Freelance makeup artists: write a per-session quote with AI, check it against the original price list, separate items not yet included, state rescheduling and cancellation clearly

A bridal makeup quote can have six or seven lines, and a single wrong line means the artist either takes the loss or has to message back "sorry, I miscalculated". AI adds up fast and lays things out neatly, but it is only right when the price list has a fixed way to calculate each item. This article shows how to have AI draft a quote with the math for every line, which you then check before sending.

This is article 2 in a two-part series. You need the finalized price list and request form from article 1.

The task and the outputs

• A line-by-line quote: item, quantity, unit price, amount, basis.
• Subtotal, deposit.
• Items not yet included, stated clearly so the client does not assume they are covered.
• Rescheduling and cancellation terms exactly as in the price list.
• A message to the client, checked.

Step 1: prepare the price list and the request

The price list must already have a fixed way to calculate each item, with no "about" or "depends" left. Simulated list used in the test:

- Bridal makeup (includes hair, one touch-up within the first 2 hours): 1,500,000 VND.
- Family makeup: 400,000 VND/person. Family hair: extra 150,000 VND/person.
- Early start surcharge: 200,000 VND/session if the start time is before 6:00.
- Travel: first 10 km free; the distance beyond 10 km at 10,000 VND/km, one way from the artist's home.
- Assistant: 300,000 VND/session, required when 4 or more people have makeup (including the bride).
- Premium lashes: no price yet, artist quotes separately. Staying for the event: no price yet, quoted separately once the number of hours is known.
- Deposit 30% of the total quote. Reschedule with 7 or more days notice: deposit carries over to the new date (once). Under 7 days: deposit lost. Cancellation: deposit lost.

Simulated client message: "I need bridal makeup on 14/12, plus my mother and 2 older sisters, and my mother and both sisters want hair done too. Start at 5:00 am please. My place is about 18km from yours. My mother wants premium lashes. Can you stay for the event until noon?"

Before running it, work out the answer yourself: 1,500,000 + 3 x 400,000 + 3 x 150,000 + 200,000 + (18 - 10) x 10,000 + 300,000 = 3,730,000 VND; deposit 1,119,000 VND.

Step 2: ask AI to draft the quote

You are drafting a quote for a freelance makeup artist.
FINALIZED PRICE LIST (the only source): [paste].
CLIENT'S REQUEST (message): [paste].
TASKS:
1. Line-by-line quote: item | quantity | unit price | amount | basis in the price list. Show the math.
2. Subtotal, 30% deposit.
3. Items NOT YET INCLUDED because the artist must quote them separately, stated clearly so the client does not assume they are covered.
4. Rescheduling and cancellation terms exactly as in the price list.
5. A reply message to the client, short and polite, promising nothing outside the price list.

Results from the test run

Tổ Thạo Việc (the AI Thạo Việc editorial team) ran it on 2 Oct 2026 in ChatGPT web, temporary chat, Medium level.

AI correctly separated premium lashes and staying for the event as items not yet included, marked "not in the total". The rescheduling and cancellation terms were copied exactly from the list. The question "can you stay for the event until noon" was not answered "yes" on the artist's behalf.

What to fix before sending:

• The message to the client does not say whether 14/12 is still free. The artist must check the calendar first and write clearly "I can still take 14/12" or "I hold the date once I receive the deposit".
• The note to the artist said the deposit would be recalculated when premium lashes and staying for the event are added, but the message to the client did not. The client could easily read 1,119,000 VND as the final deposit.
• At the end of its answer, AI offered on its own to "make a professional quote template next". Delete this part, do not paste it into the message.

Step 3: check and send

1. Compare the total with the answer you worked out yourself or with a spreadsheet that has formulas. If it is off by even one dong, stop.
2. Check every condition: is the start time really before 6:00; where the km are measured from; whether the head count includes the bride.
3. Check your real calendar before writing anything about holding the date.
4. Quote the separate items at the same time if you can: give the price for premium lashes and staying for the event right away so the client sees the closest total, then recalculate the deposit.
5. Put the rescheduling and cancellation terms in the message itself instead of sending them separately later.
6. Save the quote you sent with the date sent, so when the client changes the number of people or the time, you edit from exactly that version.

Self-check

• Do the total and deposit match your own math?
• Does each surcharge have a condition that actually applies?
• Are the items not yet included clearly marked as not included?
• Does the message to the client say clearly whether the date is free and that the deposit may change?
• No sales pitch or extra lines from AI left in?

Put it to use and hand it over

Build a quote spreadsheet with formulas that follow the price list exactly, and use it to check every quote AI drafts. If you work as a team, whoever takes the booking sends the quote to the lead artist for approval before sending it to the client. When the client changes the number of people, the time or the location, draft a new quote and state clearly that the previous version is no longer valid.

Next

Revisit article 1: the standard price list and request form when your prices change. How to follow up with clients after sending a quote without making further promises is covered in the article on follow-up emails (in Vietnamese).

Sources & notes

• OpenAI Help Center: Does ChatGPT tell the truth?: AI can be wrong, including with numbers, so every calculation in a quote must be checked against the original price list before sending. Checked 2 Oct 2026.
• The price list and request are simulated; the prompt was run once on ChatGPT. No commercial relationship with the sources above.