Glossary
Makeup Artist Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential makeup artist terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key makeup artist vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in makeup artist training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Airbrush
- Spraying makeup for smooth coverage.
- Bald cap
- A cap that covers hair.
- Call time
- When crew must arrive.
- Color correcting
- Neutralizing discoloration.
- Continuity
- Keeping makeup consistent across scenes.
- Contour
- Shading to sculpt the face.
- Department head
- The lead makeup artist.
- HD makeup
- Makeup designed for high-definition cameras.
- Highlight
- Lightening to bring features forward.
- Kit
- A makeup artist’s supplies.
- Prosthetic
- An applied piece that changes appearance.
- Sanitation
- Keeping tools and products clean.
- Spirit gum
- An adhesive for prosthetics.
- Stipple
- Dabbing technique for texture.
- Touch-up
- Fixing makeup between takes.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Makeup Artist practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Makeup Artist training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.