There is something I tell my students all the time: I will teach you the rules so you can become a professional, but then I want you to break the rules so you can become the artist.

I believe you need both.

When you are learning to become a professional makeup artist, you need to understand the fundamentals. You need to know how to analyze a face, how to understand facial structure, how to work with different eye shapes and lip shapes, how color works, how lighting changes what we see, and how to place makeup with intention. You need to understand sanitation, products, tools, timing, and how to work with a real client.

You need the rules.

That is one of the reasons I developed The Anatomical Makeup Method®. I wanted to teach makeup artists something deeper than simply copying a makeup look. The method teaches you to look at the individual face in front of you and understand its anatomy, proportions, features, and lighting so you can customize your application. We work with 50 face shapes, 32 eye combinations, and 36 lip combinations because every face is different.

I want you to understand why you are putting something somewhere.

I don't want you to memorize, “This is where you put the contour,” or “This is where you put the blush,” because that may work beautifully on one face and not work at all on another.

I want you to look at the face and know what you are seeing.

I want you to understand the structure underneath the makeup.

I want you to understand how light is going to affect what you just created.

I want you to be able to make decisions instead of simply following instructions.

Because that is what makes you a professional.

But then something very important happens.

Once you understand the rules, I want you to break them.

That's where the artist comes in.

I don't want to create a classroom full of makeup artists who all do makeup exactly the same way. I want to give you the education and the foundation you need so that you can eventually develop your own eye, your own style, your own point of view, and your own way of creating beauty.

There is a difference between being able to apply makeup correctly and being an artist.

A professional knows the rules.

An artist knows when to follow them, when to change them, and when to throw them out completely.

But you can't break a rule intelligently if you don't understand the rule in the first place.

That is what I want my students to understand.

If I teach you that makeup should be placed a certain way for a particular face shape, I also want you to understand why. Then, when you see a client who doesn't fit neatly into that category, you have the knowledge to make a different choice.

That's not making a mistake.

That's artistry.

The Anatomical Makeup Method® gives you a way to understand the face. It gives you a starting point. It gives you a way to analyze what is in front of you instead of guessing. But I never want that knowledge to limit your creativity.

I want it to give you freedom.

Think about learning to play an instrument. First, you learn the notes. You learn the scales. You learn the technique. You practice until you understand the fundamentals. But eventually, you stop thinking about every individual note. You start playing.

Makeup is the same way.

First, you learn the technique.

Then you learn to see.

Then you learn to create.

And eventually, you become an artist.

That is why I am so passionate about education. I don't just want to teach you how to do makeup. I want to change the way you see makeup.

When you understand facial anatomy, you see faces differently. When you understand lighting, you see makeup differently. When you understand color, you see color differently. And when you understand all of those things together, you can start creating makeup instead of simply applying it.

That is the goal.

I want you to become so educated that you become fearless.

Fearless enough to try something different.

Fearless enough to trust your eye.

Fearless enough to make a change when something isn't working.

And eventually, fearless enough to break the rules.

That is what I mean when I say:

I teach you the rules so you can become a professional.
I teach you to break the rules so you can become the artist.

And that is exactly what I want to continue doing with MakeupClasses.com.

We now have several ways for you to learn, whether you are just starting out or you are an experienced artist who wants to take your skills further. Our Anatomical Makeup Method® Masterclass is available as a live online class, and our pre-recorded courses allow you to learn at your own pace. We also offer professional certification programs, in-person advanced training, and continuing-education workshops.

Our upcoming classes and workshops include opportunities to work on facial analysis, contouring and highlighting, foundation and powder matching, brushes, lashes, and other professional skills. The schedule continues to grow because I believe education should never stop.

I don't expect you to finish one class and know everything.

I expect you to leave class wanting to learn more.

Because I am still learning too.

After all these years as a makeup artist, I still look at faces, lighting, color, and makeup differently all the time. That's what keeps this career exciting for me.

So learn the rules.

Practice them.

Understand them.

Then take everything you have learned and make it your own.

That's when you stop being someone who applies makeup and start becoming an artist.

And that is exactly what I want for you.

Love and light,

Dawn