Find a Makeup School Near Me: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

How to Find the Best Makeup School Near Me
Find Makeup Artist Classes Near Me Today!

If you’re looking for the best makeup school near you, then this is the post for you! We’ll help you find makeup artist classes near you that are also the perfect fit for your budget and location.

You’ll also find answers to the most frequently asked questions about makeup school, as well as average makeup artist salary info.

Best Makeup School Near Me: Table of Contents

• How to Be a Makeup Artist
• Makeup Artist School Near Me: FAQs
• Average Makeup Artist Salary
• How to Find the Best Makeup School Near Me

How to Be a Makeup Artist

In order to find an in-depth description of how to become a makeup artist, see “How to Become a Certified Makeup Artist.” But for a quick cheat sheet, here are the 4 steps to becoming a makeup artist:

1. Do Your Research: First, it’s important to learn everything you can about being a MUA. It’s a great way to get ahead for your first day of class, and it’s also a great way to make sure makeup school is where you want to be. While researching, for example, you might find that being an esthetician or cosmetologist is more up your ally.
2. Find Makeup Schools Near Me: Then it’s time to double down on your search for makeup courses near me. In order to find the closest makeup school, use our safe search tool. After entering in your information, you’ll find a list of the best makeup schools near you.
3. Attend & Graduate from a Makeup Academy Near Me: The first two steps are preparatory. But now it’s time to attend makeup school and earn your license! (This license might fall under Cosmetology or Esthetician, depending on your state’s requirements.)
4. Pass the State Board Exams: Although the word “exam” can be anxiety-inducing, it doesn’t have to be. This is because the best makeup schools prepare you to pass the exams. In other words, if you do the course work, you’ll be more than ready to pass the state boards with flying colors.

Video: Becoming a Certified Makeup Artist!

Finding a Makeup Artist School Near Me: FAQs

In this section, we’ll cover some of the most frequently asked questions people ask when searching for “makeup artist classes near me.”

Do you need a degree to be a makeup artist?

Yes. Specifically, you need a makeup artist license. However, most states categorize a makeup artist license under an Esthetician license or Cosmetology license.

All in all, there are 41 states that issue licenses for makeup artistry. Of those 41, two have specific makeup artist licenses. (Nevada and Louisiana.)

In the other 39 states, the cosmetology boards have differently named licenses. However, these licenses encompass makeup artist licensure.

What’s the difference between makeup certification vs license?

Generally speaking, you should have an actual makeup artist license if you’re a practicing makeup artist. A makeup artist license comes from rigorous training, which you can find from your results from the “makeup schools near me” search tool.

These cosmetology training programs educate you far beyond makeup artistry. For example, you’ll learn the science behind cosmetology, safety procedures, and a lot of skin and hair care techniques. This is why a makeup artist license opens the doors to more high paying career opportunities.

Comparatively, a makeup certification is a lesser type of training. Again, a specific “makeup artist certification” doesn’t officially exist in most states. Makeup certification courses will educate you on makeup application, but they won’t go much further.

How much does it cost to become a makeup artist? 

The mean cost of becoming a makeup artist is about $169 in licensing test and application fees. However, it’s different in every state. That is just the average. Check out state by state requirements here.

How long does makeup artist school take?

On average, certified makeup courses run for about 134 days. After that, makeup artist students must pass their state board exams in order to be licensed in their home state. Expect to pay a little bit out of pocket for the licensing and testing fees. As stated above, that average cost is $169. Depending on your state, it may be more or less.

Since different states cover makeup artistry under various certifications, you’ll need to check your home state’s cosmetology state requirements for exact numbers. Here are some great examples from makeupartistedu.org that show how wide and varied the requirements can be:

What are the different types of makeup artists?

• Personal Care (for prom, family photos, weddings, etc.)
• Theater
• Body & Face Painting
• Fashion
• Beauty Make Up Artist for major cosmetology brands
• Television
• Movies & Film
• Freelance Make Up Artist

Can you tell me how to get into makeup school?

Typically, all you need is a high school diploma or GED to be accepted into one of the top makeup artist schools.

Average Makeup Artist Salary

Depending on the industry, make up artist salaries vary greatly. And because makeup artistry licensure falls under different categories according to the different states, here are a few different statistics:

• According to the US Bureau Labor of Statistics, the average salary of Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artists was $69,310.
• The average salary of Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists was $30,490.
• On average, skin care specialists (like estheticians) made a yearly salary of $35,130.

All of these statistics were updated in May 2017.

What Will I Learn in Makeup Artist School?
What to Expect at Makeup School Near Me

All makeup schools have different curriculum. As discussed above, you might be learning makeup artistry as part of an Esthetician or Cosmetology program, which will definitely influence your classes.

However, here are some of the types of things you can expect to learn*:

Additionally, the top makeup artist schools included advanced classes that teach these kinds of techniques: