Finding the right school is a huge part of having success in your future career. Being part of a learning community can be the greatest experience of your life, preparing you with knowledge and training for your future job and providing the opportunity to build friendships and business relationships that will last for years.

For most of my friends in high school, the idea of a “learning community” was represented by a typical four-year college. I didn’t know many other people that were looking into cosmetology as a career, so I struck out on my own looking for a school that fit my needs. Here are some of the lessons I learned on my journey; maybe these tips can help you find a school that will bridge the gap to your future career and put a smile on your face!

Tip 1: Just right! As I looked for cosmetology schools, I quickly got the feeling that the right kind of school was just like Goldilocks’ porridge: not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Some schools called me repeatedly, even up to multiple times daily! Others seemed to be completely indifferent to my presence. The school I chose struck a perfect balance. They seemed warm and welcoming, but not desperate and cloying; within a few minutes there, it felt like home. Make sure the school you choose strikes that balance.

Tip 2: Notice the atmosphere. As I watched the other students at the school, they seemed to be having a good time; there were plenty of opportunities for training, but nobody seemed overworked or abnormally stressed. The staff was professional and friendly; they always made sure to explain techniques and to help resolve any problems that arose; they’d even “fix” a haircut if needed! At the same time, hard work was encouraged and expected; this gave the students a sense of security that no one could fulfill their certification hours by simply “slacking off” in the back– no one got a pass to be lazy!

Tip 3: Can they meet your financial and professional needs? A good cosmetology school will have options, such as payment programs, to help students who are on a budget. In addition, many schools offer to “guide” you to a job in a salon after graduation. Good schools have relationships within the salon industry. If a school isn’t guiding its students toward jobs, you have to ask: why not?

The last thing to remember is to take your time and get it right. After all, this is an investment in your future; make sure you go to a beauty school that will help you hit the ground running!

Rock Bold Brows – BangStyle.com

Rocking bold brows seems to be the only way to go lately, according to the hottest style websites and latest magazines. Celebrity makeup artist Julianne Kaye told me, “The makeup trends of the 1990s, we hope, will never come back,” which, as we all know, has a lot to do with those pencil-thin eyebrows we had during beauty’s darkest years. Remember the lip-liner and nude lipstick look? Yuck! That’s about as bad as the pencil-thin eyebrows.

Top 10 Beauty Trends: Spring 2012 – HerCampus.com

The leaves are back; flowers are popping up…looks like spring is here!! Straight from the runway to magazines, these top beauty trends for spring are a great way to embrace the season. The great thing is, you may even have some of these in your collections already and if you don’t, you can find them fairly easily.

THE NEWEST CELEBRITY BEAUTY TREND – EDIBLE COSMETICS – AOL.com

See how edible cosmetics are becoming the hottest new trend in the beauty industry, claiming to enhance your beauty from the inside out. Are cosmetic candies the future of the beauty industry or just another Hollywood fad?

Spring Makeup Trends Suitable off the Runway – The FinishingBar.com

When nature is blooming with all kinds of bright and beautiful colors, it’s nice to show more color in your makeup. There’s no better time to experiment with your makeup than springtime. Where to start? Find out what’s new on the trend-setting fashion runways and identify looks that are easy to wear for work and play. We’ve done some looking for you and have three looks to suggest.

RAINBOW HAIR: YOU CAN DO IT! – MaximeSalon.com

Think Rainbow Hair won’t work for you? Think again!If you’re on Pinterest like our Alena, you’ve probably seen this amazing picture of tousled waves with red, white and blue tips– and like us, you might have sighed in jealousy. “I could never do it,” you would say. “Rainbow hair looks great on the internet, but I don’t think the higher-ups at the office would agree.”
Here at Best-of-Boston Maxime Salon, we know the biggest hair secret in the world, and we’re ready to share it.

Looking for information in order to help you begin training for a career in beauty, nails, esthetics and skin care, cosmetology, massage therapy or hair care? BeautySchool.com has the right cosmetology school for you.

Bill would broaden state regulation of beauty businesses – Dispatch.com

Lip-plumping injections. Permanent makeup. The orange, otherworldly glow of sunless tanning. Manicures, wax jobs and hair-straightening applications. Beauty fads, by definition, fade far faster than beauty itself (the permanent makeup notwithstanding). Fashion’s intrinsic fickleness is a godsend for cutting-edge stylists, clothing retailers, cosmetics manufacturers, plastic surgeons and the publishers of all those glamour magazines that purport to preview The Next Big Thing.

BEAUTY TREND: CAT EYES FOR SUMMER – STLmag.com

Taking a more seductive cue from the likes of Jonathan Saunders and Badgley Mischka, cat eyes are bolder and bigger this season. Play up your eyes with an extra layer of liner or keep that liner going just a few extra strokes. However you decide to show off your baby blues (or browns), just remember it’s okay to bend the rules this season and have fun with your look! Here are a few highlights and inspiration from the latest runway shows:

BEAUTY TREND OF THE WEEK: DRAMATIC CENTER PARTS – Stylecaster.com

It’s simple, it’s chic and it’s a must-have for our community members. This week, more than a few center parts have popped up on our site. And whether they’re topping off a boho seventies-inspired look a la Rachel Zoe or simply hitting the runway in a way we’ve never seen before, this part is all about taking your hair to the next level.

Four Spring Makeup Trends You Should Try NOW! – CosmeticsandSkincare.com

Spring is a great time to experiment with new make up trends that are gracing the covers of magazines and fresh faces around the world. The warm weather brings new collections of designer duds that lay the framework for spring’s hottest fashion and beauty trends. Spring 2012 fashion is all about bright color-blocking, bold prints, orange and tangerine hues, pastels, and metallics. Compliment these fashion trends with the top four spring makeup trends that you should try today!

HOT HAIR TREND: BRAIDS! – MaximeSalon.com

One of the hottest new hair trends showing up in salon’s across the country is braiding– yes, braiding!
As a beauty destination on the South Shore of Boston, we’ve noticed at Maxime Salon that our fashionista clients come in dying for the hottest trend in hair this spring: BRAIDS! A braid is defined as a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material. Hair braiding can be traced back at least 5000 years! Braiding has been a part of cultures across all continents. Each continent used braiding for different situations.

Looking for information in order to help you begin training for a career as a nail tech, esthetics and skin care, cosmetology, massage therapy or hair care? BeautySchool.com has the right cosmetology school for you.

The cat eye makeup trend is one of those classic looks that always seems to find its way back into the spotlight. Magazines and red carpets are known for celebrities pulling off the cat eye, which is also known as winged eyeliner. It’s bold and sassy, and it’s even easy to do at home.

You’ve probably wondered at one time or another if you were wearing too much makeup. The cakey, clumped, overdone look is never hot, so by drawing attention to one area of your face and leaving the rest of the face au naturale, you can draw attention to your best attributes without overdoing your look. The cat eyes highlight your eyes, and allow for the rest of your face to remain nude. You could try using softer hues of lipstick and blush to spice up the look, while still allowing the eyes to be the main feature.

To add some pizzazz to the traditional cat eye—a look that uses black or another solid shade of eyeliner to highlight the entire eye and extending slightly outward—try adding some color. Eyeshades like bright metallics can highlight your eyes and really make your eyes pop. Teal works well for this purpose too, and it looks fabulous with blue, green or brown eyes.

You might want to play around with the winged eyeliner look by doing a double flick. This particular look occurs when you extend both the top and bottom liner out to the sides without touching one another.

Not all eyeliners are created equal. In fact, some clump to your eyelashes, peel off or wear off quickly. If you’re wondering which eyeliners work the best, we have a few suggestions for you. MAC Penultimate Eyeliner has an ideal formula that goes on smoothly. Additionally, the brush is just the right size to make a bold statement with your eyeliner. Another felt tip eyeliner is Dior Liquid Eyeliner, which lasts long, produces a thin and precise line. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner does what its name states, last a long time. The gel formula goes on like a liquid eyeliner; however, applying it is much easier. It doesn’t crease or smear, so your cat eye will be beautiful, bold and smooth.

Fashionable 90s Shows We Wish Would Come Back – Beauty … – DailyMakeover.com

Beauty and fashion trends are back from the 90s, so why not the iconic shows that inspired them? Michelle Williams recently said she would love to do a Dawson’s Creek reunion. Here are a few other shows we’d love to see reunite, along with their iconic looks that are back on the runway and in our closets.

Spring Makeup Trend + My 5 Favorite Lipsticks for Spring! – Starryeyedglamour.blogspot.com

Hello Lovelies! How are you all doing today? This post is going to be all about a fun spring makeup trend =) Spring this year is all about color or should I say POP of color! whether in clothes, accessories, or makeup! I love adding a pop of color to just about everything because it makes things way more fun! Do you agree? For the bold, try color-blocking which basically is color on color & looks stunning! You can go all out and color-block your outfit or incorporate a color-blocked accessory into your look.

Spring Trend Alert: Punches of Purple! – BangStyle.com

Purple has always been a hard color for me to wear. Unless it’s on my fingertips, I have typically felt like wearing purple makeup makes it look like I have been punched in the face. But with this season’s trending shades of plum, lilac, aubergine, and violet, rocking purple is easier than ever before! And sexy at that! Here are a few ways for you to wear purple on your lips, lids, and fingertips.

Four Spring Makeup Trends You Should Try NOW! – CosmeticsandSkincare.com

Spring is a great time to experiment with new make up trends that are gracing the covers of magazines and fresh faces around the world. The warm weather brings new collections of designer duds that lay the framework for spring’s hottest fashion and beauty trends. Spring 2012 fashion is all about bright color-blocking, bold prints, orange and tangerine hues, pastels, and metallics. Compliment these fashion trends with the top four spring makeup trends that you should try today!

‘Teen Mom’ Chelsea Houska: No Beauty School Drop Out! – Celebs.Gather.com

All of the girls from Teen Mom are gorgeous, but there is one in particular who has superb style – Chelsea Houska! Whether she is trying out some new color or just a new style, one thing Chelsea is an expert at is hair and she knows it! Perhaps that is why she is continuing with her beauty school endeavors!

Looking for information in order to help you begin training for a career in cosmetology, esthetics and skin care, nail technology, massage therapy or hair care? BeautySchool.com has the right cosmetology school for you.

Must-Have Makeup Trends – Dermstore.com

As I’m sure you know, I love talking about makeup, beauty products and the latest makeup trends. So in between looks at DermStore’s latest photo shoot, I chatted with the makeup artist, Liza Zaretsky, about what she saw on the fall runways and what our faces should be wearing this summer. Make sure you check out her tumblr, she has tons of fun inspiration photos! SUMMER LOOKS: Go Bronze, or Go Home: Bronzer is pretty self-explanatory, but you can take this trend a step further and use the bronzer on your eyes and find a bronze lip gloss for a bronze monotone look.

HAIR TREND: DOUBLE-KNOTTED BUN – STLMag.com

Summer is all about effortless style. Vibrant manicures, fun lip color, and simple up-dos are perfect for punching up your warm-weather look. Up-dos were all over the runways last season, and my favorite was the double-knot bun. Easy to achieve and appropriate for almost every summer occasion, here are five simple steps for getting that perfect summer up-do: 1.) Sprits dry hair with volumizing product to give your hair a thicker texture.

Spring Trend Alert: Punches of Purple! – BangStyle.com

Purple has always been a hard color for me to wear. Unless it’s on my fingertips, I have typically felt like wearing purple makeup makes it look like I have been punched in the face. But with this season’s trending shades of plum, lilac, aubergine, and violet, rocking purple is easier than ever before! And sexy at that! Here are a few ways for you to wear purple on your lips, lids, and fingertips.

Flirty Long Hair Styles for Spring – BecomeGorgeous.com

Make these flirty long hair styles for spring work for you. Play with your texture and length using a few simple yet voguish styling ideas. Sculpting long locks may steal a few precious minutes from your spare time. However, the impression you make with perfectly-polished and radiant tresses is simply stunning. The following flirty long hairstyles were envisioned by our fave stylists who just can’t get enough of experimenting with brand new styling techniques. To give your strands a fabulous vitality boost don’t forget about the importance of deep conditioning and regular trimming. Thee ultra-feminine and voguish hair designs suit virtually all face shapes.

Looking for information in order to help you begin training for a career in cosmetology, esthetics and skin care, nail technology, massage therapy or hair care? BeautySchool.com has the right cosmetology school for you.

Spring 2012 Hair Trends – Dermstore.com

We can always count on spring to inspire trends that promote fresh, natural beauty. And spring 2012 hair trends are all about looking carelessly chic and effortlessly edgy, which means less time and maintenance! I couldn’t be happier about it. As someone who’s finally stopped fighting my hair’s natural tendencies, surrendering my flat iron has made my life so much easier and my hair significantly healthier. No more dry, straw-like hair that smells like it’s been singed, even after it has just been washed. With the latest spring styles, I can rock the wash and go look and still be right on trend!

Coachella-Bound or Not, Rock Out with These Festival-Ready Finds – BeautyBlitz.com

Starting Friday, Coachella kicks off summer concert season with the first of two weekends of music, art, and frolic. This year, we’re taking inspiration from spring 2012 runway shows like Rag + Bone and DSquared2 (both cited music festivals as an influence) to round up some long lasting, desert-friendly finds to pack for a weekend in the valley.

Top Hair Color Trends & Ideas – LipstickPowdernPaint.com

So you’ve found your bridal makeup artist and you are almost set to go. Now it’s time to pull your look together for the day with the perfect hair and makeup. When it comes to bridal makeup Stephanie Daga, makeup artist and owner of Blush Pretty, knows her stuff. Daga forecasts the hottest makeup looks for the upcoming wedding season.

‘Chinplants’ Fastest Growing Plastic Surgery Trend – EMedist.com

Chin Implants up by 71% vs. 4% Rise in Breast Implants in 2011. A chiseled chin may be the latest “must have” body part. A new report shows “chinplants,” otherwise known as chin augmentation or chin implants, are the fastest-growing plastic surgery trend among men and women. The popularity of chin implants rose by 71% in 2011, more than breast augmentation, botulinum toxin injection, and liposuction combined.

Looking for information in order to help you begin training for a career in cosmetology, esthetics and skin care, nail technology, massage therapy or hair care? BeautySchool.com has the right beauty school for you.

Are you interested in attending beauty school? If you’ve answered “yes,” then you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re already a self-proclaimed expert with the subject, or you’re a complete newbie, there are a few tips you should know prior to even filling out a beauty school application. These tips will even help you to look better as well.

1. Learn to Match Foundation Properly
Foundation is a makeup that many women can’t live without, and many women can’t apply correctly. When someone botches their foundation, it ruins their whole entire look. Unless a woman is one of the few to be born with naturally flawless skin, then you’ll need to keep this in mind when you work with clients. At one time, the rule was to match the foundation with the person’s jaw line; however, this rule is quite outdated and has proven not to be true. With a proper skin care regimen of washing your face twice daily and exfoliation each day, the tone of your skin will fade. In other words, your face tends to be a little lighter than the rest of your body, so you should always match foundation with your collarbone. Remember to avoid translucent powder, because it makes skin look dry and gives it a dusty appearance.

2. Love Bright Lip Shades
This makeup trend takes a little time to get used to, but try it one day, and you’ll understand why it is so important. Use a shade like coral that matches both warm or cool skin tones. Fuchsia works well also, but try a sheer stain, so the color isn’t overwhelming. Remember, learning to love bright colors will help you understand the power that these shades have. They’re flirty, fun and fresh, so what’s not to love? Plus, almost anyone can pull this look off.

3. Messy Eyeliner
The straight lines that circle exactly around the eye are so last year. The stuffy look is definitely out! Instead, you should smear, smudge and blend eyeliner to form soft lines around the eye. Used in combination with eye shadow and a cotton swab, you can make a sexy, smoky eye that never goes out of style. Perfect is overdone, and a less than perfect appearance has become the new “black.”

Market Trends in Cosmetic and Skincare Products for Men – Examiner.com

Andrew Newman examined market trends in the male-targeted cosmetics and beauty industry in a 2010 New York Times article “Men’s Cosmetics Becoming a Bull Market.” A market data firm, Euromonitor International, estimated sales of “men’s grooming products” has doubled since 1997 to $4.8 billion. Skin care products are the fastest growing segment of male products sold increasing in sales fivefold over the same period.

Do you like Anne Hathaway’s new short hair? – Starcasm.net

Anne Hathaway was snapped leaving London nightclub The Box with fiancé Adam Shulman late Saturday night sporting much shorter hair!
Stars like Michelle Williams, Emma Watson, and Ginnifer Goodwin have made a short hair a trend lately, but Anne’s cut isn’t by choice. She had to change her hair to play prostitute Fantine in the upcoming movie adaptation of Les Mis. Fantine’s a single mother who sold her hair to pay the bills before she turned to selling sex. The film also stars Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.

Top Hair Color Trends & Ideas – BecomeGorgeous.com

Check out the top trends in hair coloring and go for a bolder and brighter ‘do this season. A flash of color adds a unique touch and interest to your tresses. If you’re far from being a ‘low maintenance’ girl, experiment with edgy, statement shades. Rock a brilliantly sculpted hairdo and perk it up with a brand new color which radiates style and confidence. The top hair color trends below allow you to get creative and flaunt your artsy skills to mix/match different hues. Try your hand at the coolest hair coloring techniques until you find the one that best suits your personality.

Celebrities Dig Bold Lips as New Beauty Trend – DailyGlow.com

Several celebrities have been brave when it comes to trying out different bold-colored lips for red carpet events. While some go for the traditional bold red color, others try pink and fuchsia shades. These shades bring attention to some bright pearly white teeth or add some color to a darker outfit, such as Angelina Jolie’s black dress at this year’s Oscars. They can also play on color, like with Katy Perry’s pink choice for her blue dress and hair look earlier this month, according to Hollywood Life.

Looking for information in order to help you begin training for a career in cosmetology, esthetics and skin care, nail technology, massage therapy or hair care? BeautySchool.com has the right beauty school for you.

If there’s one thing we love to hear, it’s actual beauty school students talking about their stories and their experiences during their studies. Which explains why we love this set of videos where kikiV222 covers the whole gambit – from looking at schools to expectations vs. reality to an inside look at her cosmetology school student kit.

*Just a heads up: She dishes it out and drops some cuss words, so if you’re not down with that, you’ve been warned.

What we really adore about Kiki’s videos about cosmetology school is the honesty and comprehensiveness. When we came across them, we couldn’t help but think that it would be doing a disservice to BeautySchool.com‘s readers not to share her wonderfully strong perspective. Our favorite part?

“If anyone tells you, ‘Oh, this isn’t a real college,’ you need to kick them in the face.”

Hell, yes. We definitely agree with that.

What do you think? Has she changed your perspective on beauty school?