Fifteen+ video lessons
Fifteen+ videos across ten modules, filmed in full HD. There is no background music, no fast cutting, no advertising and no affiliate links.
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Learn the why, not just the how.
Ten modules on the history, sociology and culture of makeup. Fifteen plus video lessons, a student workbook and a reading list. Work through it at your own pace and keep it for good.
10Modules
15+Video lessons
4,000Years of history
200+Students taught
01 / ABOUT THE COURSE
Every technique came from somewhere.
Most makeup education covers products, techniques and trends. This course covers everything around them: where the techniques came from, who decided what counted as beautiful, and why it all keeps changing.
The lip shape that filled your feed last spring was worn by a silent film actress a hundred years ago.
Contouring began as a solution to a lighting problem on stage. Half the products in your kit have a history that goes back centuries. The brand you trust built that trust deliberately, over many years.
Once you know the history, the work changes:
- You can explain a design choice to a director instead of defending it as personal taste.
- You recognise a trend while it is forming rather than six months later.
- You can talk about your own practice with confidence.
This is not about talent. It is knowledge, and knowledge can be taught.
The chemistry has changed. The reason has not.
Someone lined their eyes with kohl four thousand years ago for reasons we would still recognise today, and this morning you picked up a palette and did something very similar. This course shows you how one leads to the other.
03 / The curriculum
Ten modules. Ten questions worth arguing about.
Every module opens with a question rather than a technique, and then I work through the evidence with you: the artefacts, the films, the advertising and the social history around them. There are fourteen videos in total, plus a workbook where you write down your own answers rather than borrowing mine.
MOD. 01IntroductionWhy does makeup knowledge matter as much as technique?+
I welcome you in, explain how the course is structured and how I would use it, and set out my reasons for building it. This module carries my note on how I have handled contested and sensitive history.
Three videos Β· Welcome, course content, why this exists
MOD. 02BeautyWhat is beauty, and who decides what counts as beautiful?+
Where beauty standards came from, who profited from setting them, and how quickly they change. I follow beauty makeup from something done in private to something performed in public.
One in-depth video Β· History, sociology and context
MOD. 03Special EffectsWhy are humans so fascinated by transformation?+
This is my own specialism. I cover the rise of prosthetics and creature work, the appetite audiences have for horror, and the point at which effects makeup began to be treated as a craft in its own right.
One in-depth video Β· History, sociology and context
MOD. 04TheatreDid theatre lay the foundations of modern makeup?+
A great many techniques used every day began as solutions to problems that only existed on a stage: distance from the audience, gaslight and the limits of greasepaint. I follow those solutions into film and onto the high street.
One in-depth video Β· Is this where it all began?
MOD. 05Ancient History, Culture & World MakeupWhat can other civilisations teach us about the faces we paint today?+
Practices from ancient Egypt, from the classical world and from cultures well outside the Western canon, including kohl, ochre, white lead and henna. We separate what was cosmetic from what was medicinal and what was sacred.
One in-depth video Β· Ancient practices, world makeup and cultural impact
MOD. 06The 20th CenturyWhy did makeup evolve so dramatically across a hundred years?+
A decade by decade run through, from the cupid's bow to the cut crease. Cinema, war, rationing, television, youth movements and the colour camera each left their mark, and I show you where.
One in-depth video Β· A complete run through
MOD. 07Branding & ConsumerismDo brands shape beauty, or do consumers shape brands?+
Advertising history, invented insecurities, the psychology built into packaging, and what changes when the salesperson is someone whose life you follow online. You will read a product launch differently afterwards.
One in-depth video Β· How branding and consumerism shaped the industry
MOD. 08Awards, Film & TelevisionCan makeup become storytelling?+
How makeup came to be recognised at awards level, what the politics of those awards reveal, and close readings of work that carried a story without a line of dialogue helping it.
One in-depth video Β· Awards in film and television makeup
MOD. 09Drag & GenderHow has makeup challenged and reshaped ideas of identity?+
The history of drag artistry, the techniques it invented, the debt mainstream beauty owes it, and the social conditions behind all of it. I have given the subject the seriousness it deserves.
One in-depth video Β· History, sociology and context
MOD. 10Bonus ModuleWhere can this knowledge take you, and how do you keep going?+
My recommended documentaries, books and films, with a downloadable list of links. A look at careers where makeup knowledge matters outside the beauty industry. Then a closing message about what I hope you take away.
Three videos Β· Further learning, careers, final message
04 / Included in your enrolment
Everything arrives at once, and it stays yours.
The student workbook
A downloadable PDF with questions for every lesson, so that the thinking stays with you once the video has finished. Print it out or fill it in on screen.
Resources list
A PDF of the books, documentaries and films I keep going back to, with the links included.
The private community
You get access to the student group, where we ask each other questions, share references and talk about what we have found.
My direct support
Write to me and you will get a real answer from me. I read every message that comes in, and no question is too basic.
Lifetime access, any device
You buy the course once and it is yours. Come back to it whenever you need it, on your phone, your tablet or your desktop.
05 / People who have worked with Me
What the industry has said.
Her creative mind was off the scales. She's an artist.
She's got this mind that really enables her to create and communicate through make-up, which is a rarity.
She's so engaging. Her sense of colour is incredible.
I think she has wisdom beyond her years. I look forward to working for her one day.
06 / Your tutor
Hi, I'm Sophie
I am a makeup artist for film, television and multimedia.
I have a foundation degree in art and design and a first class degree in makeup for media and performance. In 2021, aged twenty-one and still a student at Arts University Bournemouth, I won series three of Glow Up, and the following year I won an award for my special effects work. I have worked across film, television and multimedia since then, including Doctor Who and The Crown. I have judged competitions internationally, including The Beauty Awards, and I have spoken at universities and secondary schools about creative careers.
I launched my courses in 2025 and now teach more than two hundred students. This is the third and final one, and it is the subject I most wanted to teach. Our practical skills only make full sense once we understand the history, sociology and culture behind them.
I am twenty-seven and I am autistic, and my advocacy for neurodiversity shapes the way I teach. A learning resource should adapt to the person using it, rather than asking that person to fit a format built without them in mind. That is why there is no music under my videos, no performance and no rush.
This course launches as I begin my PGCE in art and design teaching at University College London. I like that it comes full circle. I become a student again at the same moment I am asking you to become one.
Brands and Works
07 / The trilogy
The final piece of the puzzle.
Three courses that together make one complete foundation. The first two teach the practical craft. This one teaches the history and theory behind it, and it stands entirely on its own.
The Fundamentals of Beauty
The practical craft of beauty makeup: skin, base, eyes, lips, tools and full looks.
The Fundamentals of Special Effects
The practical craft of transformation: materials, prosthetics, injury simulation and character work.
The Fundamentals of Makeup Knowledge
The thinking behind both of them: history, sociology, culture, commerce and identity.
You are here08 / Enrol
Two ways to pay. Exactly the same course.
Here you can find two options that only differ in how you want to pay. The first option is a one-time payment, and the second is a monthly option with three installments. The price displayed below is in USD, but you can pay with ANY currency.
14Days
If the course turns out not to be right for you, tell me within fourteen days and I will refund you in full. There are no forms to fill in and no explanation required.
09 / Before you enrol
Questions you might be asking.
Is the course live?
This is a self-paced course. This means the content is made of pre-recorded videos you can watch whenever you want, at your speed. Learning with an on-demand course, you can pause and practice. And you can always return to your favourite subjects or to the most challenging techniques until you master them!
What are the payment methods?
You can pay by any debit or credit card enabled for online payments. You can also pay through PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay! If you choose the installment plan, the first payment will be made immediately, the second after 30 days, the third after 60 days.
Can I buy the course as a gift for someone?
YES, absolutely! For this option, you need to choose the one-time payment. You will be able to set up a gift at checkout, with the possibility to send it on a specific day with a personalized message to the recipient.
Will I have access to the course right away?
YES! You will get access to the whole course and all its materials immediately.
For how long will I have access to the course?
The course will be yours FOREVER! You can watch the videos as many times as you want and for all the time you want! You won't have to pay any recurring fees once your purchase is completed.
Can I pay with any currency?
Yes! The system will automatically convert your local currency into USD at the exchange rate of the day you make the purchase.
Do you have a refund policy?
The course purchase comes with a 14-day satisfaction guarantee. Makeup should be exciting and fun, and that's my top priority. Students may request a refund within the designated refund period as long as they have not consumed more than 30% of the course content. Once a student has accessed or completed over 30% of the course, they are no longer eligible for a refund.
Are course registrations opening again soon?
No, the deadline to grab your course is Sunday, September 6th at 9.00 PM EDT time - Don't miss it!
