GREAT TIMING

The age old question and ongoing issue, “How long does it take to do Hair and Makeup?”
Of course this will vary depending on the type of hair and makeup being applied and the situation you are working in.
In the Film and Television Industry you are given a ‘call time’ which means the time you are expected to arrive and an ‘on set’ time which means the time when the talent has to be camera ready and on set.
Usually the time between the two is the amount of time you have to perform your magic and it is usually 1 hour. This of course does not include special makeups like prosthetics which can run into the hours and hours.
Most of the time it is pre arranged by the Head of Department as to how long should be allowed for Hair and Makeup, but generally speaking you have 1 hour to do everything which is required.
So to give you a general guide…
For a basic, natural makeup application I usually allow 30 minutes – this includes all over foundation and powder, blush and shading, highlighting, brows, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara and fully lined and coloured lips.
For a basic hair style, up or down, I usually allow 30 minutes – this is the type of hairstyle that is working with the natural state of the hair and does not require blow-drying, curling or straightening.
For all other makeup’s I allow 1 hour and for a more designed hair style I allow a further 1 hour.
As I said before this is just covering the basics and doesn’t include things like hair extensions, wigs and prosthetic applications.
As a Hair and Makeup Artist you not only have to be good at what you do but you also have to be fast – so my advice is to pick up your speed.