The Makeup System vs Milady Exam Prep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Makeup System
Create and design any makeup look with this digital face chart tool. Features include a vast color palette, various brushes and tools, and the ability to save and share your creations. Ideal for aspiring and professional makeup artists.
- Digital face chart creation
- Extensive color palette
- Multiple makeup brushes and tools
- Layering and blending options
- Save and email face chart collections
- Video tutorials for application techniques
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Paul Mitchell® and Paul Mitchell Schools present The Makeup System app. This app has all you need to draw and create any makeup design, including high-fashion, runway, avant-garde, photo shoot, or everyday looks. The Makeup System app is a must for all who love makeup, including new makeup artists and seasoned professionals. Special features of the app include: - View video tutorials on cheek, eye, and lip application. - Build your own face chart by selecting from various face sizes, skin tones, eye shapes, and lip shapes. - Utilize the large color palette to include pastel, neutral, bold, and shimmer shade; all colors can be layered, blended, and smudged. - The seven makeup brushes include a thin liner, lip, fan, angled liner, blush, and two shadow brushes. - Utilize various tools, including a pencil eraser to erase or clean unwanted lines; two different sponges for blending; and a pencil to be used as an eye, lip, or brow liner. - A special “layer” option allows you to better “draw within the lines” in the foreground or background of the face chart. - A zoom feature allows drawing details on the eyes, lips, or any area of the face chart. - Create and label multiple collections of face charts that can be saved and e-mailed to others. The Makeup System app is for Paul Mitchell Schools students and licensed professionals. Obtain your login account info from your Paul Mitchell school today.
Milady Exam Prep
Prepare for your state board licensing exams with a comprehensive test prep tool. Covers a wide range of beauty and wellness professions to help you pass on your first attempt.
- State board exam preparation
- Cosmetology
- Esthetics
- Barbering
- Massage Therapy
- Nail Technology
- Student Instructor prep
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Preparing for your state board licensing exam doesn't have to be stressful when you use the #1 test prep tool from Milady. Whether you’re studying for Cosmetology, Esthetics, Advanced Esthetics, Barbering, Massage Therapy, Nail Technology, Eyelashes, Hair Removal, or Student Instructor, we have the information to help you pass your state board on your first try.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Milady Exam Prep at 4.7 against The Makeup System's 1.7. Milady Exam Prep also leads on review sentiment (29% vs 0%) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 18). The Makeup System's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Milady Exam Prep sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. The Makeup System asks for nothing beyond the download.
Milady Exam Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Milady Exam Prep has 1.5K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of The Makeup System's written reviews are positive against 29% of Milady Exam Prep's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Makeup System | Milady Exam Prep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (18 ratings) | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 28.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 1.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 164 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Robinsage | Cengage Learning |
Customer experience
The Makeup System
Milady Exam Prep
Bugs and requests
The Makeup System
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Milady Exam Prep
Reported bugs
30 issues- Purchasing
- Slow and lacks easy navigation
- This new update is bad
- Great material but layout needs a little tinkering
- Purchased courses randomly disappear
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- Great for studying but SO BUGGY
- Worst login page
- Ok
- Fix it!!!!!
- App
- Robbed 😡
- Frequent issue
- Purchased Prep
- Scam
- Please give explanations for why the answers are right or wrong
- Questions are great. Functionality? Not so much
- PLEASE FIX! Great content horrible server issues!
- Fix it!!!!!
- PLEASE FIX! Great content horrible server issues!
- Glitchy
- This is easily the worst app I've ever used
- No funciona
- Doesn't work
- Functionality of app and editing of content left to be desired
- Got double charged on app and didn't get my test
- Purchased just for them to later on not allow me to use
- Bad app
- Bad App
- No la recomiendo ..
- Not Available in Spanish
Requested features
2 requests- Like
- Great for studying but SO BUGGY
In-app purchases
The Makeup System
No in-app purchases
Milady Exam Prep
- Massage 6th Edition$35.95
- Professional Educator$35.95
- Milady Advanced Services$35.95
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- Milady Standard Esthetics2 variants$39.95
- Standard Nail Technology$39.95
- Milady Standard Barbering2 variants$39.95
- Cosmetology 14th Edition$39.95
- Milady Advanced Services$39.95
- Milady Esthetics 3rd Edition$39.95
Questions
Is The Makeup System free?
Is Milady Exam Prep free?
Which has better reviews, The Makeup System or Milady Exam Prep?
Do The Makeup System or Milady Exam Prep have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Makeup System or Milady Exam Prep?
Other comparisons
