Hi everyone 👋 I am new enough to the wonderful world of freelancing as a makeup artist and I just wanted to ask the seasoned artists amongst you, what was your biggest rookie mistake? I'm sure I speak for all newbies when I say, it's terrifying going along to a job and still not being sure if what we're doing is right  and I'd love to hear from people with the experience, what has happened to you and did it make you a better artist?

I started body painting by using createx fabric paint because "that's what everyone uses". Fortunately I didn't hurt any of my models in the process. And I moved on to REAL cosmetic body paint very quickly.

Dropping camera on the concrete?

forgot to bring a set of my brushes because I washed it overnight and was put away for drying. luckily I had another set of brushes to use.

Using foundation that was way to light on her dark skin.  Thank god I was young and cute!  She was very good about it and was able to correct my mistake and we moved on.  R-

Oops just realized this was a stylist thread! Sorry for previous post of limited relevance!

Just spoke to a MUA NYC who said his tog egged him/her on to make it happen and there just wasn't enough hair for her to work with and she ended up burning the model'a hair. LOL

Model did not find it amusing.

These are brilliant, I had an appointment last night for a clients Christmas party and I accidentally got liner on her contact lens, she had to change them halfway through 🙈these made me feel slightly better 😂

I think the biggest mistake that I made in the beginning was getting roped in with horrible photographers who had the weirdest/corniest concepts in the world or just in general weren't very technically sound. At the time I was just so star-struck in a way and happy to have my work photographed. What I didn't understand was that one bad element in the photograph made the WHOLE photo (including my own work) BAD or otherwise unusable whether everything else was on point or not. Weird makeup? Bad photo. Odd props? Bad photo. Tacky wardrobe? Bad photo. Awkward model? Bad photo. People who view the photograph won't separate your work from the total picture or judge each element alone. I really had to learn that to improve, I have to surround myself with fellow artists who are on the same page and not waste my time on those who don't have a similar vision.

I'll let you know, as soon as I stop making them.

Not caping talent in wardrobe. Dropping brushes/applicators on talent/wardrobe. Spraying hair/face with wrong thing, i.e. water instead of setting spray on face, water instead of hairspray on hair, 244 instead of eyeliner sealer, eyelash glue instead of eye cream... Leaving portions of kit at home. Not having kit ready to go at all times for last minute calls. Going to work in heels or nicer clothes. Wearing a full face of makeup to work. Using a "makeup trolley" for kit. Buying crap just to buy crap. Not buying multi-use products. Not investing in education early on. Laying my first hair on set for the first time. Forgetting whether the bald cap was latex or not. Not drying hair completely before curling. Burning myself on hot tools a billion times. Not going to the proper person on set with a question or information. Pushing into the video village.

After all these years and millions of mistakes I have learned a lot. But just this last week, while laying facial hair on a film set, I felt something on my hand and absent-mindedly picked it off as I was focused on the job. It was Pros-Aide Cream. Half my skin came off with it. There is now a hole in my finger. Latest lesson: look before you pick something off your skin when working with adhesives. Which I know, but that was my duh moment this week. It still happens.

...When I first joined MM (and very new to makeup), I was contacted by a photographer for a TFP shoot. I made the mistake of not asking what the shoot was for. Turns out the woman I was doing makeup on paid the photographer and even paid extra for makeup! She told me this while she was in the chair. She was lovely and I made a new friend, but I couldn't help but feel a bit burned by the photographer. He essentially charged money for my services and pocketed it all. Oh well, live and learn and learn I did!

TLDR: Noobs, ask lots of questions when setting up a TF.

I'm not a makeup artist.But my biggest rookie mistake is never saying no to a project.