Reveal Hair & Makeup — Local services in Oʻahu

I was recommended Reveal Hair & Makeup by my wedding venue and I could not be more disappointed with the services provided on the day of my wedding 3/30/24. I had full confidence in my hair and makeup artist going into the big day as I had flown in from California to Hawaii to do a Bridal Trial appointment about 7 months before the wedding. The makeup that the artist did during the trial was great and her work lasted almost the entire day (even after a beach day!). I cannot say the same about the work that was done during my wedding.

I booked hair and makeup for both myself and my mom (mother of the bride) almost 7 months before my wedding and there were supposed to be two makeup artists scheduled on the day of my wedding but only one artist showed up. This meant that she was rushed for time and the appointment went over time by almost an hour. It was scheduled to run from 10am to 1pm and my hair and makeup was done around 1:50, which ate into the entire hour of scheduled bridal portrait photos before our ceremony at 2:30pm. Additionally, I had asked for a round brush blowout for my hair, which she assured me she could do, but the day of, I had part of my hair curled, part of my hair put into rollers (for 15 min?) and at the end it came out looking like my hair does any other day when I brush it at home.

If the extra time over schedule wasn't bad enough, the hair and makeup that was done did not last past the 30 min ceremony. For a good portion of my photos after the ceremony, my foundation and eyeshadow were separating and glue from the eyelashes was sticking to my upper eyelid, which I thought was unacceptable since I did not cry during my ceremony for the makeup to be falling apart so quickly. Because the appointment went over time by almost an hour and the makeup was falling apart by 3pm, I don't feel that my photographer's bridal portraits captured me at my best glam. She did provide a touch up kit, but it was not enough to fix the makeup to the way it was before.

If she had just taken more time than allotted and the makeup application was excellent and lasted more time than it did, I wouldn't be writing this review. But even with the extended time, I don't feel that the hair and makeup were done to the same standard/longevity as during my trial. I feel that it is the responsibility of the makeup artist as the expert and professional, to provide a better outcome and to use products/application that will last the majority of the day knowing that it is for a bride during her wedding. I trusted this team and I feel that on the day of my wedding, I could have had equivalent results had I done the hair and...

I hired Reveal Makeup through my wedding planner for my wedding on April 27, 2020, which was involuntarily cancelled due to our venue closing. My wedding planner contacted Allison at Reveal regarding a refund for our deposit, and per my wedding planner, I was only entitled to 50% of the deposit. There was no formal contract, no cancellation policy, and the deposit was only paid to secure the date, which is cancelled due to the shelter-in-place. No services were rendered, and the vendor wouldn't have been able to render services for another event on that day. There was no explanation/justification as to why I was not entitled to 100% of the deposit paid. After I filed a dispute, Allison sent a follow-up email stating that she would've been flexible with giving back the full refund without further action. I don't understand why I need to escalate matters to receive what I am rightfully owed. She could have offered the full refund in the first place, and not expect me to "negotiate" for my money back. It just seemed like Allison was trying to test the waters and see if she could get away with keeping a portion of the deposit without question from her client. I expect transparency especially during a time of uncertainty, so I wouldn't recommend this vendor to anyone based on this experience.

Response to the owner's comment: The refund was given after I filed a dispute with my CC company. Per my wedding planner, the e-mail was written to me because you were upset that I disputed the deposit, which prevented you from using the Square app. There is no reason for me to respond to the e-mail when I should've received a full refund the first time around. I never canceled the wedding, but if I voluntarily did, then I understand why I would lose my deposit since you could've hired another client that day. In this case, a shelter-in-place order plus the venue closing prevented you from rendering a service. You physically could not render your services that day to me or to anyone else. With only a the term "nonrefundable" deposit to secure a date (a date non-essential businesses could not work) and no contract, I shouldn't have to plead for a...

Reveal did such a fantastic job with my wedding hair and make-up. I showed just a few photos and described the overall “vibe” of what I wanted, and Zoe just nailed it right from the start. She was sweet and fun, and I really enjoyed her being a part of my big day. She gave the perfect amount of “hold” to my hair—it relaxed and looked just how I wanted it to from ceremony to send-off.

Raven was phenomenal as well. She had such a calming presence and really listened and thought about what I wanted. So much so that she convinced me to change my mind from airbrush to normal foundation so my natural skin could shine through to achieve the more relaxed look that I was going for.

Logistically, everything was super smooth. Zoe and Raven were punctual and worked at a natural pace, taking just the right amount of time. I was able to pay and tip online, which I appreciated, as I was already taking out so much cash to tip other vendors.

Overall, I’m very happy with Reveal, and would definitely recommend them (especially Zoe and Raven!) for your wedding hair and make-up. The price is worth it, and I personally recommend paying the extra $$ for the trial. I was able to tell Zoe that my hair held the curl really well so we went a little looser the day-of, and I was able to tell Raven that I wanted a little less setting powder on my under eyes because it dried them out a bit. Little things like that that are personal to you are good to know so you can perfect things on the day-of. Of course, I’m sure they could have made those changes the day-of, but there is enough to stress about that day. It was worth the extra money to me to have the peace of mind that I knew I would...