Hair done by Madame Maharaj. For my sister's wedding we selected Madame Maharaj School of Cosmetology for their Makeup and Hair 'expertise' after reading all the good reviews about them. We assumed they were quite simply the best and went ahead with paying for their services upfront since they request a $500 deposit to book the date which we did months in advance, payment for makeup trial for the bride (I find this should be free) and the full amount for hair and makeup for everyone before it's even done (I still don't understand this. Why not just 50% until completion?) Since I like my hair straight I asked for a simple straightening of hair and they suggested a little curl to the front to make it stand out a bit. I made sure that my hair did not get wet before or during the ceremony. However it must have been expected that I would sweat since that is, of course, a natural occurrence. The 'curl' dropped every five minutes. I asked them to redo it at least three times. It still fell flat after that. The frizz you see in this picture was taken five hours after my hair was 'done'. My hair frizzed out within an hour of them being finished. Note that a regular hairdresser in St. Helena Village, Piarco straightened my hair on Friday and that lasted beautifully until Saturday. cheap summer wedding dresses
In addition, before my makeup was done, I was asked what type of skin I have. I have very oily skin which I explained in much detail and expected that Aruna Maharaj (the makeup artiste) would use appropriate products. Within an hour of having my makeup done, my face was visibly oily. I complained and had it touched up which I had to do for the entire day. I stated that I had my face done by another makeup artiste on Friday and Saturday where I sweated profusely and didn't have to touch up my face at all. Even my clothes were soaked and my face remained fine! She then responded by saying that she believes she used the wrong type of makeup on my face and should have used something more suitable for the climate in Trinidad and for my skin type. My eyeliner was also unevenly placed on my eyelids. I hated how my hair and makeup looked for the wedding day and I had such a beautiful outfit, I expected so much better from a company that swears on being a 5-star brand.
I won't go into what my mother's full make up looked like because I don't feel like cursing on this post. Her eyeliner was applied as if a two year old did it and the eye makeup itself was SO basic. The excuse I received was because my mother's skin is aged, the very lightly and smudged pencilled eyeliner was the best choice. It looked horrible. I immediately asked for them to put the liquid eyeliner and a set of lashes which immediately boosted her makeup and brightened her face. Why did I have to ask for them to do THEIR job? Surely, they should know what would highlight the features of each person's face?
As for the bride, whilst the eye makeup was decent, the foundation coverage that was applied was nothing short of embarassing. Her birthmark which she prefers hidden when having her makeup done was showing in patches. I think at one point she was crying and so upset about the way they tied her yellow saree. Yes we also paid them to do her dressing. They had to retie it twice or was it three times? Luckily she's beautiful and the saree material was perfect so any flaws in how it was draped was overshadowed.
I am MOST displeased by the work done by this clearly overrated makeup artiste franchise whose brand manager eagerly boasts in them having over 35 years experience. Is it that they do different work for different clients? Or is it that people don't speak up? They were very pleasant to us on the day of the wedding and that's the only reason I'd rate them 1-star. But I do not recommend them to anyone and if you do choose them I hope your experience is different to mine. Madame Maharaj School of Cosmetology, Hair Salon & Bridal Services