Are you passionate about makeup? Do you want to know how to become a makeup artist and do what you love professionally?
We’ll let you in on a little secret:
The key is to success is to STOP putting off your dreams!
Don’t let the global pandemic prevent you from having the career you’ve always wanted. Getting started on your new career path sooner (rather than later) will give you a head-start against your competition.
Now, the real question is: do you want to begin working as a professional makeup artist right now?
If so, then we’re here to help! QC Makeup Academy offers a wide range of online courses on makeup, skincare, and other beauty specializations. Furthermore, as a QC graduate, you’ll be armed with the skills and know-how needed to kickstart your new career with the best chances of success!
With that in mind, let’s look at the main steps you can take to become a makeup artist this year!
Is Being a Makeup Artist a Good Career?
First thing’s first: you need to know if this venture is even worth your time. After all, if you’re not making a good enough income, doing makeup will be a great passion project – but not so much a great career.
Luckily, you don’t have to worry about this!
For starters, this is obviously the PERFECT career path for someone who loves doing makeup. Moreover, if you thrive on being creative, flexing your awesome people skills, and having the freedom to work in countless different settings, you’ll also find immense joy from this job.
Not to mention, you can earn a killer income!
Check out this blog article to learn more about the average salary of a makeup artist – as well as the 4 HIGHEST paid MUA jobs you can book!
What Kind of Education Do You Need to Become a Makeup Artist?
In order to start a career as a makeup artist, you’ll first need to get trained and properly certified. Now, this is where things get a little tricky – because technically, you don’t actually “need” a professional education in order to work as an MUA.
But this does NOT mean that you shouldn’t still get proper training! In fact, to skip this critical step is to set your dream career up for failure.
Here’s Why…
Prospective clients will always prefer to hire a makeup expert who’s actually put in the time and effort to earn their stripes. Why would they risk paying someone who can’t prove that they know what they’re doing? I mean, think about it: would YOU prefer to hire a legitimately trained professional – or someone who can only claim to be a professional?
By having a reputable education and internationally-recognized designation under your belt, it’ll be a LOT easier for you to establish trust and credibility with customers. Moreover, proper training will increase your chances of long-term success, elevate your skills to a masterful level, provide you with ample business knowledge, and so much more!
So, Where Should You Get Your Training?
The type of professional training you’ll need to get will depend on the types of services you want to eventually offer clients.
Cosmetology School
If – in addition to makeup – you wish to offer nail care services, hair dressing services, and/or esthetic skincare treatments, your best bet will be to enroll in cosmetology school. Cosmetology school will ensure to cover these other areas of the beauty industry and provide you with a license that meets a regulated standard.
*Just keep in mind that cosmetology school doesn’t really delve all that deeply into professional makeup artistry. So, if you want the focal point of your business to be makeup services, further training from an accredited makeup school will likely be needed.
Makeup School
On the other hand, if your career goals include working primarily as an expert MUA, providing skincare consultations, offering hair styling services, etc. then a reputable makeup school (such as QC Makeup Academy) will arm you with EVERYTHING you need to know in order to thrive in the industry! Plus, you’ll earn internationally-recognized certifications, thereby allowing you to service clients from all over the world!
Why did licensed cosmetologist, Angelica Hamlin, choose to enroll with QC Makeup Academy in order to further her professional makeup knowledge? How did QC’s training take her career to the next level? Find out here!
How Long Does It Take to Become a Certified Makeup Artist?
The amount of time it’ll take you to get started as a makeup artist will, again, depend on where you choose to obtain your training. Some programs are self-paced, whereas others need to be done on the school’s set schedule. The latter can take anywhere from several months to a year (or more) to complete.
QC Makeup Academy’s online certification courses are 100% self-paced and done at YOUR preferred schedule! Starting on the date you first enroll, you’ll get a full 2 years to finish your program. However, since you get to set the tone for your education, you can use as much or as little of that time as you need!
As a point of reference, many of our graduates found that by simply devoting 1-2 hours per WEEK on their studies, they were able to graduate and earn their professional certification in as little as 2-6 months!
Interested in learning more about QC Makeup Academy’s full list of makeup and beauty courses? Here’s everything you need to know to pick the best course for YOU!
Which Field is Best for Makeup Artists?
There are countless directions you can choose to take your makeup career. For instance, you can specialize in:
- Bridal makeup;
- Editorial makeup;
- Runway and fashion makeup;
- Special effects makeup;
- Special events makeup;
- Theatrical makeup;
- Makeup for film and television;
- Global beauty makeup;
- And SO much more!
Ultimately, you’re the only one who knows what you want your future as a makeup artist to look like. So, take the time to sit down and actually think through which field(s) you want to conquer. Once you have a clear idea in your mind, you’ll know which types of makeup courses to take in order to become a true expert in those particular fields!
How to Become a Makeup Artist in 3 Easy Steps
Okay, now you’re ready to know how to actually become a makeup artist! Here are a few easy (but critical) steps to get the ball rolling…
Step #1: Enroll in an Online Makeup Course!
If you want to know how to be a makeup artist, this first step is extremely important! You’ll need to actually study makeup artistry, as we discussed earlier in this article.
(And no, watching social media influencers does not count. You see, social media trends might make it look easy… But without the proper foundations to your makeup skills, you’ll never be able to make a real career out of this.)
Through online makeup artistry courses, however, you can expand your knowledge of makeup without even leaving your home. What better way to start your studies this year than by doing them online?!
All you need to begin your new professional path is a computer and a trusty internet connection. Of course, when you’re choosing an online makeup course, you’ll need to look for some specific information…
Necessary Criteria
1) Make sure you’ll be taught by an expert makeup artist. All of QC Makeup Academy’s tutors are legitimate industry professionals with decades of experience to their names. As part of your QC training, you’ll receive regular, personalized feedback and video tutorials from your instructions. As a result, you’ll get to learn directly from the best in the business!
2) Look at the online school’s course content. You’ll need to know the basics of makeup artistry before you dive into advanced or specialty techniques. So, check that the course you want to enroll in will take you through all the steps needed to become a true makeup expert.
At QC Makeup Academy, you’ll start your education the Master Makeup Artistry Foundation Course. In this internationally-popular program, you’ll learn in-depth knowledge, from skin preparation to finishing touches. Furthermore, you’ll also learn about specialized applications, such as bridal makeup and runway applications.
3) On that note, think about specializations! This is where you can circle back to the section above where we took a look at the different fields you can dip your toes into. Are there any areas of makeup YOU want to specialize in later on? Do you want to take advanced makeup courses in a niche area?
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll then be able to expand your knowledge with QC’s Advanced and/or Specialty Courses!
When you become a certified makeup artist, you’ll be able to focus on the specific areas of makeup which interest you! QC Makeup Academy offers next-level training in:
Step #2: Gain Experience!
As a makeup student at QC Makeup Academy, you’ll need to practice your makeup application techniques. However, during a global pandemic, finding a face to practice can sometimes be a bit tricky!
With careful planning, and by using your resources wisely, you’ll still be able to find plenty of opportunities to improve your skills. Let’s look at some ways you can gain real-world experience working with makeup…
Apply makeup on members of your household.
Practicing makeup applications on those you live with is a great way to improve your skills. You won’t even need to step outside your home!
Practicing on your household will help you get better feedback to push you to improve. Your sister, mother, or grandmother may even enjoy the experience of an at-home makeover!
If you live by yourself, or your household members don’t volunteer their faces for your practice, it’s recommended that you try to (safely) find someone outside of your home. Keep in mind that this person should be in your immediate “social bubble”, in order to abide by your local lockdown restrictions.
Always make sure that you won’t be putting yourself or others in harm’s way by meeting up with anyone you don’t live with!
Offer free makeup applications (but do it carefully).
You can also volunteer your services for free. However, you should take precautions when working with people outside of your household. Keep local guidelines in mind, such as wearing facemasks and social distancing measures.
As a makeup artist, you need to get pretty close to people to apply makeup. Keep your own safety in mind and ALWAYS disinfect your makeup supplies after use.
Apply makeup on yourself.
If all else fails, you are still welcome to practice on your own face in order to complete your QC course assignments.
Just keep in mind that this should be seen as a temporary solution, rather than a permanent one. In order to become a makeup artist, you need to become comfortable working on other people more than yourself. But for the sake of your assignments, you can be your own model in the event that finding someone else is too dangerous.
Step #3: Provide Virtual Services!
In the post-COVID era, businesses will need to know how to adapt to the new way of life. Not only will you have to consider local social distancing measures; you should also consider setting up online makeup services!
Conducting your makeup business online may sound slightly odd. After all, isn’t this job all about applying makeup in-person?
You’d think that, but 2020 proved to the whole world that beauty professionals can continue running their businesses, even from a distance. Needless to say, virtual makeup/beauty services have definitely been on the rise over the last year and a half.
For example, tons of clients still need skincare advice and makeup recommendations from an expert. But instead of leaving the safety of home, you can offer virtual consultations directly to their devices!
If you’re interested in transforming your services and taking them to the next level, enroll in QC’s 1-unit Virtual Makeup Training Course so you can successfully expand your new business into the virtual realm! You’ll learn how to conduct virtual consultations, discover all of the makeup and skincare services you can offer online, and find out how to market your virtual services.
