I worked with Joey for my wedding on Feb 1, 2019, and couldn't have been any happier! Originally…read moreJBeautique, I found Joey while perusing Instagram/Yelp and saw she was now a part of Urban Beauty Loft. As someone who normally does not wear makeup, it was difficult to find examples of hair styles that suited my preferences. I wanted to wear glasses, and have my hair mostly down, with bangs. You would not believe the lack of brides-in-glasses examples they have online! #thestruggleisreal Nevertheless, as fate would have it, I did find Joey and we scheduled a trial run on the day of our engagement shoot. It went so well! Not only was Joey patient and kind, but she delivered a look that I loved so much, I wanted the same style for the day of my wedding. My makeup felt light and looked very natural - essentially I "looked like myself," which is exactly what I was hoping for. Joey not only went above and beyond by coming to my home to get ready ridiculously early in the morning, but she came afterwards to do touch-ups! I had a long gap in between my ceremony and the reception, and it was so nice of her to come pretty me up again. She also gave me great tips on how to remove my makeup at the end of the day. I love love loved working with Joey! Thank you for making me feel special on my big day! Photo credits: Michelle Chang Photography

This review is for Joey. Writing this after two weeks to ensure I don't let emotions get in the way…read morebecause I had strong, sad emotions on the day of. I had Joey as my artist. It was for my city hall wedding. Summary below. Detailed review followed. Tl:dr: South Asians - find somebody else. The eye makeup was great but that was about it. The complexion matching and evening out Skin tone wasn't great. I have a pretty nice skin with no acne or scars - with one caveat. I'm south Asian so I have dark circles and slightly darkened skin around my lips. And Joey had neither the right products or the experience to even those out. We removed and reapplied the full base three times and still didn't get the results. The hair were rushed and hence didn't have the nice smooth, flowy bun which was the brief. Joey tried but I don't think this is their strength. Also, we decided to plan this in a few weeks so I didn't have time to do a trial. Definitely got burned. Joey is a nice person but I definitely wouldn't have chosen them if I'd done a trial. Pros: 1. Both Fiona and Joey were good to talk to and coordinate. Joey came on time and was prompt with communication. 2. One star for the eye shadow application which was great. Lashes took a while to get right but great when they did! Cons: 1. Complextion: My biggest brief to them was about evening out my skin tone around my lips and covering up my dark circles. And after three application and a cry session later - still didnt not get it right. She didn't have the right products to color correct or match the tone. Results: great eyelids with dark circles underneath and darkness around lips and on chin. 2. Hair: I'd asked for a simple, loose bun with smooth hair. We'd even aligned on pictures. But because we'd spent so much time on the face, she didn't have time to smoothen and straighten. Only ended up curling into a tight bun full of hair spray and wax to get over that we hadn't straightened the hair. 3. The base makeup didn't stay well beyond 5 hours (maybe because of the rushing at the end) and it became patchy after 5-6 hours

Thank you so much for making me feel beautiful on my special day. I loved your vibe, your…read moreprofessionalism, and really appreciated you asking me questions throughout the process to understand what worked best for me. The makeup stayed all day and night, no touch up other than the lips were needed. I literally felt like a princess on my wedding day thanks to you

Amanda was amazing! He talent is so amazing. She recently did my wedding day hair and makeup and I…read morewas IN LOVE! I have a difficult time doing my own hair since it's usually frizzy, but Amanda knew how to keep my hair amazing all day and night long. My makeup was so amazing and also lasted the entire day and night. Additionally Amanda was so kind and understanding and extremely professional. I would recommend her over and over!

I found Marina on yelp and needless to say I was impressed by all the good reviews here. I decided…read moreto give her a try for my wedding make up and hair. Although she is a make up artist and doesn't do hair styling much, she still agreed to do it for me for my wedding. She made sure I was comfortable with the make up she is applying on me and her main priority is to keep the clients happy. I do not apply make up much and wanted her to keep it natural yet look like a bride and Marina did a good job of making sure my needs were met. Marina was very flexible in terms of the timing and location. I changed the time and location at least twice for my event and sweet Marina would not complain about it. I was very happy with my make up and hair on the wedding day, would definitely recommend her.

I am a professional photographer and several month ago had the privilege of photographing a wedding…read morewhere Marina was bride's make up artist. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw the bride after Marina finished her make up! It was perfect!!! Bride looked great and was easy to photograph. Now I am working on the wedding album and I am even more happy! Because her work was so good, very little needs to be retouched to make a perfect wedding album! Thank you Marina! Fima Gelman, Fima Photography

Kristin is my go to gal for ALL of my make up, skin care & waxing needs. She is extremely…read moretalented, personable, passionate, professional & knowledgeable in all things beauty. Growing up the youngest with only brothers, I missed out on learning about applying make up. Luckily, I found Kristin and over the past almost 15 years, Kristin has taught me SO much about skin care, make up application, artistry, confidence, beauty & brows. She is a gentle soul who is seamless with communication, and has a gift at picking up on people's vibes and looks they are going for. Her years of experience in the beauty & skin care industry show with her calm confident demeanor. You just get the sense you are in great hands, which is so nice when you are in a high stress situation like a wedding or large scale event. I truly value the way she is able to accentuate your great features, and soften other features. She also understands lighting, camera techniques & exposures and how they relate to make up. To me these are signs of a true professional and a true artist. I would give her 1000 stars if YELP would allow it!

I sure do love Kristin!! She does amazing work but also a wonderful person! I am a huge makeup…read morejunkie so I need an esthetician who is up to date and knowledgeable on all things skin. Every time I go in to see Kristen she has new products and services to offer me. I am always excited to try something new from her!

I've known Paula for many years, and there was never a doubt in my I've known Paula for many years,…read moreand I've always admired her incredible talent. I used to say that if I ever got married, she would be the one doing my makeup. Years later, I met my husband, and I never stopped saying the same thing. Whenever someone asked me for a makeup artist recommendation, Paula was always my first choice. Last year, as soon as we set our wedding date, the very first vendor I contacted right after booking our venue was Paula. I didn't hesitate for a second to reserve her for the most important day of my life. She didn't just make me look absolutely beautiful she did so much more than that. When unexpected things happened on my wedding day, she stayed calm, helped calm me down, and even stepped in to help solve problems that came up just minutes before my ceremony. She went far beyond what anyone would ever expect from a makeup artist. I truly don't have enough words to thank her for everything she did for me. Her kindness, professionalism, and genuine care meant the world to me. Without a doubt, I will continue recommending Paula to everyone I know. Every bride deserves to have someone like Paula by her side on her wedding day. She is simply the best.

Paula was an absolute angel from start to finish! I booked her for wedding day hair & make-up for…read moremyself (bride), MOH, MOB, and MOG. Paula and the second HMUA she brought did a phenomenal job on everyone's hair and make-up! They traveled to our getting ready hotel, showed-up on time, kept to schedule, and helped maintain a fun but relaxing vibe throughout the otherwise hectic morning. My mom and I did a hair & make-up trial with Paula up in her studio in SF four months before the wedding, and she was so helpful, friendly, and accommodating! She was even sweet and offered us some snacks when we first arrived. Paula did an incredible job tweaking and polishing both of our hair and make-up looks to exactly what we wanted and took solid notes such that we didn't have to remind her of anything on wedding day - she just got to work on both of us and exactly recreated the look we perfected at the trial so many months before! I highly, highly recommend Paula to anyone getting married in the bay area! She's so worth it.

Hanging out at one of the local spots around town, the wonderful, Alison Thal and I crossed paths…read more I booked an appointment for her to shampoo, blow-dry and straighten my hair a few weeks in advance. She was very flexible with times and willing to rearrange a few things when I mentioned it may be on her usual day off. When I arrived to her salon suite... I was very impressed by the clean and organized atmosphere, dark wood toned laminate floors, and little café nespresso machine all within her spacious work space. Even though I was a tad bit late, Alison, took her time and did a wonderful job on my hair! She is super down-to-earth, and for the first time in my life, I was probably more up into the hairdresser's business than she was into mine! LOL She's so mellow and sweet and knows exactly what she's doing when it comes to hair. I believe I've got a new favorite go-to spot for getting my lovely lady locks done! Thanks, Alison! :-)

Alissa is amazing! I called her the day before New Year's Eve after a hair DISASTER (by a…read moreneighboring salon that shall remain unnamed). I was crying... It was that bad. My boyfriend started calling every salon in San Mateo with good reviews on yelp and left about 10 messages. Alissa called back within minutes. She dropped what she was doing to come in the morning of New Year's Eve to fix my hair! What I thought was not fixable looking amazing after she got done. She's extremely knowledgable and knows the chemistry and art behind hair coloring and correcting. She's detail oriented and takes time to make it perfect! Her salon is adorable and cozy. The color came out beautiful! And - she gave me a smokin deal since I had been through the mill and already paid through the nose to get my hair destroyed. Bottom line: I LOVE ALISSA! She's flexible, sweet and is an expert at what she does!

Maria (Mimi) did my engagement and bridal makeup. I HATE people touching my eyes but Maria's calm…read moreconfident demeanor put me at ease and i was able to relax and let her not only shave my baby hairs on my lids but do my eye liner and false eye lashes. I got so many compliments on my hair and make up. I felt so beautiful. I was glad to know she had a back up in case she couldn't make my date due to unforeseen circumstances. However the backup was not needed and she was even able to come a little early for a last minute schedule change. I am so happy I went with her for hair and makeup. I wish I had more reasons to have her do my make up. Bonus part: I even learned how I can apply my mascara from her without getting the raccoon eyes after a few hours. Well worth the money and my photos look great!!!!

Like every bride to be, I was stressed on finding a makeup artist and hair stylist. I feel so lucky…read moreto have found Maria. To save cost, I wanted someone who did hair and makeup. Upon our first meeting (trial), I was impressed by Maria's punctuality and professionalism. The trial went great, but the hair style I wanted required my hair to be longer. Maria suggested of another session right before the wedding to ensure I was happy with the choice of hair. I felt Maria really cared. On the day of the wedding, Maria arrived earlier than planned. Which was a great help, because she was doing three peoples makeup and hair. She was so easy going and helpful, I felt like she was one of my bridesmaids! Maria does great work. She listens to you and makes sure you are happy with the results. I never felt like I couldn't voice my opinion. She was open to trying different things and work with hair accessories I had to make me happy. I am so lucky to have Maria do my wedding. I will definitely recommend her to anyone who is doing an event and needs professional makeup and hair. Can't go wrong with Maria.

Loved my braided updo!! Christine is super skillful. She knows exactly what I wanted for my…read morestyle: Whimsical, a bit messy do' that would last the whole night. She knows how to work with colored hair to highlight the braids and I got so many compliments on my hair at the company party! In short, I am happy to have found my updo specialist for all my future events, who is practically my neighbor!!

Where do begin. I had a 1940's themed party to go to and really wanted to make sure my hair was not…read moreonly authentic but was eye catching. I wanted to have fun with it while still being classy. Christine came through beyond my imagination! I brought some pictures and she worked with me patiently and yet gave me ideas until I was happy. We never forced, she was the best partner! We had some great laughs as well (she's so nice!). In the end, my hair looked amazing, I could never have done it myself. I had so many people come up to me at the party and compliment my hair. She's incredible. Whether you need something basic yet stylish or something highly unite and WOW! Christine can do it. You'll have a great time as well. She's an amazing human being.