Thinking about Halloween already!

This year I'm planning on offering Halloween makeup by appointment, after many inquiries at birthday parties!

I was just wondering how the rest of you handle it.

My initial idea was to have 10 or 15 minute time slots over the span of maybe 4 hours. How much would you charge for a 10-minute face? How much more for homemade prosthetics (like a cut-up zombie look)?

Is it uncomfortable to have strangers sitting in your house?

Do you offer a limited amount of designs, or have them bring whatever idea they want?

Thanks guys!

I've offered it for a couple of years now and have never had much success with it. I get 4 or 5 people maybe... I charge my regular $5 and $10 for regular faces, if someone wanted prosthetics, they'd have to book ahead so that I could get what they needed and I'd have to add to the price based on how much that stuff cost me (plus a little for the work of doing it). I've had a little more success by putting a sign outside saying "walk-ins welcome" to add to the appointments because I've had appointments not show up too. I'm guessing it will build over time, but we all have to start somewhere.

I book in 30 minute slots for FP only, two slots for SFX work. I book solid from the Friday evening, the entire day Saturday (8 am to midnight), Sunday is usually parties somewhere, and then if Halloween is on a day during the week I have a few people book in the mornings to go to work done.

My rates for Halloween appointments (at my location) are:
3-12 years old, face paint to match costumes: $10
13-17 years old, face paint only: $20
18 & up: Face paint only $25; Make-up with one sfx, face only $50; Full package (face, body, arms, legs, hair, multiple sfx if desired) $100
Hair styling/painting add-on $5

I get a lot of tips too.

I already have 11 booked for this coming Halloween - I have a lot of repeat customers who want to get their preferred time slot.

I don't have an issue with strangers in my studio - I've got a whole basement with sitting room with lots of seats, bathroom, mirrors, backdrops for photos, lots of room. I always end up with a party going on as people arrive early, bring friends, linger after they are done...

I make my own prosthetics for zombies looks. Customers also bring ones they have bought for me to apply. The prices are as above if I apply them and/or provide them.

I've tried it for 2 yrs now without much success. I think I'm just going to book my regular gigs & if people want Halloween Make-up they'll have to come in-between the gigs. I feel I'm losing more money by holding large slots of my day open for possibilities.

Last year, I put ads on both Craigslist and Kijiji. I got two normal bookings from Kijiji and some Creepazoids from Craigslist.
I was in my husband's photography studio. I was booked from 10am until 9:30 pm on the Saturday before Halloween. I will do that again in 2013, only I will skip the Craigslist posting to avoid people like the man who wanted to know "How much would it cost to paint his weenie?"
I told him it would cost A LOT of money because I would have to go out and buy micro-goggles and micro-implements so I could FIND his weenie.
Sheesh! What grown man refers to his penis as his "weenie"?

This year, I AM FACE AND BODY PAINTING FOR FANTASY FEST IN THE FLORIDA KEYS!!!! (Sorry about shouting, I am just so excited!) My uncle owns a bicycle shop in the Keys. Two artists rented the unit next to his last year and he told me their work was "Craptastic". He then called me and said that I should come down to Fantasy Fest and work out of his shop.
I said, "YesYesYes!". It is my Mum's 70th birthday and she wants a costume party in the Keys for her birthday. She was also talking about getting another tattoo to celebrate. I think we will have a great time driving down together.
Happy Painting!!

I didn't have much luck last year, but I've already got 2 bookings for this year. It's really helped that I advertise my Halloween appointments at all my public events throughout the year. This way, it's in their head, they've asked me questions at an event and when they're starting to consider what to wear for Halloween, they remember me. Both of my bookings have come that way and I'm expecting many more with all the interest it's generated at my events.

I do them out of my house. I'm fine with it as my neighbor acts as some what of a "protector". I book the appointments in 20 minute increments and I do accept walk-ins. I'm considering requiring deposits to hold appointments this year and not allowing walk-ins.

I found a pizza shop that I set up at. It is good for him, and good for me. That was on Halloween, so I just took walkins, put up some fliers, signs, Did OK. The Saturday I do the X fest, and Vampires ball, and there is a big break inbetween, so I have my appointments come there and I do their make up before the Vampires ball starts. This year, my local costume shop said something about me setting up there, which could be more awesome than a pizza shop, it is BUSY during halloween, and they can buy thier own prothetics.

So cool about Fantasy Fest...that looks like the most outragous party ever! I hope you have a blast!

Last year I was the first year I post for Halloween make up appointments, I posted at gig masters, kijiji and craigslits, also I send an email to my customers, and thanks to my good Lord it works for me, from saturday to Monday ( Halloween was Monday last year) I was busy, I charged $40 for the face, including eye lashes and hair,just face paint $25, for the half body with latex and prosthetics I charged $100 , I made a good profit and Tuesday got a nice back and neck massage

I worked with a friend of mine who owns a party supply & costume shop. I set up in her windows and booked people all throughout halloween. The actual weekend of Halloween I was booked from 11am until 11pm both days. The Saturday I actually brought in another painter from 4 till 11pm and we both painted straight thru.

Bookings were 15 min increments for faces, 30 min with sfx, 45 for body and 1hr for body with sfx.

Kids were $10
Adults $20
Bodys $85
special fx started at $5

Plus the store sold a ton of hair colour, eye lashes, costumes, etc... I made out like a bandit and so did they. Already booking for next year

Criss, glad to see your post! I have not had much practice on the whole prothetics end, so the offer I have from the costume shop kind of frightens me. Did you make the people buy thier own make up, or did you always supply what they needed? This was one of the things I think that the costume shop mentioned to me, that people would buy the make up (they sell a full line of Mehron and Ben Nye, it is where I get all my paradise products, nice to have just down the street!) so I am not sure how this would work. They are already soooooo busy at halloween. I was in there to get some paint last year the day before Halloween, and it took me 15 minutes just to get to the front of the check out line. So, how did you handle people who needed specialty applications?

maybe you could work out something with them that YOU could take the money for buying prosthetics and they could skip that line? I wouldn't want to use the halloween makeup they sell at most of the costume shops here, but they already make a fortune on the costumes.

Thanks everybody for your responses! It's interesting to see how different everyone's results were!

I remember seeing Shannon posting about her homemade prosthetics (dryer lint?) and I'd definitely like to try that out. I have a big bottle of Pros-Aide that hasn't worked well for tattoos (I think it lost it's potency in the cold), but I'm sure it would be perfect for applying prosthetics for an evening.

The price points everyone is mentioning sounds perfect too!

$10 for kids (to match their costume), $20 for adults (more elaborate designs) and $5 per SFX prosthetic.

I don't think I'll do body paintings, maybe arms for an addition 15 bucks or something.

Now I just have to decide if I want to take deposits to secure their time slot. Might be a good idea.

Thanks guys!

This shop is pretty good Perry, but they do have some of the tubed paint and they get in some of the nasty stuff for halloween. I don't have a full line of flesh tones, just a little tag split, so I guess I would need to get that if I were to be painting people who were not going to be dogs, cats, fairies because I would be more comfortable using paint than a lot of their makeup products. I have seen them sell a whole foundation to someone who is just getting made up for halloween, so, I am sure that they would not like for people to skip buying that just to have me put on enough for the night. Or, maybe, it would be worth it for them to sell more stuff. Skipping the line is a cool idea!

I've ask one of my friends to use her whole family as models for my Halloween promotion. Vamp them out for one picture and then a whole zombie family. Also thinking about my New Years promo at the same time and asking the ladies at the salon I go to to be models for my New Years Glam. Take the pictures around the same time so I can get possible deal on the posters.

I don't bother with deposits for the appointments - yes, there are generally one or two no-shows, but the extra friends that tag along with the ones that do show up more than make-up for the "lost" ones!! Usually I am grateful for a break during the day! LOL... although, it didn't work out last year as the next appt was 40 minutes early and brought a friend.