My Beauty College Update: Struggles and Successes

At the end of September, I started classes at beauty college, to get my makeup artist diploma and here's how it's been going.

This is a photo of a smokey eye makeup I did on my classmate, one of my first applications at the college.

Confidence & Ability

It's always been hard for me to apply makeup on other people; and not because I didn't know how - but that's part of the reason, because naturally being untrained I was unaware of undertone, eye and face shape, ex - but more so because I was afraid of doing someone's makeup, and although I was passionate about it and I loved doing it, I knew it wasn't something that they would be getting at a salon. I was afraid of someone telling me how much they hated the work I did, the work I put my heart into - even if it didn't always look like it, I knew how hard I tried. I wasn't ready for someone to kill my confidence, because I knew once they did, it would stick with me and it's very hard to shake.

Now that I'm partially trained, going to class every day, all day, I've seen a difference in not only my ability - which has significantly gotten better and continues to, I believe - but also in my confidence in applying on other people, because I'm not the untrained kid who watched a bunch of YouTube videos and replicated as best she could....I'm the makeup artist student in training, who studies the theory, and works hard to get to where she is.

I still have quite a way to go when it comes to taking compliments from people when they like my work, I'm at the point where I'm so overcome with happiness and I get so emotional that I only know how to say "thank you" but that doesn't even begin to describe how I feel when someone genuinely likes my work.

1980's themed look, my classmate as my model.

Models

Of course it's on a much smaller scale, but the models I've worked on can be divas too. Although I've worked on several of my friends and family members, I've also worked on people who are a bit more difficult. That being said, in the moment I felt like I was going out of my mind, but in the long run, I have to thank those people for being a difficult model, because little by little, they're making me more resilient and tolerant of many different personalities and situations.

Typically, I'm not a very patient person but I hope by the end of this course that I gain a bit more patience and tranquility when it comes to situations where I'd typically fly off the handle.

Now, not all of the models I've worked on have been difficult, rather, most of them have been an absolute delight to work with. I'm very lucky that when I became part of this program, the students who had started a week before I did really embraced me into the program as well as the instructor. I've become friends with the people in my class, and knowing that we're all learning at the same time and pace is comforting because for the most part we are very understanding of each other, because at the end of the day; we're all learning and trying to get better.

This was a drag inspired makeup look I did after a presentation that I attended at school by a drag queen.

Enjoying My Time

I've become a very busy woman, very quickly. I go to school every day, I work in retail, I have a couple side businesses of my own, I run a blog, I run errands, I am trying to better my skills in guitar as well as trying to write a novel, I hang out with friends (every once in a while, I have fun...hard to believe!)

It's easy to say that I don't have much time to take a moment and enjoy the work I do. I really do enjoy doing makeup, but I noticed when I started beauty college that I wasn't doing my makeup anymore; someone else was using my face to practice, much like I used theirs to practice in turn.

Although it's great that we work on each other in my program, I really do miss doing my own makeup. That was always my time to just relax, maybe put on some calming music, and be creative before I got swept up in whatever activity I was doing that day.

I find myself going home with absolutely nothing on my face - which never happens, because due to the amount of redness and acne I have, I ALWAYS use a full coverage foundation - and I go home, just not feeling like myself; more like I rolled out of bed, and I'm not put together.

So, the other day when I got to do my own makeup for the drag replication, I was absolutely over the moon because I finally got to put myself together, in a way that is my style, taste and mood. I couldn't stop smiling, genuinely, I was truly enjoying myself.

I know that when I'm done this course I'm going to say, "I miss when everyone did my makeup." so I'm trying to enjoy it the most I can, but when I do my own makeup, it gives me such a mood boost and meditation that I need to take to myself.

It's true when they say not to overlook the small things, because one day you'll miss them.

My cousin was my model for my 1920's inspired look.

So, being halfway done my course and in completing my diploma, this is how I'm feeling so far, and what I've experienced.

I'm excited and scared to finish the program, because once I do, I'll be a new makeup artist out on the market for work. That will be an experience in and of itself, one that I don't have to worry about quite yet, but when I do, I hope you'll all be here to read about how it's going.

Vi voglio bene,

Melissa