A career as a makeup artist can be both rewarding and lucrative. The skills needed for the job can be obtained by completing a makeup program at a state-approved beauty school. West Virginia is home to at least seven beauty schools with makeup programs.
Interested individuals can elect to be either theatrical/production or personal appearance makeup artists. Theatrical makeup artists focus on applying makeup to performers to help establish their role and its setting while personal appearance makeup artists apply makeup to enhance an individual’s appearance.
An aggregate of salaries garnered from “help wanted” ads for makeup artists in West Virginia is $34,000. It is important to note that in the salon and spa industry, personal appearance makeup artists can earn an additional 15% – 25% in gratuity.
Analyzing Makeup Artist Salaries in West Virginia
The following table demonstrates the difference between the annual salaries/hourly wages of theatrical/production and personal appearance makeup artist salaries in the US as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013).
Theatrical makeup artists find work at theater productions, movie sets, photography shoots, television shows and concerts. West Virginia has theatrical production companies in Charleston, Morgantown and Harper’s Ferry as well as an active independent film industry and numerous modeling agencies.
Personal appearance makeup artists work at salons, spas, cosmetics stores/counters, bridal boutiques and even mortuaries. West Virginia has plenty of all of these, including one of the nation’s oldest and most famous resort/spa at Sulphur Springs.
Differences in Makeup Artist Salaries in Various West Virginia Cities
The West Virginia Department of Commerce Work Force Department lists annual salaries and hourly wages statewide and in different cities for personal care and service workers (includes personal appearance makeup artists) as follows: