The confidence that someone has with beauty is not created by watching a tutorial, but rather through doing it. By trial and error with a practice strip of lashes until 11 pm, for example, they can understand what went wrong and then succeed at recreating that on clients.
This first-hand experience is what will differentiate an individual who is educated on the theory vs someone who is actually able to provide results for real-life clients.
No matter if you are brand new to the beauty industry, or you are just looking to grow your current skill set, having hands-on experience is the quickest way to create real, lasting confidence. This guide will explain the reasoning behind this confidence creation through hands-on experience and offer suggestions on how to create the greatest amount of success.
Theory Only Gets You So Far
The reason for combining classroom and practical learning in beauty school is because all the information learned in a classroom (for example the anatomy of the eye, isolation techniques and safety protocols) still remains abstract until you actually experience it though your hands on practice.
The building of skills through practice creates what educators refer to as muscle memory. Your body builds muscle memory as it learns to hold tools, apply pressure and move accurately. These skills can only be developed through the repetition of practice. You cannot learn them from watching others (even if you watch a lot of videos).
Using Training Kits to Practice Between Sessions
Investing in quality eyelash extension training kits is one of the best investments that a new beauty professional can make. Eyelash extension training kits typically include standard supplies such as mannequin heads, adhesive, and practice lashes; this allows you to practice the techniques you learned in class at home, outside structured class time.
Practicing the same eyelash extension techniques multiple times will allow you to build muscle memory and get used to each technique before you work on an actual client. Additionally, a quality eyelash extension training kit will allow you to experiment with various curl types, practice isolation, and practice applying adhesive at your own pace.
Seek Out Feedback Early and Often
Training by yourself is great to an extent, however, it does have limitations. You are going to need someone else’s eyes on your work to give you direction as to when your placement is not correct, your isolation needs attention, or if you have used too much adhesive. For these reasons having an experienced educator to guide you through structured training courses is incredibly beneficial.
Don’t wait until you feel ready to ask for feedback, allow others to critique your work early on, as this allows for faster improvement. Most beauty educators want to help you succeed, therefore, feedback from them is not a judgment rather than being a shortcut.
Confidence Builds in Layers
It’s natural to feel like a beginner after your first beauty training, but it is possible to gain confidence from doing a few techniques and/or having some satisfied clients. Confidence is developed through experience: You gain additional confidence by completing each step of the process (i.e., from getting your first client through getting hired). Every layer strengthens the new layer on top of it or adds to the previous layer.
Keep coming back to training each month (or day!). Practise! Use your training kit, even if you don’t have an appointment. Continue to ask questions!
Keep track of your work and look at how much you have accomplished. The more experience you gain in the beauty industry, the more successful you will be.
