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How to Choose a Foundation Makeup Course

How to choose a foundation makeup course

A makeup course can be expensive, especially the ones offered at private training schools. As well as tuition fees, you have to support yourself for the course’s duration – and most likely for some time after. Not all makeup courses are equal – some are excellent, some are terrible. A little time and effort will lead you to the right makeup course and the best tuition for your money. After all, this is the start of your career – and you want the best start possible.

Doing a makeup course does not make you a makeup artist, nor does it guarantee a long and happy career.

Most people who do a foundation makeup training course will not succeed as a makeup artist. Many give up through a lack of consistent paid work or the stamina needed to work in this industry.

Makeup is a fiercely competitive job – and it all boils down to simple economics. There are a small number of jobs versus humongous amounts of people doing makeup courses. In short, there are not enough jobs to provide everyone with regular paid work.

However, this does vary from industry to industry, with film and TV being a hard sector to get regular work in. The retail and beauty industries may provide a better option for many.

Should I Do a Makeup Course?

Ultimately this is down to you, your talent and your aptitude. Just remember – doing a makeup course doesn’t make you good at makeup or employable! Doing a makeup course doesn’t make you a makeup artist – it simply makes you someone who has done a makeup course!

Industry people can have mixed views about doing makeup courses. After all, a handful of people have been self-taught. However, the vast majority of makeup artists have completed a foundation makeup course. Private courses (taught by industry pros) may be viewed more favourably than college courses.

Ultimately, success comes from a combination of many, many factors for each individual – and training is just one of them.

In a competitive industry like film and television, you’re less likely to be considered for jobs without some foundation training in something relevant. For example, if you want to work in prosthetics, an education in fine art is beneficial. Remember, few makeup departments have the time to train someone up from scratch.

If you feel a course is a way to go for you, then read on.

What Type of Makeup Do I Want to Do?

Makeup artists work in various industries – including film, television, theatre, fashion, beauty, and retail. There are also specialities within makeup, like prosthetics and body painting.

Shared skills and knowledge – all industries share some essential skills and knowledge. For example, knowledge includes health and safety, colour theory, corrective makeup, skincare, and good working practices. However, the creativity needed and other required skills do vary from industry to industry.

Decide what type of makeup artist you want to be. Think about what industry you want to work in and train accordingly. There will be makeup courses that teach the type of makeup you want to do. Makeup schools also run courses that specialise in each industry.

However, don’t forget all the other skills that a competent makeup artist needs, including people skills, organisation, working to deadlines, and dealing with many curveballs. Does the course help fine-tune these skills too?

Who are the Course Providers?

Course Providers

Makeup courses are run by:

  • A local authority, government or community college – who run courses on all sorts of subjects, not just makeup.
  • Private makeup school – many of these are owned and run by makeup artists and designers.
  • Online or long-distant makeup courses – we suggest that you do one that’s taught in a brick-and-mortar college. It will provide hands-on experience and tutors who are there to give you feedback and help when needed. Don’t waste your money on a long-distance learning course – it’s hard to learn all about a creative, hands-on profession this way. The exception to this is Dick Smith’s SFX makeup courses. They get great reviews, are very respected, good value with tons of information from the master. Lots of SFX makeup artists have done the advanced course.

Course Duration

A makeup course can run from a couple of weeks to a couple of years. They can be part-time or full-time, evening classes, or all day. It all depends on what makeup they are teaching. For instance, a bridal makeup course doesn’t need to cover as much as a media makeup course, so involves fewer tuition hours.

Costs & Funding

A local college makeup course will be much cheaper than a private makeup school. A makeup course at a private makeup school can run into many thousands of pounds to attend.

There are some funding options available in the UK, for example:

Certification

Some schools offer qualifications from diplomas to degrees. Others give you a certificate of achievement or attendance.

Foundation makeup courses

How to Choose a Makeup Course

Get All The Information

  • Read the website and get the brochure -then ignore all the waffle and flash photographs. Makeup schools are businesses and designed to make money. Of course, that’s what business is about – we don’t begrudge people making a profit. It’s just that some do it less honestly than others. But it will give you an indication of what that school offers and how much it costs.
  • Look at everything they say – consider the curriculum, the facilities, what you get for your money, what kit you get, assessments and how long they’ve been training people for, and so on. Get the school’s prospectus – it is a starting point for asking more questions. Obtain as much information as possible, and check the validity of what is promised to students.
  • Look at the “satisfaction guarantees” – as in, what refund do you get if you decide the course isn’t right for you? What is the complaints procedure should you not be happy?
  • Remember – no school can guarantee or promise you a career.

Check out the Accreditation & Legislation

  • Accreditation – this is a voluntary “standards check”, where an independent ruling body or organisation checks over the course and school facilities every so many years. A report is given to the school about what is good and any areas to improve on, which are checked again at some point. If the course fails miserably during an inspection, it will have its accreditation revoked until standards are improved and rechecked.
  • While it’s good to have an independent review of the school, accreditation doesn’t mean that the makeup courses are right for you. Likewise, the standard may have changed since the last audit – keep an open mind! You may even be able to request a copy of the audit to check how the last inspection went. This does depend on where you are in the world and local laws about viewing such documents.
  • Legislation – this is different from accreditation. It refers to the laws that apply to the country, state, or region the school is. So, you need to check if there are legal requirements relating to running a makeup school in the country or state where you wish to study. If so, check that the school has the applicable license(s) to operate as a makeup training facility.

Check What Certification is Offered

  • The makeup qualifications offered in the UK include a BTEC Level 3 Diploma, a VTCT Level 3 Diploma, an ITEC Level 3 Diploma, and a City and Guilds Diploma. These qualifications are offered by both local colleges and private training providers.
  • If you want to work in the beauty sector, doing a beauty therapy or cosmetology qualification is essential. Furthermore, you need a license to work legally in some countries.
  • Media makeup qualifications mean very little in the real world. Having the right attitude and genuine ability means far, far more.
  • Don’t favour a school solely because you get a fancy qualification. If your final toss-up is between two schools and all things offered are equal, then, sure, go for the qualification.
  • Whatever initial foundation training you do, you still leave a school as a trainee – a beginner with much to learn.

Look at the Curriculum

  • Everyone learns at different paces – and schools tend to cram in as much as they can. Consider your ability to take in new information. Some intensive makeup courses may be too fast – you do something once, then straight on to something else. A longer, slower-paced makeup course may be better for you.
  • A good foundation makeup course should teach all the essential elements, with plenty of hands-on practice time and a low ratio of tutors to students.
  • Practice is the way to get better – use fellow students as well as friends and family. It also gives you time on a wide range of skin types, tones and ages. It’s up to you to practice outside of school – and the more you experiment and play, the better you will get. Also, students practising on each other helps to understand things from a client’s perspective.

Check Out the Tutors

  • A makeup course should be taught by makeup pros with lots of industry experience, including recent work. As techniques and technology changes continually, you want someone who knows this. Being taught outdated techniques is not helpful to anyone.
  • Look tutors up on the internet – check out their credits and body of work.
  • Can the tutors teach? They may have industry experience and be great makeup artists, but this doesn’t necessarily make them a good teacher! Speaking to ex-students will help to identify if the teaching methods and demonstrations are carried out well.
  • Tutors come and go all the time – ask the school who’s teaching the course you’re interested in. Literature and websites are not always up to date.

Talk to Former Students

  • And talk to more than one! This is a vital step, one of the most important, in researching makeup schools. It gets to the nitty-gritty. Personal reviews from past students, especially more recent ones, is an invaluable way to establish a course’s true value and if the promises in the prospectus were fulfilled.
  • Everyone will have an opinion – the more ex-students you talk to, the more you will identify the common good and bad points. In a word, get testimonials from the horse’s mouth rather than trust the glowing testimonials on a website.

Visit the Schools

  • The location is largely irrelevant – safety and transport not withstanding. Of course, if the area feels unsafe, or you can’t get there, then don’t go to that school. What we mean is, don’t be put off by a college that’s in the suburbs, as compared to one in a city centre. Reputation and the quality of teaching mean a lot more than location.
  • Don’t be put off by a crappy-looking building – it’s what goes on inside that is important. Don’t be wooed by a college that brags about its film studio location – it means nothing if the tuition is rubbish.
  • Go to the schools and have a good look around – take the prospectus and question everything in it. Talk to the current students, preferably when the tutors are not earwigging! Is it cramped or spacious? Is the lighting good? What is the ventilation like? How many tutors to students?

See Through the Waffle & Ask Yourself “So What?”

  • A school has an agency and industry contacts – so what. What type of work and how much does it really get in? Will I be offered any of it? Is it paid?
  • A school has former students that have won an award – so what. Someone has to win them, and this could be down to lots of other factors, not necessarily where they trained – which was more than likely a long time ago! Schools change!
  • A school has lots of flashy photos on their website and say that they are the best provider in the world – that’s a big claim. So what. A photo can be used to show whatever is wanted.
  • The website has a list of former students working on big films – so what. How many former students are not working on big films? Answer: most of them.
  • The school is owned by a makeup designer – so what. This doesn’t mean you’ll be swanning off to the Caribbean as their assistant. They may not be there most of the time, or they may not be any good at teaching!

Ask yourself “SO WHAT?” So what does this actually mean for me?

It seems a bit belligerent, but you must ask tough questions. This is because, sadly, the bad schools are as good at marketing as the decent schools. Ultimately, one school’s marketing is designed to part you from your money over their competition.

Phew! This is Exhausting!

Well, there are a lot of courses out there! Just remember, it’s YOUR money, YOUR time and YOUR future.

Make the effort, ask lots of questions and don’t take anything the schools say at face value without fact checking. There are some really good courses out there and, by the same token, there are bad courses. In a word – do your research!

Found It – My Dream Course!

Once you find your dream makeup course, then it’s over to you. This means work hard and behave as a professional should:

  • Turn up on time.
  • Attend everything. Some schools will kick a student out for poor attendance.
  • Take lots of notes and photos for reference and practice outside of classes. Record stuff on your mobile phone.
  • Read makeup books and magazines. Also watch tutorials done by talented professionals.
  • Get involved in out-of-school activities that are offered to you, like productions at the local theatre or student films.

In other words, look at your work ethic. If you can’t cut it when just at school, you will fail in the real world, which is far tougher.

Once you’ve done your course, then more hard work comes your way. Finding work, and keeping on finding the work becomes a part of life. Do not underestimate how tough an industry this is!

Good luck! May the odds be ever in your favour.

Find Out More

  • Screenskills has lots of great information on all careers in the industry.

7 thoughts on “How to Choose a Foundation Makeup Course”

    1. Brilliant Information Provided by You,really very helpful.

      The MJ Makeup Academy is among the leading institutions imparting hair and makeup related knowledge in Lucknow. It is founded by Minakshi Jaiswal, a renowned makeup artist and hairstylist in Lucknow . The sole purpose of launching this academia is to render the students with high-end techniques and knowledge on makeup and hairstyles.For more information go through with our website https://www.minakshijaiswal.com/

    2. I’m glad you talked about looking into the curriculum, facilities, what type of kit, and how they grade you. These could help you find a course that will teach you what you want to know and ensure you have the proper tools for any tasks you are assigned. When looking into a beauty course, you’d probably want to meet with the instructors in person, especially if they have multiple options for a specific class, so you can find one that will be able to teach you in a way that you’ll understand.

        1. Hi!!
          I myself am considering this as my career.. Would be obliged if you let me know about your college and its facilities..

        1. Hi Shree – we’re not a college. just a bunch of makeup artists who run a website with (hopefully!) some useful info.

      1. i read your blog minutely and would like to thank you for giving such a wonderful information on this topic. In these days there are so many makeup courses available in the market but these are quite costly. This article is really helpful for one who wants to choose a makeup course. Thanks once again for your great tips.

  1. Brilliant! Just what I was looking for. I can now see how MU schools vary so much and how ‘colourful’ descriptions are used. Thanks for all the tips and questions to consider as it’s easy to just get swept away in it all!! Sarah.

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How to choose a foundation makeup course