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Performance Makeup Artist

Performance Makeup Artist profiles score highest on Creating and Exploring. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$97,150per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Vocational training or associate's degreetypical for the occupation
Outlook
BrightO*NET Bright Outlook occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 39-5091.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

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

Skills rated most important

Speaking69
Reading Comprehension66
Active Listening63
Critical Thinking56
Judgment and Decision Making56

Work context

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams97
Contact With Others91
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled82
Spend Time Standing76
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled63
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body56
Spend Time Walking or Running41
Spend Time Sitting32
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance28
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling22
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles8

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Performance Makeup Artist profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Creating93
Exploring61
Harmonizing57
Operating56
Persevering49
Safety-Seeking38
Influencing36
Organizing35
Helping34
Law-Abiding26
Analyzing8

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • High Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • High Harmonizing. Measures your focus on group cohesion and interpersonal peace. High scorers build consensus, facilitate cooperation, and prioritize team harmony.
  • High Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • High Influencing. Measures your drive to lead, persuade, and shape outcomes. High scorers are confident communicators who naturally take charge and direct others.

Friction points

  • Low Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • Low Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • Low Harmonizing. Measures your focus on group cohesion and interpersonal peace. High scorers build consensus, facilitate cooperation, and prioritize team harmony.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Vocational training or associate's degree.

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Performance Makeup Artist?

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

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