The answer in two lines
The short version: both are correct. The difference is geographic, and it has nothing to do with quality or training.
European Portuguese: maquilhadora, maquilhador, maquilhagem, maquilhar.
Brazilian Portuguese: maquiadora, maquiador, maquiagem, maquiar.
It is the same split that separates autocarro from ônibus, or telemóvel from celular. Two standards of one language, each with its own word. If you are in Portugal and you want to write the way people write here, write maquilhadora.
Why there are two words
Both come from the French maquiller. European Portuguese adapted the sound with the digraph lh, which is the usual way that French sound arrives in this language. Brazilian Portuguese stayed closer to the original spelling and dropped the lh.
Neither is a broken version of the other. They are two parallel routes, each with more than a century of use behind it.
The rest of the vocabulary
The difference does not stop at the main word. These are the ones that cause the most confusion:
| Portugal | Brazil |
|---|---|
| maquilhadora, maquilhador | maquiadora, maquiador |
| maquilhagem | maquiagem |
| maquilhar | maquiar |
| rímel | máscara de cílios |
| brilho de lábios | gloss |
| lápis de olhos | lápis de olho |
| base, pó solto, blush, esfumado | base, pó solto, blush, esfumado |
Look at the last row. Most of the technical vocabulary is identical in both countries. Same brands, same products, and inside a studio nobody needs a translator.
What it is called in English
Makeup artist, or the short form MUA. That is what appears in work credits, on social profiles and in professional bios, in Portugal and in Brazil alike. The spelling "make-up artist", with the hyphen, also turns up in British English and is not wrong.
Does it matter when you book?
The word changes nothing. Messages reach me written maquiadora and messages reach me written maquilhadora, and my answer is the same to both.
What actually helps in a first message is the date, the place and the type of service. With those three I can tell you straight away whether I am free and how it works. The word you pick to describe me is the least important part.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct form in Portugal?
Maquilhadora, and maquilhagem for the service. That is the form listed in European Portuguese dictionaries and the one used in Portugal.
Is maquiadora wrong?
No. It is correct in Brazilian Portuguese. In Portugal it is understood without any difficulty and nobody is going to correct you.
Which word should I use in my professional profile in Portugal?
Maquilhadora. It is the term clients in Portugal type when they search, and it is the one that shows up in job adverts here.
Is it maquiagem or maquilhagem?
In Portugal, maquilhagem. In Brazil, maquiagem. Both descend from the same French word.
How do you say maquilhadora in English?
Makeup artist, often shortened to MUA. It is the term used in work credits and professional profiles.
One last thing
If you got this far still unsure which one to write, write whichever comes out more naturally. The two words describe the same job, and neither of them was ever the hard part.