Career Switch
Margina Dennis became restless while working in the high tech industry. She needed something different in her life. So about 12 years ago, she made the career switch by taking classes from a professor at one of the California makeup schools. It was a bit unnerving for Dennis. "I went from working at a structured environment to not knowing when my next job would be," she remembers. But she took classes and earned her certificates to embark upon her makeup career.

Makeup schools give you the chance to learn about a lot of different areas. Dennis took classes in TV, film, and print, learning multicultural and period makeup, art history, and airbrush techniques. Now, with her makeup education, Dennis works on photo shoots and commercials. "Most of the work I do is very simple beauty makeup," she says. She has also done celebrity makeup for VAL KILMER and MONTEL WILLIAMS and for magazine spreads, including Teen Vogue and People.

And that's just in her spare time. Dennis also works as the beauty editor for LA'G Magazine, doing product reviews, writing, and working with all aspects that involve beauty. "It takes up a lot of time," she says. "But I enjoy seeing the end product of what I've done."

Makeup Schools and Jobs
According to the Bureau Labor of Statistics, makeup artists had a mean yearly wage of $32,660 in 2005, with the highest number of reported workers situated in California. By attending makeup schools, one may increase their chances of getting one of the higher paying jobs available in the industry. And makeup artists can work on various projects, such as salons, the movie and television industry, and as freelancers.

Practice Makes Perfect
Kylie Evans has had a love of makeup ever since the day she was born. And she realized it more and more each time she made up a friend in middle school or helped her friends with makeup for prom. It's no surprise, then, that Evans took her passion and turned it into a makeup career. Her advice to succeeding with your makeup education? "Practice on anyone who will let you," she explains. "Keep practicing your craft and your talent and each time, you'll find [...] your own way."

In high school, Evans began her makeup career by working at a chain in Tennessee, known as Ross the Boss. It was here that she was able to acquire lots of experience and become "more well-rounded" so that she'd have the appropriate background to get the most out of what makeup schools have to offer.

From there she went on to the Aveda Fredrics Institute (Cincinnati, OH), well-known among makeup schools, where she learned about skin care, hair, and, most importantly for her she got a makeup education. "Not all cosmetology schools train you in makeup," says Evans. For this reason she chose to explore a makeup career, and learned the difference between daytime and nighttime makeup applications, among other techniques.

Evans currently works at the Godiva Salon in Atlanta and has done work for the Food Channel and local television anchors. She thinks that those aspiring to get into the field "need to be creative and energetic" and to always remember that the good thing about makeup is that "you can always wash it off." So don't be afraid to take chances at makeup schools. Says Evans, "you don't always have to stick to the rules."

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Amanda Fornecker is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school or career that's right for you!