For makeup artists

Contracts for makeup artists

A UK makeup artist needs a signed agreement before the booking: the look, whether a trial is in, the fee and unused booked dates, travel and early-start fees, how allergies and patch tests are handled, and whether anyone may use photos of the look. A wedding couple can be a consumer. A brand, production or agency booking is usually business-to-business. Lex drafts that on one shared link.

Last updated 7 November 2026

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Templates makeup artists use most

Client workFreelancer agreementA freelancer agreement sets the brief, deliverables, rate, rights and payment terms between a freelancer and a client.Read →Client workServices agreement (MSA)A services agreement sets the standing terms for every project with a client, so each new job needs only a short statement of work.Read →Client workStatement of workA statement of work sets the scope, deliverables, milestones and fees for one project under a wider services agreement.Read →HiringIndependent contractor agreementAn independent contractor agreement hires someone to do work as a business of their own, setting the work, pay, ownership and how the arrangement ends.Read →NDAs & IPMutual NDAA mutual NDA lets two businesses share confidential information both ways before a deal, and says what each side can do with it.Read →PartnershipsInfluencer agreementAn influencer agreement sets the posts, platforms, dates, usage rights and payment for a brand campaign with a creator.Read →Client workVideography contractA videography contract covers the shoot day, deliverables, usage rights and payment, plus cancellation, rescheduling and releases.Read →

Which clauses decide a makeup artist contract?

Five lines decide most makeup bookings: the look and who is being made up, whether a trial is in, the fee plus unused booked dates, how allergies and patch tests are handled, and whether anyone may use photos of the look. Write them in a freelancer agreement or a services agreement before the date is held. Lex puts them on one paper the client signs from a link.

The clauses that usually decide a UK freelance bridal, editorial, event or film makeup booking. A deposit or cancellation charge should be a genuine, proportionate amount. Consumer terms must be fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. You cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence. For a consumer that bar is Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.65. For a business client it is Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 s.2.
ClauseWhat it doesTypical freelance line
ScopeWhat “done” looks like on the day.Bridal makeup for one person; no party; no hair.
TrialWhether a trial session is in, billed, and credited.One trial on a named date; credited if the wedding goes ahead.
Fees and unused datesFee, , travel, early-start, unused booked dates.Named fee; deposit on signature; unused dates charged as the line.
Photos of the lookPermission to use photos of the client for portfolio or socials.Portfolio use only with written consent; third-party photos also need a copyright-holder licence.
Kill feeWhat a cancelled or unused booked date costs.Booking cancelled inside the named notice is charged.

What contract does a makeup artist need?

Contracts.io has no makeup artist template. Start from a freelancer agreement or a services agreement. Those papers already have fee, cancellation and liability slots. Repeat bookings can hang a statement of work under standing terms, or sit on a retainer. A brand or editorial day can sit next to an influencer agreement. A job that sits on a filmed day can sit next to a videography contract. Company-to-company contractor work can start from an independent contractor agreement. If you are sharing an unreleased campaign or a private look book before the deal is signed, a mutual NDA sits next to it. What should a UK makeup artist contract include? is the England and Wales deep-dive. Lex drafts from one sentence; the client signs from one link.

How should scope and deliverables be written?

Name the look, who is being made up, the call time, whether hair is in, and whether a trial is in. “Some makeup” is not a list. “Bridal makeup for one person, no party, no hair, call 06:30 at the named address, one trial on a named date” is a list. Extra people, a second look, lashes billed separately and an overnight stay are a change of scope, quoted first. See What should a UK makeup artist contract include?.

How should a trial and a deposit work?

A trial is a named session or it is out. Write the date, whether it is billed, and whether that sum is credited if the booking goes ahead. A deposit before booked dates are reserved is a common shape, not a statutory rate. There is no default UK right to keep a deposit; both sides have to agree it. For a consumer the term must be fair. See Client cancelled: can you keep the deposit? and Is a wedding photographer's deposit refundable in the UK?.

How should fees, unused dates and kill fees work?

Write the fee, whether it is a booking fee, a day rate or a package, whether VAT is extra, travel and early-start, when invoices go out, and what unused booked dates cost. There is no default UK right to keep a deposit or charge a kill fee; both sides have to agree it. A cancellation charge should be a genuine, proportionate amount. For a UK business client, late commercial payment carries statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. See payment terms and cancellation and kill fee.

How should allergies and photos of the look be handled?

Ask the client to tell you before the session about anything they react to. Keep a written record of health details only after you have a lawful basis plus a health-data condition under UK GDPR. Record whether a patch test was done, offered or declined. Allergy and other health details are health information. UK GDPR has extra rules for health data that this page does not cover. Booking terms and ordinary permission do not, by themselves, authorise that processing. The [ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/special-category-data/) explains lawful bases and the extra conditions for health data. You cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence. For a consumer that bar is Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.65. For a business client it is Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 s.2. Portfolio or social use of photos of the client’s look needs written permission. To post a third-party photographer’s photos you also need a from the copyright holder. Client consent alone is not enough. Applying the makeup does not make you the author of a photograph someone else takes. See publicity and portfolio use and What should a UK photographer contract include?.

How should personal data, contractor status and liability work?

Client contacts and photos of the client’s face are personal data. Allergy and other health disclosures are health information. UK GDPR has extra rules for health data that this page does not cover. Booking terms, ordinary permission and Article 28 do not, by themselves, authorise that processing. Keep a written record of health details only after you have a lawful basis plus a health-data condition under UK GDPR. UK GDPR Article 28 applies when you process personal data as a processor for a production or agency client. Write that in data protection. Typical brand, production and agency bookings are B2B; a company brief does not get the consumer 14-day cooling-off. A wedding couple buying as consumers still faces the fairness test on cancellation terms. That is not an automatic 14-day cooling-off: regulation 28(1)(h) excepts leisure-related services if the contract specifies the performance date or period. The regulation does not say whether a makeup booking is a leisure-related service. A named wedding date alone does not remove the 14-day right. Fairness of cancellation terms is a separate Consumer Rights Act 2015 question. Cap liability at the fees. You cannot exclude death or personal injury caused by negligence. For a consumer that bar is Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.65. For a business client it is Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 s.2. If you book through a personal company into a production, brand or agency, no IR35 label decides the tax. See limitation of liability and IR35 contract clauses checklist.

Frequently asked questions

What contract does a makeup artist need?

A freelancer or services agreement covering the look and deliverables, whether a trial is in, fees and unused booked dates, travel and early-start, how allergies and patch tests are handled, permission to use photos of the look, , and a . There is no makeup artist template; start from the freelancer agreement. The longer England and Wales page is What should a UK makeup artist contract include?

Is a bridal makeup deposit refundable in the UK?

Only if both sides agreed what is kept, or if a consumer right requires a refund. There is no default UK right to keep a deposit. A cancellation charge should be a genuine, proportionate amount. For a consumer the term must be fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A 14-day cooling-off on a distance or off-premises consumer contract applies unless a regulation 28 exception applies. Regulation 28(1)(h) excepts leisure-related services if the contract specifies the performance date or period. The regulation does not classify makeup as leisure, so do not assume a named wedding date removes the right.

Is a trial session included in a makeup artist booking?

Only if the paper says so. A trial is a named session or it is out. Write the date, whether it is billed, whether that sum is credited if the booking goes ahead, and what happens if they skip it. Extra looks at the trial are a change of scope, quoted first.

Can a makeup artist post photos of the client’s look?

Only with written permission from the client, and — for a third-party photographer’s photos — a licence from the copyright holder. Client consent alone is not enough to post those photos. Agree portfolio and social use in the booking terms. Applying the makeup does not make you the author of a photograph a third-party photographer takes. Copyright in a photograph first sits with its author, or with the author’s employer if taken in the course of employment, unless agreed otherwise. Later must be in writing, signed.

Can I keep the fee if the client cancels a booked date?

Only if both sides agreed unused booked dates and what is kept. There is no default UK kill-fee rule and no default right to keep a deposit. For a business client the charge must not be a penalty: a secondary obligation that imposes a detriment out of all proportion to any legitimate interest of the innocent party in the enforcement of the primary obligation is unenforceable. A wedding couple buying as consumers still faces the fairness test on cancellation terms. A 14-day cooling-off on a distance contract does not apply where regulation 28(1)(h) excepts leisure-related services with a specified performance date. The regulation does not classify makeup as leisure, so do not assume a named wedding date removes the right.

Can the client sign without creating an account?

Yes. You share one link, the client reads the agreement in Plain English, agrees and signs. It is free for them.

Sources

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The legal wording governsLast reviewed 7 November 2026Pending lawyer review