Natalya Diamond Freelance Make Up Artist

Natalya was the only negative experience we had with a vendor in planning our wedding. Her reviews looked good and her prices were reasonable, so I thought she would be a good fit. The original plan was to have her do hair and makeup for six of us (bride, bridesmaids, and mothers). I opted to do a paid hair trial at her home out in Gaithersburg, MD, and I'm glad that I did. Her studio was a dark room in her house and did not feel as professional as going to a salon would have been. She spent the first 20 minutes sitting across from me, interview style, asking about my desired look. During that conversation, she strongly recommended that I try hair extensions, saying that my hair lacked volume, and while I was hesitant to use them, I agreed. She also explained her opinions about appropriate wedding looks and referred to herself an artist. I asked to have my hair down but she insisted that my hair be clipped in some way. I deferred to her judgement. The style was heavily hair sprayed and felt too overdone for my taste. The extensions were unconformable and looked unnatural. After the trial, I decided I wanted to go with a simpler hairstyle for my wedding and planned to get a haircut and do a blowout at a salon. I still wanted Natalya to do hair for everyone else and makeup for all of us. I called Natalya to explain what I had in mind and if she was still available. She immediately became rude and patronizing. She told me she had a vision that I didn’t understand and blamed me for only doing a hair trial and not hair and makeup. She told me she was speechless, didn't know what to say, and that I would regret my wedding photos in 20 years if I proceeded with my plan (yes, she actually said that!). She told me she wanted to be proud of her work, implying that she would rather give up $700+ in business because she disagreed with my vision for my wedding. She ended the call by saying “you need to email me with what you decide…and the deadline is tomorrow” and then hung up on me. During that call, I almost cried because I felt so belittled and insulted. I returned Natalya's extensions in the mail, and instead decided to work with Pins-n-Brushes for my wedding day. They were AWESOME and so professional. My look was exactly what I had in mind and did not feel like someone else's vision. I'm so grateful I did my trial with Natalya and did not decide to hire her on the spot!