Make-Up Artist Factfile

When becoming a make-up artist, you need to have time, patience, creativity, imagination and prompt, quick, accurate skills. 

Skills for a make-up artist:
Designing make-up and hairstyles to suit the allocated film. Research may be needed.
Styling hair and keeping it up-to-date.
Completely changing someone's face with special effects make-up. 

Keep a file (computer or physical) in which you store photos of your make-up to keep the overall look throughout filming and have reference when needed.

Standing on the set of a production to add make-up or keep it up-to-date when needed. 

Keeping brushes and make-up clean for the overall health of the actor/actress.
Taking off make-up, wigs, special effects make-up from the actor/actress. 

Many colleges/universities offer Art in their educational subjects. You need to take Art, possibly Art & Design BTEC (includes props, stulptures). You should be geneuinely good at make-up and have a creative, arty side to yourself to achieve the best possible qualifications to get you into your dream job.
High professionals working on a movie set have a salary between £180-£3000 a day.

When in England the best place to go is possibly "The London College of Fashion" which offers a two-year Foundation Degree in Specialist Make-Up Design.

So definitely a mix of HND (higher national diploma), an Art qualification (most likely in stage, props and make-up), a Specialist Make-up Course in a prefered college, creativity and imagination, good key skills and be pationate about the job.