A-List Makeup

This review is delayed but I worked with Chau Nguyen for my wedding last August and after finally receiving the video I realized that the best thing about my whole wedding ensemble was my hair and makeup. She was incredibly easy to work with and very professional. She was very good at accentuating your features. I actually went to a trial to someone before her and she complained that my eyes were too big so she couldn’t work with it. The lashes she used were also great since I didn’t feel them the whole night.
The entire team she brought with her was so great that one of my bridesmaids is using her for her own wedding this year. She also worked very well with the videographer and the photographer. I would highly recommend her to everyone!

I was hesitant with the style of hair and makeup that I wanted and I trusted Nikki to do whatever she thought suited me. Nikki is Very talented and definitely knows what she is doing with make up and hair. My hair and makeup came out on point! She made me look like the best version of myself and did a lovely job on the whole bridal party. Her technique is very clean and she puts it on without ever hurting you or causing you discomfort. I was surprised she was able to put on fake eyelashes on me without my eyes twitching crazily! She’s a pro! Her hairstyles are very detailed and elaborate. I love that it lasts the whole day even after an entire night of dancing! Nikki is very sweet and easy going in person. I absolutely loved her works. I strongly recommend Nikki to anyone I know. Thank you Nikki!

This is a review for Kathleen (Kat) Tinney.
Kat did a fantastic job for both my makeup and hair for my wedding day. This review is for both the makeup trial as well as the day of the wedding.
Pre-​consultation:
Kat was prompt in emailing me after my initial general inquiry to A-​list. It was easy to access her portfolio, and I liked that she had a number of examples with beautiful natural looking makeup, as well as great hair – she has a natural softness and style to the hair in her photos which is harder to find. She requested some examples of hair and makeup styles that I liked and reviewed them before the trial.
Makeup trial:
Kat came to my place to do the trial and brought everything that she needed, including a chair. She listened to my requests and adapted quickly (request for airbrushed makeup, hair style, uncertain about whether or not I would have a veil) and prepped my makeup and hair to be ready for those changes. She was very easygoing and comfortable to work with, making the session fun and go by quickly! She also listened to my request to hold off posting any pictures online until the wedding day. I left the hair and makeup on the rest of the day, and it was great and long-​lasting.
Wedding day:
Even though I changed the location of getting ready a few days before, Kat was there on time and the schedule went really smoothly. In addition, she remembered my requests from the trial and even fixed my lashes to be more comfortable for the wedding day. She even gave me a little bit of lip color for touch ups later in the day. Kat also was careful to see how the makeup looked under natural light during the session and made sure that everything was perfect.
I also strongly recommend both Jessie (who supported Kat on our wedding day) and Angela Dinh. Jessie made my mom feel beautiful! Angela was great with makeup and communication – she prepped for the day by evaluating photos of styles from my girlfriends – their makeup looked fantastic.
I would highly recommend Kat & A-​List to anyone, it was a wonderful experience.

I found A-​List Makeup during my search for makeup artists for my wedding and I am so glad I did.
The process is so smart, simple, and efficient. You email them with your date and then individual makeup artists email you back with their availability and links to their portfolio and if you find a match, you book the date.
I worked with Ann (the owner) for hair and makeup for my wedding and was extremely thrilled with the result. If you’re like me, your wedding day is probably the only day that you will ever be this dressed up so hire A-​List Makeup and you will look beautiful!

I was looking for someone to do my wedding make-​up and hair. I found A-​List Makeup through Unilocal.After getting many responses from available artists for my wedding date. I decided to go with Hoang. Hoang, really knew how to transform my everyday plain look to wedding day picture ready! I met with her first for a hair and makeup trial to go over different looks and she suggested I come back again for another hair trial when my hair grows out for my desired half up and half down look. I can tell Hoang takes pride in her work and she wants to make all of her clients happy. She doesn’t rush for time and is more then happy to try different styles and go with client preferences. I was lucky to book her, as she’s quickly being reserved for appointments. She’s really sweet and responds quickly to emails.
I also needed another artist for my bridesmaids makeup and she was able to get another A list makeup artist, Nikki to help for my big day. All my bridesmaids were really impressed and felt beautiful after she was done doing their faces. All of our makeup stayed on for the whole day and evening.
A list is great because you can find an artist to fit your budget and there’s so many talented makeup artists to choose from. When I need professional makeup, I know who to contact! Thanks again Hoang and Nikki!

I got the chance to work with Kat Tinney the other day and again, had a WONDERFUL experience with another A-​List artist. I was thinking about doing a dark smokey eye with mauve-​y lips and big, loose sexy curls. Kat totally delivered — everything ended up exactly how I pictured. She is sooooo good with asian eyes!
Total time to complete hair and makeup took about 2 hours — right on time for my shoot. This time passed by so quick too, because kat is such an easy person to talk to!
Would definitely recommend Kat and other A list artists!

Review for LilyAnn!
LilyAnn is awesome, she is so busy yet she will make whatever time is needed for you in her schedule to feel comfortable with your look. She follows up in huge details, is very punctual-​always on time (or early) and can even help you if you aren’t sure what exactly you want !! (which was my case)
I booked LilyAnn on recommendations from one of my other bridesmaids and had met her 9 months earlier during my friends wedding preps. She is so patient and friendly and i knew i wanted to book her for my wedding to come.
She takes her time during the trial to make sure that you are satisfied with your look and comfortable come the day of the wedding. She is very understanding and you just need to let her know how you feel! I didn’t want heavy make up and wanted it to look really natural and i loved how my make up turned out the day of! I didn’t retouch it once after 12pm, lasted all the way through the night!
Not only with my make up, but i got SO many compliments on my hair and i loved it.
I was worried about the volume in my hair and it turned out SO beautiful.
Book LilyAnn for your wedding! she is so passionate about what she does and you will enjoy having her by your side and listening to her recommendations (if you need any!!)
Thank you so much LilyAnn!!!

*This review is for Nikki*
I had my trial with Nikki and she did a fantastic job with my makeup. She took her time with me and asked my opinion every step of the way. She did my eyes slightly different and asked which one I liked more and then altered them to look amazing and the same (obviously). She explained why she was doing what she was doing and gave me her professional opinion. I ended up booking her right away because I knew that I wanted her to be a part of my big day! AMAZING job– honestly. I had 2 other trials before her and they were both very unsuccessful.

Nikki is crazy professional! One of my good friends told me about A-​List and said that I had to try them out. I booked them to do my hair and makeup for a photoshoot I was taking part in.
The communication through email and phone were both fantastic. Super easy to work with, very friendly, and most importantly she’s a damn pro! I had a lot of fun testing out all the different shades of (what I assume is) expensive makeup that I could never afford.
My hair looked and felt amazing after as well. It had way more body to it than I have ever been able to achieve by just using volumizing shampoo. She even cleaned up my eyebrows and curled my lashes. They looked pretty good even without extensions. I’m sure all of the artists here are great, but Nikki gets five stars from me. The advice and beauty tips alone were worth it.

**Review for Chau and Phoung**
I highly recommend Chau as a hair/​makeup artist! Chau did my hair and make up for my wedding in Burlingame on 10÷31÷15. The highlights:
*Working with her was very easy. She communicates promptly and effectively. No surprises. She is also has an easy-​going and fun personality, which is a huge plus on your wedding day when things can be stressful. She is a true professional and I immediately felt at ease that I was in good hands with whatever she would do.
*I LOVED my hair and make up on my wedding — even better than my trial!!! The make up stayed put all day (despite happy tears!). I was particularly worried for my curls (I did a half-​up/​half-​down with curls) but it stayed put all day and night long. Chau takes her time with you but is also very efficient. I felt like like she made me a better version of myself, glamorous but natural at the same time!
*Phoung, her assistant, was also really awesome. Phoung worked on my 2 bridesmaids + mother-​in-​law (H+M/U), Grandma (hair only). Sometimes the assistant artists are not on-​par with the main one, but I thought Phoung’s work was excellent, as good as what Chau did with me and my Maid of Honor. Everyone in my bridal party was very pleased with all the work done.
Thank you Chau and Phoung!

This Review is for LilyAnn!
From the moment I started working with LilyAnn, I felt like I was working with a friend. She is very prompt with her emails despite having a full time corporate job, planning her own wedding this coming November, and doing hair and makeup on the side! LilyAnn is very professional and yet warm and friendly.
I booked LilyAnn to do my hair and makeup for my Wedding, and not once was I stressed or worried about how my look will turn out. I sent her pictures of how I wanted for my hair and makeup to look and during our trial, she tried several different looks until I was happy with the result. She gave me the soft smoky eye look that I wanted, and she is a pro with highlight! My face gets greasy VERY easily, and I probably only had to touch up my makeup once with a little tiny bit of powder on the night of my wedding. I was so pleased and got compliments all night, prob the most glam I have ever been in my life :)
On the day of the wedding, LilyAnn focused on me, and brought 2 assistants (I’m sorry I forgot their names!) who were also AMAZING. They worked on 4 bridesmaids, 2 mothers, and 1 flower girl. Everyone was SO happy with the result, and they had everyone done up quickly! I was so impressed. They were even able to achieve to give my mother thin, limped hair so much volume and life in and undo! LilyAnn also stayed behind our scheduled time since the photographer was running late so that I could get some «getting ready» pics. She is such a sweetheart!
If you are looking for someone to do you hair and makeup for ANY occasion, I would not hesitate to book LilyAnn! It’s obvious how much she loves and enjoys her job. I promise you won’t regret hiring her!

Chau Nguyen was my make-​up artist and hair stylist for my Engagement pictures and Wedding Day. From day 1, Chau was very responsive to my text and email inquiries. I had all the make-​up and side buns/​updos/​types of curls on Pinterest and she used the photos as inspiration and gave suggestions on what worked for me specifically. I used our trial session as my engagement photo session hair + make-​up. We tried on 3 different hair styles and she worked on various techniques with my make-​up including airbrush. I have to praise Chau for her technique with the eyes combined with double lashes that made my eyes bigger and draw attention. On my wedding day, Chau concentrated on me while two assistants Phuong and Hanh, worked on my 4 bridesmaids and my Mom. They were on time early in the morning and got started to work right away. The team worked smoothly together and everything was on schedule. I had arranged for Chau to come back for my touch-​up in the evening and redo my hair. She was on time promptly as well. I respect her for respecting time because it is so important on the wedding day to be on time in order for events to flow. Even though I did not hire her to touch-​up on my bridesmaids, she did not hesitate to do more work and even touched up on all my bridesmaids. And that is the type of person Chau is, she goes above and beyond your expectation and is very passionate about her job. I highly recommend Chau if you want your hair and make-​up to be flawless!
Thank-​you Chau for being phenomenal. I am one lucky bride to have found you!

I feel so lucky to have met and worked with Hoang Nguyen for my wedding day. Since this was the first time I had ever gotten my makeup professionally done I was a bit nervous and didnt really know what to expect. I really appreciated the fact that she was prompt in responding to my e-​mails as it made me feel as though I were a valued client even though I did not get to book a makeup trial with her.
She was early to our appointment (4:45 a. m!!!) and got to work right away as she knew I had to get to the City for my nuptials. She made me feel at ease and listened to my concerns during the makeover process. Not only did she do a phenomenal job with my makeup but I had the privilege of getting my hair done as well. She is truly talented and I would recommend her to my friends and family who are looking for a professional makeup and hair artist for any special occasion. Thanks again, Hoang!

Jessie Nguyen was the makeup artist and hair stylist for my wedding, and she did an amazing job! I loved my makeup– it was natural, beautiful, and stayed flawless throughout the morning photos, afternoon ceremony, and evening reception. Even when I finally slept way past midnight, not one eyelash was out of place, and this being after I had tearful bursts throughout the entire day.
My hairstyle was also exactly what I wanted– soft, romantic curls pulled halfway up. She studied my hair texture and facial structure, and applied her experience to suggest styles that would fit me best. Trust her– she is a professional!
Jessie and I met at the trial hair and makeup session before my engagement shoot. I can’t sing enough praises about her. She is incredibly kind, punctual, and thoughtful. She will send you out there looking nothing less than perfection. I would choose Jessie again and again :)

This is a company I have been dying to try. I had them book marked when I first got engaged– but I went with a local service in Monterey, CA when I got married… FINALLY! Got a chance to check these ladies out.
HUGE UP to Kat Tinney. She did a fabulous job on the bridal party.
Note about A-​List Make Up. you send your email/​inquiry to a general account and 10 – 12 independent make up artists will contact you via email or text message. They are various prices. Do not get overwhelmed!
Back to Kat–
Make Up (including lips) and hair stayed for over 12 hours. I got my make up and hair done by 11:30AM. I got to my friends house around 12:30 AM the next morning. it was like I just got did… Kat was quick and efficient. She listened to concerns hair length etc. and totally pulled off seamless looks for all of the girls in our party. She was able to incorporate a hair piece requirement with ease. We all looked flawless– blemishes etc. vanished under her hands.
We all thought in light of it being super hot the make up was going to sweat off. but despite heat and later our dancing… smudge proof. stayed yes. The make up and lashes came off with a few washes and wipes of cleansing cloths/​make up removal stuff.
3 Hair and makes ups, 1 make up and 1 hair were done between 11:30 and 2:30… super impressed and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND KAT!
will be using the service again in the future!

If you are looking for a make up artist, book Nikki. She is wonderful! When I first met her, I knew right away she would be fun to work with. I’m pretty easy going, and not much of a make up girl. But she made me feel at ease and helped me feel comfortable in many shades. I brought my Maid of Honor with me for a make up trial as she would probably working close with her the day of. They got along well and my MOH praised her! Nikki gave me honest opinions and tried many styles with me. From dark, to light make up, to airbrush, to full lashes, to few. She did it all! She by far exceeded my expectations. All of my bridesmaids loved their make up too!
Also, Nikki does hair– which i did not book her for as I already had a hair stylist. however, if I did not, I would have booked her!
Nikki was very responsive and easy to contact. I would book her again for another event and will recommend her to all I know. She is a professional and has talents!!! I loved her! I had a pretty big bridal party, and she brought Jessie with her. Jessie is wonderful too! :)

Nikki did my hair and makeup for my dam hoi (engagement party) on 8÷8÷2015. She made me look beautiful (so I was told =D). We first did a trial run a few days before and she was able to do the same makeup on my day of my engagement. She did a smoky eye look for me, but using Browns. She also made my eyelids look bigger by placing fake eyelashes at a certain area on my eyelash line. It made my eyes look so different… I loved it!
As for my hair, she curled my locks and volumized my hair. She also added in some clip on hair to make it more even and longer. It blended with my real hair quite nicely. She kinda pulled my hair half back and I brought a hair pin, which she added onto the back of my hair, and made the whole look perfect.
I absolutely loved the work she did on me. She’s truly a work of art. I will continue to go to her for all my beauty needs =) Thank you Nikki!
If you’re reading this, it’s not too late to book Nikki as your MUA for your next glam ;)

BIG SHOUT OUT TO Jessie (HOANG) & NIKKI! Hire them, you won’t be disappointed for sure!
I hired an amazing team for our wedding and am so happy I made the decisions I made.
First, let me talk about A-​List as an organization. Their system is amazing. I was in distressed trying to find a make-​up artist and I decided to send an inquiry to them. All of sudden, I got emails from a few artists available on that date with links to their portfolio. What an awesome system! After looking at a few, my friend Daisy helped me narrow it down to Jessie/​Kim (Hoang).
Jessie (Kim) responded quickly and cordially. We made an appointment to do a trial and she showed up on time, as promised. A little background, another artist not from A-​List, was an hour and half late for a trial I had before and it was stressful. Can I say Jessie has an amazing and positive personality. She made me feel at ease and it was like I was talking to an old friend. Not only that, her husband sounds like a lot like mine and we were able to connect on that regard.
After the trial, I loved how she kept me looking done up but still natural. I love both of the hair ideas she tried on me and it turned out perfect for both of my looks for the wedding. I posted a picture on Facebook and everyone loved her work.
During the time after our trial, she kept her promises, sent me documents, followed up with me, and kept in communication with me. It’s really important to me that I hired good people, and she is beyond good. She is extremely reliable. How reliable? She and her partner Nikki showed up on time, and she even showed up on time for my second look for the evening.
Nikki and Jessie made my girls happy! They all looked gorgeous. Best of all, she made me feel amazing. She did two completely different looks and it matched the venues and my dress so well. I got compliments all day!!! She is truly amazing and delivers beyond expectation.
Jessie, you are the best. If you’re reading this, I hope you know how happy I was that I was able to work with you! You are a pleasure to work with and you truly have an amazing personality.
Ladies — trust me, hire Jessie if you are looking for an artist. You won’t regret it. She’s amazing. Her work, her personality, and her professionalism is excellent.

This review is for Mindy Le, who did such an amazing job with my make-​up for my sister’s wedding, that I was lucky enough to have her available do my hair and make-​up again (as well as my sister’s) for my own wedding 3 weeks later!
I have far-​from-​perfect skin with sun spots and acne that make me very self-​conscious. I had a few DIY trials (trying to stay in low wedding budget), but my fiancé was very picky about me looking like I was wearing too much make-​up… but he LOVED Mindy’s work and so did I! I had great coverage morning through night, and my hair was exactly what I asked for. She takes her time, is detailed in her work, and was a pleasure to have as part of my wedding day. Mindy went above and beyond, from helping our mom try to put on her corsage on a difficult sheer fabric to keeping me calm when I needed to save my groom after he locked his keys in the car.
I also had Anna Wong do my hair for my sister’s wedding, and just like all reviews for the A-​List team, I had no complaints. It was exactly what I had envisioned and it stayed up all night!

I am so so so happy that I Unilocaled around shortly after getting engaged for hairstylist/​make up artists and came across A-​List. You ladies should have seen my Google Sheet with names, it was huge. I came across A-​List and emailed the main email address, Ann, the owner contacted me and wrote to all her artists if they would be willing to work in their SF studio location to reply back to me. Their SF studio location is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, borderline DC and like Bayview/​HP area. I got a handful of emails back and looked at their portfolios and prices. A few days went by, and I still was bad and hadn’t followed up. LilyAnn, who was one of the first to email me followed up with me in a few days. I should have took that as a sign of this girl’s work ethic. LilyAnn is totally professional, organized, efficient, talented and just an overall pleasure to work with.
She is affordable but totally worth thousands of dollars! She made me up for my trial which I used for my engagement shoot, and came to my house to do so, as it’s more comfortable for the clients. In that time she was able to show me three different hair styles alongside with my makeup. She is also very responsive via email and text. And she put up with me having to change the number of services a couple times, due to my bridesmaids changing their minds to add on.
Come my wedding day last weekend, LilyAnn and her assistant Cathy arrived early to my hotel room, and even finished a little before the alotted time she gave, efficiency at its finest! LilyAnn dedicated all of her time to me, while Cathy worked on my four bridesmaids. They all LOVED their hair and makeup, and mind you, three of them barely ever wear makeup. She did a wonderful job with making them look glamorous yet, still natural enough.
I was so in love with my glamorous lashes, flawless looking skin, perfectly done brows, sculpted cheeks, smokey eyes and sexy lip. And of course, we can’t forget about the gorgeous romantic updo that she made adjustments to (from the original trial after seeing my Vera Wang). I just have to point out too, that you probably will be scatterbrained (and possibly your bridal party too) on the day of. I completely forgot to ask her about the veil before she left (as I was taking a few pics in my bridal tank and sweats before changing in the dress) and luckily she answered my man of honor’s call, pulled over, and FaceTimed us on how to put the veil on once I was fully dressed and after a few pictures were taken prior. Again, her customer service is top notch to match her work!
I told all my vendors that day that it’ll be weird not talking to them, after corresponding and working with them for quite some time. Feels like graduation day of college! But, LilyAnn is the one vendor I’ll probably miss the most. She is not only so talented but down to earth and fun to work with, she totally makes you forget about the 4 hours of time it takes to get ready. I already told her that I’d want her to do my makeup for a maternity shoot… wayyy down the line. You won’t regret reaching out to LilyAnn Nguyen if you are looking to be dolled up for your special day, engagement shoot, boudoir shoot, or any other special hair and makeup needs.