Did you know that the skin is the largest organ of the body, or that the health of your skin plays a large part in the overall health of your body? If the health and beauty of the skin interests you, you might consider becoming a makeup artist. Technically called aestheticians, in Maine a licensed aesthetician is authorized to work in applying makeup and beautifying the skin of others through a variety of techniques and processes.
Maine requires that you obtain an aesthetician license through the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation prior to working as a makeup artist in the state. This involves meeting age and education requirements and passing a two- part examination (written and practical). Once you have your aesthetician license, you may legally work as a makeup artist as an independent contractor or for another salon, spa or other business that employs licensed aestheticians.
The Maine Department of Labor projects an amazing 28.3 percent increase in job opportunities for skincare specialists working as makeup artists in Maine between 2012 and 2022. One of the biggest industries in Maine in which makeup artists may work is the fashion or textile industry. One of the giants, LL Bean, is headquartered in Freeport and employs makeup artists to adorn models for its paper catalogs and its website.
Some makeup artists opt to work on a freelance basis visiting the sick and homebound, helping them feel better about themselves through beautification. Residents of nursing homes, hospitals, and those who are housebound appreciate the services makeup artists provide – improving their spirits through improving their appearances.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that as of May 2013, makeup artists in Maine earned an average annual salary of $32,200. Their earning potential statewide was as high as $46,350, however. Those in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-Maine metropolitan area earned an average annual wage of $45,010, while makeup artists working in the Southwestern Maine nonmetropolitan area also earned a higher than average salary of $34,260 per year.
How to Become a Makeup Artist in Maine
Maine Revised Statutes Title 32, Chapter 126, Subchapter 3 §14228 lists the qualifications that you must fulfill in order to become a licensed makeup artist (referred to as an aesthetician license) in Maine. You must be at least 17 years old, have completed the 10th grade at minimum, complete a mandatory education program, and pass a two-part examination prior to licensure.
Education for Makeup Artists in Maine
Maine’s Revised Statutes mandate that you complete at least 600 hours of education in aesthetics during a three-month period, or work as an aesthetics trainee for 1000 hours over a period of six months. When you apply for a license, a representative of your aesthetics/cosmetology school or a supervisor must attest through affidavit that you have completed the necessary hours of training. The Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation must have licensed the aesthetician training program that you choose. Licensed programs for makeup artists (aestheticians) are found within Augusta and Westbrook.
You can expect to take classes and to learn techniques and processes such as the following during your 600 hours of aesthetician training:
- Sanitation and infection control
- Maine state laws and rules
- Exfoliation procedures
- Aromatherapy
- Skin conditions, disorders and diseases
- Body treatments
- Basic chemistry
- Human anatomy and physiology
- Waxing
- Personal motivation and development
- Retail skills
- Business skills
- Skin cleansing procedures
- Makeup application and removal
If you opt to receive your education as an aesthetics trainee, you must complete 1000 hours. Complete this application to become a licensed Aesthetics Trainee. At the end of your training, your supervisor must attest that you have completed training in these areas through an affidavit:
- Makeup techniques
- Psychology and human relations
- Maine state laws and rules
- History of skin care and cosmetic use
- Superfluous hair removal
- Electricity, machines and apparatus
- Skin treatment with and without use of machines
- Massage techniques and mask therapy
- Cleansing skin
- Sterilization and sanitation
- Anatomy, chemistry, human anatomy, bacteriology
- Physiology and histology of skin
- Shop and business management
Makeup Artist Licensure in Maine
Once you have completed your education or training, you must pass the Aesthetician Exam in Maine. This is in two parts – written and practical – and is administered through DL Roope testing services. You will actually be taking a national examination, the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) National Esthetics Exam.
Passing both parts of the NIC Exam means you are ready to apply for Licensure by Examination as an Aesthetician in Maine. Your license expires annually. In order to renew it, you must pay a renewal fee and complete an online application. Continuing education is not currently required for makeup artists in Maine.
As a licensed aesthetician in Maine, you are allowed to work for yourself and visit clients’ homes to perform the services outlined in Maine’s revised statutes. Under Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, Subchapter 14203 (2), you may also visit nursing homes, hospitals, youth camps, prisons, hotel occupants, theater or TV/movie studios, and funeral establishments to practice your craft on clients outside of a licensed salon or spa. This opens up many options for employment as a makeup artist in Maine.
Makeup Artist Jobs in Maine
As a licensed aesthetician in Maine you will find opportunities in a variety of industries. These include photography and film production, the retail industry (including makeup counters at department stores as well as salons and spas), the medical industry, and the fashion and textile industry (particularly in applying makeup to catalog/internet models). Examples of employers within each of these industries include:
Photography and Film Production
- Seymore Films – Biddeford
- JJ Miller Productions- Chelsea
- Purple Crayon Productions – Meredith
- Fifth Rule Entertainment – Danvers
- Goliath Media- Tewksbury
Retail
- ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. – Augusta, Bangor, South Portland
- JCPenney – South Portland, Bangor and Waterville
- Satori Salon & Spa – Portland
- The Beauty Bar Salon & Spa= Auburn
- Salon Henri – Kittery
Medical
- Women’s Wellness Comprehensive Care – Portland
- Surface Medical Spa- Bangor
- Cosmetic Enhancement Center of New England – Portland
- About Face – Bangor
- Maine Laser Clinic- Westbrook
Fashion and Textile
- LL Bean headquarters- Freeport
- Anthropologie headquarters- Portland
- Ramblers Way – Kennebunk
- Arrowhead Clothing – Yarmouth
- Frenchman’s Bay Clothing Company – Bar Harbor