Long Island makeup artists teach classes on how to apply makeup for beginners

When Stacey Ciceron of Baldwin turned 40, she wanted to perfect her skin care and makeup routine. “I knew if I was having a challenge in that area, that my friends and my community could be having problems in that area as well,” says Ciceron, a business consultant and celebrity hairstylist.

She decided to have a makeup birthday party where she and others could learn how to master beauty skills to aid in "building up self-esteem and confidence," she says.

Enlisting the services of Islip-based makeup artist Amber Taylor, Ciceron invited clients, friends and family, including her teenage daughters, to learn ever-evolving makeup techniques.   

“We kind of figure it out as we go as women: how to be a mother, how to be a friend, how to be a wife, how to take care of yourself, your personal hygiene,” Ciceron, now 45, says. “I don’t think a lot of us have been formally taught, so they were very excited.”  

Ciceron says she feels more confident when applying makeup due to practice. "If I took her class now, I’d be on another level because I have more experience to back it," she says.

Learning how to apply makeup can be a challenge but local beauty experts have created fun ways to learn the skill. From matching your skin tone color to discovering your skin type (are you oily, dry, sensitive?), there are classes you can take and parties you can host to help master the art of makeup application and take a deep dive into what's best for your skin.

Amber Taylor Artistry

Taylor, who owns Amber Taylor Artistry, brings a model to parties to demonstrate her technique and encourages everyone to bring their own makeup bags. She gives everyone a mirror and lets students use her makeup brushes so they can get in on the fun.

“Instead of doing the makeup on me, I have them watch me do the makeup on a model step by step so that as they go along, I can go around the room to help them,” Taylor says. “It’s an opportunity for them to learn makeup professionally on a different level, while celebrating their friend.” In addition to parties, Taylor, who specializes in all skin tones, offers group makeup sessions where she applies makeup on a model.

Sessions: A two-hour make up party, starts at $500 for up to 10 people; extra charges for gift bags and larger parties; Two-hour one-on-one lesson: $200
More info: 631-486-0644, ambertaylorartistry.com

Spa Bellezza

1116 Main Rd., Aquebogue

When she’s looking to treat herself to a day of R&R at the North Fork wineries, Lorraine Cristino makes a pit stop at Spa Bellezza.

A frequent visitor of the spa, Cristino, a hair specialist from Amityville, has done one-on-one makeup sessions with owner Tinamarie Dougherty. A makeup artist, massage therapist and aesthetician, Dougherty teaches clients how to fully apply makeup, from eyebrows to lips. 

Beauty gurus can even take sessions on how to make their own foundations, lip cream or bronzers.

“She’s a great teacher, as far as informing you how to work with the products and what the advantages are to using them and how well they work,” says Cristino. She notes she likes that she doesn't feel like she's wearing makeup when using Dougherty's products. 

“If somebody wanted to come in on a one-on-one basis, I would put their makeup on and let them do the other side. We sit with the mirror and we talk about what colors work with them and how to apply it.”

In addition to one-on-one sessions, Dougherty runs classes where clients create their own makeup using organic products free from chemicals, artificial fragrance or synthetic dyes.

“They have a choice of making their own liquid or powder foundations, lip cream, bronzers and blush,” says Dougherty, adding that she can also bring her makeup bar to people’s homes for get-togethers.

After filling out a survey, clients  use a beaker and select colors. Dougherty helps them color match their skin tone.

“We add all the different modifiers, so it’s kind of cosmeceutical because we can add anti-aging; we can add oil control,” says Dougherty, noting that they can make it in various thicknesses and finishes, such as matte, pearl, shimmer or luminescent, and even add sunscreen to it.

Sessions: One-hour make your own liquid makeup class, includes a season’s worth of that makeup and make up tips for up to  four people per class: $60 per person; for powder foundation, $75 per person; One-hour one-on-one or group class on how to apply full makeup, plus makeup application: $80 per person.

More info: 631-779-3773, spabellazzali.com

Shaina Justin at Orange Skye Body & and Beauty Bar

50 Rockaway Ave., Valley Stream

Based out of Orange Skye Body & Beauty Bar in Valley Stream, makeup artist Shaina Justin runs birthdays and girls’ night outs where she demonstrates a technique on a model or client and tailors her instruction to what each patron wants to achieve.

”I’m teaching them how to have a light touch. I teach them how to position their hand when they’re applying the product,” Justin says.

A self-taught makeup artist, Justin became interested in the field as a 19-year-old junior at Nassau Community College. Every day after school, she’d make a beeline to MAC Cosmetics in Roosevelt Field mall to watch the  beauty experts make over customers.

“Most of the time, I’d just go in there to play with the products and if I’d catch one of them doing a makeover on someone, I’d watch from a distance and see what they’re doing,” she says. “When I was able to save up some money, I’d go and buy a product and have one of the girls teach me how to use the product.”

Sessions: Three-hour group lesson or party for up to 10 people: $100 per person; Two-hour one-on-one lesson: $200

More info: 516-423-6937, ShainaGlamBeauty.com