Are Makeup Lessons Worth It?
Plus where to find them locally!
Photo by Lauren Wojtalewski
Confession: I’ve gone from the girl who loved taking selfies to the mom who avoids being in pictures.
Like many moms, I’ve dealt with sleep deprivation, crazy schedules, endless cleaning, and a to-do list that’s literally impossible to complete. The constant stress of motherhood and general aging have made me feel less confident in my old makeup routine, which was basically just mascara and lip gloss.
I wanted to learn new strategies to boost my confidence, but I didn’t know where to start and searching TikTok tutorials for “eye wings” and other trends felt like a quick road to disaster.
So, I decided to take a makeup lesson. Here are the local options that I found.
The Ulta Experience
Cost: $30 for 30 minutes | ulta.com
It turns out that Ulta at Destiny offers a 30-minute lesson for only $30. I loved this as a low-investment starting place, and a couple of perks jumped out immediately.
The first was easy booking. The lessons were listed on the website with tons of available time slots. In fact, I could book a same-day appointment and pay later at the store.
When I arrived, I walked to a quiet salon area in the back of the store. I was told that the $30 price covered a 30-minute lesson, and in that time, we could work on one feature like my face or eyes. I was disappointed that this wasn’t explained on the website, but it made sense given the short time slot.
Allie’s Before & After Image (Ulta Beauty)
I decided to use my 30 minutes for a face lesson on foundation and contouring. The master stylist, Mariam Shams, was fantastic. She recommended colors, products, and best practices. She showed me how to apply primer, foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, highlighter, and finishing powder. Learning the nuances of blending, getting color recommendations, and seeing the perfect placement for each product made the lesson worthwhile for me.
I was happy with the instruction, but my look didn’t feel complete without eye makeup. So, I ended up adding a 30-minute eye session for another $30. Mariam picked the perfect color that can act as both blush and eyeshadow, and we practiced using a subtle eyeliner that made my eyes look more open and awake. Finally, we worked on my eyebrows, and she gave me fantastic suggestions about shaping and defining them that added another reason for my lesson to be “worth it,” and I could tell that Mariam really cares about her clients.
By the end of the lesson, I had received a ton of value for a low cost. I ended up paying $60 plus tip for 60 minutes, and since Mariam didn’t have an appointment after mine, she was very generous in offering extra time to answer my questions.
Ulta is great for a quick tutorial with a specific focus like smokey eye, contouring, or blending, but be prepared to take notes or photos since there were no reference materials or product lists to bring home. It will definitely be hard to remember all of the details of the lesson, so it would have been nice to record it on my iPhone, which is an option offered by other local makeup artists.
Monti Makeup & Mindfulness
Cost: $175 for 120 minutes | montimakeup.com
Christy Monti at Monti Makeup & Mindfulness promotes confidence and a holistic approach to beauty in her individual and group makeup lessons. Her lessons are personalized and can incorporate products that you already own, or she can use her own kit which includes clean products like Jane Iredale. She strives to help clients feel comfortable as they adopt a new makeup routine.
“Instagram or Youtube can develop techniques that are really transformative — like it doesn’t even look like you,” Monti said. “There are also really good videos, so I’m not knocking it, but it’s nice to learn hands-on.”
Lauren’s Before & After Image (Monti Makeup & Mindfulness)
Monti’s lesson clients are typically teenagers or women ages 45 to 65. These are transitional times when people might turn to the internet for tips, and sometimes the online tutorials can result in an overly dramatic or unintended appearance.
She enjoys inspiring people to embrace their best features. Moms typically bring their teenagers to learn best practices (and unlearn TikTok tips). Adults may come to learn to minimize the signs of aging or adopt more modern styles.
During the lesson, Monti asks about your goals. Then, she teaches makeup application on one side of your face, and you practice on the other side. She encourages you to take a video of the lesson and provides reference material like a face chart to make it easier to reproduce the look on your own.
MT Beauty & Makeup by Marcela Tobar
Cost: $200 for 120 minutes | marcelatobar.com
Marcela Tobar at MT Beauty & Makeup is focused on meeting you wherever you are and elevating your look from there. She begins by asking you to show your current practices with your own makeup. If you have no makeup or routines, she teaches you from scratch.
“There are people that have a ton of makeup and don’t know how to use it,” Tobar said “I show them how they can take their current look and make changes… When you get a little older, you’re looking for ways to enhance, and sometimes all you need to do is add concealer to lift the eye.”
Before & After Image Courtesy of MT Beauty & Makeup by Marcela Tobar
She said many lesson clients are women from age 35 to 60 who want to look their best. During the lesson, she moves step-by-step through skincare and product application while emphasizing versatility that matches your daily life.
“We create an everyday look, and then we take that to an evening look without having to remove the makeup,” Tobar said. “A lot of moms don’t have time, but you can still intensify that makeup look if you’re going out to dinner or doing anything special.”
To make clients feel empowered to use their new techniques, she recommends recording and offers reference material.
The DIY Route
If studio makeup lessons don’t fit your schedule or budget, there are online options too. I tried free YouTube tutorials as well as paid courses through MasterClass and Udemy, and I did discover a you-get-what-you-pay-for element. The free ones were valuable, but the paid courses were more in-depth and made me feel prepared to try the techniques. Here are the ones I recommend:
Lisa Eldridge on YouTube | Free | youtube.com/lisaeldridge
Lisa Eldridge is known for her beginner-friendly tutorials. Her playlists are sorted into topics like Everyday Makeup and Date Night Looks. Her instruction is more detailed and engaging than other YouTube tutorials, and the videos are well-organized, so you can quickly find the content that you want.
$120/year for Basic Subscription | masterclass.com
Iconic makeup artists Sir John and Bobbi Brown have created tutorials that are available through MasterClass. Unfortunately, the price is a bit steep. A subscription costs $120 for the year. This gives you access to a library of 200 courses, which includes other topics like hair, fashion, and fitness. Wait for a sale since they have historically offered 50% off for certain holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Udemy: Makeup Artistry Basic to Masterclass | $84.99 for Lifetime Access | udemy.com
Udemy’s “Makeup Artistry Basic to Masterclass” covers tons of topics with insightful tips. They allow you to purchase just one course from their library with lifetime access. The list price is $84.99, but Udemy constantly runs sales. As I am writing this, the sale price is $16.99. I have purchased other courses from Udemy in the past, and I have never paid more than $20.
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