We were lucky to catch up with Olivia Sparks recently and have shared our conversation below.
Olivia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
I feel like in the beauty industry, keeping up with trends is the standard by which artists & creators are judged. In today’s climate, social media is king– and it is the biggest challenge to profitability in the beauty industry. Over the past several years, there has been less of a focus on artistry & business education, and more of a focus on what products, influencers, and beauty brands are in the spotlight at any given time.
With a lack of makeup artistry laws/certification standards in several states, anyone with a social media platform can call themselves a makeup artist and charge clients for their work. Fun fact: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Idaho, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming are the only states that require makeup artists to obtain a license or permit to perform makeup artistry. The remaining 37 states have no education or licensing requirements(outside of local business licensing) to accept payment for performing makeup artistry. What that means for the clients sitting in our chairs is that a large percentage of artists are making money without proper education, sanitation/hygiene training, job experience– or even basic requirements to run a legitimate business in the U.S.
When we judge an artist’s success by how many followers they have, instead of their training, certifications, experience, and quality of their work– profitability in our industry becomes near impossible. Newer beauty-enthusiasts-turned-makeup-artists tout their extravagant makeup collections and encourage artists and consumers to buy the latest releases at Sephora and Ulta. Due to a lack disclosure from social media creators, artists and consumers are often unable to distinguish between a genuine product review, and a paid sponsorship deal between creators and cosmetic companies. When purchasing for their professional kit, inexperienced MUAs may not factor in the costs of running a business, product formulation, product shelf life, etc. If they compared their spending vs. their income, they’d realize that 9 times out of 10, they’re not making any profit… and rather *paying money* to provide a service to their clients! Through experience, I know that new products may not be chemically compatible to layer with the other products in an artist’s kit. Most products will sit in a drawer, and will evidently expire before they are able to be used on clients, creating waste and flushing artist’s money down the drain. Social media trends challenge profitability in all beauty industries in my opinion. The ability to keep up with trends relies on artists spending their profit on more and more.
Rather than keep up with all the new product releases, I prefer to use tried and true products in my kit. I only purchase from brands that offer professional artistry discounts to artists with business credentials. This has saved me so much money and time in my decade of artistry. When I treated my business like a hobby, I never made a profit. When I started treating makeup artistry like a legitimate business– taking artistry education courses, implementing client contracts, registering for business licensing, obtaining business insurance, and being smarter with my money– I started making a profit! It didn’t come easy. It took about 5 years of hobby artistry in my early twenties to quit my full-time job and get serious about my makeup business. When you work 24/7, and don’t see a profit coming in, you reach a point where you say, “Is this my passion– or a fun hobby?” For me it was the former, so I had to change the way I thought about makeup artistry, and treat it as seriously as I treated my corporate job.
In 2023, there are still newer artists in my area charging $30, $50, or $70 per 1-hour makeup appointment. At these rates, artists will never make a profit. I crunched the numbers, so let’s break it down with a standard overhead cost. Say it costs an artist $40 per client in products, disposables, and sanitation supplies per client/face. If the artist wanted to profit, here’s what that would look like… We’d need to double the $40 overhead cost, factor in studio rent, marketing, continuing education, training & experience, etc. PLUS add in a travel fee if traveling on-location to the client. The industry minimum rate for a 1-hour makeup appointment would come out to around $110 per face– again, *at the minimum*. You’d still need to see dozens of clients a month to pay bills and make a profit running a legitimate makeup artistry business. Cutting corners with sanitation, not having proper contracts in place, not paying taxes, or charging too little will all lead to burnout– or worse, a lawsuit or IRS audit.
When there are no education, exams, or licensing requirements for makeup artistry in a majority of the states, the beauty industry as a whole is devalued. The ability for legitimate makeup artist business owners to charge a living wage, or even turn a profit, is strained. As a society, we need to be more educated and informed when it comes to the beauty providers we hire. Whether it’s your makeup artist, nail technician, hairstylist, aesthetician, or medspa– consumers need to be aware of who they’re giving their money to. Do you vet your beauty providers before hiring them, beyond binging their TikTok videos or Instagram posts? What if consumers demanded more from their beauty providers? Asked to see their licensing, contracts, credentials before hiring them? Eventually, beauty-enthusiasts-turned-MUAs would either burn out and quit, or step up and pursue a legitimate business. Artistry education and certification, sanitation/hygiene standards, and competitive pricing would reflect a profit not only on newer artists, but the rest of the beauty community as well. Rising tides raise all ships!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a professional makeup artist with a decade of experience in the bridal, photography, and film makeup industries. I grew up watching my mother serve our community as a cosmetologist. I knew that whatever career field I went into, I wanted to make genuine connections with people each day, and work in the service industry. I paid my way through college by being an assistant to a professional makeup artist in Birmingham, AL for 2 years. My mentor retired from makeup artistry in 2014, and graciously trusted me with her remaining clientele. I took the responsibility seriously, honing my craft and perfecting the techniques I had been taught. After graduating college with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism, I accepted a job at a medical spa– where I did makeup artistry and aesthetic lasering for several years. In 2020, I left the medical spa to open my own studio space so I could partner with photographers & serve clients full-time. Natural/elevated makeup looks, sanitation & hygiene, and professionalism are three pillars of my business that I strive to perfect each time a client sits in my chair.
In 2022, I was voted Huntsville’s Best Makeup Artist by my clients and colleagues– my proudest “pinch me” moment to date! I look forward to continuing my business in the coming years, hoping to branch out into the film and entertainment makeup industry.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I am so grateful to have formed a small collaborative team of beauty professionals that help serve my clients leading up to their special events. In 2013 I was trained in makeup artistry by my longtime best friend, Hannah Garnett. I was in college at the time, and would travel to work weddings with her on the weekends for extra income. After completing her bachelor’s degree in 2015, Hannah decided to go back to get her Masters degree in Nursing Practice. She had already booked several weddings that year, and graciously handed them over to me. In 2023, Hannah is currently a Nurse Practitioner of Dermatology in Huntsville, AL. On the weekends, she now works weddings alongside me as my partner artist! My other partner artist, Heather Busch, works weddings with us as well! I met her in 2020, when her family moved to Alabama from Long Island, NY. We had been Instagram friends for months, so when she got to Huntsville, we met up as soon as we could. We hit it off immediately, and have been friends and business partners ever since. In 2018 I began working at a local medical spa, and met one of my closest friends, Ashleigh Roberts– the lead aesthetician at the spa. Ashleigh left the medspa to open her own skin studio, The Tailored Aesthetic, in 2022! We both agree that makeup can only look as good as the skin underneath it. We partnered together to offer my brides discounts on aesthetic services at her studio. Last, but certainly not least, our hairstyling partner is Miranda Goodman of Lemon Salon in Athens, AL. Miranda and I met in church youth group in high school. She pursued her cosmetology license after high school, and ended up furthering her education to become a cosmetology instructor for our local Paul Mitchell School of Cosmetology. For a few years, she moved with her husband who was in the military at the time. When she moved back to north Alabama in 2019, she reached out and asked if I needed help with weddings. I jumped at the opportunity to work with her again. She is a true artist when it comes to hairstyling, and she treats our brides like royalty. Between Hannah, Heather, Ashleigh, Miranda and I– we have worked over 500 weddings, and served countless clients worldwide. I wouldn’t be the business owner & artist I am today without the help & encouragement of these hardworking ladies in my corner.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I think the best way to maintain a good reputation in the wedding industry is to show up, have good kit hygiene, and be professional. Reliability is getting harder to come by in the wedding & beauty industries. Brides & clients need to know their beauty providers are reliable. When it comes to weddings, couples need to feel secure knowing you are going to show up on time & not cancel last minute, or worse– no show. From a safety standpoint– they need to know that their artist/hairstylist isn’t going to make their day more stressful. I make sure each client knows they can trust me with the products & tools I use on their face. To build this trust, I wash my hands before beginning each appointment, and use clean brushes and sanitized products on every client. Making the client feel their best is all about staying humble. I know that when someone sits in my chair, they are the star of the show– not me. It’s important to make them feel special, listen to them, and read the room(a skill that can only be taught through experience). Lastly, I use professional grade, high-end cosmetics in my kit. This ensures that every client leaves my chair with a photo-ready look that will last all day. Cleanliness, professionalism, and reliability will help anyone achieve a great reputation in their field!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oliviasparksmua.com
- Instagram: @oliviasparksmua
Image Credits
Amandalyn Photography Lauren Elliott Photography Rylo Creative Photography Danielle Jordan Photography Eric & Jamie Photography Brittany Calden Photography