Sometimes it’s those around you that can truly influence and inspire you. And you may find these individuals in beauty school. Take Melanie Zagar and Liz Hofrichter, for instance. These two present-day beauty salon owners met in beauty school and now they have turned what once was a dream into a reality.

When you participate in a specialized program, whether it be beauty school, grad school, or some other career school program, you are surrounded with people who are passionate. This is why I believe that beauty school — or any school you are interested in — is completely worth it.

This is especially true if you are passionate about the material. Having just enrolled in grad school myself, I understand the joy, motivation, and hard work that can come out of studying something you’re passionate about. I see this surround me with my fellow students, professors, and department heads.

And it’s not only in grad school. Career-focused programs are filled with individuals who truly want to be there. While you may have the required slow course or two, you’re still working toward something you really want to take to the next level. And it is here that you will be working with individuals who have been successful in their very field and wish to pass on their knowledge from over the years to you, the aspiring beauty professionals.

I know I’ve said it countless times, but there are so many advantages to pursuing your beauty passion. Not only does beauty school give you the flexibility, shorter programs, and real-world experience, but you’ll also find dedicated faculty and lifelong friends. And in the case of Zagar and Hofrichter (you can read more about their friendship-turned-partnership here), a business partner that can help you achieve your success. You just need to want it badly enough.

-Amanda Fornecker

This is the true story of how a hospital camouflage foundation artist teamed up with a chemical engineer and a dermatologist to form an up-and-coming successful makeup brand.

Cover FX has an amazing story. I hadn’t heard of the company until a few months ago, but ever since then I have completely fallen in love. And their background and history proves just how thinking outside of the box can help you be successful in the workplace.

Lee Graff (the camouflage foundation artist at the CosMedic Clinic at a hospital in Canada), Jenny Frankel (the chemical engineer), and Dr. Neil Shear (the dermatologist) have worked together since 1985 developing their cosmetic brand. Helping people who had serious skin problems due to rosacea, scars, acne, and various imperfections, Graff has taught patients to use this camouflaging brand to feel better about themselves.

“My dream was to help men and women with skin conditions face the world with confidence by offering them makeup products with therapeutic benefits that would perfectly match their skin tone, be affordable, well tolerated by even the most sensitive skin and achieve a perfectly natural, flawless effect,” says Graff.

The brand is really remarkable, in fact. There are more than 30 foundation shades that can be closely matched to your skin color. The products also contain SPF, which in today’s world is a very important feature to protect your skin against the strong rays of the sun. Additionally, products are cruelty-free and the packaging of the products have become more green. You’ll find concealers, primers, bronzers, brushes, and more at Cover FX. It’s all about your skin with Cover FX so check out all it has to offer.

And while you’re at it, think about what you can do to think outside the box of your current career, especially if you’re unhappy and want to do something you’ve always been passionate about. It seems that you can really steer your career in a direction you may not have thought possible. Who would have thought a chemical engineer and a hospital staffer would make a successful cosmetic brand?! What a great way to be beautiful!

- Amanda Fornecker

Beauty school is more than just sitting in a classroom. While there are certainly opportunities for practice throughout your time at beauty school, it’s through events and networking that you can really enhance your beauty school experience. This is what some students at Empire Beauty Schools recently did.

The 5^th annual tradeshow and competition, known as the Future Professionals Expo, was held in Hershey, PA, on June 7-8. Here, almost 2,000 beauty school students from Empire Beauty Schools gathered together and participated in beauty workshops, enjoyed networking opportunities, sampled beauty products, and even had a career fair experience and completed interviews with potential salon employers.

Competition was fierce, as beauty school students competed in categories, such as long hair evening design, nail art display, and others. Top industry professionals from Goldwell, OPI, HAI, and Odyssey Nail Systems were judges for these competitions. Winners received top awards with professional tools and products, workshops, and job opportunities in major cities like Las Vegas and New York.

The event was certainly a good way to branch out from the typical beauty school education. Empire Beauty Schools, which boasts 88 schools in 19 states, has provided beauty school education to students for over 75 years and plans to continue this annual competition for its students.

-Amanda Fornecker

Photo: The event in action, courtesy of Empire.edu

The economy may be quickly shrinking, but that doesn’t mean that all businesses are suffering. In fact, beauty schools are doing a pretty good job of staying afloat during this tough economic crisis, as more and more beauty-obsessed individuals ditch the cubicle for the beauty salon classroom in a variety of beauty school concentrations.

I’ve always had a love of makeup. And I think this economy has kick-started those who have felt the same way — into a new career where they can pursue their passion and make a different life for themselves. While they may be changing their paycheck just a bit (cosmetologists average between $30,000 and $48,000 before tips, according to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools, AACS), they are pursuing something that can have a large payout in the long run, especially if they own their own salon or spa.

Take this recent NY Times article, for instance. It’s interesting to see all the beauty school professionals talking about beauty school popularity. Lynelle Lynch of Bellus Academy says in the article, “The industry is much more sophisticated than it once was.” This is definitely true as I believe the industry has moved away from the negative stigma that once was associated with the beauty industry. It takes a quite skilled, creative, and dedicated individual to pursue a beauty career. And an even more daring person to change careers entirely.

Beauty school isn’t just about the particular trade you’re about to study. It’s also about getting a well-rounded education that will give you the skills to really go out and conduct business. Classes in ethics and business practices are generally included in a curriculum that also emphasizes the history and chemistry of your desired profession. It’s quite a diverse field and students work hard to learn both on paper in the classroom and on mannequins (and eventually people) in the salon.

The NYT article also brings to light the fact that beauty schools are increasing in locations and enrollment:

At this time in 2008, Bellus Academy had 180 students; today it has 240. The number of students at Empire Beauty Schools, which has 89 locations, was up 17 percent from April 2008 to April 2009; enrollment at Paul Mitchell Schools, with 91 locations, increased 14 percent from May 2008 to May 2009.

Additionally, the AACS suggests that this is a wide open field. In fact, in January 2007, there were practically 1.7 million individuals employed in the beauty industry. And it continues to grow. “Salon owners reported 484,660 job openings were filled during 2006,” says the AACS. “This represents an average of 1.3 openings per salon. Nearly 40 percent of all new positions were filled by inexperienced workers.”

This all just goes to show how many opportunities exist within the beauty industry. There is lots of potential to get the job you desire. If you’ve always had a passion for beauty careers then maybe it’s time to consider the career change. Schedules are flexible so continuing to work and taking night classes is certainly possible. You just need to find the right school for you. Let us help you begin your search and even do some research about some of these accredited programs.

-Amanda Fornecker