If it is your dream to become a makeup artist in Montana, you’ll start by becoming licensed as an esthetician through the Montana Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. US News & World Report listed estheticians as one of the best jobs in the United States in 2013 in terms of current and projected salary. Listed among the best cities in the nation in which estheticians can work was Jefferson City, Montana, where the average annual earnings for an esthetician was $53,710, about $20,000 higher than the national average – and this doesn’t even include tips!
The Montana Academy of Salons reported that between 2010 and 2020, employment for skincare specialists and makeup artists in Montana is expected to increase by 25 percent, much faster than the average increase expected for all occupations in the state. In addition to the salon industry, makeup artists in Montana find jobs in dermatologist offices, resort spas, and even cosmetics companies where they work as consultants or sales reps.
How to Become a Makeup Artist in Montana
Becoming a makeup artist in Montana starts by meeting the qualifications for an esthetician license through the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists. To qualify for a license, you must be at least 18 years old, have good moral character, have a high school diploma, and complete training and examination requirements as specified below.
Makeup Artist School
The Montana Board of Barbering and Cosmetology requires that all would-be makeup artists in the state complete 650 hours of approved training in a licensed school of esthetics or of cosmetology. You must choose a school that has been licensed by the Board. These schools may be found in:
- Kalispell
- Billings
- Bozeman
- Great Falls
Courses that you must take in an esthetics training program in Montana include:
- Product knowledge
- Business practices
- Professional ethics
- Sanitation and safety
- State law
- Essential nutrition
- Body wraps
- Microdermabrasion
- Body and face waxing
- Eyelash extensions
- Makeup application
- Complete facials
Makeup Artist Licensure in Montana
Have you completed your esthetics training classes? If so, you are ready for the next step to becoming a makeup artist in Montana – passing the mandatory examinations: the National Esthetics Theory Examination and the National Esthetics Practical Examination.
Complete the Licensing and Exam Application and submit it to the Board. Your application should be processed in 10 days to two weeks, and you will receive an eligibility to test letter, at which time you may schedule the examinations.
The National Esthetics Theory Examination will test your knowledge of:
- Scientific concepts:
- Microbiology
- Infection control
- Safety procedures and guidelines
- Physiology and anatomy of cells, tissues, organs and systems
- Histology and physiology of the skin
- Skin disorders and diseases
- Body hair composition
- Chemistry
- Skin care and services:
- Skin analysis
- Treatment protocol
- Contraindications
- Client records
- Cleansing procedures
- Exfoliation procedures
- Steaming procedures
- Massage
- Extraction procedures
- Use of masks
- Hair removal methods/procedures
- Makeup application principles and procedures
- Electrical equipment usage for skin services
- Basic knowledge of eyelash extensions
- Basic knowledge of body treatments
The Theory exam is administered through PSI Exam Centers, and given at Montana testing centers in:
- Helena
- Billings
- Hamilton
- Great Falls
- Missoula
- Kalispell
The National Esthetics Practical Examination requires you to bring a mannequin head to the exam. Skills that will be tested include:
- Blood exposure procedure
- Eyelash enhancement
- Facial makeup
- Facial mask
- Facial service
- Microdermabrasion on forehead
- Hair removal of upper lip by hard wax
- Hair removal of eyebrows by tweezing and soft wax
- Work area and new client prep
- Massaging face with product
- Exfoliating face with product
- Cleansing face with product
The Practical Exam is administered through DL Roope Administrations, Inc while the written exam is sponsored by the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC).
Once you have passed both sections of the Esthetics Exam, the Board will mail your Esthetician License to you and you may legally begin working as a makeup artist in Montana! Your esthetician license must be renewed every other year.
Jobs for Makeup Artists in Montana
Now that you are a licensed makeup artist in Montana, it is time to find a job. Most makeup artists in Montana work within spas and salons, in the personal care industry, and may work for themselves or others. However, the medical industry is one of the fastest-growing and highest-paid industries in the state in which makeup artists/skincare specialists work.
Other industries in which makeup artists find work in Montana include the travel/resort industry and the product sales industry.
Examples of major employers in Montana within each of these industries include:
Spas and Salons
- Solace Spa and Salon – Big Sky
- Willow Creek Dayspa & Salon – Billings
- Sara Maki’s Esthetics- Great Falls
- Divine Esthetics and Massage- Billings
- Willow Creek Day Spa- Billings
Travel and Resort
- The Lodge at Whitefish Lake- Whitefish
- Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa – Pray
- The Resort at Paws Up – Greenough
- The Ranch at Rock Creek- Phillipsburg
- Rainbow Ranch Lodge- Big Sky
Medical Esthetics
- Montana Medical Aesthetics Clinic- Billings
- Montana Center for Facial Plastic Surgery – Missoula
- Kalispell Regional Medical Center- Kalispell
- Benefis Hospitals- Great Falls
- Fresenius Medical Care- Missoula
Product Sales/Retail Consultant
- Herberger’s – Kalispell
- ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. – Bozeman and Missoula
- Kohl’s- Billings
- Ross- Kalispell
- Reveal Cosmetics- Statewide
If you decide you want to open your own salon or shop in Montana one day, you must apply for a salon/shop license through the Board, using this License Portal. You may also choose to rent a booth in another’s salon as an independent contractor. You must complete this License Portal for booth rental.