Hannah M93 wrote:
...I've really loved the process of creating a portfolio and doing more creative looks in my spare time and I would love to be able to turn this passion into a career in makeup, specifically within fashion/editorial...

Hannah welcome to the Mayhem...

Reality check... There is virtually no recompense in fashion editorials. Why? because there is no client in the mix... Likewise there is little if any recompense for doing fashion shows or runway events... However the networking opportunities latent within are priceless... Trust me I've been there done that and unless your are working in a major market i.e. London (where you've noticed the cost of living is prohibitive) makeup artist working the aforementioned events are paid very little if at all...

Hannah M93 wrote:
...Should I search for beauty counter and assisting jobs to gain experience?

Absolutely! This is the traditional path taken by so many of those established within the industry. Counter work is about sales thus requires excellent communicative skills. That said the highest recompense (per hour or job) is in bridal however the competition is fierce thus you are best served entering this arena by assisting other successful bridal artist in your market.  Experience being a brutal teacher here...

My path? Bridal and commercial assignments for an advertising agency based in New York (who found me via my commercial web site). Which brings to point, you'll need a commercial web presence... btw, Instagram isn't a valid web presence, nor is Mayhem... Hope this  makes sense.

Now the bitter truth.... In order to achieve commercial success you'll likely need to lose your desire to be "Highly Creative" and instead master clean beauty looks and male grooming... These are my highest paying gigs... and male grooming for corporate video yields by far and away the highest rate of pay...

Best advice? Start by mastering foundations until you can effectively color match any client who sits in your chair... Until you have this handled you are wasting time with eye and lip decor...  Also if you wish to work in the bridal market then mastering airbrush is germane to competing at the high end of the lucrative bridal market...  I realized this early on in my journey which was one of the best decisions I have made... The Lion's share of my bridal clientele demanded airbrush, that is why they hired me...

While we are not allowed to critique in this forum I will mention that the eye decor on our avatar isn't even close to industry expectations (at least in my humble estimation)... Although it appears to be done with the excellent Anastasia Modern Reconnaissance Palette (or similar).  Please keep in mind that your perceived worth is only as good as the weakest image in your book... enough said...

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought.
I wish you well on your journey Hannah...

ArtistryImage wrote:

I like your advice about working with male clients.  One of my favorite things about both my makeup artists is they are fantastic with my groomsmen.  Recently, more and more men especially my Korean clients are asking for full on makeup at their weddings.  Even if they are not getting makeup done I appreciate my makeup artists understanding male hair and styling.

I don't know how much editorial pays these days but when I shot editorial most makeup artists either worked for a kit fee of $50 or come and go for around $200.  I don't think that's enough to earn a living.