Makeup Services & Education in Nashville

Full Face

Natural to full glam. Includes skin prep and lashes. Makeup set to last.

We can accommodate two people at a time, depending on availability. For parties of more than two, we can make arrangements with advance notice. Make it an outing! While waiting for your turn in the chair, shop our store and explore the many other shops in our neighborhood, or book a tarot session!

Bridal Makeup

A bridal makeup job is equivalent to working with a celebrity, as you are the star of your big day. Melanie will cater to you as she would a celebrity for a film, tv shoot or red carpet event. 

This Bridal package includes:

• Phone Consultation
• Two hour trial at shop.
• On the wedding day Melanie comes and does you as a “come and go” at the venue or your hotel room. Come and go means: Melanie comes to you and gets you and the wedding party done then goes.
• Melanie brings a top notch team for your wedding party to feel as though everyone is part of a Hollywood experience. Melanie only does the bride and 1 additional woman.
• Grooming for the groom (makeup only).

* Duration: For just the bride on the day of. This accounts for any hiccups and waiting until hair is done.

There will be an extra fee if the location for wedding day is over 30 miles from shop and will be discussed in consult.

Add-On:

Any additional female full glam

Stay through pre photos & ceremony: For bride only.

Stay through after dinner and outfit change: Touch ups for bride only.

Makeup at Your Location

Want to feel like a celebrity with makeup services done at your home or hotel? Melanie and her team would be happy to come to you! Traveling to your event takes at least an extra 2 hours to accommodate for kit preparation, drive time, gas, extra equipment like lighting, setup time, breakdown time, and kit cleanup.

*Includes 30 minutes for setup and breakdown.

Add-On:

Add Hair - Light style

Tarot Reading

15 min Reading

30 min Reading

60 min Reading

Halloween / Cos Play Makeup

Price will depend on how extensive and time consuming the look is, the extra products needed to complete the look and any extra special skill set required, like SPFX.

One-on-One Session

Includes skin prep and lashes.

Receive 15% off product you buy after your session.

Session for two

Create makeup memories! Learn together during this duo education session.

Brand new to makeup? Never learned how to do your makeup properly? Need a refresh or looking to update your look? Overwhelmed by Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube tutorials? Want to focus on a particular “trouble area”? Need to learn makeup for stage performances? Need to learn makeup for mature skin? Whatever you both wish to focus on, I’m here to help! I’ll do your makeup while explaining all the steps, including why and how to apply techniques and how to use products that are right for you. If you prefer to be guided through doing some or half of the process on yourself, that's fine too!

This scenario allows the learning to "sink in" better by not only learning your own makeup application but also watching it happen next to you, with most steps re-explained! This also helps with accountability later. This class is long but goes by fast; it is very popular and a lot of fun!

Receive 15% off product you buy.

Beginning Makeup Artist

Brand new to applying makeup on someone other than yourself and/or just beginning your makeup career? This 2- or 3-day class is perfect for you! Take your passion for makeup to a professional level and elevate your artistry by mastering hands-on makeup techniques that I have been using for over 25 years. I am an Emmy-winning professional union makeup artist with extensive experience on Hollywood film and TV sets, in commercial, editorial, red carpet, and bridal makeup.

Get up close and personal with me! You will learn step-by-step how to create flawless makeup, including skin, eyes, brows, lips, body makeup, and the business of being a paid artist and more. This is an intimate in-person experience with only one student per class. If you have some prior training or education, we do not need to go over basic sanitation and can focus on other topics.

Day 1: We will cover sanitation, the best professional makeup to use and why, how to use professional products, and the importance of having multi-tone and various foundation, concealer, and powder textures in your kit. This will include a discussion on what’s in my kit and at my station and why, the difference between skin care and makeup skin prep, and if time permits, we will go through your existing makeup kit to decide what to keep and what to toss. We will also discuss the different types of makeup applications and careers, professionalism, and how to start building clientele. After a lunch break, I will demonstrate a clean no-makeup-makeup look on a model, focusing on the importance of skin, then bump up the look to soft glam. If time allows, I can create another look and will photograph and film the model in each look with an iPhone, showing you best practices for capturing your future applications.

Day 2: You get right into it! I will do half of the model's face, and you will do the other half, first in a clean natural look and then bumped up to a soft glam. You will film and photograph each look with your mobile device. After lunch, you will do the model's makeup from start to finish in a third look. If time permits, I can help you edit and post your video and go over a few tips on social media. *Must have an Instagram account. If you don't have one, we can create one.

Day 3 (optional): We will go over any questions you have that have not been answered. We will review your website and how to improve it, or I will advise you on steps to build one if you don’t have one. We will also review your social media and best practices to get you noticed and hired, and you will post and draft more videos from Day 2 as time permits. We will cover invoicing, branding, and marketing. After lunch, you can choose to focus on makeup for a model with a different skin tone, a mature model, male grooming, or continue focusing on natural or full glam makeup. Depending on your progress, you will either go back to me doing half the face or you will do it all yourself.

Please Keep In Mind: The above 2- or 3-day plan is a template that has worked well with my students but is customizable based on your past experience, education, and needs. All details will be worked out in consultation.

You now have a Mentor! I want to keep in touch and see you grow and thrive. You can always reach out if you have questions that pop up or face a bump in the road. If extra advice requiring more than a quick reply is needed, you can book a one-on-one virtual mentorship Zoom call.

Pro Discount: Only professional working makeup artists receive our pro makeup discount! As my student, you will receive a 20-40% off pro makeup discount from the time of class and up to 2 months after. This is a career investment, and I want to help you get set up right!

Deposit and Refund: A 50% deposit is due upon booking, with the remaining 50% balance due 2 weeks prior to class. You must cancel or reschedule at least 2 weeks prior to the class date to receive a refund; after this, the deposit is non-refundable. There will be a $250 rescheduling fee.

Duration: 6 hours per day, including a 1/2 hour break for lunch.

One-on-Two? If you want to do a duo session with another artist, this can be arranged for an extra cost. Email customerservice@themakeupaltar.com for more information.

2 Days Option

3 Days Option

Duration: 6 hours per day, including a 1/2 hour lunch break. I will need to take lunch privately to catch up on day-to-day business needs.

Add-On:

You can't bring your own model? No worries, we book a model for you.

Professional Makeup Artist Refresher

This is the perfect class if you are just beginning your makeup career with a year or two under your belt, have already taken a makeup course, are already a full-time makeup artist with over two years of experience, or have been doing it for years and have taken a hiatus or break, or just want a refresh!

Been in a makeup rut? Want to break out of makeup applications that feel like they’re on repeat? Are products you’ve been using for years not producing the desired results? Ready to explore new products? Just want to learn my signature style? Need help with social media, your website, and branding?

Then this is the perfect class for you! This is a one-on-one, up close and personal class. I will demo my signature perfected gleaming makeup look—or any look you want to focus on—on a model, including full body makeup. I’ll go through step-by-step how to create solid, long-lasting makeup with all the special extras: foundation, contour & highlight, cream blush, eyes, eyebrows, lashes, lips, glow, body makeup, and setting the makeup to last.

As I do the makeup demo, we will go over makeup kit staples and tools and how to prep the skin. I will film and photograph the model. You'll watch, take notes, and please ask all the questions you want!

Next, it’s your turn! You’ll do the makeup on the model. You will then film and photograph your work. The style of makeup you learn can be modified to your specific needs, such as clean no-makeup makeup, mature makeup, male grooming, makeup for acne or textured skin, or bridal makeup. This can be discussed in consultation.

Please Keep In Mind: The above plan is a template that has worked well with my students but is customizable based on your needs. All details will be worked out in consultation.

Deposit and Refund: A 50% deposit is due upon booking. The remaining 50% balance is due 2 weeks prior to the class. You must cancel or reschedule at least 2 weeks prior to the class. After this period, the deposit is non-refundable.

To Reschedule: There will be a $250 rescheduling fee.

Duration: 4 hours. You can add on 2 hours for a 6-hour session.

One-on-Two? If you want to do a duo session with another artist, this can be arranged for an extra cost. Email customerservice@themakeupaltar.com for more information.

Add-On:

You can't bring your own model? No worries, we book a model for you.

Add two hours:
For the pro MUA class only: If you want to focus on and do a second look with the same model or a different model (there will be an extra fee for a second model, or you can bring your own model) or if you want to go over branding, website, social media, editing videos—whatever you need—Melanie can help you with any of it. This will be discussed during the consultation.

One-on-One Virtual Mentorship

Looking to adopt better business practices? Need help making a jump you’ve been wanting to make? Do you want to be a makeup artist but are not sure where to start? Are you already a professional makeup artist but feel you need to change your game and are unsure which move to make? Need help creating a personal brand identity? Want to launch a brand and not sure where to start? In the middle of running a small brand and need help with packaging or navigating the many bumps in the road? Need help with social media and your website? Not sure how much to charge? Struggling in your work environment? Need inspiration and motivation? Can’t physically get to Nashville and want to learn makeup from me? I can teach makeup techniques via Zoom too, for your own personal application or for makeup artists on a model.

Take this opportunity to learn how to survive and thrive in the beauty industry and get mentored by a successful beauty boss who’s done it all!

I am a two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist with 21 Emmy nominations and 5 Guild awards. Author of "Glitter & Glam," published by Penguin. CEO and founder of Melanie Mills Hollywood Cosmetics, celebrating its 13th year in business. I was a brand ambassador for St. Tropez for 6 years and helped with development. I have been a local 706 Guild member for over 22 years. I relocated to Nashville, TN, and completely rebranded a new makeup career. I own and operate "The Makeup Altar," a brick-and-mortar makeup and metaphysical shop in Nashville. I have been a top makeup educator for over 17 years and have spoken on many panels to large audiences.

Available by Zoom.

3 Hours Package for Mentorship (Recommended)

1 Hours Package for Mentorship

The 3 hours will be broken up through the course of a few weeks.

3 hours is the recommended package as Melanie will be giving you homework that needs to be checked on and reviewed along with answering additional questions.

One-on-One Virtual Makeup Education

One-on-One Virtual Makeup Education On Model

Available for both beginning and professional makeup artists.