How to choose a makeup school: tips that work

A huge number of courses, schools and makeup academies can plunge a novice makeup artist into a slight shock. How to choose a good educational institution among such diversity and not regret your decision after a couple of classes? We have collected in our material the most useful tips that will help you decide and choose a really worthy makeup school.

Vika Pisarenko , international class makeup artist-stylist, creative director of the salon direction at Bellmar Centro di Colore , author of the project “ Style School by Vika Pisarenko ”

First stage

Choosing a good educational institution from which to begin your journey into the profession of a makeup artist is an extremely important decision. But first I advise you to check if it's yours. Sign up for the “Makeup for yourself” course, take one or two classes, get a feel for it. If everything works out, then start choosing an educational institution that will give you a good start. Don't be fooled by low prices and all sorts of promotions - such makeup courses will not bring the desired result. I highlight three factors that you first need to pay attention to when choosing a makeup school.

Firstly, I advise you to look at the final works of school or course students on the website or on social media pages. This will help you understand how well teachers were able to teach their students how to perform certain techniques. If the work is good, you can tick this box.

Secondly, evaluate the level of skill and teaching experience of the teachers themselves - this plays an important role. Quite often, famous masters open their own schools, but do not achieve success in teaching. Being a good master does not mean being a good teacher. Therefore, be sure to read reviews and look through the makeup artist’s pages to understand whether he has teaching experience, whether he conducts webinars, whether he gives advice, and how public and socially oriented he is. In order for students to learn the material, it is not enough just to demonstrate their skills.

Third, pay attention to the training time . Nowadays there are many schools that offer crash courses and promise that you will become a makeup artist in 10 or 15 days. This is absolutely impossible to believe. This number of days can only last the first stage, during which you will learn how to do facial modeling and correction. Then you will need some time to practice this knowledge and come to the second stage.

To become a good makeup artist, in addition to theoretical information, you need practice. Express courses will not be able to provide you with this practice. Makeup is, first of all, an application technique, so a good start in the profession is only possible if you are given the right hand. After full courses, you will make competent strokes and perform high-quality shading, you will know how to properly use kajal and draw arrows . A good educational institution will help you learn how to apply makeup technically and even beautifully, so that you are pleasant to watch.

If, after such a check, you find out that the makeup and make-up school has a good reputation, its teachers have extensive work and teaching experience, and the makeup courses themselves last more than two months - this is a reason to come to the educational institution and find out a few more important points.

Second phase

When you arrive at the school, check if it provides cosmetics for studying. There are establishments that set a condition - we will teach you make-up, but you must buy all the tools and cosmetics for a certain amount from us. I definitely do not recommend such schools.

What if you become disillusioned with your profession or simply realize that it’s not for you? You don’t know whether you will succeed, whether you will be able to work so closely with people in direct contact, whether you will be socially oriented and whether you will not get tired of constantly communicating with people. Make-up is about regular communication and focus on the client, not on yourself.

Therefore, at the first stage, cosmetics should be provided by the school. To practice techniques, you can buy only the most basic items that you can put in your makeup bag if you don’t become a makeup artist.

I also don't recommend choosing a school that is affiliated with a specific brand. In this case, you will be given a hand and technically trained, but you will not be able to understand the whole variety of cosmetics. After such training, the makeup artist either remains to work within the framework of this brand, or he has to take another course and supplement his knowledge.

The school should present at least 5-6 brands of cosmetics so that the student can get his bearings: what is better and what is worse; what is the difference between professional cosmetics and mass market ones; which products are in fashion now and which are not. All brands are different: some focus on fashion trends and seasonality, while others practically do not change their range for years. The world is developing, every season something new appears on the market, so a makeup artist needs to understand a large number of cosmetic products.

Another point worth paying attention to is the brushes. I do not recommend buying very expensive instruments - this is money thrown away, as they can deteriorate due to improper handling. In addition, at first you are unlikely to feel the difference between expensive and cheaper brushes. Therefore, for training, use more budget-friendly options, for example, Korean makeup brushes - they are inexpensive, but durable. Choose flat brushes that won't eat up as much product as bulky brushes. 13-15 pieces are enough to learn how to do all types of shading.

If you stay in the profession, after a while you will be able to buy everything you need and supplement your case with those products that will increase the price of your services and the level of skill.

When you arrive at a makeup and makeup school, be sure to talk to the teacher. Try to understand how competently he conveys information and how adequately he behaves. Often students become disillusioned with the profession of a makeup artist and give up studying because the teacher told them that they are hopeless or lack talent. Such words lower self-esteem and prevent a person from developing. Or, on the contrary, a person is praised for any reason and does not focus on mistakes. An experienced teacher feels this balance and knows when to praise and when to scold. I recommend taking test lessons to see if you have a connection with the teacher. Entering the profession is a very difficult path that you have to go through together.

If all the stars have aligned, you can safely begin training! And always value your time, money and future!