Retirement Planning for the Haircare and Makeup Design Industry

Are you a saver?

Whether you own a hair studio or make-up and design studio, one day you will eventually retire and need to have savings.  Unfortunately our industry is not filled  with savers and unless you are one of the few who have religiously saved money over the years, when you retire and no longer have the ability to work, the question is will you have enough money to live comfortably?

This question scares most because the answer is usually “no, I’m not a saver and live paycheck to paycheck.” The good new is it’s not too late for most and you can change and become a saver. If you just invested $10 dollar a day or the cost of one trip to Starbucks over 30 years that seemingly small investment would be worth $733,239 if it just got 8% a year return. Most any well managed mutual fund has a shot to get that if not more over such a long period of time.  Compounding interest over the long term is the secrete.  This site has free calculator that you can plus in numbers and project savings over time, click here.

Okay, you have saved well so don’t lose it!

An often over looked financial planning tool that wipes out billions of savings each year is the high cost of needing long term care at home or in a nursing home. If you are that saver who has saved $100,000 or more congratulations so you might want to think about insuring that investment. The department of Health and Human Services division did a study and found that people 65 years and old have a 50% chance is needing long term care before they die. Why is this stat important? The average annual amount of money spent on long term care is $55,000 per year. As you can see if would not take too many years to blow through most if not all of your savings.

What you can you do to plan?

There is a little know insurance product that use to be exclusive just for the rich called Long Term Care Insurance. Now, companies have stated creating Long Term Care Insurance products that the average person can afford. Of you have Long Term Care Insurance and need say home care, as opposed to having to spend your hard earned dollars on care, this insurance will pay that bill. A wise man once said to spend pennies to protect dollars.

If you don’t have a financial pro to talk to, go get one!  These people are critical for helping you grow your wealth and keep it!

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5 Steps to Becoming a Professional Makeup Artist

Professional makeup artists are not made overnight. If you want to be one, there are things that you need to do. If you have the talent and patience to learn and to practice, you can surely achieve your dream of becoming a professional makeup artist. To help you, here are the five essential steps to becoming a professional makeup artist:

Learn the craft.

The art of putting makeup sounds easy but it actually requires hard work and knowledge. If you want to be a professional, education is a requirement. You have to learn the theories and learn how to apply them. There are courses provided to those people who wish to learn the makeup artistry. By studying, you will learn lessons essential in becoming a makeup artists such as the color theory, contouring, face structures,  blending and product familiarity.

Complete Your Makeup Kit.

They say that soldiers should not go to war unequipped. The same idea applies to being a makeup artist. In this case, your cosmetic kit is your weapon. There are many different tools and cosmetics that you need if you want to become a professional makeup artist. You can start with the basic things such as foundation, concealers, powders, eyeshadows, eyeliners, lipsticks and brushes. If you have more resources, invest on airbrush, makeup guns, lash adhesives and props such as glitters and jewels. It is also important to have different shades and colors cosmetics. This is because there are many different kinds of skin tones and makeup styles.

Keep on Practicing.

Putting makeup is the same with fashion. It also evolves. This is why you need to make sure that you are updated with the latest makeup trends. The best way to do this is to keep on practicing. You can ask your friends and families to be your test subjects. Keep on reading fashion and cosmetic magazines too. If you check the Internet, you will find a lot of tips shared by other professional makeup artists.

Choose Your Specialization.

Just like other careers, makeup artists have different niches. It is important to keep on discovering what your best skills and where your passions are. It would be really helpful if you keep track of your strengths and weaknesses as a makeup artist. You could be a professional makeup artist in the movie, fashion, theatre or print industry. You can also be a freelance makeup artist and handle different occasions such as weddings and proms. If you love teaching and you want to share your knowledge and skills, you can give makeup lessons or become a product educator.

Market Your Skills.

No matter how talented you are as a makeup artist, it does not matter if you will not market your skills. You need to build a name for yourself. Distribute your business cards to prospect clients. You can also use the social media to show everyone your portfolio. Word of mouth is also a very effective marketing tool, so make sure to keep your clients satisfied. If you have the talent and people see it, your clients will surely line up.

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Why The World Needs Makeup Artists

Let’s face it, not all women know how to apply makeup on properly. A lot of respectable figures in our society have their own makeup artists to do the styling for them. Because it is important for these women to always look their best, they have to hire people who actually know what they are doing in terms of beauty and cosmetics. The availability of vast selections of makeup brands online and at department stores is not enough for women to actually know what to buy and how to use it. This is the primary reason why makeup artists are important in our society.

The professionals who groom and style women for the important events in their lives, such as graduation ceremonies, coming out parties, weddings, etc. are responsible for helping their clients look put together and elegant. While it’s easy to put casual and regular daytime makeup on, big occasions that require a more polished look are an entirely different story. There are additional factors to consider such as the event’s dress code, the color of the attire and even the time when it will be held. These are all complicated things that women who do not have expert makeup application skills may find hard to take into consideration and to accomplish.

Celebrities rely on makeup artists to look great too. Even though most of them look good without makeup, they would look plain in the magazines, on television and in the movies if they don’t have their trusted MUAs to work their magic and transform the average into the extraordinary. In addition, putting on makeup can be a long and tedious process, so having someone else to do it makes it a whole lot more fun and relaxing. Makeup artists have big roles to play in the entertainment industry, and this is why they are paid big sums of money to do what they do best. We can easily say that MUAs make plenty of women look more beautiful and feel more confident too.

In the wedding industry alone, choosing a good makeup artist is one of the biggest and most important decisions the bride has to make, especially if the entourage is included in the package. The versatility of makeup artists allows him or her to handle the hair and makeup of all clients, regardless of the many different hair and skin types out there. That popular “natural look” that makes the bride glow on her wedding day is also thanks to her makeup artist.

Models also rely on makeup artists before their photo sessions. This is probably one of more challenging aspects of a makeup artist’s career because it requires a heavy dose of patience, endurance and creativity. Indeed, many industries would not be as successful as they are today without the presence and availability of makeup artists. They bring creative ideas to life with their brush strokes and bobby pins and these ideas inspire other women to realize their own beauty and enhance their gorgeous features to gain more confidence and self-worth.

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