UPDATE: Jillian threatened me with legal action for writing this review…read more
After being a loyal client of Jillian for hair cuts and Adrian for brow waxing since at least 2016 until 2018, before I moved back to San Francisco and to Plano, Texas, I returned to NoVA/DC - moving on election day in Nov 2020 - because it seemed like NoVA/DC was being pragmatic about covid-19 regulations vs. the two extremes in CA & TX.
I messaged with Jillian prior to my move on 11/3/2020 to learn how Karma was handling covid-19 regulations, because there were no capacity restrictions in Texas, so I hadn't had my hair cut or colored for 7-months - the longest I've ever gone. I saw her and Adrian on 11/22/2020, and even brought them both "welcome home" rose gold goodie bags with cards, Sugarfina rose gummies & chocolate caramels, and masks. I knew the global pandemic was especially hard on the beauty industry, because my aesthetician in San Francisco & her mom had to close 2 of their 3 salons in the Bay Area - in spite of being open since the 1970s. I was therefore sensitive to this fact.
Which is why it was even more bizarre when I learned on social media in December 2020 that Jillian was moving to Dallas, Texas in January 2021, after she listened to my stories about Texas and pumped me for specifics about salons there, and at no point told me about her move. I later learned she told some clients about her move and not others, and that she expected Karma to tell me about it. However, the poor communication continued, given Karma never emailed me, the same way I never receive receipts for my "contact-less" transactions, and they still ask for my physical credit card, in spite of verifying its existence on file. The poor communication and the broken technology are both annoying.
I let that go, and worked with Jillian - via social media - to book hair cut appointments with her for the next 6 months on Saturdays, however even when we agreed on my preferred time slot (4pm), she booked them for 5pm, because that worked best for her, she said. Not very friendly customer service for loyal clients! She also initially told the receptionist she was booked in February, which initiated our social media messages, requiring me to book with her directly. Then magically she's staying late for me!
In parallel, as to the quality of Jillian's cuts, I started seeing her when she used to place a placemat on my shoulders to ensure her cuts were even, and I was always happy with how even they were over the years. That said, I've been very clear - including bringing drawings and instructions from my stylists in San Francisco, who do editorial work for Nordstrom & Gap, and trained in London & globally - that I don't like "shelves" of layers in my hair, I prefer long layers, I don't like corners, and I prefer professional cutting techniques to remove weight vs. thinning shears that butcher the ends of my hair without expertise. Jillian uses thinning shears, and my last cut included all the things I don't want mentioned above. It was, however, even at the bottom. I let this go, because I've had uneven cuts in DC, and I knew that by August 2021, I would need to find a new stylist anyway.
I did, however, vocalize my concerns to Jillian yesterday & today about the inaccuracy of rapid covid tests, in parallel with Texas removing their mask mandate, while she travels back & forth between a covid hotspot & DC over the coming months, and she decided to cancel my appointments as a result.
That's fine. I'd rather not contract covid, which is exactly why I left Texas.
Which brings me to the brow waxes. Due to schedule availability, I booked an eyebrow wax with Erwin in December 2020, and his brow waxes are better - and more expensive - than Adrian's. Erwin's shape was superb, and similar to my favorite brow artist in San Francisco, who's regularly voted best brows. However, Erwin did not pluck or wax the hairs in between my brows, which I had to do myself. He also told me the gold dab of eye shadow I placed in the center corners of my eyes made me look cross-eyed, which I found insulting, so I suggested he remove it if he found it distracting. He asked me who gave me that make-up guidance, and "if they were black". Was that a racist comment? And why was he criticizing me, his paying client?!?
I tried booking a brow wax in January 2021 with either Erwin or Adrian, and learned they were both at home quarantining with covid.
Surprisingly, when I saw Adrian in February 2021, he criticized my brows, saying how much they needed a wax. Obvi! Why do he and Erwin feel it's OK to criticize their clients? Furthermore, they were uneven. Shockingly, I pointed this out to Adrian, and he agreed that my left brow was taller than my right, and re-plucked, yet when I got home, I still had to fix myself, comparing to my photo of my best brows in San Francisco. He also over trimmed the end of my right brow.
If you like being treated as a client, look elsewhere.
