How to Start a Career in the Beauty Industry
Starting our careers or even searching for a job once we have graduated college is an exciting time in a person’s life. It is a great feeling knowing that you have accomplished something that many people do not have the opportunity to do like attend and graduate college and then use that to go further in life. Starting your career can be a tedious venture but it is something that is worth working hard toward and will make you overall fulfilled in the future. Some choose to pursue dreams they have always had a passion for like a little girl watching makeup tutorials under her covers at night dreaming to be a makeup artist when she grows up. If this is you, there is a world of opportunity for careers in the beauty industry. Read on to find out just the right steps for pursuing your goals and making that little girl proud.
Explore Your Options
Having a career in the beauty industry is a relatively new concept when it comes to being famous. Makeup artists have been around for a while but recently the beauty industry has expanded to far beyond being behind a beauty counter. Like any career or venture you are pursuing, it is always smart to consider all of your options before settling on a final decision, luckily, there are many facets of expertise when it comes to landing a career in cosmetics/skincare/haircare etc. Today, you can make a living out of making YouTube videos of makeup tutorials or promoting products if you gain a large following. There are also careers in the beauty industry such as traveling or celebrity makeup artists, people behind the beauty counter at department stores and entrepreneurs that start their own makeup or skincare lines. There are obviously many other jobs and maybe even a few that can satisfy your interests and talents. It is up to you to do the research and figure out what job compliments your lifestyle and what you want out of life.
Learn From the Experts
With anything in life, learning from your peers and from those who came before you is always a smart way to lead a successful life and in this case, career. This is essentially the entire point of school and college – to learn from the experts. This can be anything from taking a college credit course in cosmetics or makeup artistry at a beauty school or something with less commitment like watching and studying technique, color palettes and different skin tones and face shapes in YouTube videos or any other social media platform. Just getting your makeup done at a beauty counter or inquiring about certain products and techniques at a large retail store like Sephora will make you more accustomed to learning and asking from the experts and honing your skills.
Teach Yourself
When it comes to makeup artistry and the beauty industry in general, one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself is to practice on yourself so you can become familiar with your face and also try out different looks that you can work on on other people. If it is your dream to one day own your own cosmetics line, observe the business practices and marketing strategies of other company-owners. Take business courses while you are in school or follow tutorials from your favorite gurus on YouTube. There are many ways to teach yourself techniques without taking classes. There is plenty of learning to be had.
Give Everything a Try
By giving everything a try I mean try out as many different facets of the beauty world before settling on one job. You can continue to grow and learn as you develop in your career as well because you will be surrounded by others that will learn and grow from you as well. Before making any final decisions, be sure to learn as much as you can and expose yourself to as much as possible before you commit to any job. You may go into college or beauty school hoping to be a makeup artist, but, you never know if down the line you may start your own beauty line or company – so take those extra business courses. Similarly, you may love to create an edgy smokey eye on yourself, but commit to learning how to create a classic glam look if you plan to become a makeup artist. The key is to have a variety of skills that will work on a variety of faces. Soak up as much information as you can and never stop learning.
Learn Others’ Brands and Cosmetics
Part of knowing any industry is scoping out the playing field, learning from others and studying what you are competing with. There are many ways to accomplish this from just buying and testing new products, looking at packaging, and experimenting. You can also attend seminars or pop-up shops to learn about other’s techniques or just to learn more about their marketing strategies. There are lots of ways to learn about branding and cosmetics. Continue to learn from other companies or other people’s accomplishments and also their mistakes. Develop strong relationships for future partnerships and continue to network all throughout your career.
The Bottom Line
In the end, there is no right or wrong way to enter into a career in any field, let alone the beauty industry. There are particular steps, however, pertaining to this industry, that will help you further your career no matter what field you enter into – YouTube videos, a professional makeup artist, theater makeup, the CEO of a beauty or cosmetic company. The helpful steps you can take to make you the most successful are to explore all facets of the industry before settling on one job. You may be surprised what you find you are better at or enjoy doing more. Always be open to growth and learn from those who have succeeded or made it before you, continue to experiment and continue to form relationships with others in the industry.
