Here’s Everything You Need To Know Before Attending an Online Makeup School

Are you thinking about attending an online makeup school? Most people would never even consider taking their education online, let alone learning makeup this way (which is inherently hands-on). If you’ve been mulling over whether or not you should attend an online makeup school, there are some things you should be aware of. We know it’s not an easy decision to make, so we want to make sure you’re not surprised when you enroll. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Can you actually learn to be a makeup artist online?

Yes! You’ve probably encountered many skeptics who believe that you simply can’t learn makeup online—well, they’re wrong! Many makeup schools are going online in an effort to accommodate students who may not live in urban areas where most makeup schools are located. If you simply don’t have the means to move to the middle of New York to study makeup, your location shouldn’t impact your ability to go to school! At the end of the day, if you have expert instructors, a great support system, and a team of tutors who actually want to see you succeed, you will reap the rewards!

The art of balance

As an online makeup student, you’ll generally enjoy more flexibility when it comes to attending classes. Colleges with online programs may often still require you to tune into online sessions at set times every week, but you can find courses that are self-paced for ultimate flexibility. Online makeup courses are generally very accommodating to your schedule, but you’ll still have to work on balancing your studies with your personal and professional life if you work another job.

It’s not easy… well it shouldn’t be!

It’s true: some online makeup schools are total scams. They don’t even pretend to test you on a wide range of knowledge and techniques. Instead, they’ll give you a few articles to read followed by multi-choice quizzes. They won’t even look at your makeup application techniques to help you improve! It can be difficult to sort through all the different schools out there, but doing your research and finding a reputable school will pay off. You’ll get to learn professional techniques and be graded and appraised like a real professional. If you don’t have access to tougher critics who want to see you reach your potential, what’s the point?

Finding Motivation

The idea of lifelong learning is becoming popular nowadays. How can you commit to more education or a career change if you need to work full-time to pay your bills or raise a family? The key is to have the motivation or ambition to work independently. It’s easy to blow off a day or two of studying because you’re too busy with other tasks. If you truly believe that a career in makeup artistry is for you, you’ll find the passion and self-discipline to continue on!

Makeup Discounts

If you do your research and select a well-regarded online school, they’ll likely have partnerships with high quality professional brands, and you’ll be eligible to receive steeply discounted products to help build your professional kit. When you’re a student, you’re still expected to maintain a well-stocked kit that can cater to people of different skin tones and conditions. These types of products can take a toll on your bank account. Luckily, top brands such as M.A.C, Urban Decay, and O.C.C. offer students and graduates from reputable schools access to discounts to ease their financial burden!

Change your expectations

Attending classes at traditional campus institutions is completely different from attending virtual classes, so why would you maintain the same expectations? You’ll learn the same content and be subject to the same systems of grading, but you need to switch up your expectations in terms of peer-to-instructor or peer-to-peer interaction, workload, and course pacing. The last thing you want is to walk in with expectations that cannot be met and lose your motivation to study. Approach the courses with an open mind and try to stay on track with your work right from the beginning.

Cheap tuition

You’ll pay less than if you were to attend traditional brick-and-mortar schools. The reason isn’t because the quality of the education is lower—a common misconception. Your tuition statement will be lower simply because you won’t have to pay into overhead costs for running a physical school! You won’t have to pay for water, electricity, heat, air conditioning, lawn care, etc…basically you won’t have to worry about contributing to building and campus maintenance and amenities. Since you’re only expected to pay for the actual course, you’ll be saving hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars!

Becoming a makeup artist isn’t easy – find out what QC instructor and celebrity makeup artist Nathan Johnson wishes all makeup artists knew when starting out!