Catherine Hammond

It’s often hard to tell if or when you should be upgrading your skills as a MUA. Maybe you’ve been working as a makeup artist for years now, but you’re starting to feel your client base dwindle. Or your business is still booming but you feel like you’re not totally up-to-date on beauty trends or standards. Either way, you might be asking if makeup training is worth it for you and your already-established career.

Keep reading as we answer that question and dive into what you could get out of makeup training!

Short answer: it could totally be worth it!

It’s always a good idea to continue your makeup education throughout your career. QC Student Ambassador Whitney Conn even says that it’s part of the job as a MUA to stay educated with recent trends! So take her word for it, and you’ll continue to grow as a professional makeup artist!

But what will I gain if I’m already established?

Even if you think you know everything about makeup and beauty, there’s still so much to learn. The beauty industry is always evolving and changing, and you need to keep up! Here’s what you might gain from doing makeup training as an established MUA…

Business Skills

Even if you already run your own successful makeup business, learning some new business skills is always helpful! You can brush up those business and marketing skills and rethink your business plan! In many makeup courses, business skills are part of the curriculum.

For example, in QC’s Master Makeup Artistry course, you can complete optional assignments and readings on starting a business, researching competitors, marketing, setting up a website, working with suppliers, and more! In addition, if you want to skip the foundational skills covered in Master Makeup Artistry, choose a course that focuses on marketing and portfolio building, like the Portfolio Development workshop.

Taking a makeup course with a bit of business training built into the curriculum could give your business the boost it needs!

Working with New Clients

A lot of the time, MUAs work with repeat clients and in a similar demographic depending on where they are. For example, an MUA in a suburb or small town may offer prom services, whereas a MUA in a city may do editorial work. No matter what your situation, you’ve likely fallen into a pattern of working with similar clients and doing the same types of looks! By taking a makeup course, you’d be refreshing your knowledge and skills on working with different clients to create a variety of looks.

You may think it’s okay to fall into these patterns. Maybe you’re happy with your clients and don’t mind constantly doing bridal looks. But no matter what, you should always be properly prepared as a MUA to deal with all different kinds of clients.

QC’s Global Beauty Workshop will prepare you to work with different skin tones and will teach you to create cultural looks! If you don’t feel like taking a foundational makeup course, a workshop geared to what you need could be a great option! More on this later!

Fix Bad Habits

Whether you like to admit it or not, you’ve likely picked up a few bad habits in your time as an established MUA. It’ll be helpful to take a course where a professional can help you identify your bad habits – whether they’re big or small.

You might be rushing to blend foundation or eye shadow. Though we hope you haven’t picked up any major hygiene no-no’s, makeup training will also help you brush up on your professional hygiene practices!

Know the Current Market

Like we mentioned, the beauty industry and the market are always changing! New trends emerge, new products come out to fit them, and MUAs are expected to know these things! One of the worst things you can do for your makeup business is not knowing about current trends.

Not only will makeup training help you figure out these trends, but it will also teach you how to deal with new ones! After graduation, you’ll be able to stay ahead of the curve with emerging trends.

Looks aren’t the only thing that changes in the industry either. The general market changes, too! You’ve probably noticed that makeup artistry is taken much more seriously nowadays compared to decades passed. More people are interested in it as a career, and more people are looking for MUAs to make them look their best. You need to make yourself stand out!

Make Connections

In addition to business skills, makeup courses offer networking tips! You’ll learn how to find events to attend and professionals you should connect with to bring your career to the next level. QC’s Master Makeup Artistry course and Makeup Artistry course both cover networking, negotiating, and vendor relations.

Not only will you be learning about networking and building connections, but you’ll also be making connections through your training. In a brick-and-mortar makeup academy, you’ll be working side-by-side with other MUAs. With an online academy, you’ll become part of an online community! For example, there’s a Facebook group run by QC Makeup Academy students for students. This is a great way to connect with people learning the same skills as you. If you’re active, you could make connections that’ll help you out later in your career!

Specialize in One Area

We briefly mentioned this before, but many makeup academies offer specialty and/or advanced courses. As an established MUA, it might not be worth your time to take a course that starts with the basics. By choosing a specialty course, you can focus in on an area of the beauty industry that you’re interested in! These courses will help you add a new service to your makeup business, like hair styling or fashion styling!

Overall, it’s totally worth it to continuously learn and take courses even as an established artist. You’ll always be up-to-date with trends and continue to provide your clients with expert service.

Are you thinking about taking any makeup courses? Reach out to us if you have any questions!

Not sure what your certification options are at QC Makeup Academy? Check out this article for all the different types!