Picking The Right Makeup Course? ♥

Makeup Artistry is an ever-growing business and it seems every second person is enrolling in night classes, full-time courses or trying their best to make it freelance. With it being such a popular industry it can be hard to know what course is right for you. I recently did a blog-post explaining what course I took and how I got on. You seemed to love it! You can read that here :)

There are many questions to ask yourself and the course providers when choosing the correct one. With full & part-time courses, workshops, masterclasses, there is so much choice and almost too much to choose from. Hopefully this post will make choosing the right course a little easier for you and hoosh you along in the right direction!

Ask Yourself: Why am I doing a Makeup Course?

That might sound like a silly question. 'To do makeup, duh!' But really, you need to know what your expectations are when you finish in order to know which course is right for you. 

Is the course best suited for..

• Makeup Counters?
• Freelance?
• TV & Film?
• Theatre?
• Fashion Shows/Photo Shoots?
• Special Effects?
• Your own makeup?
• Just for fun?

These are all questions that will probably need to be answered in order to choose the right course. Of course you can head into a course and see where it takes you. A lot of the time you'll set your mind to one thing and down the line will prefer another. That is totally okay and all a part of the journey, but the reason you should have an idea is to find the right course that specializes in that area. Short courses, workshops and masterclasses are ideal for those learning how to perfect their own makeup.

Qualifications

If you want to pursue life as a professional Makeup Artist post-study then you'll need a course that supplies the qualifications. There are tonnes of Makeup Artists out there and many of them are in fact self-taught, but you will rate a lot higher in the job-market and for clientele once you have the qualifications. This shows the client that your work is up to a certain standard. Some well known qualifications both nationally and internationally include CIBTAC, BABTAC, CIDESCO & ITEC. These are just a few of the qualifications professionals have in their back-pocket. Courses will brag about the qualifications that they provide, so if you can't see them mention one on their website, it's unlikely that one is given!

Certificates

Some courses don't offer qualifications and provide a certificate of attendance with the company's name included. Generally speaking, these are for the shorter courses based on attendance rather than exams. These certificates aren't recognized internationally. The courses without any qualifications would be best-fitted for somebody learning to perfect their own makeup as it would be harder to gain a job with no qualifications and therefore no set standard to comply with.

How Long is the Course?

This is something you definitely need to know before you commit to a makeup course. With the finances involved, you don't want to waste your money if you don't have the time to be there, so make sure it fits around your schedule. Across Ireland there are now dozens of part-time makeup courses, Some popular ones would include Make Up Forever, VanityX, LA College of Creative Arts and MFK Institute. 

Full-time courses are no doubt the best way to get as much information in as possible. They are normally a 5-day weekly commitment and require a lot of work. These are intended for students to work in the industry. Some popular ones would include Blackrock College of Further Education & Portobello Institute. To help your search, try Qualifax.

Course Fee

Most courses have hidden costs that go beyond the makeup provided. Things like portfolio materials, petrol/travel cost, one day training courses, exam fees, government levys etc. can cost a huge sum of money. This can (unfortunately) be the ultimate decider about choosing the right course, so make sure you've weighed out the payment and that nobody tries to rip you off! Be very skeptical of a lengthy part-time or full-time course to be paid cash-in-hand. You need a professional company, after all.

What are the Core Subjects?

Before enrolling in a course, you should know the core subjects of what you'll be learning. Don't join a course that has a brief description about what they offer all merged into one paragraph. You should be able to read all about the subjects offered in a clear bullet point format on their website. This is a great way to see if a company appears reputable and also if the subjects tickle your fancy!

Company

You need to know that the company you're doing your course with are reputable, professional and experienced. When considering a professional makeup course, ask them questions like...

• How long have you been teaching makeup courses?
• What is your success rate of students securing jobs?
• Can I visit your premises & watch students at work?
• Do you have references & testimonials from previous students?
• Do you have photos of previous students work?
• What are your terms & conditions?
• Is there a minimum attendance required to pass?
• Who is the instructor? Can I see their work?
• What are your hygiene standards?
• What is the practical - theory ratio?

That is only a small list of possible questions. A company that seems shy to answer any of those questions is unlikely to be confident in their courses and I'd advise to look elsewhere. 

Read more about what to avoid below!

What to Avoid

Avoid a course that doesn't display a course syllabus. A course that claims to be 'amazing' in the description is already appearing unprofessional. Companies that say their course will enable you to become a professional Makeup Artist but don't provide the qualifications are a no-no! They can't offer you something that they don't provide. Avoid courses that say they're training you to become a professional Makeup Artist but are also perfect for those applying their own makeup. Things like this contradict themselves as professional training is way too extensive for somebody learning how to apply their own makeup.

Workshops

Normally a one-day affair, workshops are intensive classes put together by a Makeup Artist with the purpose of helping you practice. The Makeup Artist will normally demonstrate a makeup look or talk you through your syllabus before letting you practice and guiding you along the way. This is ideal for somebody wanting to apply their own makeup correctly. 

Masterclasses

Masterclasses are a great way to learn new techniques that you may not have learned during your course. They're normally a one-day course taught by industry professionals letting you in on their tricks of the trade. Some say that these can be the most influential for those who are wanting to up their skill and learn new things. Therefore, masterclasses are often filled with both beginners and professionals in attendance. My upcoming masterclasses include a collaboration with From Matte to Metallic - March 18th, an Arabic-Inspired smokey eye class with Make Up Atelier Paris - March 25th & an exclusive Waterford masterclass, March 29th! Details on that here!

So my advice would be to apply for a full-time/lengthy part-time professional course that provide qualifications in order to work in the industry. To learn how to perfect your own makeup; do short courses, workshops and attend as many masterclasses as possible. This will also help build your skill as a professional once you've completed your course. As a professional or amateur you will realize that practice makes perfect and there is a lot that these courses don't teach you! 

I hope this post has made it a little clearer about what course is right for you. If so, please let me know! Or if you think there's anything I missed out on let me know that too! I can't begin to count the amount of times I typed the word 'course' Hahaha! Martha x