Whether you’re a professional beauty therapist; a makeup artist in training or simply love messing around with makeup; one thing is clear – there are always ways to improve your beauty skills.
Think about it…
Trends are always evolving. New and improved beauty treatments are constantly hitting the market. What is popular one month, may be replaced with something entirely different the next. To stay on top… you’ve got to keep moving with these changes.
So how can you do this?
One: Watch YouTube Videos
You might think trolling YouTube for makeup tutorials is just for pubescent teens. But there is a lot you can learn from these tutorials, especially if you take the time to weed out the novices from the experts.
For instance, if you were to perform a simple search on ‘contouring’, you’d soon be supplied with a list of videos that are ranked based on views and ratings. From here, you would be able to subscribe to their video channel, and be able to pick and choose which beauty skills you want to learn.
Another advantage to video tutorials is that most will give advice on products, telling you which are best for what technique. And this is particularly useful, if your interest stems from wanting to improve your skills for your own personal use. They can guide you towards products without you having to deal with all the trial and error.
NOTE: don’t just take their word for it when it comes products. Still do your own research because sometimes the reason behind their recommendation has more to do with endorsements i.e. they’ve been asked to plug the product; than their own personal preferences.
Two: Online Beauty Courses
Now, if you’re considering a career within the beauty industry, then you’re going to need professional training and qualifications, as your natural flair and talent for beauty will only get you so far.
The decision you’ve got to make here is: how do you want to get these qualifications?
- Beauty schools/college courses – both of these can offer you a range of NVQ beauty therapy courses that will train you in all elements of beauty therapy e.g. hair care, makeup, nail art and skin treatments.
Personally, we would recommend this group if you are fixed in your goals and know for certain that you want to work in this industry – as it will give you both the training, the knowledge and the opportunity to get work placements.
Costs do vary depending on where you apply, and given that it will be taught within a classroom setting; you will need to be able to split your time between study and work so you’re not overstretched. - Online beauty courses – the amazing thing about this route is the flexibility it can afford you. Designed for home study, you can complete your studies at a pace, time and location of your choosing, and you can easily mould these type of courses to fit around your current work/family/social commitments.
And this is fantastic news if you’re returning to education, as you don’t have to make any huge sacrifices in order to complete this course. Instead, you can pick and choose between their courses, and in most instances will be given up to 12 months to finish the course.
Another thing we love about this route, is alongside allowing you to control your learning experience – and helping you to escape a classroom environment – you can also use online beauty courses as a taster to see if it is the right career route for you. Instead of investing years of your time doing an apprenticeship or enrolling into a college; you can pick which courses you want to try and see if you genuinely enjoy it.
This will save you both time and money in the long run…
An extra good thing about online courses – such as the ones provided by Association of Learning – is that you can still get the practical training you need. During the course you will be given the chance to attend physical workshops/training sessions that will allow you to put the theory behind these beauty treatments into practice.
To get started, we suggest enrolling onto a Level 2 Beauty Therapy course, before progressing onto Level 3 and then exploring the breadth of specialisms this industry has got to offer e.g. aromatherapy, body massage, nail technician, hair care etc. You can even go a step further and add salon business management to your arsenal!
For more information on Associations of Learning’s online beauty courses, click here.
Three: Makeup Beauty Counters
This one is better designed for anyone who wishes to improve their own personal skills; however, there are merits to doing this as a professional too.
For personal use, makeup beauty counters can provide you with an inside look on how best to apply lipstick, foundation, mascara etc. as well as recommendations on which of their products are best.
Do this a lot and you’ll begin to pick up on techniques as well as will be able to determine which products you like most.
For professionals, using makeup counters can act as research to see which techniques they are employing, and again which products produce the best results. With this personal insight, you will be able to not only improve your own technique but will be able to give accurate advice on various products.
To be honest, all of these tips have the power to improve your beauty skills and help you to become the best you can be. However, if you want to progress beyond applying makeup to yourself and start building a career in this niche, then going the route of training within a beauty school, college or with an online course can help.
All of these can provide you with the training, the knowledge and the resources to take this passion and turn it into a credible career. Similarly, they can teach you more than how to style hair and apply makeup; they can also give you the chance to venture into new and exciting beauty fields: massage, laser treatment, aromatherapy, etc.
And you don’t have to be a novice in order to benefit.
Even if you are already an established beauty therapist, you can take advantage of online beauty courses (for example) and use them to refresh your skills; learn about the latest trends, and make your CV/portfolio even more impressive.