Oh if only I could give 100 stars !! I was taught by Miss Ruby years ago. I remember when I took my state board exam I was disappointed that my test wasn't much harder, hahaha. I was more than prepared, and with my license I hit the floor running. Like Lovella (who also made a review) I too, and several other former students, have gone on to open our own beauty salons & hire employees to continue our expansion. Our businesses are thriving, you can do the research. All of us that have gone on to be successful have nothing but extraordinary things to say about Miss Ruby bc she was the one who pushed & helped us to be as great as we can be. I personally have seen many students come & go while I was a student, whether bc they were graduating or bc they were dropping. Miss Ruby is very passionate about teaching skin care. This is her life and for students to come in & not take the course seriously is insulting & a waste of her time and other students time. There are many young immature girls that enroll & these are the ones who complain and create drama and bad reviews. She does not care about the money and honestly she doesn't care for peoples opinions who do not take this course seriously. UNDERSTAND, YOU ARE WORKING ON PEOPLES FACES!! The tiniest mistake, and you can burn people, scar people, seriously injure, or even kill someone bc you are not paying attention to things they are allergic to or the fact they have a heart condition. If you are not ready to take this class & career seriously, Please, look elsewhere. So please take this into consideration upon doing your research for schools & reading reviews. If you ARE ready to make your Esthetics dream a reality, then this is the perfect place for you! You will see how amazing you can be when you're pushed to your fullest potential! Highly recommended!! read more

See all

Yes, great training academy! I learned to do classic lashes today. Our teacher was great!

Had and amazing class with the eye lash course. Thank you Alina for an informative class.. definatly recommend taking any class they offer. read more

Cen Beauty Academy - 1st time doing eye lashes. - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

Thank you Mrs. Ruby. I loved the class for lashes. Lina was great and will be coming back for more classes. read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

See all

I was a student here and I waited to post a review because I didn't want my emotions to affect my review good or bad. I wish I would have documented more and taken pictures of the facility to lend more truth to these statements. First, the kit you're promised to begin your instruction in the course is very lackluster and subpar. Only some of the items are good but specifically the acrylic brushes, monomer, and powders were all from a cheap vendor. Honestly, you can find it on Amazon for less than what they say it's worth. I used the monomer and acrylic that was in the kit on a practice hand they provided and turns out it was MMA. Illegal and would not come off my practice hand. One of my classmates had to drill it off with her e-file after I had been trying all day to get it off. We were also told we could refill some of our liquid supplies but then were later told we couldn't and had to provide our own. Second, the facility had an obvious cockroach problem. Inside the facility there were roaches alive and dead. We'd find new dead ones or alive ones crawling in and out from under the cabinets as an almost daily occurrence. There were a lot homeless people who are very strung out walking around naked or close to it. Yelling at nothing and honestly making a lot of the students feel unsafe. Since they make students feel unsafe you'd think we be allowed to stay inside for lunch break at least even if we weren't allowed food inside but no. We'd be locked out and have to fend for ourselves with whatever was within a 5 minutes vicinity. Third, Miss Rocio was my instructor for the manicurist program and she allowed us a lot of freedom to explore and do what we wanted each day after showing us the basics. She was very nice to us and most importantly fair. She demonstrated the skills we needed and will answer questions you may have about nails once you're in the program. She has a good amount of experience too that she's willing to share. She had us highlight key points in our textbooks to help us study. I not only received high scores on the weekly tests but I also only missed 6 on my state board exam. Fourth, Miss Ruby. I would recommend dealing with her ONLY in writing. She was very nice at first when I was enrolling but she quickly changed after I became a student was very cold and demeaning. I had Covid exposure and symptoms and I was told to stay home and wait till I received a negative test. When I asked about time occurrences I was told it wouldn't be counted against me. Wrong. She not only held the two days against me but also charged me for them towards the end of the program then called me a lair when I reminded her of what she had said. She picked on a classmate of mine frequently and she wasn't even our instructor. Fifth, the value. Yes, this program is cheaper than most and slightly more flexible. I would venture to say however, if you miss any days for ANY reason, you WILL be paying the difference in the cost of other programs especially if you have any conditions that may prevent you from getting to school (children, unreliable transportation, chronic illnesses, etc.) You will be charged for all hours missed. I learned the basics to pass state board which was the Milady book that you buy from Amazon. There's nothing above the rest that CEN offers. I had planned to come back to take the Esthetician course but after dealing with Miss Ruby even in a limited scope I decided not to since she is way more involved with the estheticians. Lastly, it is a legitimate place to go to get your hours to qualify for your license and you'll receive a certificate. They do offer different schedules which could also be a draw for some people. This is a cheaper option than most schools and they allowed payments. I wouldn't recommend this place if you have other options but if you don't just be aware of these things before you put in your money with the understanding that good or bad you are stuck here unless you're completely comfortable walking away from your deposit and any payments you've already made. read more

UPDATE They have us leave a 5-star review for some free item. We watched YouTube videos and practiced on a mannequin head. Would I take this class again? Or suggest it. Probably not. I could have learned on my own. There wasn't a lot of help. It was okay. I am not sure about the other classes offered. read more

It was DIVINE TIMING when I came across this beauty school. Ms. Ruby was the most knowledgeable at every subject. Life couldn't of given me a better teacher than her. She has CIDESCO DIPLOMA. If your looking for a school to receive your Esthetician License this is the one for you! read more

Went in to CENbeaity to pick up skin care and get a facial and was disgusted with the condition of the building, and the absolute disrespect of the instuctor. I then went into the bathroom before my facial started and saw the BIGGEST roach I've ever seen. I decided to look past this as I have already prepped for my facial and 3 days later developed a burn on my skin that I am too embarrassed to post. Please look to other options for facials and products as my experience was a 0/10 read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Gross - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

Miss Huma Today was a great class I totally recommend this class Miss Huma goes over all the basics, and and get a cute little starter kit. It's a good start to take off in this industry as there will be many more extension classes to do more in the future, sign up today for her next upcoming affordable class read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

If you're looking for a beauty school then run here don't walk! I had done a lot of research on Cen Beauty Academy before actually signing up. I joined the night manicurist program. I met so many great manicurist and estheticians. Now I was so nervous because Ms. Ruby doesn't play! She wants you to succeed and she doesn't treat you like a teenager. She holds you accountable and expects the best from you. She emphasizes all of the rules before sign up, during sign up, and on day one of class. From day one I loved it though! Ms. Rocio is the cosmo and manicurist teacher. She's honestly the best. She taught me so much and always gave me constructive criticism. She pushed me to become a better manicurist and a better person. I knew nothing about acrylic before starting here. I had only worked with other products, so I was fresh. When you start, make sure it's something you are committed to. Be willing to learn from your teachers and classmates. Be willing to also share with your class. You will have to sit down for at least 6 months which means you may miss a few brunches/ parties. It's all about your dedication! I feel very prepared and next up is taking the state board exam! Thank you Ms. Rocio and Ms. Ruby! read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Ms. Rocio and I - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

Attended this school to get my manicuring license and it felt like the longest 4 months of my life. Let me start off with saying, yes it is cheaper than other schools but you get what you pay for. Thankfully I already knew how to do nails, I did not struggle when it came to practical skills. The workbook/tests were easy, Ms Rocio was very helpful when it came to curriculum & if you had any questions she was always there to help. My 1 star is given due to the way ms ruby treats you/others. She is very condescending and rude. Gives an attitude when you question her scandalous ways even if you approach in a professional manner. Backstory, you have to pay for the hours you miss, $15/hr. I had found out from other students that she will charge you more hours than you actually missed to pocket more money (if you dont notice yourself). I calculated my hours and noticed it was off so I confronted her about it and she immediately got defensive telling me I gave her attitude and that if I dont pay I will get kicked out of the program. Absolutely unprofessional. I've attended plenty of schools and not once have i ever been treated with such disrespect! Its mind blowing that this woman gets business. She scams people out of their hard earned money and when you confront her about it she will immediately get defensive and threaten you. An abuse of power if I say so myself. The school is located in a very questionable location, there are a lot of homeless people and drug addicts in the area, some would be passed out in front of the entrance to the school, & in the parking lot s*xually harassing people. Authorities were called once while I was there but according to other students it happens quite often. As for the inside of the school, she does give you a quick tour prior to enrolling so you do see how run down and dirty it is and willingly enroll at your own risk. Like i said it was cheap and i just wanted to get my hours done so i did not mind, but there is no proper ventilation when dealing with nail/hair chemicals. Both bathrooms are disgustingly dirty, roaches everywhere, toilet occasionally breaks and one out of the four hair washing sinks works. When it is in use, it lets out a putrid smell and if youre a nail tech, you will SUFFER. The nail tech kit that is supposedly worth $500 is SO cheap you will get DOLLAR TREE nail polish. You get a pink & red nail polish, base coat and top coat not even GEL products. Your kit is enough to let you practice on the cheap practice hand you get but that is it, it is not nearly enough product for you to finish your practical credits. You have to bring your own drill, nail dust collector, files, gel polishes, acrylic powders and monomer because that kit is poorly made. It comes in a duffle bag and out of everything in the kit i think the duffle bag is the most expensive item. She does the absolute bare minimum when it comes to her students so she can milk the money and fund her cartier bracelets. Do yourself a favor to save yourself anxiety and a headache and do NOT attend. read more

Love my training today. Learned a lot from alina Very interesting to learn eyelash extension read more

Love the class I recommend this class to anyone The bed eyelash class to take only one the teacher is awesome read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

The lash class was great , 10/10 Alina was a great instructor I learned a lot of new info and gave lots of tips and tricks to help out (: read more

So i was a student who graduated last year , and unfortunately the program is nothing Ms ruby sells you out for it to be . The kit you pay for literally is maybe worth 50$ total, and the cheapest 99 cent store quality . i was told we would learn waxing , and we were not taught at all, only when paying clients wanted waxing done . then it was " allowed" , ms ruby said she doesn't teach waxing because state board doesn't require it . But yet she tells you you'll learn during the program , you DO NOT! Ms ruby has made girls cry by embarrassing them in front of the whole class for asking a simple question and likes belittling STUDENTS, who were there to LEARN! She would call the entire class stupid and idiots and tell us to use our " brains!" .. She acted very nice when enrolling you, after that- she has everyone walking on egg shells . the school was not clean. there were roaches in the small disenfection box , and i told her if i can throw away the small disenfectant box due to the roach being in there and she said with attitude " NO' just clean it out!!".... There were multiple roach incidents , she doesn't bleach her towels she uses for clients FACES for their facials . or even decent detergent , but 99c store detergent that we were only allowed to use no more than two table spoons per load . she literally would have to pour it for us to make sure we weren't " wasting it"... The towels were stained and had eyelashes and nasty residue on them. So many of her products in her product cabinet were expired ! and she would mix and match products into the wrong labeled jars , One time a student accidently gave a paying client a facial and put a LACTIC ACID peel on them that ms ruby poured into a old Hylauronic acid bottle and didn't re label it !! Many clients were burned with wax because they were never taught right , I was one who was good at waxing , and one day stood up and asked if i can help teach other girls to learn to wax because ms ek would always choose me to wax ( which i didn't mind bc i loved waxing ) and some girls had been there for 6/7 months and never got to wax and had been asking for so long! so i wanted to help them, ever since i asked . ms ek treated me so horrible !!i i was picked on by ms ek almost daily . I actually enjoyed the school and my class mates until Ms ek started gossiping about me to them, and they would come and tell me . it made me feel like i was in high school drama lol All of the girls would come and tell me how they see how bad she treats me. Also her lectures are HORRIBLE!!!! she has such a heavy acccent you can barely understand her and she's so mono toned . . Ms ruby gave decent lectures , ever since ms ek took over lectures , nobody could ever understand them and had a hard time with the chapters . the only plus side of this school is the schedule is flexible and price is cheap, but the school is very cheap, ms ruby is VERY greedy with money . I can honestly say i didn't learn much because of the horrible lectures i couldn't even understand from ms ek . I had to take advanced aesthetic courses after and teach myself alot . PleSe do yourself a favor and GO TO A DIFFERENT school , not a school where you get scolded like a child for simply asking a question , and where you get bullied by grown 50-80 year old women ms ruby and ms ek !!! Salon success teaches brazilians and waxing , Cen does NOT! you have to pay 500$ to take a brazilian class outside that ms ruby offers .( another money scam) smh. All other schools teach so much, Check out Paul mitchell , Amy beauty school or Citrus Cosmetology! please DO not go here . you will waste 9 months being treated like a dog and being taught the bare minimum by ms ek who's a idiot and only knows from the book. read more

This is the first time ever this happen to me but I guess some people just don't understand the law... The only entity allowed to decide if an animal is truly a service dog is a judge in a courtroom. Refusing service and/or being rude to a service Dog and handler is not only unprofessional behavior, but it is illegal at both state and federal levels. Today is the first time some one refused service because of my service dog after I am showing her his license and everything. Apparently the lady that is the owner said she doesn't allow service dogs or any other type of dogs in her buissness!! I tried to explain to her she really didn't care but this made me so sad because it was hard enough for me to actually build up the courage to get to my appointment this morning... so sad read more

If you want to be , belittled everyday & put down.. this school is for you! The owner Ruby Is very unprofessional & switches up on her contracts constantly WITHOUT telling you.. for example in the contract i signed it says we can wear ANY black shirts/longsleeve & then the first day of school she told us it HAD the be HER shirt only. A girl did not know that & went off the contract (like anybody would do) & got sent home and wasn't allowed to start until the next rotation of starting dates. She starts off by saying she is very strict & disciplined which i respected but as time went on it was actually control & disrespect. If you are even 22 years old paying for the school as an adult she will sit there and scream at you and ask you over over 'what are you a kindergartner , what are you 15 years old?' As she is 70 years old maybe she lost her way with human decency but i do not pay for this school to be treated like i am not a human. She once even told me 'and your reaction was just thinking it was AYE OKAY!' simply because she did not get the reaction from me that she wanted & that was for me to be humiliated in front of my classmates & put her on a pedestal by begging her not to kick me out because i changed into my WORK clothes 4 mins before class ended. (A LOT of girls did this but she only chose to pick me on) Yes... she specializes in making sure everyone is there while she yells at you. She is extremely money hungry & if you aren't one of her favorites she will drop you from her course & continue to talk bad on you in front of others while you are not there. The way she treats people and speaks to them is inhumane. Not to mention this very nasty environment with her fabric softener she uses as detergent so all the towels that we use ON our face are not clean at all. We should be using real detergent AT LEAST if not bleach... this is a very little rant compared to what more i could say. But i am honestly very big on energy.. the girls and i even made a joke saying we're all so close because we 'trauma bonded' because of how awful this place is. In the LEARNING aspect if you don't care about how she is as a person , it is okay. Lectures once a week but not very informative. She hears one thing & sticks to it for the rest of her life. & doesn't keep herself updated with todays makeup or products really and how the ingredients changes. Like yes maybe a certain makeup was comedogenic when first came out but in todays time it is NOT anymore.. it's just little things that aren't true and will have you scared to use for no reason. Also not to mention the cameras with audio she uses to constantly watch us while she is not there and the instructor is. It is decent pricing compared to others but not worth it. Proud of the girls who completed their hours here , sorry they gave her their money.. CONSIDERING she doesn't do a THING when you complete your hours. For SOME girls she will do the same 2 min speech IF you're lucky. But for most you clock out and walk out like ANY other day. It's pathetic. We're here 600 hours & our own instructor isn't going to say congrats to us or anything? good luck here. *not my photos they're a friends* read more

See all

Enjoyed the class. It was to the point and they share tips and tricks. Also where to get supplies and to make sure you disinfect. I would recommend. read more

took a lash course here and it was super informative and throughout! instructor was super helpful and nice. i definitely recommend coming for a course here if you're interested in lashing. they offer other courses as well on their instagram! read more

For the eyelash extension class it was very informative and nice. Straight forward and quick :)

I have tried to get services done here but good luck trying to speak to someone. They never answer the phone. Since I live close by I went in person. Still couldn't get service. You must have an appointment. How do you make an appointment if they never answer the phone? Services are limited to certain days only. It's weird to me and not practical at all. read more

Beware coming here Mrs Ruby sucks ! She doesn't go by the rules. It's dirty here there's roaches and naked people outside. Literally find a dead roach every day. Theirs mice running around. Ms Ruby is just money hungry and it shows she will try to kick you out over any and everything. Honestly would find another school I hated my experience here and I saw other school that are more hands on and care. I shoulda did research before choosing this school. read more

Loved the fun fast one day course for the lash extensions! My instructor was Alina and she did really great with all questions and concerns & gave really good tips! So glad she was able to teach me her tips & tricks read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Lash extensions - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

Just finished a class in classic-hybrid lash extension with instructor Alina, she is the best! Can't wait to continue this journey. Thanks CEN beauty academy. read more

Definitely recommend Cen Beauty Academy! Alina was so helpful and knowledgeable with training. Made me comfortable doing hands-on on the mannequin. Would recommend to anyone looking to start their lash business!! read more

FUTURE STUDENTS BEWARE!!! BE CAUTIOUS! In my time at CEN a lot of NEGATIVE things happened. The teacher, Gina Tracy, would call us out in front of the classmates or even clients for mistakes even though we were not told/taught any better. She would text about "problems" after school hours. And would make group chat messages to further more humiliate us. Then the next day would call a class meeting to call us out even more. When I first started I was the only manicurist and I had to teach myself because she payed more attention to the Cosmetologists. Once new students finally joined I was in charge of teaching them multiple times instead of The instructor, Gina, teaching them . She always had an attitude with me, would tell other students she didn't like me, and would talk about me and other clients behind our backs. I went home multiple times with tears because of the harassment and favoritism she placed on the cosmetologists and Hispanics. When I told the owner, Ruby, about all that was happening she said that I was "creating drama," that I am "to sensitive," and that "there are meds and people You can see to help fix that problem." And that if I brought any more drama forward I will be cut from the program. During my last week I was screamed at for 15 minutes about a mistake that I was not told any different by the owner, Ruby, in front of the class and in front of 2 clients, whom one was autistic. After repeating that I understood my mistake she became more and more hostile. The class and the clients then became nervous. When she wanted to talk to me about my hours privately I told her that I do not feel comfortable discussing in private and I would call my parents to come with me. She again became hostile until I was aloud to call my parents. She only took the harassment from the teacher serious a week after I left and a student resigned due to the harassment from the teacher. Only then did she care. During state board most of my stuff was wrong, because they had given me NIC from the wrong year. Even where to place my trash bags was wrong. They truly do not care for their students and only care about the money they make. The only employee there that shows that she cares is Shelly. Please beware and be careful!!!! read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Instagram page - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

Took the eyelash course here. Was very fun and informative. Got to practice hybrids and classic. Alina was very good at teaching us every step to sanitation to setting up. I feel comfortable with what i Learned and feel very secure about my next step as a lash tech. read more

If you are looking for a place to go for your licensing CEN beauty academy is probably the worst place you could look. Ruby is a money hungry SCAMMER. No one is happy in the school, it's dirty, we use dollar store products for ALOT of our coursework. The kits you receive you only get 2 face washes, 2 masks, some gloves, nothing worth 2k!! Such a scam, I'm disappointed I wasted so much of my time at this TRASH establishment. It's MESSY and not worth your time or money. Ruby doesn't care about ANY of her students, just money. Ms.Ek is an amazing instructor, and probably the only good thing about this whole school. You will use WATERED DOWN baby lotion for ALOT of your work. If you want to be belittled, disrespected, and waste your money CEN is the place for you! There are roaches, she listens to you through the cameras it's so weird, AND ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA, washes the towels w no bleach, so that's GROSS. Like just cheap, and trifling tbh. Hated it here, I tried so nice to be kind to ruby, but she never deserved it. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE. read more

See all

just took lash class and alina did an amazing job at going over everything and giving extra tips super helpful! both alina and ms ruby were super nice and made this a great experience read more

Took a lash training class here and it was easy to understand, right to the point, and fun! I would definitely recommend coming here for any training! read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Lash training - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

I came here for the lash course and it was very informative the staff here is absolutely amazing and friendly and Alina was my instructor and she was nice and very hands on I recommend if you are interested in taking any course to come here read more

I had a great learning experience and love the process. I would recommend this place to everyone who wants to learn a new skill.

I enjoyed this class! Alina is a great instructor! Thank you so much Alina & CEN for motivating me and helping me learn how to do lashes properly!!! Great class great instructor!! I highly recommend!!!! read more

Cen Beauty Academy - Hands on training!! - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Riverside, California

See all

I came in on a Sunday for a lash class (9-2pm) so worth the money and time spent. The class itself has great energy and a very enthusiastic instructor named, Alina. Not only were we well informed and have information provided, but any questions we had were answered. The school also sell items that you will need and at a discounted price. I enjoyed my time here and is now looking into other classes the school offered. read more

I just took the lash extension course with Alina she's really nice and answered all my questions class went fast and definitely learned a lot ! read more

Took the eyelash course with Ms. Humah. Such a great class. She explained really well and made the class fun and run smoothly. She is very knowledgeable and takes time to answer any questions. I would definitely recommend to take the course with her. read more

Took the eyelash extension class the teacher Huma was really fun and she made everything clear and essay to understand. Definitely worth taking the class I feel confident in what I learned and looking forward on getting better at applying extensions! read more

Did the lash extension course with instructor Huma and she was great! Very patient and knowledgeable! Highly Recommend her as an instructor read more

Took an eyelash extensions class it was a great fun class. The teachers were nice and helpful. We went over information, watched a video and did hands on practice. They provide a stater kit as well read more

Huma was my lash class instructor and she is Amazing!! I'm glad I came here!! I highly recommend her she was awesome!!