Makeup Artist Schools in Colorado

You love makeup. Maybe you want to become a makeup artist, or maybe you simply just want to learn a few new techniques to make yourself look even more fabulous (as if that were possible!). But where can you go to develop the skills you need?

Below, we'll outline each of the makeup schools and events you can attend, and then provide a list of makeup artist schools in Colorado (as well as cosmetology schools, if you're looking for a more "rounded" education).

Different Types of Makeup Training​

​In the United States, there are a limited number of schools that teach makeup alone. There are, however, a number of places you can learn new makeup techniques, including:

There's one other place you can learn more about makeup, and that is online. Over the last few years, the number of people posting tutorials has skyrocketed, and while some of them are pretty awful, there are tons of them that are truly helpful.

How To Get Paid To Do What You Love​

​So now that we've talked about makeup schools and you've figured out where to receive instruction, how can you take your love of makeup and transform it into a viable career?

Here are the most common ways that people make makeup their livelihood:

Fashion Makeup for Print/Digital Media. Clothing lines, cosmetics companies, and accessories brands sell their products by hiring models to look great wearing them and by getting world-class photographers to capture the model's look. None of that is possible without a makeup artist to contour a model's best features. Fashion makeup is wildly competitive, but it's very exciting.

Entertainment Makeup for Television and Film. Wherever there is a live or filmed performance, there are makeup artists getting actors and television personalities ready for the audience. That can be a wide range of events: a television show, a movie, a theatre event, a commercial for a local market, even a morning show filmed in your nearest city. Wherever there are people appearing live in front of other people, there are makeup artists there, making them look presentable!

Bridal Makeup. This is a HUGE one. Whereas much of the work for TV/film makeup artists is in NYC and LA, bridal makeup artists can work literally anywhere. Most brides now hire someone to do their makeup, and being a bridal MUA can be a good business (or a great side gig).

Corporate Makeup. We always say that this is the least romantic but most profitable way to make makeup your profession. Many people work for cosmetic companies, and that work can often be very creative. People create new makeup products, figure out more effective ways to market those products, and travel from store to store teaching people how to apply and wear the makeup. It's a great way to do makeup for a living and have some added stability.

There's one other place where you can do makeup, and that's in a salon or spa (seems kind of obvious, right?). You'll need a license to do that--and we'll talk about that in the next section--but it can be a fantastic place to do what you love.

Colorado Beauty Licenses​

Most people know that in order to become a cosmetologist, you need to go to a cosmetology school and get a cosmetology license. Same for estheticians--you'll need to go to an esthetics program and get an esthetician's license. But what about makeup artists?

At present, the state of Colorado has no laws that talk about makeup artist licenses, and there are many freelance makeup models who provide "one-time" makeup services for models, actors, brides, or who work at makeup counters and sell products, who do not have any type of beauty license.

However, all of the makeup artists who work in a salon or spa DO need to get a cosmetologist or esthetician license.

The difference (for now) is where you work. Colorado has "looked the other way" for independent makeup artists who operate on their own and take clients, but for people who work in a Colorado salon or spa, they're very strict, and you'll need a license to work in that kind of business establishment.​

The Colorado Board of Cosmetology may soon become more strict about licensing, so be sure to check their homepage for changes to the current beauty laws.

Colorado Special Effects Makeup Schools

So far, we've talked about beauty makeup. We haven't talked about that other awesome kind of makeup, which is special effects makeup.

If you live in Colorado and you want to do SFX makeup, you are super lucky, because there is a school in Denver dedicated solely to the topic, called Monster Makeup FX. There are only a few states that have special effects makeup schools--California, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and New Jersey--and COLORADO!

If you're interested in special effects makeup, definitely reach out to them. We've included their contact info below. ​

Questions?

There's a lot to think about when you're considering a career. If you have any questions, leave them below, or hop over to our "Contact" page and drop us a line. We'd love to hear from you!​