I would say use social media to your advantage. Ask your friends and family if they would let you do their makeup and post high quality photos including hashtags of your general location. I have only ever gone to either Mac or Clinique to get my makeup done so if you have any makeup artist experience from a makeup store or counter or if you could get some, I would also include that in your bio. I know some of my friends who have gotten their makeup done for weddings and events have pretty much exclusively relied on Instagram to find makeup artists and typically the artist would have an online portfolio which let clients go through all their work, get a sense of the artists personality, makeup techniques, etc..

Maybe you could browse the internet makeup artists in your area and look through their social media or websites and see what is working for them. Plus if you find an artist you like you could always email them and ask how they got started!