From the very beginning of my journey as a cosmetologist/makeup artist, I've always struggled with the balance of knowing my worth and making my clients happy. As with any profession, the longer you are in it and the more knowledge you obtain, the easier it gets to stand firm on what you decide you are worth and not waiver when someone, particularly clients, challenge you. Let me be clear, I am a firm believer that we must always remain humble, no matter what it is that we decide to do. However, I can remain humble and not be broke! I've been in the beauty industry for 6+ years now. I've always had a passion for doing makeup and hair, but I didn't start pursuing it professionally until after my undergrad years. Nonetheless, I still took it upon myself to gain experience and educate myself. If I count the years of self-teaching and traditional schooling plus my continuing education courses, then my experience would be much more. Be that as it may, I still didn't feel like I was ready to take on my first paid freelance job until I went through school.
Is everyone's timeline the same as mine? No. I just want to use my personal journey to put into perspective the amount of time, money, training, and education that we as artists tend to put into our craft. You would think that all of these things would justify the cost of services, but here I am years later, and it seems like I find myself singing the same tune sometimes. Recently, I've been seeing a lot of chatter amongst my fellow artists in different parts of the U. S. about what is believed to be a reasonable price to charge for our services. Of course, it sparked a debate involving both artists and clients. And it seems like some clients still don't get it. I understand that the beauty industry is not your traditional career choice, but it is still a career. We dedicate our time to honing and perfecting our craft. We put out money for schooling, training, and continuing education courses. Not to mention the price we pay for building our kits! Y'all know damn well how much makeup alone can cost. I seriously have my makeup and hair supplies included in my home insurance. That's how much it is worth.
That being said, it's pretty disheartening when we get clients who challenge our prices. There are a lot of "artists" who are new to this and taking advantage of how popular this career has become within recent years. They didn't necessarily put in the time and dedication, but they went all in and are charging an arm and a leg even though they can't execute what some of us would think are simple techniques. Yet, they often aren't the ones being challenged. It's funny how things go sometimes and I know that situations can vary. Speaking as a client (not as an artist), we have to understand and respect this profession just as we do the traditional ones. Do you walk into a doctor's office and challenge their prices? Do you ask your dentist or optometrist to amend the cost of certain services? Why? I'm pretty sure it's because you know that they possess a knowledge in a particular field well beyond yours which is why you went to them in the first place. You don't question their expertise. You readily assume that they've poured years into developing their skill and spent a vast amount of money on their schooling. While I agree that those careers are much more complicated, I do not appreciate the disregard for the same work ethic that we put into our field. After all, you're interested in our services because we have the expertise in an area that you do not, correct?
All I'm asking is that you consider why you asked for our services in the first place. Consider the service in it's entirety. Are we providing all of the tools to get it done? Are we making it convenient for you (i.e. traveling to you, doing it at whatever time you requested, etc.)? Also, for those of us who are doing things in the professional way, we are not pulling prices from the sky. We're looking at market value and competition in the area that we are in, gas prices, the price of the tools we have to use, etc. How can we make a profit and a decent living if what we're charging for full glam sessions is the actual cost of only one eye shadow palette?
Listen, there's so much that can be said about the cost of services. You can debate it however you like. Just understand that it is abysmal to even think it's okay to ask any professional to come down on their prices because you can't afford it. As clients, it is our responsibility to research and compare the services offered. More often than not, we will choose the person/stylist who delivers whatever service that you're asking for in the most successful and efficient way. If we're looking for quality, then we have to be prepared to pay the cost. On the other hand, as stylists, we have every right to charge what we are worth (while remaining fair, of course). Never feel pressured by a client to come down on your prices for them, especially if it's for selfish reasons. They are not special. We still have to pay bills just like everyone else. People will certainly make provisions to pay for things/services they really want, no questions asked.
We are not the exception.