Author Archive
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Guide To Social Media
When you’re in the beauty industry, social media is crucial. It is the perfect way to market your business, showcase your work, and connect with fellow beauty professionals. Whether you’re freelance, a business, or just a beauty lover, social media sites can connect your to what’s trending in the beauty world, show you what your favorite artists are currently working on, or what your local salons are up to. Potential clients will see the fantastic designs you’re currently working on and they will want IN! Speaking from experience, social media has informed people I’ve known for years that I am Cosmetologist and they’ve all become my clients, some of the most unexpected people will want a piece of your handy work.
Facebook:
Facebook is the perfect tool to educate friends and family what’s going on in your chair, your progress in your education, and just how happy your current clients are! If your clients love what you’re doing, they’re going to tell everyone they know. It’s important to stay connected, stay inspired, and stay broadcasted! Facebook provides great tools to help your monitor your posts total reach, how many people see each individual posts, and other great insights. You can pay to promote your posts and even advertise your page to people with similar interests.
Instagram:
Instagram is fantastic to showcase all of your proudest designs and connect with other amazing artists. You can swap inspiration and get a great look on what people want to see. The hair and makeup community on Instagram is very tight knit and giving. Users with high amounts of followers wouldn’t hesitate to feature you on their account to help promote your work! Simply use common makeup hashtags and get noticed!
Twitter:
Twitter is great for showing fans of your work who you really are, being a little silly, showing your favorite coffee shop, and how cute your dog is all mixed in with your work, of course. If you start building a fan base of people outside your immediate geographical circle, Twitter is fantastic for letting your fans know a little bit more of who you are as a person, as opposed to only you as an artist.
YouTube:
Want to really get yourself out there? Create a YouTube channel! YouTube is an excellent source of education. Take your biggest and best design education and give it back to fellow cosmetologists! It will reflect on your fans how passionate your are! As a makeup artist, everything I know, I learned from YouTube…so to show my appreciation, I’ve taken everything I learned and am giving back to new and prospective makeup artists! You could be the next Michelle Phan!
If you’d like any social media tips, feel free to contact me!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Guide To Makeup Artistry
Unless attending a cosmetic specific academy your education to become a professional makeup artist might not be where you want it to be. Most Cosmetology programs have a minimal makeup section, if any at all. I always had a passion for makeup but also wanted my education to include aesthetics, nail tech, and hair styling. I wanted to do it all. Since receiving my license I have built my education through internships, continued education, and hands on classes in hair only, and had to find an educational outlet for makeup elsewhere. Using sources like YouTube, Pinterest, and other social media sites I have collected enough information to take my makeup artistry pro and I want to share it all with you! Below I will show you products and tools that every beginner should have in their kit.
Brushes To Die For:
Blending Brush:
Every brush has a unique function and are all perfect for a specific task but if there had to be the god of all brushes, this is definitely it. You can get away with not having every brush ever made but the blending brush is a must. Coming in either synthetic or real hair the fluffy bristles seamless blend any harsh lines in a makeup design. Recommended to have at least 2-3 in your professional kit.
Liner Brush:
Liner is what seals the deal in most makeup applications, from traditional brides to zombie brides the liner brush is crucial in creating sharp winged liner using gel liner. Most professional brush sets include a liner brush.
Pencil Brush:
A pencil brush is a dome shaped brush that is fantastic at buffing out shadow or liner underneath the eye, blending small sections in a smokey eye designs, or adding soft pigment to the brows. This is definitely a brush I couldn’t live without.
Products To Kill For:
Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner:
Retailing at only $8-10 this is a fantastic investment that is long lasting, inexpensive, and highly customizable.
BH 120 Palette:
The BH 120 Palette is the perfect fit for a beginning makeup artist retailing at only around $15. This is a great investment to learn how to mix and combine perfect shadow shades together and work with a variety of colors before you go out and purchase expense name brand shadows.
Dinair Airbrush System:
An airbrush machine is a amazing investment for any and all makeup artists. It might seem like a huge financial jump but quickly pays for itself. Executing flawless foundation application this is a makeup artist’s best friend.
A combination of all these fine products and tools and you’re ready to break out into the makeup world! Any questions or concerns? Requests for a future blog? Feel free to contact me!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Airbrush Makeup
I recently got my hands on Dinair’s Airbrush System and couldn’t be happier. I’ve wanted to do airbrush makeup before time was time and I couldn’t be more excited. As someone with no real in-depth airbrush training I was a bit nervous on the complexity of how to actually use it. They have traning programs for these bad boys at around $300 a pop, it has to be the hardest thing ever, right? Wrong. I’m no PRO…not even close, but once you work out the air pressure and how much to pull back the lever, a door of creativity springs open. As a Cosmetologist you already have a calling to the arts and an airbrush machine and take you to so many places from traditional brides to zombie brides, who wouldn’t want everyday to be Halloween?
My personal kit came with:
- Variable Speed Compressor
- Beauty Airbrush Gun
- 12 Pigmented Makeup Shades
- Airbrush Self-Tanner
- 3 Eyebrow Shields
More than enough for any beginner. Want to go Pro? Dinair offers Makeup kits with shades to match any skin tone.
Dinair’s makeup is so customizable you can mix shades together, use shades for the face, eyes, lips, and neck, and eyebrows! Anywhere you want it.
Dinair’s instructional DVD was a godsend. After skipping through it a few times I learned everything from the distance to keep the gun when applying makeup to the face, eyes, and lips, how to clean and store my gun, and how to disassemble and reassemble the machine for a nice deep cleaning. Once I had that information under my belt I went crazy. My second attempt at the airbrush ever I came up with this creepy skeleton look perfect for Halloween using only 2 colors!
Loved this look? Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an in-depth airbrush video tutorial!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Blue Smokey Eye Tutorial
We here at Beauty School Advisor are showcasing this gorgeous blue smokey eye on our gorgeous model Christie! This is a fun spring/summer evening look perfect for ALL eye colors! Below we will show you techniques, products used, as well as the application brushes. Enjoy!
Step 1:
Begin with cleansed and moisturized skin. Using a primer (we chose Chanel Base Ombre À Paupières) all over the lid using your finger. Using your finger allows for a blended application while insuring you do not overuse or over apply your product.
Step 2:
Selecting this blue/mint color from this BH 120 palette, using a small flat brush apply all over the lid. Once the shadow is on the brush spray once or twice lightly with water to intensify products pigment payoff.
Step 3:
Using a previous makeup brush, align it’s handle with the nose and the outer corner of the eye and leave it there while applying the light gray shade. Keeping a brush on the outside of the eye will ensure you do not over apply too much product while giving you a sharper line of demarcation. Also add the gray to the inner corner, as well as a highlight silver shade if desired, we used “Virgin” by Urban Decay.
Step 4:
Once you have applied the gray color, using a blending brush apply and blend a very small amount of an even lighter gray to get the smokey gradient effect. BLEND BLEND BLEND!
Step 5:
Using the original dark gray color apply it softly to the under eye area and blend out for a smokey effect. Add a black eyeshadow to the outer and inner corner and blend out for a deeper more dramatic effect. Blend.
Step 6:
Finish off with MAC smolder eyeliner on the water line (slightly buff it out with a pencil brush), Maybelline EYESTUDIO eyeliner on the upper lid, and MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash mascara, and BOOM you’re done! Here’s a closer look:
That concludes the blue smokey eye tutorial. Here’s a look we recently did, let us know if you’d like to see an extreme cat eye liner tutorial!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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MEN MEN MEN
As a cosmetology student I found my toughest patch in my education was within male hairdressing. Even in my professional career I find myself spending more and more time on my male clients. When working with traditional women’s cuts a slight mistake is easily corrected with little to no real attention, for men however, once the hair is gone, it’s gone–a tragic lesson definitely learned in hair school. Although we had a ton of practice on short haired male mannequins, nothing can quite prepare you for the real thing, lemme tell you.
A HUGE bit of advice for executing fantastic mens hairstyles would be product choice. With any craft, your tools are just as important as your education (maybe even a little more). I have found that with a better tool, my mens styles fall perfectly into place, it’s as if I’m not really doing anything at all. Snowballing off of all that, here are the tools I use and why they’re so super:
Andis Envy Clippers
My babies. “The Envy™ is an excellent clipper for all around styling,” notes Fred Koeller, Vice President of Marketing at Andis. “Because of its powerful motor, the clipper easily cuts wet or dry hair quickly and efficiently. It’s a clipper you can rely on to perform all day long. The Envy™ is designed with precise balance to be comfortable in the hand and to reduce fatigue from working a long day.” In other words, the bomb.com.
American Crew
The greatest thing to happen to men since, well, the invention of the electric razor. American Crew products offer the finest styling products to create epicness while maintaining the simplest of ease. These products provide a styled, fashionable, and epic finish with little to no work at all. Perfection for the low-maintance man while still looking handsome and together.
BaByliss
These BaByliss edgers came with my student kit in beauty school and have we’ve become the bestest of friends. In all these years of learning, cutting, and excessively dropping these bad boys, they’re still right here with me.
That wraps up the basics of my mens hair arsenal. Being full equppied backed with a bangin’ education can take you…
from this…to THIS!
I hope you found these recommendations useful and they’re all available to you at a reasonably low cost.
Good luck!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Fight To Keep Cosmetology and Barbering A Licensed Profession!
Deregulation:
Recently there has chatter that the beauty industry is under threat by several states attempting to deregulate licensure for cosmetologists and barbers alike. What does that mean? If passed, it will no longer require beauticians and barbers to have a state regulated license to perform services. Basically, your 95 year old grandmother can wake up one morning, grab a pair of kitchen scissors and call herself a cosmetologist. We love yah grams, but best leave this one to the pros. Currently, the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) is tracking 3 bills in: Connecticut, Texas, and Indiana.
- Texas HB 87 allows an individual to engage in an occupation without being subject to the rules or policies that regulate that occupation if it is found that the rule or policy is (1) substantially burdensome; and (2) unnecessary.
- Indiana SB 520 creates a committee to study and review professional licensing. The committee will be required to consider public input regarding the elimination of a license or a change to a regulated occupation.
- Connecticut SB 324 requires the study of all occupational licenses, including cosmetology. After the study is conducted recommendations will be made to eliminate licenses deemed to be unnecessary
The PBA announced:
Connecticut SB324
Bill Sponsor: Senator Joe Markley (R)SB324 will require the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to study all occupational licenses, including cosmetology, and recommend elimination of those licenses that are not found to be necessary to protect the public health or safety. The legislation has been assigned to the Joint Committee on General Law.
A hearing, open to the general public, is scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 21, 2013. The hearing will be held at 1:00 PM in Room 2A of the Legislative Office Building.
Anyone who would like to provide comments at the public hearing must contact the committee chair before the hearing date. The committee chairs are State Senator Paul Doyle, 800.842.1420 or Doyle@senatedems.ct.gov and Representative David Baram at tel: 800.842.1902 or David.Baram@cga.ct.gov
To send a letter to the to the members of the General Law Committee in opposition of SB324 please click here.
Link to legislation: cga.ct.gov/2013/TOB/s/pdf/2013SB-00324-R00-SB.pdf
Link to committee: cga.ct.gov/GL/
Link to the hearing notice: cga.ct.gov/2013/GLdata/pha/2013PHA00221-R001300GL-PHA.htm
Missouri HB590
Bill sponsor: Representative Andrew KoenigHB590 will allow any person to engage in the practice of a specified profession, such as barbering and cosmetology, without being licensed. The person may not hold himself or herself out as being licensed.
Email or call Representative Andrew Koenig at Andrew.Koenig@house.mo.gov or 573.751.5568 to express your opposition to HB590 and explain the importance of licensing.
Link to legislation: house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills131/biltxt/intro/HB0590I.htm
Help protect the industry!
Or my diploma could be meaningless!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Building Your Portfolio
Pictures are a perfect way to network–portfolios are your best friend as a beauty professional and they’re just a blast to create. Building a portfolio can be taxing but immensely rewarding and are a cosmetologists secret weapon. If you really want to stand out in an interview, they’re the perfect tool. From the beginning of hair school you should have your camera in hand and document EVERYTHING. Whether it be the memories with your fellow classmates or that incredible feeling when you successfully create a design you’ve always wanted to learn–you won’t want to forget a thing. Portfolios should be neat and professional, but don’t hold back on throwing your own personality into them. Gather all your images together and organize them into categories to give the viewer a sense of fluidity. Showcasing your talent will get you ahead within an interview, especially if you attend a group interview where you will essentially be competing with other potential employees. Remember, when you’re getting your first salon job your work does not have to be flawless. Salon owners understand that with a new stylist comes providing them an education, they simply want to see your drive, passion, and personality.What you need:
- A scrapbook (found at your local arts & crafts store)
- Sheets of white or black paper
- Laminated pages (usually contained within scrapbook)
- Resume
- A personalized “Cover page”
- Scissors
- Glue or Tape
Run over to your local art supply store and pick up a simple scrapbook; black or white works best but don’t be afraid to get a little creative with it. They come with some different designs but again, keep it fun yet professional. Here’s mine:
I went for the simpler approach when it came to my chosen scrapbook, I saved all my flare for my title page and how I went about organizing my individual sections.Title Page:
Creating your title page is the first thing (other than your resume) that your portfolio should contain. I created a template on Word that had pictures surrounding the text and just wrote a small paragraph of when my career began, where my education took place, some of the competitions/extracurriculars I participated in, and where my work has been featured. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of those things under your belt instead give some insight of who you are as a person and as a professional. Here are my first 2 pages within my port:
All you need to do now is organize all of your work into sections: Updos, Cut & Style, Color…etc and just throw it all together either picture by picture or maybe you can come up with a type of collage? Have fun with it. This doesn’t need to be as sleek and professional as a resume. It’s the perfect tool to showcase your talent and creativity. Be creative with it! If you have an interest in make up then attach another section showcasing some of your work, you never know if the salon your looking at also has a type of make up program.
That’s all you’ll need! Keep your portfolio in mind while you’re still in school, think of how you’ll appear on paper. Make sure to document everything…chances are you can throw it into your resume and portfolio. Start your career in beauty today!
Good luck!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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2013: Ombre Hair Tutorial
For you low maintenance gals or you fabulous fashionistas it looks like Ombre is here to stay, at least for a little while. Although many celebrities who once rocked the Ombre: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Biel, Hilary Duff…etc have switched over to more conservative looks, stylists are still dishing them out just as much as when it first became popular in 2010. Aside from Ombre. word on the street this summer is we’ll be seeing a lot of RED. For any of you future hairdressers that are looking for a very simple self-explainitory hair tutorial, here’s the place to be.
What we used:
- Color bowl and brush
- Wella Blondor Bleach – 30 volume
- Plastic Wrap
- Clips
This week we took our lovely model Shannon (who was already rocking a grown out duller version of Ombre) into our chair to kick up that blonde and give you all a great visual on how WE execute this style.
Step 1:
Section the hair as shown. You simply want to create 3 sections, the back and the sides. Your side sections do not have to be even. Say your client has an off center part with side bangs…leave the parting as is and only section the back from the front shown on our model.
Step 2:
Place a piece of plastic wrap between your client and the first section of hair. Have your client hold it in place is necessary. Starting with the nape take a 2-inch section laying it on the plastic wrap. Begin painting on the bleach at the tips…lightly brush upwards to create that soft blend from natural to highlighted. Cover with plastic wrap. This will be your process throughout the entire application.
Step 3:
Continue the application following the same guidelines from Step 3. Instead, while continuing taking your 2-3 inch sections consciously apply bleach a little higher then the section above. (Example: In the first section apply the bleach about 2 inches from hairs ends, second section apply 2 1/2-3 inches from the ends, then 4…etc)
Step 4:
This step is all about the side sections, following roughly the same guidelines with a slight twist. Apply the bleach on each side section in a diagonal back method. Doing this will create higher highlighted sections around your clients face to bring the entire look together.
Finish:
Allow bleach to process until desired lightness. Tone if necessary. Shampoo, blow dry and style as desired. Here’s the finished look!
We hope you found this tutorial helpful. For any future hair tutorial suggestions you can contact us either through Facebook or e-mail us directly.
Good luck!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Hairs, Shears and New Years
Happy 2013 everyone! With a New Year you can expect new hair color, cut and style trends and we can’t wait to bring them to you right HERE! 2012 was a fantastic year bringing you: Sock buns, Ombrè, Pastels, Nail art, Big curls and everything in-between, excited about what you’ll see in 2013? We know we are. Here at Beauty School Advisor it is our passion to help new and prospective students to discover their passion in the beauty industry and guide them to an education that fulfills their every educational need. Check back for great beauty content. We have a lot of great new things planned for 2013:- Interviews with local beauty pros
- Product reviews
- How-to’s for today’s trending styles
- Advice columns for our current beauty school students
- Student submissions on frequently asked beauty school questions
- and MUCH MORE
Now turn your attention to this weeks product of the month SHEARS!
Are you a beauty school student or new stylist looking for new razors, texturing or sculpting shears? We’ve recently got our hands on Elite shears by FROMM. At a great affordable price for the everyday student and lightweight design delivering great results this shear line is fantastic for anyone looking to additions to their hair artillery. With over one hundred years of experience in the beauty industry, Fromm has been providing high quality salon tools to professional stylist for many generations. Fromm Premium shears carry a lifetime guarantee against manufacturer defects and a 6-month edge sharpness guarantee. For repair or replacement under guarantee, simply return your shears to their Fromm Service Center with your sales receipt. Who can say no to that?!
When I found myself discovering my passion in the beauty industry looking at all the different shears and razors I simply wanted them all! The only problem I faced is that there were so many different shapes, sizes, lengths and diameters and I didn’t have a clue what would be the perfect type for me. I have come up with a “Shear guide” to beauty school students explaining all the variety of beauty arsenal and their unique uses.
Cutting Shears
Even Shears: These types of shears are shown in the image below. Even shears are your basic shears where the thumb and finger holes are not customizable when it comes to the angle in which your fingers are placed. They’re perfect for your typical stylist that find most shears comfortable.
Offset Shears: Most shear manufacturers are transitioning their basic handles. Offset shears offer full mobility in the adjustment in the thumb hole’s angle. If you find Even Shears to be a bit uncomfortable and wish they could shift a bit, Offsets are the way to go.
Texturizing Shears
Texturing and Blending Shears: These shears are your all-around performer. Their versatility and mobility remove bulk and create texture and thinness and blending harsh lines perfect for all hair types.
Chunking/Chunky Shears: These shears feature huge “bulky” blades in order to remove bulkiness to the interior of the hair as well as create notches or chunks at the ends of the hair. Containing 7-15 teeth with wide gaps between them.Palming Shears
Full Palm: Bottom image. This is the most popular way to palm your shears. Closing your shears and handing them in your closed palm. This method will not effect purchasing of your shears.
Flipped Back Palm: Second image from the top. Some stylist (myself included) find the traditional palming of the shears to effect your mobility and fear of self injury while combing hair. This method will effect the purchasing of new shears. You need to look for a divot or groove on the left side of the thumb hole. This divot will provide comfort when the shears are in their flipped back position giving your pinkie a place to rest. Not all shears have this groove. (Image below)
That sums up the basics! I hope you found this guide useful. As always, you can contact me with any questions you’d like to see answered in my blog posts!
Good luck!
Posted by Alex: Beauty blogger for BEAUTY SCHOOL ADVISOR and licensed Cosmetologist since 2011. Contact Alex at alexander@betterclickmedia.com
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Halloween Half-Skull Makeup Tutorial
Skull makeup this year (and every other year) is all the rage on Halloween. The fab became viral when Lady Gaga’s music video for “Born This Way” went global. There are many variations to do this makeup which can be found anywhere on the internet. Once I realized I HAD to make this my costume this year I found it difficult to find products that truly worked. Search engines and forums told me to simply buy Halloween store white makeup which honestly, doesn’t work. Here’s what I used:
- Michael’s Craft Store Face Makeup color Palette
- Paint Brush’s
- Makeup Brush’s
- Sponge Applicator
- A Face
Step 1: Begin with a cleansed and moisturizer face, cover with face primer. Begin by using the sponge applicator to apply a gray coat to half your face. Once coated with the gray apply the white over the high points of the face: cheekbones, chin, and forehead.
Step 2: Outline the face with black face paint as shown. It might seem difficult simply start with the line from the corner of the mouth and create the cheekbone and go from there. The lined sections will be filled in with black.
Step 3: Begin by outlining the nose and forehead with black and fill them in along with the hollows of the cheeks and the temple area to give you something like this:
Step 4: This is the most creative step! Begin shading and highlighting the skull. For the neck draw 3-4 lines with white to be the neck bone, then the collar bone and what ever else you’d like then color black around them for depth and you’re all set! Here’s the end result:
Enjoy!
