If you have ever wondered what actually goes into becoming a beauty professional, this one is for you. This year I am completing the Dual Diploma of Beauty Therapy and Salon Management at The French Beauty Academy, and honestly, it has shaped everything about the way I work. So I thought I would take you inside.
Why the French Beauty Academy?
The Academy has a reputation for doing things properly. Training is hands on from the very first week, the standards are high, and the whole philosophy is built around treating beauty as a craft to be respected rather than a shortcut to be rushed. That matched exactly how I wanted to learn. I am also a proud student ambassador, which means I get to welcome new students and share what studying here is really like, something I genuinely love doing. And it is not all classrooms and clinic hours: from open days to the Frenchies Care fun run, there is a genuine community here, and I love being part of it.
What the dual diploma covers
People are often surprised by how much sits inside a beauty therapy qualification. It is proper skin science: understanding skin biology, analysing different complexions, and knowing why a treatment works, not just how to perform it. Across the two diplomas I am training in facial treatments and skin analysis, massage and relaxation therapies, waxing and tinting, lash and brow artistry, and of course makeup artistry, the part that first stole my heart.
The salon management side is the piece most people do not expect. It covers how a great salon actually runs: rostering and teamwork, client care and communication, retail knowledge, hygiene and safety standards, and the small operational details that separate a lovely experience from a chaotic one. Learning it has given me so much respect for the salons and spas that get this right every single day.
How it changes the way I work
Everything I do in the chair traces back to the training. The skin-first approach, where makeup starts with understanding the complexion underneath. The hygiene habits that are now second nature. The unhurried pace, because the Academy drills in that rushing is the enemy of good work. Even the way I talk through each step with clients comes from hours of supervised practice, where explaining your reasoning is part of the assessment.
It is also why I keep my kit considered rather than crowded. When you understand ingredients and skin types, you stop collecting products for the sake of it and start choosing them for how they perform. If you are curious about that side of things, my everyday makeup tips post shares a few favourites.
The finish line
I complete the full dual diploma at the end of this year, which is equal parts exciting and surreal. Until then, it is classes, supervised clinic hours, assessments and as much real world practice as I can fit in, including bridal and event makeup and one to one lessons around my study.
If you are thinking about a career in beauty and wondering whether formal training is worth it, my answer is a wholehearted yes. And if you are simply after makeup by someone who takes the craft seriously, you know where to find me. Come and say hello.
