Make-up artists: how to book on-location jobs

On-location make-up works when the booking includes everything the job really takes: the travel there and back, the set-up time, the call time the client needs you ready for, and the make-up itself. Create separate services for location work (home appointments, events, photo shoots), say clearly which area you cover and how travel is charged, and ask for the address, the timing and the number of people when the job is booked. Then plan each location day as a whole, rather than as a list of separate appointments.

In a studio, your client comes to you, the light is known and your kit is already set up. On location, every job starts with a journey and ends with packing everything back into the car. A 45-minute make-up at a client's home can take two and a half hours of your day once you count driving, parking, finding a room with decent light, setting up and cleaning your brushes before leaving. If the booking only covers the 45 minutes, the rest of the time is unpaid, and it's also time you can't give to another client.

Shoots and events add another layer: a call time set by someone else, other people depending on you, and sometimes a long wait between touch-ups.

Each service has its own slot length, which should include the travel and set-up, not only the make-up. That's how you avoid booking a home appointment in town at 10:00 and another one across the region at 11:00.

There are a few common ways to charge for travel: a fixed supplement for your local area, a supplement by zone (city, surrounding towns, further away), or a price per kilometre beyond a certain distance. Whichever you choose, write it in the service description, so the client knows the total before booking. Clear travel rules also make it easier to say no to jobs that are too far, or to price them properly.

For shoots and events far from home, agree in advance on who pays for parking, tolls or public transport, and whether an overnight stay is needed.

A photographer or event organiser will often tell you "we start shooting at 9". That's not your start time. Work backwards: how many people need make-up, how long each look takes, how long you need to set up. If the first model must be on set at 9 and you have three looks of 45 minutes each, your call time is well before 7. Say it clearly when you confirm the booking, and book the slot in your calendar from your actual arrival time.

Ask clients to put the key details in the booking note, then confirm the rest by message before the day.

If you do home appointments, try to group them by area on the same days, like a round. Open home slots in one part of town on Tuesday and another on Thursday, with the travel already included in the slot length. For shoots and events, block the whole day or half day in your calendar, including travel, so no one books a studio appointment you can't reach.

Keep your studio days and your location days separate where you can. Switching between them several times a day is how you end up late, with half your kit in the wrong place.