If not getting her name is a testimonial of her service, then it must only mean one thing: I won’t be recommending her.

I loved how she made up my mom when she stood as one of the principal sponsors at my cousin’s wedding. This was the basis for my decision to get her to prettify me on our wedding day.

In all fairness to her, she’s good. I liked my makeup and I’m pretty sure my bridesmaids loved theirs. She didn’t use high-end makeup brands but it was okay. The output is what matters to me. We all looked natural and beautiful.

And she’s so affordable. I got her for a package of P5,000 for 5 heads (including the bride plus retouch) and P500/head in excess of 5. She even reduced the price for flowergirls’ hair and makeup to P250/head.

But that’s where the good things about her ends. Here’s why:

  • I told her, through the friend who recommended her to us, that we need to be at the venue by 8 a.m. She arrived at 10 a.m.
  • At the venue, I asked her who’s going to be first, what’s the “makeup sequence”. She answered, “I don’t know. It’s up to you.”
  • She didn’t want to be interrupted. She hated it when photographers would interrupt her because they need to re-do a shoot.
  • She couldn’t understand why I hired so many photographers (I had 3 photographers and 2 videographers, with 1 videographer doing photo after he’s done shooting video) and why they were taking so many pictures of me and my accessories. “Because that’s what they’re paid to do”, I kept on telling her.
  • She didn’t sit well with my coordinator. The feeling, I believe, was mutual. Coordinators hate it when one of the suppliers is not in sync with everybody else. This hair and makeup artist apparently has her own timeline.
  • She didn’t come to the church with me. I have a very oily skin, and with all the stress and tension that was present that day, I can only imagine how hyperactive my oil glands were and how shiny my face was. One photographer told me so and even asked where is my makeup artist. It was my coordinator who came to my rescue with a pouch full of makeup.
  • I told her to come to the reception and that I reserved two seats for her and her assistant. And it was my fault I didn’t tell her to bring her makeup kit because I assumed she would. She was my makeup artist after all and one of her jobs is to keep me, well, looking fresh (something that goes by the term “retouch”). But she sat there like a guest and didn’t care if I was sweating oil. She came over at our table for pictorial. But she didn’t even hand me a tissue to wipe my face off of the glistening oil that was soaking my makeup.
  • My mother’s hair was not finished. She [my mother] was the last to have her hair and make up done. And somehow, I wasn’t surprised and half-expected that she [the makeup artist] would be pressed for time for obvious reasons. But even if her hairdo is half-baked, it still looked good on her.
  • UPDATE: I just saw some photos from our backup photographer. Her retouch on my eye makeup during the reception was not even. It looked like I have a black eye on my left.

Despite these, I smiled at her all throughout the event. I even joked with her and had our picture taken for her “portfolio”. I just couldn’t let anybody ruin my day. Not even my own oily face. [Pictures taken by friends and relatives reveal a very, very oily face.]

Lesson learned: regardless of the price, output and tools, pick a vendor who knows his/her role in your wedding and in the whole team of suppliers that you hired to ensure it’ll be a successful one.

  • Rating: 2/5 1/5
  • Pros: Nice and natural makeup, affordable
  • Cons: Too many to mention
  • Recommended for brides on a tight budget who want an affordable hair and makeup package, brides who don’t have oily skin and won’t be needing frequent touch-ups during the wedding, brides looking for an affordable hair and makeup artist for their entourage
  • Not recommended for reasons mentioned above

(Please read the Suppliers’ Ratings Disclaimer)