Beauty Advisor Training

A beauty advisor can specialize in a number of different disciplines that generally include make-up, hair and skin care. Most commonly, beauty advisors can be found in a retail setting at cosmetic counters, marketing a specific line of cosmetics and skin care products.Beauty advisors greet customers and provide expert advice on the use of the products they’re selling. The job can be exciting and diverse because of the wide variety of people with whom you will interact.

Your training as a beauty advisor will mostly occur on-the-job. Although there are no specific educational requirements, prior sales training is a plus, especially in a retail environment. To increase your knowledge, you can enroll in cosmetics courses, available through cosmetology schools, and sometimes offered at city colleges. In addition, once hired you’ll be required to learn everything there is to know about the beauty lines you’ll be representing. Product representatives will compel you to learn their own brand’s specific uses, as well as how to best sell the product.

The skills you’ll need when you begin your training will include an ability to be enthusiastic about a product, a friendly and outgoing personality, and the confidence to talk comfortably and convincingly with a variety of people. An aptitude for multi-tasking, data entry and written communication is also valued and useful for record-keeping and juggling several duties at once in a potentially fast-paced public environment.

Beginning beauty advisor training with prior retail experience may make your learning curve easier to navigate because you’ll have a background in working with the general public in a sales setting. Your training may also go smoother if you have had experience applying make-up to others. You can gain this exposure by practicing on family members, friends or working with community theaters. You might also volunteer to provide make-up for local fashion shows or other events.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted an increased availability in the coming years of more beauty advisor positions. Although the hourly wage for this position is minimal, there are often commissions associated with the sales of the products you’re promoting which can widely affect your earning potential. Skin care specialists can potentially earn a higher base rate. The more training you can gain through all available sources can also affect your base pay rate and may be a factor in negotiating a higher rate of commission.

Skincare specialists earned a median annual salary of $30,270 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, skincare specialists earned a 25th percentile salary of $21,960, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $42,810, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 61,300 people were employed in the U.S. as skincare specialists.