Sephora to Launch Specialized Makeup Classes for the Transgender Community

Makeup isn’t everyone’s thing (and that’s OK), but it should at least be available and accessible to everyone who wants it to be their thing.

Makeup is a huge part of our culture, and whether you enjoy playing around with it or use it as a tool to help define your identity, you should be able to understand how to use makeup in a way that makes you feel like the best version of you.

And that’s why Sephora’s new free classes are so exciting.

This summer, the makeup mega-retailer plans to begin offering free classes created specifically to help transgender and nonbinary people learn techniques and discover products that will help them “find and empower” their beauty.

Sephora’s “Classes for Confidence”

Part of Sephora’s self-described mission as a company has long been to “inspire fearlessness” when it comes to makeup.

In the past, the company has offered classes to further that mission, including free classes on things like “no-makeup” makeup looks, choosing and applying the right foundation and concealer or how to (finally) master winged eyeliner.

More recently, though, Sephora has begun offering “Classes for Confidence,” which are specialized classes “geared toward inspiring confidence and fearlessness in individuals facing major life transitions.”

This initiative’s offerings so far have included a class that introduces makeup techniques and products to help people going through cancer treatments.

The newest classes, titled “Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community,” are scheduled to begin in June and will be offered at 150 stores across the U.S.

Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community

The 90-minute, in-store workshops are for people of all gender expressions and will cover personalized skin-care tips and application techniques for color correcting and creating a smooth complexion.

The classes are taught by Sephora store instructors (some of whom have personal gender journeys of their own) and aim to aid people in discovering their own version of beauty and personal makeup style.

“We stand with all members of the LGBTQA community and are committed to providing these individuals with the tools they want to feel confident and beautiful every single day,” said Corrie Conrad, Head of Social Impact and Sustainability for Sephora in a news release.

Anyone is welcome to attend these classes, including families, friends and allies of the LGBTQ community. For anyone unable to attend an in-store class, Sephora will provide how-to video tutorials on the Sephora Stands YouTube channel, led by Transgender Sephora Beauty Advisers.

Dominique Anderson, a color consultant at Sephora’s 34th Street location in New York City, told the website “them” that the class was developed by transgender Sephora employees.

“There was a time that I felt as a trans person I had no idea where I fit into beauty,” Anderson said.

“During these classes, I hope to teach clients tricks that I use myself to soften up features and achieve certain looks. I want to instill confidence in my clients so that when they walk out of Sephora, they feel comfortable letting the world know who they are.”

Grace Schweizer is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.