Hi guys! I thought I'd share a little insight of my recent experience when visiting a beauty salon in Slough for a hair and makeup service. It wasn't great to say the least...here goes! So, I had a wedding to attend recently of a close friend of mine in March 2012. With my weekend already packed with bookings, and the wedding on top to attend, I decided to get pampered and pay someone to do my hair and makeup for me. There's no way I would have had energy to do it myself after the bookings I had! I decided to book a makeup artist in a salon I visit in Slough where I go to get my eyebrows threaded. It looks clean and nice, and the staff are always very pleasant, so I thought "what the heck, I'll book these guys!" No sooner had I booked and paid a deposit, I started getting doubts in my mind. I brushed it aside thinking its just me being me, I have to trust another makeup artist to do a good job aswell, so I left it at that. When I arrived for my appointment, I pointed to a photo on the wall of what I wanted my hair to be like, and the artist said that was fine she can do it. I also asked for my makeup to be natural but eye makeup like the arabic style and again pointed to a photo and to apply my own false lashes I had brought with me. Again the artist said fine she can do it. Being a makeup artist naturally I was a little nosey and wanted to see what products the artist was using, but from the offset she told me to keep my eyes closed while she applied my makeup, which I thought was strange but every artist works in their own way so I didn't grudge. The moment I had a chance to look, I caught sight of a sponge the artist was using which looked dirty and had black marks on! I immediately stopped her and asked if she was using a clean sponge and she replied yes, all their makeup sponges were clean and the black marks had come out of my already applied mascara. I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and let her carry on. I have sensitive skin and only use branded products like MAC and Bobbi Brown which suit my skin, so I asked the artist what products she used and she wouldn't give me a straight answer which again I thought was very strange! I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable so I didnt say anything but with branded makeup you can smell that they are quality goods, and these products she was applying had no smell at all! Infact a friend who had accompanied me said she didn't see one item in her makeup kit that looked branded. Not that it's a bad thing to use non branded makep items, but if you say are you a professional makeup artist and charge people for this service, the least you should have are branded makeup products. Its one of the gospel of a professional makeup artist! So there I was not impressed with my experience so far until the worst moment came! The artist applied my false lashes and layered on so much thick mascara that I couldn't even open my eyes!!!! Now, I know that when you don't wear falsies on a regular basis that its bound to feel very heavy and strange for a while, but I literally could not open up my eyes! The artist had applied so much glue to start off with and then the thick mascara did not help at all. I was not impressed!!!! I kept telling the artist it didnt feel right how heavy it was and the fact that I couldn't even open my eyes but she kept insisting it was me who wasn't used to them. I thought OK, lets just carry on as I had already been in the salon for an hour and needed to be out of there ASAP! She started on my hair as I tried to see through my lashes to anaylse my makeup. Not only was I annoyed with my lashes, she had made my makeup so caked on, something I specifically asked her NOT to do! When I complained she said it was what I had asked for, which clearly wasn't! This artist was so defensive, and I was not happy with her comments when I gave her feedback. Surely it's my face and I should have a say in how I want my makeup, especially when I am paying for the priviledge? I would never dream of talking like this to one of my own clients! The hair was a complete disaster to say the least! To cut a long story short I had asked for a arabic style beehive bun, one of those lovely big updos. What I got was a bit of volume on the top and little bun on the back. Nothing like the photo in their salon!!!! Again when I complained the artist blamed me, saying that my hair was not long or thick enough to have that style! At no point during the beginning had she said my hair was too thin or short for that particular style. It's not like I gave her a style she didn't know how to do. I requested a hairstyle that was on the wall of her own salon! When I further complained the style on my head was not like the photo she further disagreed with me and said she had informed me that I needed hair extentions to achieve the same look! Erm, I don't think so! By now I had had enough! I had been in there for 90mins and came out looking like a drag queen! I was appalled by the fact that she could call herself a makeup artist and even more appalled by her attituted towards my feedback!!! I complained to the salon manager and although she tried to be supportive of me, it was enough to put me right off! I ended up going home and using a baby wipe to wipe off the caked on foundation and the awful pink eye shadow that had taken over my whole eyelid! I was put off of using that salon..infact I was put off using ANY BEAUTY SALON for hair & makeup for good! I realised at that point that I may not be the best makeup artist around, but I value customer feedback, and were I put in that position I would remain professional and not blame the customer. Sometimes there are times when clients and makeup artists have very different perspective on a particular makeup style, and I also understand that you can't look exactly the same as someone in a photo. I admit there are times when clients have asked me to do something on them that really wasn't possible because of their hair length or facial features etc, but the artist I had in the salon basically lied to me point blank. She had never mentioned at any point that I needed hair extentions for my chosen hairstyle, nor had she mentioned my hair was too short (it's actually below my bra strap which isn't exacty short!). She should have been honest and straight up if she couldn't do the hairstyle I requested because of x, y and z. And the fact that she applied too much glue on the lashes and layered it with thick mascara and...caked on the makeup when I requested it to be natural!! It was clear that she was not a professional makeup artist, and you didnt even need to look at her makeup kit to know that! The experience in itself said everything! So my advice to anyone that is thinking of going to a salon to get their hair & makeup done...DON'T! Because, at a salon they have so many services to offer, they surely can't specialise in everything. And I know from friends who own salons that makeup and hairstyling is a very small part of their daily business, so to expect a good service from a beauty salon for a makeup and hair service is very rare. And for people considering in using a salon to get their bridal makeup done....Good Luck! I'm not saying that all salons offer poor hair and makeup service, but be very careful and always ask for a trial. And a professional makeup artist is not as expensive as you think and sometimes worth the little extra, as you can be assured you are dealing with a professional who knows abuot bridal makeup and hairstyling. So, what will I do when I next need my makeup and hair done? Well,I'll book a professional makeup artist ofcourse! :-) I would be very interested to hear about your thoughts and your experiences good or bad. Please leave a comment xxx Until the next time, ciao bellas xxx :-) |
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