I got married on a Sunday morning a couple weeks ago, and Josephine did an amazing job! (I will…read moreexplain the reason for my rating below.) I found Josephine on Yelp after a failed make-up and trial through a salon. Before my makeup trial with Josephine, we chatted on the phone about how I wanted to look.
She came to my house to do the makeup trial about 3 months before the wedding, and I couldn't believe the amount of stuff she brought! She was easy to talk to, she understood exactly the look I was going for, and it was so much fun being treated like a movie star in her trailer on set for the afternoon. I provided several inspiration photos of celebrities and other brides, and she picked and chose the best elements of each to give me a custom look that worked with my coloring and my vision for myself.
I was a little daunted by the possibility of wearing false eyelashes, but I really did want my eyes to shine on my wedding day. So, false lashes it was! During the trial, I discovered that the full strips were a little uncomfortable, so she promised to throw in individual lashes for the day itself. And getting airbrushed was such an indulgence! Not only did it feel like I wasn't wearing any makeup, but it stayed in place the entire evening after the trial.
After I decided to hire Josephine, I told her that I also needed a hairstylist. She recommended her mother, Nga Harmon, a longtime stylist. Nga ended up coming to my house for a hair trial after the makeup trial, and I think she understood the look I was going for, but the style did not hold up even after an hour. Nga promised that it would hold much better on the wedding day, so I decided to go with her, too.
Fast forward to the wedding day. Both Josephine and her mother arrived at the bridal suite. I'm not sure exactly what happened to our time, but on Josephine's and Nga's suggestion, we allotted a total of 3 hours for Josephine to do 3 people's makeup and for Nga to do 5 people's hair. Somehow, I ended up being an hour late for the start of our professional portraits (9 am). Again, I'm not sure what happened, but I think it had something to do with the fact that Nga ended up working on my mother-in-law's hair before my own, even when she knew that I needed to be ready first. My hair, when finished, did look beautiful and held up much of the day, except for some flyaways here and there. This possible gap in communication caused me to miss my cocktail hour and also caused the photographer to have to shoot us outside in the 80-degree heat and sun at noon.
I really appreciate that Josephine made up as much time as she could so that I wouldn't lose too much photo time, but I wished I weren't an hour late for my own photos.
SO, I would give Josephine herself 5 stars with no hesitation, and I would recommend her to anyone looking for makeup in the Bay Area. My makeup (and everyone else's) looked amazing all day, even through the hot temperatures. I would have to give Nga Harmon 3 stars because I believe she is why I was late for my portraits. This averages to 4 stars.