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Makeup Artist

Creative

Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Creative Arts & Media

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
  2. 2Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
  3. 3Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
  4. 4Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
  5. 5Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
  6. 6Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
  7. 7Requisition or acquire needed materials for special effects, including wigs, beards, and special cosmetics.
  8. 8Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
  9. 9Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
  10. 10Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
  11. 11Write makeup sheets and take photos to document specific looks and the products used to achieve the looks.
  12. 12Assess performers' skin type to ensure that makeup will not cause break-outs or skin irritations.
  13. 13Attach prostheses to performers and apply makeup to create special features or effects, such as scars, aging, or illness.
  14. 14Examine sketches, photographs, and plaster models to obtain desired character image depiction.
  15. 15Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application.
  16. 16Evaluate environmental characteristics, such as venue size and lighting plans, to determine makeup requirements.
  17. 17Provide performers with makeup removal assistance after performances have been completed.
  18. 18Design rubber or plastic prostheses that can be used to change performers' appearances.
  19. 19Create character drawings or models, based upon independent research, to augment period production files.
  20. 20Demonstrate products to clients, and provide instruction in makeup application.
  21. 21Advise hairdressers on the hairstyles required for character parts.
  22. 22Wash and reset wigs.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • MUA
  • Body MUA
  • Lash Artist
  • Makeup Tech
  • Eyelash Tech
  • Makeup Worker
  • Beauty Advisor
  • Beauty Stylist
  • Certified Tech
  • Commercial MUA

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Fine Arts — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Technical Comm. GraphicsDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Bahasa MelayuDraws directly on Communications and Media — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service89%
  • English Language82%

    English

  • Fine Arts74%

    Visual Art (PSV)

  • Design70%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Communications and Media70%

    EnglishBahasa Melayu

  • Psychology58%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedOften
  • Outdoors, in all weatherOften
  • Time spent sittingA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Clean and sanitize supplies, such as makeup brushes.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

5%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue