What our students consistently say

Across written reviews, video testimonials and course feedback, five things come up again and again. These aren't the points we'd have chosen to highlight, they're the ones students raise unprompted.

The 1-on-1 video feedback is what students mention first

More than any other feature, students single out the personalized video critique. After each assignment you submit photographs of your work and a working film and television makeup artist records a video response, what worked, what didn't, and specifically what to change on the next attempt.

This is the difference between watching a tutorial and being taught. A video course can show you a cut crease; it cannot tell you that your blend is stopping too early on your own model's eye shape. Students describe the feedback as detailed, encouraging and specific, and several say it's the reason they finished the course at all.

Studying at your own pace, around work

Most of our students are not full-time learners. They're working, raising families, or changing careers in their thirties and forties. The courses are self-paced with no live class times, no cohort schedule and no expiry on access.

The reviews reflect that: students describe fitting modules around shift work, studying after their children are asleep, and pausing for weeks without losing progress. The trade-off is real and worth naming, self-paced study needs self-discipline, and the students who finish fastest are the ones who set themselves a weekly assignment target.

The kit arrives, and it's professional product

Every program ships a professional kit. Not samples, not trial sizes, the brands working artists actually use, including Mehron, PPI Skin Illustrator and Graftobian in the SFX kit.

This matters more than it sounds. The most common complaint about online makeup courses generally is that students practice with whatever they already own, then discover their technique doesn't transfer to professional product. Reviews frequently mention the kit arriving faster than expected and containing more than students anticipated.

Instructors who are working artists, not career teachers

Our instructors work. They're on sets, at weddings and behind counters, and they teach from what the industry currently expects rather than what it expected a decade ago. Students consistently describe them as professional, knowledgeable and quick to respond.

Our blog carries interviews with Oscar and Emmy winners including Dave Elsey, Stéphanie Guillon, Sean Genders and Stephen Prouty, the same network our students draw on.

What students do with the certification

Reviews from graduates describe a consistent pattern: first paid bridal bookings within a few months, assistant work on shoots, retail and counter roles, and in a number of cases a registered business of their own.

We don't publish a job-placement rate, because we'd have no honest way to verify one. What we can point you to are the graduate stories on this page and the work in our student gallery, which you can assess yourself.

Where students say we could be better

Reviews that only praise are reviews nobody believes. The recurring criticisms:

Self-paced study suits some people badly. Students who need a fixed timetable and external deadlines sometimes stall. If that's you, set your own weekly assignment target before you enroll, or choose a program with live classes instead.

Feedback turnaround varies with volume. Most students receive video feedback within a few days; in busy periods it takes longer. We'd rather tell you that than promise a turnaround we can't hold every week.

A certificate is not a license. Our certification demonstrates training. It is not a state cosmetology license, and in most US states you don't need one for makeup, but you generally do for paid hair services. Our licensing guide covers the distinction by state.

Frequently asked questions

Is Online Makeup Academy legitimate?

Yes. We're a New York-based school at 541 W 29th Street, operating since 2016, with more than 50,000 students trained worldwide. We hold a 5.0 rating on Trustpilot and have been featured on The Doctors.

Are the reviews on this page real?

The Trustpilot and Google widgets pull live from those platforms, we cannot edit or remove what appears in them. The video reviews were recorded by students themselves.

Is an online makeup course actually worth it?

It depends what you need. If you want in-person correction from an instructor standing beside you, an online course is not a substitute. If you want professional technique, a kit, structured assignments and individual critique from working artists at a fraction of the cost of a physical school, it is.

How long does it take to finish?

Most students complete a program in 4-8 weeks studying part-time. There's no deadline, access doesn't expire.

Do employers recognize the certification?

It demonstrates training rather than licensure. What actually gets artists hired is the portfolio built during the course, with the certificate as supporting evidence. Our resume guide covers how to present both.