A beauty consultant is a professional who specialises in the sale and services of beauty products, either as an ambassador for a beauty brand, at a makeup counter in a store, or as a self-employed beauty consultant. Beauty consultants explain beauty products and help customers to decide which to buy. Typically, beauty consultants work an average of 38 to 40 hours per week, including evening and weekends, and earn anything from £14,000 to £25,000 per year. Before we explain how to become a beauty consultant, let’s first take a look at what skills you need to work in the beauty industry and the daily duties of someone with a beauty career.
It is important you know the skills and duties involved in the role of beauty consultant and makeup artistry before you learn how to become a beauty consultant. To work in this industry you will need diverse skills and knowledge. As this is a customer facing role, you will need to have excellent customer service skills, with strong communication abilities and an ability to active listen, to understand what your customers want. You will also need the ability to work well with others, as part of a team, as well as being able to work from your own initiative. You have to be able to remain patient and remain clam in stressful situations, as well as being thorough and having a meticulous attention to detail. As this is a sales role, you’ll need to have sales skills and an ability to explain and sell a variety of beauty products, as well as strong persuasive and negotiation skills. It is helpful if you have beauty qualifications, with skincare knowledge, an understanding of cosmetology and beauty techniques, and up-to-date knowledge of beauty trends.
The role of a beauty consultant can vary from day-to-day and customer to customer, however, there are some general daily tasks that you can expect to undertake. The most obvious job you will have to do is talk to your customers and recommend the best products for them, you’ll need to know what questions to ask them and listen to their answers to know what the best products to recommend are. Once you have recommended products, you will also need to be able to explain what they are and how they work, giving advice on how to use and apply the products properly, so your customers can get the most out of them. Making sure you keep up-to-date on new product ranges and beauty trends is important. You will also need to maintain customer and product records, as well as monitor stock levels and re-order items as necessary. In addition to this, you’ll need to handle money regularly, both cash and card payments.
If you want to know how to become a beauty consultant, here are a few different options you can take to gain the beauty training and product knowledge you need to become a client consultation with a professional certification.
There are a number of different college courses you can study to become a beauty consultant, some perfect college courses include: a Level 2 Certificate in Beauty Consultancy, a Level 2 Certificate in Cosmetic Make-Up and Beauty Consultancy, a Level 2 Diploma in Beauty Therapy, or a general qualification in retail, sales or customer service. To study a level 2 course at college you will usually need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent.
An alternative to a college course is to complete an intermediate apprenticeship as a beauty make-up consultant. This kind of apprenticeship usually takes about 12 months to complete and will involve a combination of studying and workplace training. Although you don’t need any A’ Levels to complete an intermediate apprenticeship, you will need some GCSEs including maths and English.
Another option is to work towards the role of beauty consultant. You can begin by applying for a role in a retail sales position in a beauty stall within a store. By applying yourself in the role, learning and showing enthusiasm for the job, including gaining product knowledge and keeping up-to-date with trends, you can go onto secure a beauty therapy or customer service role.
If you already have experience in retail sales then you may be able to apply for the role of beauty therapist directly. It will help if you have some knowledge of beauty products, including make-up and skin care brands, and how to use them properly, however, you may be able to apply without this if you show a willingness to learn and adapt to your new role. You can show you have enthusiasm for the role by following cosmetic influencers on social media, trail new products yourself and write reviews which you can then publish online, or even create your own social media page where you show your personal grooming routine, review products and publish tutorials on applying make-up and skin-care routines.
After you have gained experience and further training you may have the option to advance your career. Some career progression opportunities include becoming a supervisor for other beauty consultants, moving into retail management, working as a beauty brand sales representative, or even begin your own beauty business.
