MANILA, Philippines - I never really understood the practical application of Algebra, but I firmly believe that every woman should know how to apply eyeliner properly. In fact, one could argue that using the correct shade of foundation is almost as important as proper etiquette. Because no matter what your social status, good manners and a beautifully blended foundation will always guarantee a favorable impression.

Every woman certainly knows this. Studies have shown that most women carry an average of five tubes of lipstick in their purses, but only .001 percent of them carry a scientific calculator. Given these numbers, guess which gadget matters more to us?

And that?s why I enrolled in beauty school. If ?beauty? had been a major in college, I would have chosen it among my top three. But this was not an option back then, when my parents defined "serious calling" as being limited to law, medicine and business. Artistic, vocational or experimental career paths were totally alien to them, and I might as well have dropped out of school and started growing weeds in our backyard had I opted for a career in ?make-up.?

After all, how can ?playing? with hundreds of eye shadows, experimenting with different make-up brushes and shades of foundation prepare one for a lucrative career?

Well, here?s what I found out: Good professional make-up artists can earn up to P25,000 an hour, P100,000 an ad, and their career options can range from bridal and fashion to testing and creating make-up and beauty products. Not to mention the perks of exotic travel and hanging out with celebrities and the amazingly talented and stylish professionals in the magazine and fashion industry.

So when my friend Celine asked if I were interested in taking up make-up classes at Make Up Forever on High Street, Bonifacio Global City, I jumped at the chance. It was like going back to school with six-hour classes (M-W-F), hands on training and workshops, a culminating project and even an internship for qualified students. The module consisted of 50 hours, priced at P33,000 (VAT inclusive), and included the use of all products and tools needed, a gift voucher worth P3, 000 and a backstage pass lifetime membership. It was a great price, considering that one-on-one classes with top professionals cost about P18,000 for 15 hours, and students had to have their own kits.

The classes consisted of instructions with actual demonstrations by Paris-trained make-up artist Bobby Carlos, followed by hands-on application. Bobby?s bubbly personality and ability to recount practical personal experience from various clients and shoots make the classes entertaining as well as easy to follow. With no background in make-up apart from personal experience, I was worried I would land at the bottom of the class. But as make-up application is a very personal expression of one?s passion and creativity, there are no bad students, as each student is judged on his or her own merit. I found that from day one, I was able to apply my learnings in class to my everyday make-up. In this case, ?practice does make perfect??or in my case, ?makes faster.?

Day one was nerve-wracking as I arrived late and was already a class behind. I missed the contouring class the week before and had to play ?catch-up.? The day?s topic was bridal make-up. I was thrilled because my sister was getting married in San Francisco in October and though she had a professional doing her make-up, I knew I would have lots of potential clients/victims with all my other sisters and aunts attending the wedding. I?ve learned a lot of techniques from years of attending beauty shoots and having make-up applied on me by professionals, but to string them together and to be taught how to use the proper tools and products is a mini revelation.

The big difference between bridal and everyday make-up for me was the preparation before the actual shadows are applied. The base and the steps you needed to ensure that the make-up would look as flawless from the first hour to the tenth is a laborious and time-consuming process. Of the two styles we were taught, the western/European natural, for all its subtlety, was the more difficult style to achieve. I realized that applying a ton of color was easy, but keeping a light touch and balancing shades so that they are apparent without overpowering the natural skin tone was an art I have yet to achieve. By day two I already felt like a pro. I even brought my camera to class to record my masterpiece.

I went back to school expecting to learn new techniques of make-up application and to learn how to use all the latest products and tools of the trade. Make Up Forever, like most beauty companies, is perpetually innovating newer and better formulations to respond to every make-up desire and need. This also means creating make-up that will adhere to skin better in various climates and humidity levels. Different textures and pigments are other offerings that take into consideration the latest technology that can show them off?like HDTV. Experiencing all that firsthand opened my eyes to the possibilities available in beauty school. I now feel more confident about my skills and excited to experiment further. Now that I don?t have to take this class, I feel that learning can be a real pleasure and a wonderful experience. In this particular case, a beautiful one as well.