The Makeup Museum is operated solely by the Founder and Curator. Maintaining and expanding a world-class cosmetics museum is a demanding job for one person. If you love what the Museum does and would like to see it continue, here are some (mostly free!) ways to get involved.
The Museum reserves the right to decline any contribution, donation, monetary gift or offer of volunteering if the contributor’s values and interests do not align with those of the Museum.
Volunteer
The Makeup Museum is looking for individuals who are passionate about its mission to donate their time on a volunteer basis. If you would like to assist with editing and proofreading, social media/PR strategy, advising on curatorial best practices or museum operations and planning in general, please email the Curator. No monetary compensation can be offered, but you will be fully credited for your contributions. As the Museum is primarily an online space, location is obviously not an issue – you can volunteer from anywhere!
Social Media and Outreach
Online support is essential to increasing the Makeup Museum’s visibility and solidifying its position as the world’s leading cosmetics museum. Please follow and engage with the Museum on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to the Museum’s blog via email alerts or the RSS feed. Follows, likes and comments on social media posts are key to the Museum’s growth. Sharing Museum content (articles, exhibitions, etc.) with your social media networks as well as editors, journalists, historians and museum professionals is also integral to the Makeup Museum’s expansion.
Donate
The Makeup Museum gratefully accepts donations of vintage cosmetics and related objects or materials (tools, ads, displays, archives or personal papers from makeup companies/artists, etc.) in good to excellent or new condition. These include all beauty categories except for fragrance, skincare, hair and personal hygiene products. Contemporary makeup items are accepted as well, but must be new or like new. You can visit the Curator’s wishlist for specific items that the Museum is actively seeking to acquire. Offers of objects that aren’t included there are still greatly appreciated, so please send an email with photos of anything you’d like to offer. Donations are accepted at the Curator’s discretion; please do not be offended if your donation is not accepted. Note: The Museum is unable to reimburse for shipping and additional related costs, such as packing supplies, transportation to/from a post office, etc.
Contribute
Have a great makeup history tale to tell? Do you want to show off a makeup object or collection? Email the Curator if you’d like to be featured at the Museum’s website. Guest post and interview opportunities are also available. If you’re a museum or makeup professional/enthusiast who’d like to share your perspective on a given topic, or if you’d like to write an article on vintage or contemporary objects, brands or trends, please get in touch.
Give
If you are able, the Makeup Museum gratefully welcomes monetary donations in any amount. Gifts do not support artifact acquisitions; those are purchased with the Curator’s personal funds. Gifts are used instead to support the following areas:
- Digitization – website redesign, professional object photography, and collections management software that allows a searchable database of all objects to be published online;
- DEI initiatives – hiring of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ consultants, writers and historians;
- Research – subscription fees to various archives/trade journals and fees for external researchers (as needed);
- Preservation – purchase of archival storage materials;
- Operating expenses – annual professional membership dues, blog and domain name renewal costs.
The Makeup Museum, Inc. is a 501 c3 nonprofit. Your contribution is tax-deductible.