Short answer: Best Makeup Studio and Best Lash & Brow Studio cover businesses specialising in makeup application, bridal and event artistry, lash extensions and brow design. Free to nominate.
What strengthens a makeup studio nomination
- Portfolio range — bridal, editorial, everyday, special-occasion work
- Product and technique knowledge (airbrush, HD, lash mapping, brow lamination)
- Client experience and booking process, especially for bridal/events
- Hygiene standards for lash and brow application
Nominate your studio, free
Standalone studios and salon-based makeup or lash counters are both eligible.
Two categories built around different business models
Best Makeup Studio and Best Lash & Brow Studio are separated because they tend to be genuinely different businesses in practice, even though both fall under makeup-adjacent beauty services. A makeup studio's work is typically event-driven and occasion-based — bridal, editorial, special occasions — with portfolio breadth across different looks and client types being the core evidence. A lash and brow studio's work is typically recurring and maintenance-based — extensions, lamination, tinting — with retention and repeat-booking cadence (similar to nail studios) being just as relevant as the visual portfolio. A business that genuinely does both at meaningful scale can make a case for either or both categories; most businesses will find one clearly fits their actual client base and booking pattern better than the other.
Because bridal and event makeup work is inherently harder to document with before/after consistency than everyday services (each booking is a one-off, occasion-specific look), a strong makeup studio nomination leans more heavily on range and versatility across a portfolio than on repeat-client statistics — client testimonials specifically addressing reliability under time pressure (a wedding morning, for instance) are unusually persuasive evidence for this category.
Hygiene evidence for lash and brow services, specifically
Lash extension and brow services involve close, sustained contact with a sensitive area, which makes hygiene and safety practice a more central part of a Best Lash & Brow Studio nomination than for a general makeup studio submission. Documented sanitation between clients, product safety and patch-test protocols, and practitioner certification in the specific techniques offered (classic vs. volume lash sets, brow lamination chemistry) all strengthen a nomination here in a way that's closer to how a nail studio nomination is evaluated than a purely creative makeup portfolio would be.
Booking cadence as evidence for lash and brow studios
Unlike a one-off bridal makeup booking, lash and brow services follow a predictable maintenance cycle — clients returning every few weeks for fills or touch-ups — which makes booking cadence and retention data unusually strong, readily-available evidence for this specific category. A studio that can point to a consistent rebooking rate at the expected refill interval demonstrates both service quality and client trust in a single, concrete figure, in much the same way a nail studio would use repeat-booking data. This is worth highlighting explicitly in a nomination rather than assuming the jury will infer strong retention from general reputation alone.
It's the artist, not just the studio?
See the Nail Artist & Makeup Artist Awards for individual recognition.
Makeup studio awards — FAQs
What's the difference between Best Makeup Studio and Best Lash & Brow Studio?
Best Makeup Studio covers makeup application services broadly; Best Lash & Brow Studio is specific to lash extensions and brow design.
Is it free to nominate for World Salon Awards 2027?
Yes. Submitting a nomination for World Salon Awards 2027 is free. No nomination charge applies.
Can a freelance or mobile makeup artist enter as a studio?
The studio category expects a registered operating business; individual freelance artists fit better under the professional artist category.
Does bridal work count differently from everyday makeup services?
Both are considered; a strong portfolio showing range across occasions strengthens the nomination either way.
Can I nominate myself, or does someone else have to nominate me?
Both are accepted. Self-nominations and third-party nominations are welcomed and assessed on the same criteria.
Is World Salon Awards open to salons and brands outside the Middle East?
Yes. World Salon Awards is genuinely global — hair salons, beauty salons, nail studios, barbershops, cosmetics brands and individual professionals from any country are eligible, with categories judged at city, country, regional and world level.
Is the evaluation merit-based, or is there a public vote?
Evaluation is merit-based. An independent jury of beauty industry professionals scores each shortlisted nomination against the published criteria; sponsorship, advertising spend and gala ticket purchases have no influence on jury decisions.
Can a studio that does both makeup and lash/brow services enter both categories?
Yes — if both are a genuine, significant part of the business, entering both categories with evidence specific to each is reasonable.
Is microblading or permanent makeup covered by these categories?
It generally fits closest to Best Lash & Brow Studio or the relevant aesthetic-clinic categories depending on how the service is delivered; describe the service in the nomination for the closest match.