Estheticians / Aestheticians

[SanDiego]

Im thinking about going to Esthetician school does anyone have any advice?

 

[BetteT]

Makeup?

That's mostly skincare ... like for in a salon ... facials and things. I don't have any advice about this but ....

Just in case ... if what you are actually wanting to do is become a makeup artist (I'm thinking that perhaps that's what you actually want to do since you are posting on a fashion forum?), that's not the training that you need. Of course, knowing skincare could enhance a makeup artist's work ... at least in advising models how to prep for a shoot, but it's not what you need to get started.

If ... what you really want to do is makeup(not skincare in a salon), go here and read the FAQ's and the Newbie Help File and you'll find a wealth of knowledge about what you need to know to be a makeup artist in the fashion industry and surprisingly, it's mostly not traditional schooling: http://p082.ezboard.com/bmakeupandrelatedindustries

Then, only after you have shown that you have spent some time reading all of this ... you can start asking questions of the pro makeup artists here and they'll give you good advice. They'll want to know what kind of makeup artistry you want to specialize in ... Bridal, print photography, TV, video, special effects, etc. so figure that out first.

 

[SanDiego]

Thanks for the info BetteT.
I know Estheticians do facials and skincare, that is what I am interested in.

Its still apart of the beatuy industry thats why I posted it here. But i figure there may be a few out there that have been through Esthetician school that have some advice or something
THanks for the reply though, I appreciate it.

 

[BetteT]

No problem.

Just wanted to check ... I've seen a lot of aspiring makeup artists who wish to get into fashion and the mistakingly think that Esthetician training is what they need.

Good luck on your research ... it's a good field to work in.

 

[Ianastar]

I have a Cosmetology license..........and mostly did hair and makeup. Just a bit of skincare.

I know a normal Esthecian license is about a six week course. You might find them in local Community Colleges. Just make sure that the school is accredited and seems legite.

I have a friend who is an Estechian and she is working with a dermatologist and plastic surgeon rather than in the spa. So her job is a bit more "clinical" than "relaxing" like at a spa.

So thats something to think about, where you would like to work ya know.

 

[eugenius]

Damn, why didnt I find this thread sooner?

But yeah, I went to an esthetics school..Fully licensed now & all that..So you want some advice?

Dont know how this works in your neck of the woods, but, I'll share..

I went to an accredited ESTHETICS school that covered both skincare & make-up...It had 2 seperate programs: the 600-hr course (3-4 mos.) & the 300-hr course (5-6 mos.)...Due to time constraints, I took the 300-hr course...There wasnt much difference, except that the 600-hr course involves more hands-on experience, more school-time, obviously. The course was divided into 3 sections: Theory (the science of the skin), Practical (the practice of skincare, ie: facials & waxing) and Make-Up..

However, the local COSMETOLOGY school here does focus on esthetics, but only very lightly. It mainly teaches the basics and it's not as in-depth as the esthetics school. Their main focus is more on hair/nails/make-up, but esthetics does fall under that Cosmetics license.. (I think this is what Ianastar is referring to in his post)..


Best of luck! Any other questions, feel free to ask..

 

[Ianastar]

I was already doing makeup when I went to Cosmetology school. The class and the instructors were so clueless when it came time to the makeup section of the program, that I basically wound up teaching it.

 

[SanDiego]

Wow! thats crazy! I hate that when the teachers really have no clue they just teach because no one else wants to do it.

I am really struggling between enrolling in classes or not because eugenuis said it is about a 6 month commitment m-f from 5-10 at the beauty colleges out here. I am going to look into an Esthetics school versus a beauty college because I really want to focus on good skin care.

I work full time and I am thinking about a career change but the hours they require are just not feasable right now for me.
What is the average income? Im sure it depends on how often you decide to work and if you are in a salon.

the cost is about $7500 for the schools out here, they have student loans but i dont want to go through all that if I get out of school and cant make enough to support myself. It is very expensive to live in San Diego.

I like the idea of working with dermatologist!

Thank you guys for all your help!

 

[eugenius]

Yes, if you really want an in-depth course in skincare, definitely choose the skincare school..Here in Boston, the local beauty college really focuses on hair/manis/pedis & make-up first & foremost..It actually angers us ("us" meaning "us etheticians") when we, who actually went through esthetics courses, lose jobs to those who simply have a cosmetology license..

I wouldnt let time constraints & finances hinder you though..Prior to esthetics, I worked in an office environment, M-F, 9-5, and so I went part-time in the evening, as did others who had day-jobs, or were tied down to their families, or simply didnt want to take the full-time course..The tuition wasnt much of an issue..Sure, I got student loans (which averaged to about $50-$60 per month), but for the most part, tuition was broken down into easy, monthly installments (mines were only about $150)..And trust me: Boston certainly isnt the cheapest place to live in as well, so the old adage applies: "If I can do it.."

As far as working in a dermatologists office (which is more along the lines of medical esthetics), Im not sure, but if you really want to work in that area, going to school for esthetics certainly wouldn't hurt..In fact, many esthetics courses offer programs that would help in a dermatologists office, such as microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, etc...

Cheers!

 

[SanDiego]

Wow how cool! thank you so much for the info.
I guess it just takes stepping out there and doing it to figure out if you really like it.
My other concern is being grossed out by people with horrible skin or telling someone to use a product and it breaks them out before their wedding day or something like that. Have you had any horror stories?

 

[Ianastar]

Eugenis - What school did you go to? What was the total tuition?

I am licensed to do everything in Florida. I never did the full facials/skincare thing in spas. Just hair and makeup.

I worked with skincare in a retails setting, but not spas.

Im thinking about going back to school to get a refresher on strictly skincare. I looked at the 600 hour course because it teaches microdermabrasion which Id love to do.

 

[eugenius]

I went to EG..I started there 3+ yrs ago, so I dont even remember the total tuition..I do, however, remember I put it all on a brand new credit card and had it all completely paid off in abou a year. At the end of my course there, they offered a seperate class strictly on micro (I believe it was only 1 class), which wasnt covered in the cost of the entire tuition..

 

[LetThemEatCake]

Damn, why didnt I find this thread sooner?

But yeah, I went to an esthetics school..Fully licensed now & all that..So you want some advice?

Dont know how this works in your neck of the woods, but, I'll share..

I went to an accredited ESTHETICS school that covered both skincare & make-up...It had 2 seperate programs: the 600-hr course (3-4 mos.) & the 300-hr course (5-6 mos.)...Due to time constraints, I took the 300-hr course...There wasnt much difference, except that the 600-hr course involves more hands-on experience, more school-time, obviously. The course was divided into 3 sections: Theory (the science of the skin), Practical (the practice of skincare, ie: facials & waxing) and Make-Up..

However, the local COSMETOLOGY school here does focus on esthetics, but only very lightly. It mainly teaches the basics and it's not as in-depth as the esthetics school. Their main focus is more on hair/nails/make-up, but esthetics does fall under that Cosmetics license.. (I think this is what Ianastar is referring to in his post)..


Best of luck! Any other questions, feel free to ask..

Where do you work now? In your state of MA is it only required by the state to have 300 hours? I have a Washington state license which was 700 hours. WA state is very strict with cosmetology/esthetics. I am now in CA and havent found a job yet although I'm now licensed in two states. I'd like to take some more classes though honestly. I want to eventually be a rep for a dept store line and travel and do facials. I suppose I could get a job at Sephora even if I had to for a year as I really like the retailing end of it.

Oh, Ianastar, I ended up paying $10k for my education.

 

[Ianastar]

Where do you work now? In your state of MA is it only required by the state to have 300 hours? I have a Washington state license which was 700 hours. WA state is very strict with cosmetology/esthetics. I am now in CA and havent found a job yet although I'm now licensed in two states. I'd like to take some more classes though honestly. I want to eventually be a rep for a dept store line and travel and do facials. I suppose I could get a job at Sephora even if I had to for a year as I really like the retailing end of it.

Oh, Ianastar, I ended up paying $10k for my education.

Im still contemplating it but it might be more like next year.

I am thinking about going back to retail...department store cosmetics etc.

I just applied at Neimens, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales today.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

Hey Ianastar PM me.

 

[Ianastar]

Hey Ianastar PM me.

I PM'ed you more

 

[LetThemEatCake]

eugenius what type of job do you have and where? Still not finding where in L.A. I want to work....Ideally I'd like to be out of the USA and giving facials in Switzerland or France.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

Seems like most places want you to work Saturdays. I refuse.

 

[Ianastar]

Yes..working on the weekends is not fun, but seems most spas/salaons are closed on Sundays and Mondays so you could still have two days off together.

Once I get my license and start looking, I think I want to go the route of a medi-spa or in a cosmetic surgeons office instead of the spa route.

My plan is hopefully that within five years I will have enough clientele to open my own day spa.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

I suppose I dont really mind giving up my Saturdays as it's like any other day really. I'm looking for work in a medi-spa myself actually as I dont do waxing (I know how, I just hate it) and medi-spas rarely incorporate that into their services. I feel like my resume is impressive, what with my diplomas from UCLA in Cosmetic Chemistry and Biology but I dont want to work at some dump where I do a 60-minute facial and most places I desire to work at (the La Prairie spa at the Bev Hills Hotel) require a year's experience.