If you’ve recently become a makeup student (or are considering enrolling in an online makeup course), let us first congratulate you, since it’s a huge life decision and one that will jumpstart your career!
However, you’re probably feeling slightly overwhelmed and a little nervous at this new chapter in your life, and we totally get it! Online courses can be daunting, since they’re self-paced and require a great deal of discipline and time management to succeed (and we know you want to succeed!).
Don’t fret – we’ve put together a sample study plan for your online makeup course that is extremely straightforward and easy to follow. Read on and calm your nerves!
Create a weekly study schedule
So many benefits come with enrolling in an online makeup course, but the fact that the courses are self-paced is arguably the biggest draw for aspiring makeup artists. It’s not easy to carve out time to attend courses in person, or complete assignments on strict deadlines, especially when you have a full-time job or other commitments that keep you busy. This is one of the reasons there are so many online makeup schools!
Your first order of business as a makeup student is to create a weekly study schedule for yourself. While the flexibility of an online course is wonderful, it also requires you to manage your time and make sure you’re completing readings, watching tutorial videos closely, finding time to practice (more on that later), and really engaging with your tutor’s feedback.
A great place to start is to do a little self-evaluation of your study habits – determine if you’re more of an early bird or a night owl, whether you like to study and work on assignments in a comfy chair or at a desk, and how easily distracted you are. Be brutally honest with yourself! If you can carve out one or two distraction-free hours during the week, don’t let anything else take over that time slot. Commit to it as your study time, and let those around you know as well. They’ll give you the space you need, and you’ll be able to devote time to your makeup course without interruptions!
Find models
Throughout your online makeup course, you’ll have the opportunity to complete some seriously exciting and creative assignments, such as creating theatrical makeup or bridal makeup, and submit photos of your work to your tutor. Being able to create beautiful makeup looks on your own face is a useful skill, but as a professional makeup artist, you’ll need to learn how to do makeup on other people as well.
This is where models come in!
Makeup models, whether they’re family members, friends, or aspiring models, are an excellent way to learn how to do gorgeous makeup applications on a variety of features. They’re also an excellent way to build a makeup portfolio that showcases your skills as a professional! Don’t be afraid to ask people you know if they’d like to have their makeup done – you’d be surprised at how keen most people are to let an aspiring makeup artist apply makeup on their faces!
For those of us who are less outgoing, approaching friends, family members and other potential makeup models is a great way to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone, so the entire experience can benefit your career as a makeup artist! There are tons of different ways to find makeup models to practice on.
Pro Tip: Practice is a hugely important aspect of your makeup course, so we recommend actually completing makeup looks on yourself before applying them to a model. Once you’ve read the written material and watched the videos, practice the look on yourself so you get a feel for how it’s completed. Then, get in touch with your makeup model and schedule a time to apply the look and complete the assignment. You’ll be able to sharpen your skills a little more this way!
Stay organized
Studying and learning at your own pace is great, but you’re the one that needs to keep track of your course work, meetings with models, assignments, and feedback. It may seem slightly daunting to stay on top of it all, but we guarantee that a little advanced planning and organization will go a long way!
Online makeup courses allow students to access their course materials through an online student center, which means that you’ll be spending all your time (with the exception of time spent practicing) on the computer. The easiest way to keep track of your course units is by making several dedicated folders on your desktop. This is the place you’ll go to first after turning on your computer, so we recommend creating one general folder, and then several different folders within it for each unit.
Download the assignment templates from your online student center, save them, and keep them in one folder. Keep your completed assignments in another folder, as well, and you’ll be able to keep track of your progress in the course without getting overwhelmed.
Set aside time to practice
You know the saying, practice makes perfect? Well, it’s one that you should keep in mind throughout your career as a makeup artist. The real learning for a makeup artist takes place through hands-on makeup applications, and you really can’t practice enough! We know that you’re keen to get your career started, but you should never rush through any of your assignments or the time you spend practicing.
As mentioned above, use yourself as a model beforehand, as this is an excellent way to spend more time practicing. Set aside a few hours a week (or better yet, an hour per day!) just to practice the techniques presented to you in course videos – complete the assignments after you’ve spent some time working to create a particular look. This will be easy, since you’re already passionate about makeup!
Put your feedback to use
Did you know that an online makeup course allows you to receive personalized feedback on your work from an industry expert? This is an amazing opportunity, but also requires a thick skin in order to deal with criticism. Your tutor will have certain guidelines in mind when they grade your work, and if they see that some areas need improvement, they’ll let you know what you’ll need to do differently next time.
Don’t take this criticism personally, but do spend some time reflecting on it and channeling it into your next assignment. Not only will you know what to focus on for your next makeup application, your ability to handle constructive criticism will be essential to your career in makeup. You won’t be able to avoid picky clients (they’re a fact of life for makeup artists), so the sooner you can develop a thick skin and take criticism well, the better off you’ll be!
Check out this example of feedback that a QC Makeup Academy student received from tutor Nathan Johnson, and how she re-did the assignment with his tips in mind.
Do the optional assignments
We’ve stressed the importance of practice when it comes to learning skills and techniques. Many online makeup courses will allow students to complete optional assignments that are worth extra credit, but are not part of a particular unit. While you may feel as though your course work is heavy already, keep in mind that any extra time you spend practicing your skills is valuable.
By completing these extra assignments, you’re proving to your tutor that you have the drive to go above and beyond expectations, and you’re also enhancing your own knowledge. This dedication will serve you extremely well during your makeup career, so take every opportunity you can to hone your skills!
Looking for the right online makeup course? Check out our list of 6 things your makeup school should have!
