BeautySchoolsListings.com

Beauty school in your future?

A completion certificate in beauty school signifies more than a rubber stamp on the back of your tuition check. Thanks to innovations in beauty school techniques and treatments, today’s beauty school student studies chemistry in hair color class, anatomy in reflexology courses, and skin tones and textures in esthetician classes.

A Masters in Massage?

A Ph’D in Holistic Practices?

An Advanced Degree in Make-up Artistry?

From the former stereotype of hair, nails and sometimes, skin, the beauty industry has expanded to include massage, acupressure, reflexology, therapeutic treatments involving aromatherapy, water, steam and other exotic applications. Beauty Schools and Cosmetology Colleges offer a curriculum as varied as the students who attend them.

Every day brings innovative developments to the beauty industry which in-turn brings innovative developments to beauty schools curriculum. What was considered “new age” is now included as part of a comprehensive curriculum promoting beauty, health and wellness. If you’re a potential beauty school student, don’t be turned off by what you may think of as a limited curriculum, instead, be turned on to the unlimited possibilities available for today’s beauty school graduate.

Beauty School 2009

The number of people seeking beauty careers has risen significantly, especially in the last three years, said Jim Cox, executive director of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools, based in Scottsdale, Ariz. “A lot of new schools are opening up; there are close to 2,000 in the U.S.,” he said. “It used to be most schools were small and privately owned, but now brand names like Paul Mitchell and Aveda are also getting into the business.” Cosmetology has changed much over the last 20 years. The curriculum still includes the basics – hair, skin and nails – but also training in massage, wellness and skin care (known as esthetics). “Ten years ago, if you said the word ‘esthetician’ people would say, ‘What is that?’ ” observed Lynelle Lynch, owner of Bellus Academy. “The industry is much more sophisticated than it once was.” An increasing number of beauty schools offer programs in holistic health treatments like massage, reflexology and hydrotherapy – the kinds of services usually offered at spas. Bellus just completed a $2.5 million renovation, adding 8,000 square feet to accommodate a growing number of programs. 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. Although most students still come directly from high school, Mr. Cox says the ranks of older students leaving other careers for cosmetology are growing. Frank Schoeneman, chief executive of Empire Beauty Schools, says that at least half of Empire’s students have attended college but left because they felt it would not prepare them for jobs. Angela O’Brien, a student at Empire Beauty School in Indianapolis, is a former operations director at a trucking company. When she was laid off last year – her company’s biggest customers were American automakers – she wanted to move into an industry that would provide long-term job security. In terms of revenue, cosmetology is holding steady in this recession. “I saw that while the beauty industry was being affected by the downturn, it didn’t devastate it,” Ms. O’Brien said. “Everyone has to get their hair cut – they may spend less, but they will still get it cut.” The profession’s flexibility also appealed to Ms. O’Brien, who has two children. Forty-six percent of cosmetologists are self-employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many of them work flexible schedules. That will be a welcome change, said Ms. O’Brien, who used to work 60-hour weeks and was on call 24 hours a day. “I don’t want to feel guilty anymore when I go to a school play or take a family vacation,” she said. Public perception of the industry has also changed. “The old stereotype that only kids that can’t get into college go to beauty school – that’s gone,” Mr. Cox said. And some hair stylists, like John Frieda, and makeup artists, like Bobbi Brown, are now celebrities. That has helped to give the profession a cachet it didn’t have a generation ago, many people in the industry say. Becoming a cosmetologist can take 10 to 18 months of training, and tuition can range from about $8,000 to $18,000, depending on the school and the program. Every state requires a certain number of practical study hours – from about 1,000 to 2,200 – before a student can take the licensing exam. Most beauty schools also require a high school diploma or G.E.D. Graduates can work at salons, spas or behind the scenes in theater, film and television. Many graduates will work in spas – defined by the International Spa Association as businesses that offer at least two of three services: massage, skin care treatments and body treatments. Topango Segura, a student in the holistic health-care practitioner program at Bellus Academy, has already landed a job as a massage therapist in San Diego, although he won’t graduate until August. There are some downsides to the profession. Hair stylists and colorists spend most of the day on their feet, which can cause varicose veins and back pain. They work with or around chemicals, and many experience carpal tunnel problems, Mr. Cox said. Starting salaries are often low, about $8 to $14 an hour (including tips and commission), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Part-time and self-employed workers often lack health benefits. Salons and spas generally pay a weekly base salary and a commission on products and services sold, said Cheryl Whitman, a beauty consultant and president of Beautiful Forever Aesthetic Business Consulting in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Even though entry-level earnings are generally low in the industry, it is not unusual for more experienced hair stylists, colorists and estheticians to earn considerably higher salaries. Those at the top of their profession can make six figures, Ms. Whitman said. Cosmetology can also be very gratifying, Ms. Lynch said: “You are taking care of people all day, people who come to you to make them feel better. And that makes people feel really good about what they do.”

Beauty Schools Listings says goodbye to two megastars who shaped our industry.

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, their names mean fame, fortune, Hollywood and celebrity—and at the end of the day, today especially, all of their fame and celebrity power could not buy them one more hour of one more day on the planet. How sad for them, how sad for us.

Is it better to be a supernova who enjoys amazing star power for a finite amount of time, or to live a more modest life benefiting men and women who depend upon your sensitivity and skills to bring out the beauty in each of them with your expertise?

According to the New York Times, beauty school graduates “work at salons, spas or behind the scenes in theater, film and television” to achieve your fame and fortune.

We are saddened by these popular icons leaving our world, and appreciate their contribution to our culture: Farrah’s big hair, beautiful smile and perfect bone structural;  Michael’s music, star power, and immortal impression on our culture; will endure.  Their legacy would have been impossible without the hair stylists, make up artists, colorists, estheticians who maintained their images.

Farrah Fawcett: A Beauty School Graduates Dream Client

Farewell, Farrah—

The passing of Farrah Fawcett was overshadowed by Michael Jackson’s death later the same day.
Ironically, both were beauty icons in their own ways. Farrah’s hair, Farrah’s skin, Farrah’s beauty placed her on posters, calendars, advertisements in many adolescents’ bedrooms, dormitories, and barracks around the world. Blonde, beautiful, graced with photogenic bone structure, this Charlie’s Angel didn’t appear to need the tricks of our beauty trade. However, drop in on the set and observe the army of beauticians, cosmetologists, make up artists, hair stylists, and other beauty school graduates who surrounded her to maintain her from first thing in the morning until they struck the set at night.

As a beautician, your gift is to discover the inner beauty of your clients. If they come in looking like something the cat left out in the rain, as a beauty school graduate whose expertise is locating the beauty within and then revealing it to the world, your obligation is to apply all the skills you’ve mastered in beauty school, cosmetology training, and make up artistry to reveal the swan within every ugly duckling who walks through your doors.

Beauty Schools Listings mourns Michael Jackson’s fruitless search for beauty

Michael Jackson Passes…

As someone who was very aware of what’s hot, and what’s not, Michael Jackson used every beauty school trick in the book to keep up, no, that’s not right….to stay ahead of beauty trends for the current pop culture. I remember living in LA when I was 10 ish which makes Michael Jackson in thirties, and I would have given my freckles, my lip gloss, and my pager, and my new pink 10-speed bicycle to attend the Michael Jackson concert at Universal Studios that summer. Too young for real beauty techniques, too young for make up, dramatic hair styles, pedicures and manicures, all I wanted was to be in the same space as Michael Jackson. With my mop of red hair, and beauty school attitude, I was sure I could get his attention…even though I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with it if I had it!

Then, I knew no tricks of the beauty trade places like beautyschoolslistings.com were not around back then because if they were I would have attended one of the 500 schools they have on there and I would have known how to attract his attention or anyone else’s

According to the New York Times, “becoming a cosmetologist can take 10 to 18 months of training, and tuition can range from about $8,000 to $18,000, depending on the school and the program.” Ha!I say, if you are dumb enough to attend beauty school in downtown Manhattan or the Hills of Beverly…at beautyschoolslistings.com you will find schools and training for far less. Remember, it’s not the name of the Institute/college on your beauty school diploma that matters to your career in cosmetology -it’s passing the licensing exam.

The tragedy of Michael Jackson’s life is his apparent unhappiness. From all of the beauty treatments, including many plastic surgeries, he endured, it appears he was never happy with the outcomes…as he continued searching for another surgeon to create perfection on his face.

The beauty of beauty college is that none of them promise perfection -rather they deliver state of the art techniques and skills to deliver beauty improvements to your clients. How many professions can promise improvement every time they practice?

Beauty is as beauty school does!

Beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder. What is sexy to one person is a total turn-off to another. Beauticians need to understand that we are all different, and beyond pheromones we all have specific likes and dislikes when it comes to attraction. If you are considering a career in beauty, you’d better get in touch with the many variations potential clients think are sexy, beautiful, attractive. When you attend beauty college, learn cosmetology, beauty training, make up, hair, nails, esthetician, massage, or any other spa skill, you up your sexy factor by a bunch!

Beauty Sells!

Beauty schools promote their cosmetology product using attractive people, right? A tree frog won’t bring in the beauty business, and I don’t even know what a tree frog looks like! Even though we know all about air brushing, make up, and the illusions of lighting, we want to be that person in the advertisement on the page, billboard, and tv ad.

It’s all about the illusion. When you attend beauty college, or cosmetology school, you learn how to make other people attractive—but hey, you also learn how to make yourself attractive, too. Learn the tricks of the beauty trade at beauty school!

Pretty knees are in, pretty knees are out.

Hemlines go up, hemlines go down.

Necklines plunge, necklines rise.

Feet are focal points, or feet disappear in boots.

Hands? Are displays for beautiful diamonds found in wedding rings, engagement rings and anniversary rings!

Nails, hair, make-up are all part of the package of beauty school.

Pedicures, manicures and make-up are all part of the beauty college package. Whether you attend beauty school as part of your self improvement program, or as a career move, or as a backup in case you flunk out of medical school, when you finish the beauty training, you will be good to go for whatever your future holds

Michael Jackson, reality or fantasy?

Michael Jackson, reality or fantasy?

As we mourn the sudden passing of a pop icon, we remember the impression Michael Jackson made on pop culture. Moonwalks, gloved hand (covering the manicure), falsetto, and SPLASH! -the man made his mark on our culture with his extreme definition of beauty.

Since he did not attend beauty school, he depended on stylists and hairdressers, makeup artists and manicurists, skin experts and estheticians to maintain his extreme good looks and perfect complexion. Will you be the mentor to the next MegaStar? If you attend beauty school, cosmetology college, or skin specialties, you could have that lucky break to design the hair, nails, skin for the the next MegaStar…it won’t happen without that credential from a licensed beauty school or cosmetology college…find the ideal beauty school for you at beautyschoolslistings.com.

Beauty School Listings goes behind the mask of make-up: to reveal the who, what when, where, and why’s of the $18+billion dollar make-up industry.

Welcome beauty school fans and friends to the first segment in a four part series where we get up close and personal with a woman’s warpaint…make-up. The beauty industry has taken on a life of its own and producing revenues that would make the bitter lady I met in the unemployment line consumed with rage. In 2007, the G-8 (Global which consists of the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, and Japan collectively valued the make-up industry at $18.3 billion. During a time when food stamps are not just something you read about but are now applying for, the make-up industry continues to make money hand over fist.

Beautyschoollistings.com is diggin’ up the dirt to uncover the make-up industry’s secret weapons for…

• eye make-up
• face make-up
• lip make-up
• nail make-up

These are the four sectors that combined make-up the $18.6 billion dollar industry. Stay tuned for Part I: 20/20 vision on Eye Make-up: the products being used and abuse, the good, the bad, the ugly.

Beauty School Listings would like to know your thoughts, questions, a.k.a your two cents……because let’s face it, that is considered a lot in today’s economy.

Online Cosmetology Classes

Online Cosmetology Courses

Technological advancements enables cosmetology schools to offer cosmetology classes online. The online cosmetology classes offered at various cosmetology schools include classes that range from 3 credit hrs to 5 credit hours. Cosmetology schools offer the following classes;

Customer Service Skills (4 hours)- This class covers telephone etiquette, client consultation, and conflict resolution of how to handle complaints with diplomacy.

Salon Sanitation (5 hours)- This course covers areas such as current state regulations re: sanitation standards. This online cosmetology course also covers approved chemicals to use when cleaning.

Hairstyles vs. face shape (3 hours)- This online cosmetology class covers how to choose a hairstyle that suits the clients face shape. Also, techniques for the stylist to use when communicating style choices to the client.

These are just a few of the cosmetology classes

offered online. Availability and credits earned will vary depending on what state you are in.