Written by Mimi Nikolova, a professional makeup artist and beauty educator based in Buffalo, NY.
Most people who book a beginner lesson have the same worry before they even sit down: that they'll show up and I'll expect them to already know things they've never been taught. You won't. That's the entire point of starting here instead of teaching yourself off a fifteen-minute video.
Bring what you have, even if it's three years old and mostly drugstore. Part of a beginner lesson is figuring out what's actually worth replacing versus what already works fine. Buying a full new kit before you know how to use any of it is how people end up with a drawer full of products they tried once.
Skin first. Before a single color goes anywhere, we talk about your skin type and what a clean, even base actually requires for you specifically, since that changes person to person. From there we build outward: concealer, a little structure with bronzer or blush, then eyes and lips last. Beginners who try to learn eyeshadow techniques before they've got a steady base tend to get frustrated fast, so we don't start there even though it's the part everyone's most excited about.
You'll walk out knowing two or three techniques well enough that your hands remember them without thinking. A clean base. A simple eye that works for most days. How to pick the right blush shade for your undertone instead of guessing. You can build on all of that whenever you're ready, but even if you never book another lesson, you'll still know how to do your own face well.
Tutorials are free and there are thousands of them, so it's a fair question why anyone pays for a lesson instead. A video can't watch you mess up your own eyeliner and tell you exactly why your hand did that. I can, in real time, before the habit sets in.
If you've been putting this off because you didn't want to feel behind, that's exactly who this lesson is built for. Reach out and we'll get you on the calendar, or check my availability directly. For pricing and what a session actually covers, see my makeup lessons pricing guide and what to expect at your first lesson.
