Finding a makeup artist in Belgrade is easy, if you read Serbian. If you don’t, the search gets strange fast: local artists call themselves «šminker», makeup is «šminkanje», reviews come out of Google Translate sounding like riddles, and the recommendation threads in expat groups keep recycling the same three names. This page exists to skip all of that.
The short version first. Professional makeup in Belgrade runs from 8,000 to 25,000 dinars, roughly 70 to 210 euros; a standard day or evening look from a good professional sits around 70 euros. Having an artist come to your home or hotel is a separate premium service that starts at about 100 euros. Booking happens over Instagram DM, where you can write in English at your own pace, usually with an answer within a day. Below: who to book, what things really cost, and how the whole process works.
Why finding an artist here is harder than it should be
Belgrade has plenty of excellent makeup artists. The problem is discovery. Search in English and you get a thin, oddly random slice of the scene, because most local professionals market themselves in Serbian and live on Instagram rather than on websites. Search in Serbian and you’ll find them all, but then you’re vetting portfolios with captions you can’t read and prices that are nowhere to be found.
Add the usual moving-to-a-new-city problem: back home you had someone you trusted, found over years of trial and error. Here you’re starting from zero, often with a deadline: a wedding to attend on Saturday, a shoot on Tuesday, a big birthday dinner tonight. That’s exactly the gap we built this page for.
Who we are
Šminkopedia is a project of the Association of Professional Makeup Artists of Belgrade. We maintain a directory of artists we verify ourselves: real portfolios, real experience, real standing in the professional community. We’re not a listings site where anyone can buy a spot, and we don’t take commissions: we simply connect people who need great makeup with people who do it for a living. Belgrade also has cheaper, hobby-level services; we don’t cover those. Our focus is the professional scene: artists working with quality products and delivering predictable results.
The full directory lives at šminkeri. It’s in Serbian, but the cards need no translation: name, neighborhood, specialties, Instagram. Consider the vetting already done for you.
A word about the Belgrade beauty scene
Here’s a pleasant surprise for newcomers: the standard is high. Serbian women take makeup seriously, weddings and family celebrations here run to hundreds of guests, and a working artist does several full looks a week just to keep up. That volume builds skill, and the competition filters out anyone who can’t deliver.
The kit is the same you’d see in London or Berlin: professional and luxury brands, not mystery palettes, while the prices are noticeably gentler than in Western Europe or the US. For the cost of a rushed appointment back home you often get more experienced hands and more time here. It’s one of Belgrade’s quieter perks.
What makeup costs in Belgrade
The professional range is 8,000 to 25,000 dinars, about 70 to 210 euros. The lower end is a classic day or soft evening look from a solid professional, and around 70 euros is what a standard appointment costs with most good artists in the city. The upper end is complex evening and glam work, editorial techniques, and the handful of top names whose calendars fill months ahead.
What moves the price inside that range: the complexity of the look, false lashes (clusters are usually included or nearly free; dramatic strips cost a bit more), and timing: a 6 a.m. appointment before a flight is priced differently than a Tuesday noon. New Year’s Eve and the May–June prom season push demand up too. Wedding makeup is its own world with its own pricing, covered in detail on our wedding makeup in Belgrade page. And if you want hair done the same morning, we wrote a separate guide to booking hair and makeup together.
Payment is straightforward but old-school: cash in dinars is the default. Many artists happily take euros; confirm it when you book, along with the rate, so you’re not hunting for an exchange office with a full face of makeup and ten minutes to spare.
Home and hotel visits
The question internationals ask most: will the artist come to me? Yes, but it’s a premium service, and it’s priced like one, starting at about 100 euros with professionals. The fee covers more than convenience: the artist packs a full kit and lighting, crosses the city, and often starts their day before sunrise so you’re ready by nine.
One honest caveat: not every artist offers house calls at all. From our directory, Andrijana Ljubić, widely regarded as one of Belgrade’s most famous makeup artists, officially works on location across all of Belgrade. With other artists, ask directly when booking. If you’re staying in a hotel, a quick question at reception is worth it; most Belgrade hotels have zero issue with visiting makeup artists.
Andrijana Ljubić: the artist to message first
Since you’re reading the English page, start with the artist we feature first. Andrijana Ljubić has eight years behind the brushes, is based in Voždovac and works across the whole city, and is the one artist in our base who officially does on-location appointments. Her specialties: bridal and evening looks, glam, airbrush, natural daytime makeup, and one-on-one makeup lessons.
Communication is simple: send her an Instagram DM, written in English at your own pace, at @makeup_andrijana_ljubic, and bring reference photos, which are the real universal language of this business anyway. Her portfolio and details are on her Šminkopedia profile.
How booking works, step by step
The fastest route is an Instagram DM. To settle everything in one exchange instead of three days of back-and-forth, include four things: the date and the time you need to be ready, the occasion (party, shoot, dinner, event), your neighborhood or address if you want a house call, and one or two reference photos of looks you like. Booking runs through Instagram DM, so you can write in English at your own pace and let the reference photos do most of the talking. Confirm the price and time in writing; a translation app covers anything left. You book with the artist yourself, no middleman.
The artist confirms availability, quotes the price and names the place. For hot slots, Saturday evenings, holidays, prom season, a small deposit is normal practice. In an ordinary week, three to seven days of notice is plenty; for a Saturday, think two to three weeks.
What the appointment itself looks like
A standard session takes 60 to 90 minutes. Arrive with clean, moisturized skin: your usual skincare, no foundation, so the artist sees what they’re working with. If you shape or tint your brows, do it a day or two earlier, not the same morning, when the skin around them is still pink.
A practical detail everyone remembers too late: clothing. Wear a shirt or anything with buttons, because pulling a tight dress over a freshly finished face is cruelty to both. And keep ten spare minutes at the end: a good artist doesn’t just wave you off, they’ll tell you what to touch up and how to handle shine in the T-zone if the night runs long.
Neighborhoods, and beyond Belgrade
Artists in our base cover the whole map: Stari Grad and Vračar in the center, Novi Beograd and Zemun across the river, Voždovac, Zvezdara and Čukarica to the south. If you’re without a car, either pick someone in your part of town through the directory, or book on-location service and stop thinking about geography altogether.
Outside the capital? Novi Sad and other Serbian cities have professional scenes of their own, and our base keeps growing. Email us with your city and occasion and we’ll tell you honestly whether we have a verified name there.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a makeup artist cost in Belgrade?
Professional work runs 8,000–25,000 dinars, roughly 70–210 euros. A standard day or evening look from a good artist is around 70 euros; complex glam and top-tier names cost more. Home and hotel visits are a separate premium service starting at about 100 euros.
Is there an English-speaking makeup artist in Belgrade?
Booking runs through Instagram DM, so you can write in English at your own pace; reference photos carry most of the conversation, and translation apps cover the rest. From our directory, Andrijana Ljubić regularly works with international clients; send her a DM with your date and reference photos and confirm the price and time in writing.
Will an artist come to my home or hotel?
Yes, but not every artist offers it. On-location service is premium and starts at about 100 euros with professionals. Andrijana Ljubić officially covers all of Belgrade on location; with other artists from the base, confirm directly when you book.
How far in advance should I book?
Three to seven days is enough for a normal week. Saturday evenings, holidays and the May–June prom season deserve two to three weeks of notice. Wedding dates are booked months ahead; see our wedding makeup page for the full timeline.
Can I pay in euros?
Cash in dinars is the standard. Many artists also accept euros; agree on it and on the exchange rate when booking. Cards and bank transfers are rare in this line of work, so plan for cash either way.
How do I vet an artist if I can’t read Serbian?
Portfolios speak every language. Look for unretouched before-and-after photos taken in the same light, and judge the skin work, not just the eye looks; foundation is where skill shows. Or use our directory: every artist in it has already been verified by the Association.
Verified makeup artists in Belgrade
