakeup @maccosmetics @tomfordbeauty 💄 📸: @zuziazawada

A post shared by The Beauty Run MUA’s (@thebeautyrun) on Apr 3, 2019 at 4:13am PDT

Shoot your shot

Opportunities don’t always just land in your lap, especially when you’re just starting out. Shoot out emails to potential business owners, production studios, photographers and more. Basically anyone you’d love to work with. If you’re wanting to secure celebrity clientele, don’t be scared to send them a DM.

Kylie Jenner’s makeup artist, Ariel Tejada started his career by DM’ing high profile influencers. Lilly Lashes founder and influencer, Lilly Ghalichi acted on his message and decided to work with him. She loved his makeup so much, that she ended up cancelling her usual MUA, working with him for the rest of the week. This managed to catch the attention of Kylie Jenner, and now with over 1 million followers - the rest is history.

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A post shared by ARIEL (@makeupbyariel) on Jan 30, 2019 at 3:37pm PST

Sometimes it’s also worth trying to source celebrity assistants or managers contact details too. The Celebrity Handbook is a great tool for this, as you’re able to access many celebrity contacts. You can gain a week long access to the database for as little as £5, so get signing up!

If you feel as though the person you’re doing makeup for has a lot of influence, it also may be worth offering a complimentary session. This could lead to ongoing work with them, and also the exposure could lead to other potential clients. It really is about learning as much as you can from the professionals.

Attend events & masterclasses Attend industry events, listen to podcasts, and book that masterclass. Look for mentors, assist the leading MUA’s, learn as much as you can and try your hardest to be at the right place at the right time. Find out more about our masterclass events here.

Artist Resources - Friday, May 17, 2019