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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long will it take to do my make up and/or hair?
It depends on the chosen style, the length and texture of your hair, your skin complexion and many other factors. If you are having your hair up, it usually takes longer than if you just have it blow dried or curled. Also, acne prone or very dry skins also take longer but on average it takes approximately two hours. Trials usually take a bit longer as there is more experimentation.
How many styles can I try during the trial?
The trial has been scheduled to last up to a maximum of 3 hours for both make up and hair, 2 hrs for just hair and 1.5 hour for just make up per person. The artist will try as many styles as you need as long as it doesn't take more than the scheduled time. If by the end of the scheduled time, you feel you would like to try more styles, a separate trial appointment could be arranged at a later date, just contact us to make the arrangements, but it would have to be paid for in addition to the first trial. Some artists may decide to stay longer but it would be at their entire discretion as they are not contractually obliged to do so.
Can I go to the artist's house for my make up and/or hair session?
Usually we travel to you, but if you don't have a place where you can have your make up and hair done or take your make up lesson, on occasions, we can arrange for an artist to receive you at her home but this pretty much depends on the date and area.
Can I choose a hair and make up artist from your gallery?
We don't have a system where customers pick an artist from the gallery as our gallery only contains the work of some of our hair and make up artists, we have many more hair and make up artists whose work is not displayed in our gallery because of memory limitations. We match our customers with the most suitable artist based on their personal profile (not all artists are suitable for everyone). Because our availability changes very rapidly, on the moment you book your appointment, we will send you a list of questions and match you with the most suitable artist to your personal profile.
What make up brands do you use?
We do not endorse any products or get commission from any brands. Our choice of cosmetics is totally impartial and the personal choice of each individual make up artist however, all the brands we use are well know high quality brands such as, MAC, Bobby Brown, Dior, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clinique, Clarins, Screen Face, etc.
Is the cost of the cosmetics / products included in the price?
The price includes the cost of the make up, hairstyling products (like mousse, hairspray, etc) hair grips, pins etc. It doesn't include the cost of hair pieces or attachments to create volume or fake lashes (you can bring your own and the artist can fit them, or we can supply them and you would just have to pay the artist for the cost). Decorations like flowers, crystals, tiaras, etc. are not included, but the artist will fit them for you if you supply them.
I have sensitive skin, can I still get my make up done?
Yes, although you would have to let us know in advance so that the artist will bring hypoallergenic products with her. If you want her to use your own cosmetics, to be 100% sure, that will not be a problem.
How long in advance do I need to book?
If you live in the London area, somewhere easily reachable by public transport, 2 to 3 months before your special occasion date will be sufficient, however, if you live outside of London and particularly, if your location is not easily reachable by public transport, the sooner you can book, the better, about 5-6 months before your special date is best.
How long in advance do I need to do my hair and make up trial?
It is entirely up to you. Most people have their trial 2 to 3 months before the special occasion.
What does the 'call out fee' comprise?
The call out fee covers for the cost of the artist's time getting to your venue and also for travelling expenses within reason. We always try to get an artist who lives close to you, however, this is not always possible so, if the travelling costs are very high, we may ask you for a contribution to cover those costs. If that is the case, we would let you know before you book.
Other hair and make up artists charge less for bridesmaids, why are your prices the same for everyone and every occasion?
We pride ourselves of always offering the highest standard of service to everyone of our clients regardless of their role in their special occasion. These excellent standards and the high quality of our work, have earned us an excellent reputation with our customers and the industry. Offering substandard services to bridesmaids, at lower prices, is not how we want to conduct our business and not the type of service we want our customers to get from us. If a bride wishes her make up and hair to be of a higher quality than those of her bridesmaids, she can have a senior artist and her bridesmaids can have a regular one.
I live in a remote location, can you still come to me?
Yes, but you need to let us know if it is not possible to get to you by public transport as not all of our artists drive.
What if I don't like the trial, I am under obligation to book for my special occasion?
No, if you are not satisfied with the trial you don't have to book for your special occasion, although we encourage you to talk to your artist during the trial if you are not convinced, she will work with you to achieve the look you have in mind.
Can I have trials with more than one artist?
Yes, if you want you can trial several artists and choose which one you want for your special occasion, however, this may not be very cost effective as you would have to pay for each trial.
Is the cost of make up or hair for a child the same as an adult?
Yes, the age of the customer does not make a difference on the work involved, it takes the same time and effort to put a child's hair up than an adult's. However, if you need make up and hair for a large party, and there are some children, we may be able to offer you some type of discount for them.
How do I know that I will not be cancelled by my hair and make up artist?
Whilst we can't guarantee that your artist will not get sick or have an accident that could make her have to cancel her appointment with you, there are other reasons why a hair and make up artist may want to cancel an appointment (like for example, if she gets a better job offer which sadly, happens from time to time). If you book an appointment directly with the hair and make up artist, this is quite easy for her to do as she has nothing to loose, however, if the booking has been made through us, your artist is much less likely to cancel an appointment because as agents, we provide them with a lot of work, so they know that if they mess us about, they will not get any more work from us, as simple as that, therefore, you are much less likely to get a cancellation if you book with us than if you book with the artist directly. There's also the peace of mind of knowing that you have a team of over 100 consultants that could replace her in the worse case scenario with no added stress for you.
What would happen if my artist was ill on the day of my special occasion?
We would do our best to get another artist to you, we have over 100 artists in our books and also have a couple of 'back up ones' scheduled off but in the unlikely event that none of them was available, we would give you a full refund for the deposit you have paid for the day plus a full refund for your trial if you had one.
Are deposits refundable?
Unfortunately they are not, as we are still liable to pay the artist. But if you are having problems and need to reschedule your appointment, let us know, as some times, we can help if we get sufficient notice.
Can you send more than one artist?
Yes, if a few people need make up and hair and they need to be ready quite early, we can send as many artists as you need.
Will the artist bring a book with photographs of hairstyles and make ups?
You would be surprised to see the huge amount of equipment our artists carry with them, some of them can still manage to bring some photographs but not all can fit them in their already heavily loaded kits, so we encourage you to bring photographs of styles you like to your hair and make up session. You can find some in our gallery, otherwise the web is full of them.
When should I colour or have my hair cut?
We recommend you do that one week before your special occasion. Any other type of beauty treatment like facials or eyebrow shaping can be safely done from two to three days in advance.
Can I wash my hair on the day?
If you are having your hair up, we don't recommend you wash your hair on the day although the evening before is fine.
My hair is fine, and not very long, would it be possible to have a hair piece or extensions?
If you would like to add volume to your style you have two options:
1- A mesh doughnut to be concealed underneath your hair for volume - You can bring your own or the artist can bring one, if the artist supplies it, there may be an additional charge to cover for the cost of the doughnut. This is only suitable for up styles.
2- Temporary hair extensions - You should bring your own extensions as they must be an identical match to your natural hair colour. You can have strips (you will also need the glue) or clip on. Suitable for half up half down or down styles. Styling hair with extensions is difficult so, there may be an additional charge for that, also, you'll need a senior artist for that. We strongly recommend natural hair extensions as opposed to synthetic, we can't guarantee the results if you have synthetic hair.
Do the bridesmaids also have to have a trial?
It is up to you, some bridesmaids like to have a trial, but to keep the cost down, you may prefer for just the bride to have a trial.
What's the difference between a senior and a regular artist?
The difference is the quality of their work, there is no strict criteria on how we qualify our artists, as it's based on individual merit. Generally the senior artists are more experienced but that is not a fixed criteria as we have some extremely naturally talented artists with not so much experience but the quality of their work is truly exceptional, in those unusual cases we would qualify them as senior. There are some artists who have a lot of experience but we don't feel the quality of their work is high enough to qualify them as senior. So, it is entirely based on merit. But in general terms, senior artists are able to do a larger variety and more complicated styles and the 'end result' looks more 'polished'.
How soon after the trial do I have to confirm my booking for my special occasion?
We will need you to notify us within 24 hrs of the trial. Your special occasion deposit is also payable at that point. If no confirmation is received within that timeframe we will be unable to hold your booking and you could risk that artist getting booked up by somebody else.
Can I pay the full balance by credit card?
Unfortunately because of accountancy reasons, only the deposit can be paid by credit card, the remaining balance is payable to the artist on arrival in cash. Except in the case of gift vouchers when the full amount would be paid by credit card.
I'm not very good with computers, can I give you my credit card details over the phone?
Unfortunately we cannot take any credit card details over the phone as our Paypal payment system requires you to agree to their terms and conditions of use and we can't do that for you. But if you are unsure how to do it, we will happily give you a call and guide you through the process, it is extremely simple.
Is it safe to use a credit card on your site?
The credit card processing company we use is Paypal (you pay through their site) who is the most reputable credit card processing company around and have an excellent safety record. You don't need to have or open a Paypal account to make a payment.
Can I pay my deposit with a cheque or cash?
Unfortunately, we can't accept cheques or cash for the deposit payments. One of the reasons for that is that your credit card details get verified against your billing address by Paypal and we use that as a security measure for the safety of our artists.
Is the make up /hairstyling consultant going to bring any make up and hairstyling tools and products to the lesson or will it be just with my own?
Yes, the artist will bring her full kit, although it would be useful if you bring your own make up and hairstyling products and equipment as well so that she can advise their suitability and also show you how to apply them and use them correctly.
Do I have to buy anything before the lesson?
No, the consultant will bring everything you will need, and will tell you what to buy during the lesson.
Do you provide any make up instructions in writing for the lessons?
Yes, we will email them to you before the lesson. Some of our consultants have books and DVDs available for your to purchase.
I can't have a male artist for moral/religious reasons, is it possible to have a woman?
Yes, but you need to let us know as we also have male make up artists and hairstylists and if you don't tell us anything, we may arrange your appointment with one of them.
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