Ruby Makeup Academy

If I could put no stars I would! This place is a joke and just want your money! I have tried several times to get my money back. I moved away and could not attend this school. I paid $ 200 dollars after my non-​refundable deposit and all I do is get the run around! Tell me they will call me back or I have to leave a message because everyone is always busy. It’s nothing but a scam stay away!

If you’re a WOC do yourself a favor and just don’t do it. This school lacks in a lot of categories. Professionalism being one. I had to contact the DA — Conflict Resolution Jurisdiction to get $ 100 that I OVERPAID that was promised to be refunded the week before school started. I didn’t get it until almost 2 months after I graduated. Brenda is an amazing teacher! I feel as though she can go very far! I think she is much more than RMA but contractually she is bound. She is just about the only positive light about the place. But she started at Ruby, her story is amazing! So confident and empowering! If you take the risk it might be ok for you, it might not. I’m basing it off my experience. I feel as though RMA embraces the Latino community only! Look at their IG. They have students that are different races… You just don’t know. That’s their market and that’s fine but sheesh… A little diversity would be nice. Your certificate from this school means shit. Great for discounts tho! People look at you crazy when you say you graduated from here! It’s about your talent but save yourself the money & the hassle. Brenda pushes you to your limits! Challenges you and makes learning fun! Always has great stories! Very positive! Yadi and Hanan are amazing and kind as well. The Branch Manager Alex, unprofessional AF, brags about Deysi being her bestie, and avoids calls. Your little morphe Kit they promise, you can buy that yourself! Take some classes get a Cosmo license! If you love the field, you’ll do whatever it takes to do it. I put myself through hell but I told myself I would finish! I learned so much not only about makeup but about myself and the people in this business! I never regret any experiences but Lord have mercy was I happy to wash my hands with this! can’t wait til I pay this loan off and I’m really done! Ruby should put more effort into the professional rapport of her establishment other than what work she has done in the field! Because it should start at the academy. It seems like all you care about is the money from these students to feed your pockets and the pockets of your minions on payroll!

My instructor Brenda was cool. The problem I had is that they promise you all these cool jobs once you graduate they show you all the jobs they have offered and celebs that rubyacademy students have worked on. It all seems great but in reality all those cool awesome gigs are all only offered and taken by the actual instructors and friends of the instructors. They offer only trade for print jobs that no one really wants. They say the practice is good but 1 year out of there and they have yet to offer any cool or paid jobs. So If I would have to do it over I would never have gone there. It’s all favoritism there.

I just graduated the Pro Makeup Artistry course. I really enjoyed it and learned so much. From the start my counselor Yurika was so welcoming. My Teaches Ms. Brenda and Ms. Jessica were awesome and taught me so much. I’m looking forward to taking the FX class next!

So as a student I signed up back in November of 2012, paid my tuition in full on a specialty package for the mastery program coming to $ 10,745. It’s now 2015 & I have to show a certificate for basic beauty & air brush. Not sure if the course was called basic beauty but it was literally just that, they never called me to tell me when classes started & after years of frustration I finally took the steps to get a refund which is even more frustrating because the process is BULL. Email Edna. Email Deysi. Email Vanessa & no one can still manage to contact me back. SO NOT WORTH THE MONEY OR TIME SPENT. Do yourself a favor & find a school that actually provides a cosmetology license & not a certificate that looks like it belongs on your refrigerator

I just want to say after writing my review I was contacted and reimbursed my $ 100 deposit. I want to thank Ruby Makeup Academy for following up with me and being courteous enough and professional enough to do that for me. That’s good business.

West Covina location is amazing!!! Michelle with her purple hair is helpful, funny and professional! I am almost done with my makeup course and I have learned so much. Thanks Renee and Mitchelle… You guys rock!

So I graduated in March of last year at the north hollywood location n seriously if u r looking for a makeup school to go to go to lilits makeup studio in g dale that’s the best. So I went for the 12 week course n seriously I learned nothing waist of 3k I learned stuff I already know witch was smokey eye, wing liner n all
The kit that they promised u was the lamest kit ever till this day on I have not used it because after switching some of the stuff they gave me never will I use it on a client. They have also said they will help u find jobs after u graduate I don’t see any jobs looking at what I learned at this school hell no NOT WORTH IT OR YOUR MONEY I have 4 friends that came here n that regretted coming to this school. All the people that went to lilits makeup studio all have there own business n high end jobs now as makeup artists. Don’t go to this school plus there location is so low key I went the first day n looked up n down though I was going to get killed in one of the roomes Looked scary
(I don’t want no one contacting me about this review from rubys)

I’m a ruby grad and all I have to say is they don’t give much of a chance to do internships. Some internships say for grads only but then you find out that students get them just because they call and bug the person in charge of the internships. Not upset at the hustle but just disappointed tht they aren’t giving other grads not just myself but other girls a chance to better themselves. Would have liked if then keep a better record of that.

this review is a long time coming …
the «business» is a joke and the owner is a thief. can’t believe how many young girls fall for these school/​classes | all they do is take your money | if you want to be taught I suggest you go to a professional and well known school!!!
AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID
one free campus tour wtf. what school charges you for a tour ???
oh and by campus she really means a room in a run down building lol

Never took a class or got a tour. I went to an event here about make up. To start off their bathroom door should be fixed. I almost peed on myself should of wore diapers… The rooms inside looks nice I would like to attend here but The people that work here threw me off. The people that work here just stare at you like you smell. all us women or girls come here to learn make up or discover ourself. Don’t judge like you’re better. You guys should take manners 101 learn a thing or two. And last but not least I asked the lady in front desk I’m having trouble with the bathroom door. She tells me are you sure you tried. Um ?? Yea for 10 min And when I saw her outside looking at me struggling She walked away I gave up and left. If that’s how you treat people then I don’t wanna know how the academy treats the students here.

I am a former graduate of RMA, and I have to first start off by saying DONT DO IT!
It was a waste of 3k+. (the paper says 2,500 NO! they add fees that add another 600+) I had attended the smokey eye demo a year prior to actually taking the classes. They had promised I would get discounts on EVERY (their exact words) type makeup brands, yes namebrand as well. Not once did they mention that you have to actually apply and pay for most. Yes, I do admit maybe I should have looked up how to get pro discounts but I honestly thought that you would get some short of card that gives you access to these types of discounts. Anyways moving on, I began classes June 2013. Since the first day there was something about it I knew it was going to be a waste of time, however I didn’t give up because to myself I thought it might just be this one class. The bad thing is that you have to decide after the first class if you want to keep going for a full money back (I had gave half down already). My teacher was Brenda, and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about her person but it was at the time where she was leaving for Greece and she was in her own world. I didn’t feel as though she was fully into the class. She would start talking to her co-​teacher Nicole about what she was going to do while she was there, how much money the trip was going to cost, etc. Instead of walking around the class asking if we needed help, we would literally have to stop her from talking and ask her to come. Another thing she would do was apply makeup on herself while we were «practicing on each other». At graduation they pretty much just hand you an envelope with a few (3) pro discount fillouts, don’t even explain anything! Oh and the kit you get after you pay your dues off is ok. Nothing about it was amazing. It was almost like dollar store products. I went in the day after graduation to ask about the paperwork they had given us, the front desk little Asian girls response was «well you cant have everything done for you, you have to do it yourself». she was lucky im not ghetto and slapped the shit out of her! So after everything I spoke to one of the reps there and I told her about how unhappy I was after taking the class, she offered me to take the class at the North Hollywood RMA and although I did think the teacher there was more into the class, I didn’t however feel it was worth driving completely out of my way, still not worth it. I had signed up for there hair class with the hopes it wouldn’t be as the MU class was. I had put $ 100 to reserve my spot in the class. They canceled the day of! I asked for my money back and they said no it was part of the policy, I told them but its not my fault you guys canceled! they said I could take the class at another time. I didn’t want to because I had signed up at April Loves Academy, which by the way I LOVED! I wish I would have taken my makeup class there!!!
so long story sum up. I still have $ 100 pending at Rubys but I don’t plan on taking anything there! Ladies in all honesty if you are looking for a school that would lead to a career, invest you money somewhere else. Everything I so called «learned» here where things I had seen on youtube!
The reason I did this review so late after graduating is because I have a friend who is currently in rolled at MUD and she is so happy and has learned so much! And i also had a great experience at another makeup school, although i didnt take the makeup course i did enjoy the class i took. It is more money but in the end its the quality and quantity of what she is learning that is worth it.
PS! not once did «Ruby» go to the classes I was in. HA!

I am a recent graduate of Ruby makeup academy and I have to say that I loveeeed it! It was such a great experience and learned alot. I had 2 instructors which were Brenda and Kristen… Brenda really nows what she’s doing and if u guys get the chance I suggest to try one of her classes there amazingggg and full of fun! I got to meet ruby and I have to say she’s an amazing woman herself and I feel real good to have invested in a business like hers. Thank you so much ruby makeup academy for all your help!
Lady’s don’t hesitate and call now to enroll :) I’m not even an employee and try a recruit hahah!
Here’s a little picture of my work for my graduation look :)

The instructors are amazing! Ive learned so much especially with highlighting and contouring ! Hanans an awesome counselor too! she advised me about all the courses i needed she helped me with payment plans, worked with my credit, go to her she always adds extras, and helps get you internships to work with ruby the owner on sets. and makes sure you’re well taken care of and your experience is perfect! Just walk in and you wont be disappointed

Note: I did not attend Ruby’s Academy, but would like to leave a review regarding my experience with them.
I came across their booth while shopping at the Santa Anita mall. They offered a free mini-​makeover, which I declined. However, since the girls there seem really nice, I figured they can help answer a question or two I had about my eyebrows. Next, they offered to demonstrate an easy fix and asked that I take a seat in their chair. I reluctantly obliged as I never like to try on make up that’s available for public use. While I was sitting there, I was handed a sign-​in sheet (name, phone #, and email) attached to a clipboard. I filled it out thinking nothing of it and after the demonstration, I went on my merry way.
Two weeks later, I get a phone call from Michelle. They did a raffle with the sign in sheet, and I happened to be selected as the winner, but I must pick it up the next day between 10 am-​6 pm in Temple City, not at the mall where I originally saw them. Due to my situation, I was allowed to send someone in my place to pick it up. Prior to inconveniencing another person, I want to make sure it was worth the drive over so I asked Michelle what I had won (eye shadows, lip stick, etc…). She said it was a make-​up gift basket with a bunch of items, and if I cannot make it by their deadline, it would be given to the next runner up. Here I am, making pick up arrangements, excited that I won a gift basket full of make up goodies, only to be disappointed in the end.
This make-​up filled basket was actually just a small plastic baggy with 3 items: a DRIED UP lip gloss, hideous shimmery purple lipstick, and lavender eye liner. I’m sure these goody bags are given away all the time. The person I sent to pick up the gift was then indirectly obligated to take a tour of their school, and they sent her home with a folder with pages and pages of marketing materials/​pricing for their academy. I got more paperwork and enrollment information than make-​up. I know I probably shouldn’t expect much because it was free, but Michelle made it seem like it was worth the gas and time to drive out there when it really wasn’t.
If they wanted to promote their class enrollment, they should’ve been up front about it. I was not, am not, and will not be interested in attending make up school. After winning the «gift basket», my experience with Ruby’s has left a sour taste in my mouth. This company is trying too hard to recruit students and they’re pretty cunning about it, too.
P. S. I’ve already tossed out the free make-​up

I just graduated from Ruby and I have to say, I loved my experience going and learning here. My instructor Aurora was awesome and taught me SO much! I definitely left here feeling like I learned a lot, even having practiced makeup artistry before attending here.
PROS: You learn so much! I came into the classroom with a decent amount of knowledge about makeup but left with MUCH more. You also get to practice plenty on other students. The class is very hands on and fun; I learned plenty of new techniques. I looked forward to coming to class every week. :)
CONS: Do not expect to be working with strictly MAC/​MUFE or big brand products. In the classroom there are MAC & MUFE products available but there are also a lot of no name cosmetics. I was also told that my kit would include MAC or MUFE but most of my kit included a brand I’ve never heard of and absolutely none of it was MAC or MUFE. :l
My only true complaint is my makeup kit. I was expecting more and was a little disappointed but I guess I’ll have to suck it up and build on my kit myself.
Other than that, my experience at Ruby was wonderful. The staff is extremely kind and helpful and all of the instructors I’ve encountered genuinely care about their students and are very inspirational and motivational. :)
I would definitely recommend the Pro MUA course to anyone who is currently practicing makeup and would like to learn more & refine their skills or anyone that would like to step up and do more with their current knowledge.
I would NOT recommend the course if you are someone that does not know how to use makeup whatsoever; the course is very fast paced and may become a bit of a struggle if you are completely inexperienced.
The course is what you make of it. If you stay inspired and work hard and practice often you’ll definitely leave the classroom with so much knowledge and you’ll definitely continue to improve as a makeup artist. If you sit there and don’t take it seriously you’ll most likely leave with little to nothing.
I myself felt that I’ve improved SO much as a makeup artist and I’m glad to have graduated here :) I will definitely be taking more classes!

My time I spent at Rubys was almost great until the end. My instructor Aurora was great. She’s the best instructor the school has! The education part of the school was great. The fact you could pay as you go was the thing that made me sign up. I feel my experience was a little racially bias. I found myself in more than one discriminatory events. My first encounter was during a lab hour. I was practicing my makeup downstairs in room B and was told to move upstairs. Which initially wasn’t a problem because they were having a open house the following day. But what was said to me was appalling. The receptionist asked me «oh there worried about you stealing the makeup» «they don’t want anything to come up missing so make sure u put everything back». At this time I have my models face half done I just wanted to finish and leave. So the receptionist goes downstairs. And some lady comes out the back office gets water and go backs to her office next thing I know the receptionist comes upstairs and pretends as if she’s getting something but I noticed her watching me! I packed my stuff up put all the stuff downstairs and left. I was fed up. A week later was my graduation I went home and I opened my kit and was greatly disappointed. Everyone posted pics of a completely different kit. I got half of what everyone else did. Which wasn’t fair. Recently a couple of the girls in my class got free classes for enrolling I wasn’t offered this class. I called and they gave me some bs story. I even emailed my counselor she never replied back. Ruby academy is not the best as in making accommodations for people. If your considering this school DON’T. Go to JLS or MUD. You pay more but you’ll have a great experience and get great kits. I hope this helps you.

I’ve had such a bad experience with this school. Thank goodness I had good teachers who taught me the correct curriculum, otherwise this would have truly been a waste of my money.
So, I previously posted a negative review and was called by my former teacher right after. She said, she was trying to get a promotion and if I take down the review it’d help her a lot and she’d guarantee me a free class. Reluctantly, I removed my review to help her and for the free class.
I called to follow up on the class a few weeks later and turns out she wasn’t even with the company any more. When I tried to speak with someone at the school about it, they said they’d get back to me. They NEVER got back to me. I feel so jipped. Like my kindness was taken advantage of.
I took down my honest review for nothing, so here it is… for anyone interested in going to Ruby Makeup Academy. Don’t do it! Trust me, I went here. I did the 12 makeup artist course. During the 12 weeks, instead of having one teacher, I had four different instructors. The staff never had the courtesy to let me know ahead of time. I would literally show up and have a different teacher. Really inconsistent.
The kit I got was WHACK! I feel so manipulated because I was «promised» a better kit when I signed up. I didn’t even get a rolling case. I got a tote bag. Talk about ghetto. What kinda pro shows up to a job with a grocery looking tote bag?
I won first place in our final, a fantasy competition, and was promised a free spray tanning class. They gave me the run around for the looooongest. I’m talking months. Which is what led me to post my original review. It was until I posted my first negative review that they finally called me to schedule the class I was entitled to from the beginning. Honestly, by the time it was time for the class, I told them to not bother to sign me up. I was so fed up with their rude crazy staff, and the BS.
I was reluctant to call about the fantasy class my former instructor promised but thought I should just to get it out of the way. NEVER got called back!
I hate to talk smack about anyone in the makeup industry, because as an artist I feel it’s important we support each other, network, have each others backs. But Ruby makeup academy is seriously just out to make a quick buck, not to educate. That’s the first hand experience they gave me. If you’re on the fence about signing up, take it from a student who was promised the world and got… really disappointed. The experience with them left me feeling like they only care about my money, and like they don’t care about my education or success. That’s no way to run a school if you ask me. I seriously regret choosing them as an educator.
Great instructors. Horrible RUDE staff! BS policies. Whack kit. TERRIBLE experience. They had a $ 100 referral program when I signed up. Like if I refer a friend, I get $ 100. Idk if they still have it, but even if they didn’t, I STILL wouldn’t refer anyone here, even if they payed me!!!

Recently graduated and wished i had spend my 3grand elsewhere. My instructor had great personality and very likeable but i feel like Ruby should hire people that actually have the ability to teach, unfortunately not everyone has that. I did learn a few things i did not know already but i would recomment this school only if you REALLY don’t have a clue about makeup. A better route if you’re still young and have time is to apply at a makeup counter where the company usually sends the employees on trainings AND you get daily practice on customers. this was not an option for me as i already have a full time job. Another thing is to get everything that is promised to you in writing. the only reason i signed up for this school was to have a specific instructor and at the last minute she was switched out for another one. The class that is in my contract as part of a promo package when i signed on, hasn’t been given to me and i signed that contract sept 2012. I recently found out the class HAS been offered and those of us that had it as part of our package were never alerted. Other things have happened recently that have turned me completely off about this school. And i wonder why so many of the bad reviews have been filtered out by Unilocal?

Ruby Make up Academy overall was a convenient and affordable place to learn more about make-​up. Instructors are fun, energetic, and honest. I was very lucky to have signed up with Instructor Michelle Almanza and Assistant Richard Ezpinoza. Both made the class fun, interesting and share many tips about beauty. The Ruby family welcomes everyone and are always there for you.

RE: Ruby Makeup Academy in Upland California
this message is for Trish and Ruby,
i was so happy that i wanted to go to your school and when i went in there (Upland, Ca) they were so nice and helpful, Veronica was GREAT she explaned to me everything very well, she answered my questions very well and she sold me. i was planning to go there but when i had to contact AMERICA regading the loan, everything went down hill, she NEVER called back, i called and left messages and she called me back like 4 or 5 days later. she told me so many things that she changed my mind not to go there. that i had to put money down like $ 700 to $ 800 down. i was never told that. i could say that you need a better person that knows how to talk to people and friendly. she really dicourage me becuase of the experiance with her. i tried to see if you had a contact number or email on you website but there was none. so i decied to leave you two a message regarding about this. America from your financial department is bring your bussiness down. thank you for your time.

Rubys makeup academy is one of the top makeup schools around. It is affordable with out compromising GREAT education. All the teachers have extensive training and experience in the industry so you know your getting first hand knowledge and know how. Plus they have great intern opportunites that you should definitely take advantage of!

I love Ruby’s makeup academy! I went there as a model for Brenda Orduno (one of the hottest & best makeup artists in the business right now!). I’m not just saying that because she’s a friend, but honestly, she’s the best I know. Not to mention she’s worked with celebrities already* Back to my experience at Ruby’s. The environment was really friendly and comfortable. Ruby was even there to help anyone with questions and to give friendly pointers. Everyone had their own stations so it was really spacious and organized. Music was playing in the background and it was a very relaxed and fun environment. I know they have classes on how to improve how to do makeup just for yourself, and my experience here definitely makes me want to take some of these classes! All in all, people are WONDERFUL, environment is fabulous and I love it!

Being a Ruby Alumni I can tell you that it is a wonderful place to learn, discover, and create your makeup design techniques.

I HIGHLY recommend Ruby Makeup Academy! I just graduated and I learned a lot about makeup. I apply my makeup different and now can be creative. The hours for classes are convenient if you work day or night! They help you get started by internships and you get a makeup kit with products! They have other classes which I plan to take advantage of! The staff is awesome!!!