true story: I went to beauty school
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And I graduated.
Why did I go? It's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, yet it always remained in the 'too hard basket', lumped with 'can I afford it' and nestled right next to 'I think I know what I'm doing'. Makeup school, for me, ended up validating my skills, while also breaking me at the same time -- how is that even possible? It shakes your confidence. You're working with absolute strangers who are either brutally honest to the point where you want to drop your brush and hide in the corner or are too nice not to say anything at all. Before clicking 'add to cart', here are 10 things about beauty school I think you should know.
- Check your ego at the door -- this is an absolute must.
- You can do your own makeup really well and that's great! Some of your makeup skills will not transfer, do not become disheartened by this.
- Know what you want to get out of this course. Some of my classmates were looking to change career paths, while others just wanted to learn the basics of applying makeup.
- Visit the school before committing in order to meet the instructor(s) and check out the facilities to make sure it's a good fit for you.
- Do your homework. I researched several schools based on value for money, location, and scheduling. I knew I didn't want to go the full hog and have a hand at stage makeup, so I searched for good quality, basic makeup schools in the Melbourne-area that held classes on Saturdays. A difficult feat for sure, but I found something that worked for me in the end.
- Breath mints, hand sanitiser and deodorant. Enough said.
- Practice classroom etiquette. Arrive on time, listen, ask questions, and become one with the sponge -- absorb everything. When you really enjoy all things makeup I can guarantee these classes will fly by.
- Observe your fellow classmates handiwork and try to work with people you admire. I paired up with a girl (hi Eliza!) who really knocked my socks off.
- Practice makes perfect. Find friends who are willing to lend their faces and time.
- Fake eyelashes are a pain in the butt to apply. Here are a few tricks of the trade...
- Trim full lashes from the side that starts at the outer corner of your eye. You can use the trimmed excess for a fuller effect by stacking the fake lashes.
- Apply eyeliner first to hide glue mishaps.
- Tweezers are your friend.
Over the course of seven weeks I learned about colour theory, proper makeup application techniques from an industry professional, gained new-found appreciation for applying makeup on "mature" skin and still fully believe that less is more.
Finally, if you're interested in attending beauty school and live in the Melbourne-area definitely check out Elite Make Up Academy (this is not a paid advertisement) and ask for Marie-Louise, she's the best!
