HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

How to hire a mobile make-up artist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Mobile make-up artists need no licence anywhere in the UK. Here is what to check, what to have ready, and what to do if it goes wrong.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
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  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a mobile make-up artist in five steps

  1. Check insurancePublic liability for home and venue visits.
  2. Agree travel and parkingIn the price, or on top.
  3. Set up the spaceA chair, a table and natural light near a socket.
  4. Share timings earlyAddress, parking and the time you must be ready.
  5. Book a trial for weddingsSo the artist knows your skin.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Mobile make-up artists need no licence and sit on no register in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. A make-up at home sits outside the skin-piercing rules councils enforce.

Ask the mobile make-up artist for the training certificate for this treatment and the insurer that covers it.

Insurance that covers the make-up at home

Without public liability insurance, a mobile make-up artist who injures you has to pay out of their own pocket, so ask whether the make-up at home appears on the schedule of their insurance.

A photo of the schedule is enough: it should list the make-up at home by name.

Trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Buying a make-up at home from a mobile make-up artist who trades brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with it: the work has to meet the standard of reasonable care and skill, with a redo or partial refund if it misses.

See whether the profile carries the trader badge before you pay, and screenshot what was agreed. legislation.gov.uk →

Cancellation rights for a home booking

A mobile make-up artist booked online, by phone or at your door is covered by the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013: 14 days from booking to cancel, unless the make-up at home is done at your request inside that time.

Ask the mobile make-up artist for the deposit and cancellation terms in writing. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Make-up applied at your address is standard-rated at 20%. A mobile make-up artist with turnover above £90,000 must register and show VAT apart on the booking invoice.

Ask the mobile make-up artist for a VAT number and check whether the price for each face includes it. gov.uk →

“Are you insured to work in homes and venues?”

A good answer: Yes, with the insurer named — the mobile make-up artist's cover should include visits.

“What is your travel charge and parking need?”

A good answer: Figures in the mobile make-up artist's quote.

“What do you need me to set up?”

A good answer: A chair, a table and light — exactly what.

“How do you keep your make-up kit clean on the move?”

A good answer: Brushes cleaned between clients and single-use applicators.

“How long is the make-up per person, and when will you arrive?”

A good answer: A written time for each person.

“What deposit and cancellation terms apply?”

A good answer: In writing, before you pay the mobile make-up artist.

“Will you stay for touch-ups?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with an hourly price.

Getting the quote right

  • Make-up per person and the occasion
  • Travel, parking and early-start charges
  • Touch-up cover by the hour
  • Deposit and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends: the mobile make-up artist you booked, or an assistant for a group, and whether that assistant is employed or subcontracted
  • The artist's VAT number on the booking, with VAT apart from each face, the travel and the early start

Walk away if

  • No insurance for home visits
  • Travel charges added on the day
  • Dirty kit or shared applicators
  • No written terms for the deposit
LOW
£70
TYPICAL
£120
HIGH
£300

What a mobile make-up artist costs: £70–£300 per booking

Mobile make-up artists price per booking and per person, with travel and early starts priced on top. Mobile Makeup Artist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Mobile make-up artists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Arrive and set upChair, light and kit set up near a window or socket.
  2. PrepSkin cleansed and primed.
  3. ApplyThe look agreed, with clean tools.
  4. FinishLashes if booked and setting spray.
  5. Pack downThe space left tidy by the mobile make-up artist.

Travel charge
The fee for coming to you.
Early-start fee
A charge before a set hour.
Touch-up cover
Staying to refresh make-up.
Off-premises contract
A booking made away from the trader's premises — 14 days to cancel.
Ring light
A portable light for even make-up.
Deposit
Money to hold the date.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingTerms, deposit and balance.
Check your roomNothing left behind or marked.
Remove make-up properlyAnd watch for any reaction.
Leave the reviewRate the make-up at home from your Locufy booking once it is finished. If the make-up at home is not right, use the make-it-right step first so the mobile make-up artist can put it right before the review goes up.

STEP 1Tell the mobile make-up artist, in writingGive the mobile make-up artist the chance to fix it: a dated message, photos and the remedy you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 standard is reasonable care and skill.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the make-up at home under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the mobile make-up artist first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — Trading StandardsNo body licenses a mobile make-up artist, so a make-up at home dispute you cannot settle goes to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if it comes to moneyIf the mobile make-up artist will not refund or redo the make-up at home, you can claim without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a mobile make-up artist: questions people ask

No. Nothing in UK law licenses or registers mobile make-up artists, which is why training, insurance and their own work are what you check before a make-up at home.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a make-up at home that was not done with reasonable care and skill can be redone free or partly refunded. Raise it quickly and in writing.

£70–£300 per booking, typically around £120. Travel, early starts, group size and the occasion matter most. Check the mobile makeup artist price guide for the full picture, then search your town above for mobile make-up artists close by.

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give 14 days to cancel a home or online booking. A make-up at home you asked to have within that time, and have had, cannot be cancelled after the event.

Tell them in writing. Lateness that costs you the service you paid for is a reason for a reduction.

Tell them in writing and ask for their insurer's details; public liability insurance covers damage.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

How to hire: Makeup ArtistHow to hire: Bridal MakeupHow to hire: Special Occasion MakeupHow to hire: Makeup LessonsHow to hire: Bridal HairHow to hire: Henna & Mehndi ArtistHow to hire: Spray TanHow to hire: Mobile BeauticianAll 701 hiring guides →

Mobile make-up artists near you

Mobile make-up artists in LondonMobile make-up artists in ManchesterMobile make-up artists in BirminghamMobile make-up artists in GlasgowMobile make-up artists in BelfastAll mobile make-up artists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — your rights when a service falls short
  4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  5. gov.uk — VAT rates
  6. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register