So You Want to be a Beauty Therapist?
- Apr 9, 2018
- 5 min read
One of the many reasons I started this blog was from regularly being asked how I became a Beauty Therapist. To be fair, lately I have been asked more how I became a Makeup Artist, but to me, these two questions have the exact same journey.
As a teenager, my sister Emma wanted to be a Makeup Artist, however our parents insisted she do Beauty Therapy so she wasn’t limited in skills and employability. Without a doubt she found strengths and passion in pursuing Beauty Therapy as a career rather than solely Makeup. As a Beauty Therapist I found my own passion in educating, nurturing clients and applying makeup. Now it seems, thanks to social media, Makeup is the flavour of the month and because you can do your makeup well, everyone thinks it is an easy and profitable career avenue to pursue.
Passion for makeup is fantastic and we all have to start somewhere, but not training or broadening your scope of scientific knowledge (specifically human biology and chemistry) is going to limit any career. For the record, I am not talking about Influencers; however they have definitely shifted the quality of the industry.
If makeup is your reason to get into the Beauty Industry, it is important to remember many Beauty qualifications contain modules in makeup and, like myself, you can then further your knowledge and skills in makeup. Beauty Therapy qualifications contain a broad spectrum of fields that can lead to specialisation and expertise. On a side note, it may be tempting to do a single module and perform that treatment on clients as a specialist.
The problem with this is a lack of skin and anatomy knowledge that can cause contraindications, and insurance may not cover if any of these contraindications become a problem. As mentioned in previous blog posts, I have regularly had clients needing fixing of treatments performed by those under qualified, and I know of Dermal Therapists, Dermatologists and Doctors who have the same experience.
So, you definitely want to become a Beauty Professional and want to know where to start? What you want to do as a job determines your qualification level.
The three qualifications to enter the Beauty Industry are the following:
Certificate II in Retail Cosmetics is an entry level qualification to cosmetic counters and makeup application. The skills provided allow product demonstration on consumers, financial transaction in an employed position and occupational safety. As an entry level, employment is under direct supervision and procedures performed are limited.
Certificate III in Beauty Services is basic knowledge in a salon environment and employability as a Beautician, learning superficial treatments of waxing, manicures, pedicures, makeup, tanning, eyelash extensions and ear piercing. There is also a separate Certificate III for both Makeup and Nail Technology that go more in depth with creative techniques, i.e. remedial camouflage and nail art.
Certificate IV in Beauty Therapy teaches more in depth anatomy, skin science and chemistry, so to be competent in performing body, facial, aromatherapy and massage treatments. I discovered the science in this course is equivalent to what I studied in high school Human Biology for tertiary examinations. All other modules from the Certificates III in Beauty Services, Makeup and Nail Technology are also included. This qualification allows you to be employed in salons and day spas as Beauty Therapists, and in beauty counters as Beauty Advisors.
Diploma of Beauty therapy contains the same content as Certificate IV as its basic knowledge, however, it branches off in more advanced treatments; i.e. electrical hair retardant treatments, specialised massage treatments including lymphatic and reflexology, microdermabrasion and cosmetic tattooing. A lot of these are actually elective modules so learning the basics is helpful in determining which direction you wish to learn further
If you’re still hell bent on solely just doing makeup and want to go beyond the Certificate III (which is perfect for retail, beauty counter, freelance beauty and Bridal Makeup Artist) then there are other options. Certificate IV and Diploma of Screen and Media have Specialist Makeup as a specialty, and are both more focused on the entertainment industry side of working as a creative Makeup Artist. I need to note as to avoid confusion these qualifications are recently changed from the Diploma of Specialist Makeup. Although you might only be interested in beauty and bridal makeup, the benefit of doing the Screen and Media qualifications implies you have the ability to adapt your skills to different working environment, and makeup applications for particular events, dress up parties and Halloween are booming for Makeup Artists. This means offering your clients more opportunities to hire you!
It is important to note that the institution that you choose reflects the quality of skills you will leave with. Many in the industry have spoken about a lack of competency recently, so researching a school and their past students experiences in both the classroom and in salon is just as important as deciding on the right course for you. Any course available online will not get you far with employers as Beauty is half practical and assessment by an unqualified trainer (as in a beauty professional without training and assessment qualifications) can be incompetent.
Studying in a traineeship can be completed online, however, you will be gaining immense real workplace experience, and both theory and practical assessments are done through the qualified lecturer at the learning institution.
My recommendations for local beauty schools in Perth, Western Australia, that I know are reputable from my own experiences and colleagues are: North Metropolitan TAFE, Perth College of Beauty Therapy and Australian College of Beauty Therapy. If you are considering undertaking any of these qualifications, call your perspective school and arrange a meeting to view the location, what is provided and to meet the lecturers. All schools should be enthusiastic to show you around and if they don't then say "See you later!"
At the end of the day, this advice is based on my own experience and it is up to you how you want your Beauty Career to unfold. If you want to do just Bridal Makeup, then Certificate III in Makeup is enough. What I want to convey is that, "enough" is very limited in this profession. If you can't identify and treat a clients skin concern before applying makeup, then you will be masking the problem triggering reactions that could include skin flaking, foundation creasing in wrinkles and excess oil production. This, in turn, can affect not only the makeup's longevity, but also the client's confidence in themselves and in your skills. All I will say on "self taught" Makeup Artists, is seeing someone make this announcement makes me believe they have no knowledge on hygiene, occupational health and safety, skin knowledge and contraindications. On an individual basis,this assumption could be wrong, however, it is not hard to undertake the Certificate II in Retail Cosmetics and this reveals to me that they do not value their client nor their career.
Beauty is associated with health and there are highly experienced Beauty Professionals that are calling for tougher regulations to avoid serious health or bodily harm risks from under qualified, inexperienced and unlicensed practitioners. The fact that anyone can do a workshop to start tattooing eyebrows without very thorough skin knowledge, as an example, leads to higher risk of contraindications not being picked up, and could result in legal and moral issues.
So, my biggest piece of advice is to learn more than you plan to do. As a Beauty Professional, you will be asked a lot of questions that are out of your scope of expertise and incorrect information can hinder your reputation and potentially cause harm to your client. At the end of the day, we work in this industry to make other people feel great about themselves and however you want to do that is your own personal journey.
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