Ai Love Hair

Ai did the hair and makeup for my wedding and she was fantastic to work with. Before booking, I called a few places with good Unilocal reviews — Ai’s pricing was very reasonable and she has a studio in Manhattan so no need to commute far for trial. Having the experience of being a bridesmaid, I know good makeup artists get booked up rather quickly, so after exchanging a few emails I wanted to lock down the date right away — this was about 10 months before the wedding. Ai is very strict though, and would not confirm my booking without a trial and I couldn’t have a trial without her first seeing my wedding dress and veil for inspiration. So I had to hustle and get my dress (probably a good thing) before she would take me.
With her strict criteria for booking, I thought she would be mean and a little harsh but Ai was the total opposite. I think she’s just a perfectionist. My trial, 6 months before the wedding, was really fun and relaxed — we chatted about her latest trip to Peru and other places she wants to visit. Over the course of 3 – 4 hrs, she gave me two hair styles and two makeup looks based on my pintrest inspiration board. I picked the look I liked best and we were all set.
On the day of the wedding Ai and her assistant showed up 15mins early and were both super sweet. They even slotted in my cousin, who decided at the last min to come and get her hair done with us. Both my mom and my mother-​in-​law were running late to my apt and Ai was super patient while waiting for them. My sister and mom both loved the looks Ai created for them.
I think the only drawback with having a larger number of people getting hair/​makeup on the day of the wedding is that some will get Ai and some will get her assistant. My friend who ended up with the assistant doing her makeup had some communication issues and didn’t love her makeup as much as the rest of us who had Ai. Although, another friend who had Ai’s assistant was pretty happy with how she looked. I think Ai’s assistant did a fine job, but if your bridesmaid is super picky, you might want to make sure she gets to work with Ai.

Ai was one of my top choices for hair and make-​up and I was thrilled that she and her team were able to join us on my wedding day. Ai and her team of 2 had the tough job of fitting in 10 girls — 7 bridesmaids, 2 mothers, and the bride in a hectic day. They arrived to our venue promptly in the morning and worked like a detail-​oriented machine, perfecting every girl’s make-​up and hair in a timely way. I had also worked with Ai during the trial and to trim my bangs a few day before the wedding. She’s certainly very professional, experienced, and to-​the-​point, and had many wonderful recommendations that we ended up following! My make-​up and hair stayed perfect throughout the entire day (from noon to 1AM) — and this is even with taking photos outside on a windy day.

I had a make-​up and hair trial session with Ai. I LOVED it! I already had one make-​up and trial session before with someone else, and I just didn’t love it.
Once I sat in the chair I had a conversation with Ai about my wedding day. She asked me quite a few questions, and I showed her pictures of my dress. I had showed her what I wanted using Pinterest. I had originally wanted a waterfall braid and told her the previous stylist didn’t do it right. Ai played with my hair and talked to me about why the waterfall braid not work with my head/​hair, and gave suggestions based on what I liked and my dresses (I’m wearing one strapless and on halter for my wedding day). I really felt like we had a great understanding of what look I wanted and what direction I wanted to go in. In the end she showed me two styles, one half-​up, and the other a textured bun, both looked amazing!!! I’m so glad I was able to talk to her and I felt completely comfortable explaining to her my goals of my hair and make-​up. She really worked me and I loved the results.
I’m going to book her for my wedding and I’m so excited! BTW I’m Hispanic and she had no trouble doing my hair or make-​up. I totally recommend Ai!

Ai herself was unavailable for my wedding date, so I booked Ikumi (Ai’s assistant) through Ai Love Hair, and I couldn’t have been happier.
The trial was thorough (and long!!), and Ikumi made me feel very comfortable throughout the whole process. She tried two looks for both hair and makeup and gave thoughtful advice about my veil and accessories.
On the day of my wedding, Ikumi showed up a little early to do set up and stuck to her timeline for me, one bridesmaid, my mother-​in-​law, and the flower girl (super important with the time crunch of a mid-​afternoon wedding). Everyone looked beautiful, and Ikumi was super professional and accommodating. My other bridesmaids opted to do their own hair and makeup, and Ikumi gave them tips and even let them use some of her tools — how nice is that?
As a side note, I chose Ai Love Hair because I was looking for an Asian hair/​makeup artist for myself, and I was thoroughly pleased with the results, but my mother-​in-​law and flower girl are both Caucasian, and everyone looked fantastic. The makeup jobs were natural and glowy — exactly what I was hoping for.
Highly recommended!

I booked Ai for my engagement photo shoot and the makeup and hair turned out great in the pictures! She listened to what I wanted and processed all of that to give me a product that I am very happy with.

For my wedding: Ai was wonderful! I loved my hair and makeup, which made me look flawless yet natural, and which both held up for the entire night without requiring touchups. Ai really works with you to make sure everything is perfect, and throws in a relaxing massage as a bonus to relieve the stress of the day. Highly recommended!

Ai made me feel absolutely gorgeous on my wedding day, and for that I will be forever grateful!
My quest to find a makeup artist was not easy… I called many artists but some were too expensive, some didn’t have great work, some were not available on my wedding weekend… in the end, I ended up going to Ai because her price is right, her reviews are superb, and (after I met her) I realized I felt 100% confident and comfortable with her ability to make me feel my best.
For the trial, I wasn’t 100% sure how to describe the look I wanted… I tried describing it with printed out images and random descriptions but somehow, Ai was able to decipher all of the cryptic clues I gave her and made me look exactly as I wanted. She did 2 looks at the trial and either would have made me the happiest bride on earth.
On my actual wedding day, Ai showed up early (a Godsend as it took longer than believed to set up) with her team to do 9 people’s hair and makeup. Not only was the schedule perfectly coordinated, all of the girls looked absolutely gorgeous and perfect. I really credit Ai’s team for an A+ job. They were so professional and amazing — would whole heartedly recommend them to any bride. I personally felt like Ai went above and beyond for my own hair and makeup… she took her time and took care of every single detail. In the end, I never even had to retouch my makeup one time during my wedding night. I have no idea how she does it, but she really works miracles! Really great! Thank you Ai!

She didn’t do my hair or makeup but I was at my friend’s trial and she did a great job. She is patient and does makeup that makes you look like your best YOU. She also did two of my friend’s weddings and they looked so beautiful. I would go to her for any of my own special occasions!

I absolutely loved what Ai did for my hair and makeup! She is very professional and works hard at every detail. My friends complemented her work and i would definitely recommend her and will go back coz i trust her. Great job!

I booked Ai to do my hair and make-​up for my wedding on the recommendation of my friend, another asian-​american bride. I loved that Ai was Japanese, so she would understand asian skin tone and more under-​stated make-​up. :) I’m typically a «blush and mascara only» type of girl, and my husband doesn’t like make-​up, so it was important to me that I had a natural look.
At our trial, I used Ai’s website and «the knot» to show her different hairstyles that I liked. She was really good at interpreting my many vague descriptions and they VERY FIRST hairstyle she tried on me I loved. Also, she typically applies the make up for a «natural» look first, and then adds more for a «dramatic» look. The natural look already felt like a lot to me, so Ai kept my make-​up as is, and then did a beautiful down style for me to use on my engagement shoot later that day.
Ai told me she only trusts herself to cut hair, so she told me to come to her hair salon about a week before the wedding so she could give me a bang trim. The salon was really cute and the bang trim was perfect and ended up great with the hairstyle!
The day of the wedding, Ai was AWESOME! It took about 2 hours, but my hair and make-​up stayed in place and lasted through all the pictures, hugs, and kisses, till I got home and took everything out. I still looked like me, but everything was pretty and bridal and glow-​y. :) Ai ended up being one of my favorite vendors and is totally worth it! It feels like a lot to spend on hair and make-​up, but compared to other hair and make-​up artists, Ai is priced well. Also, looking back at the pictures, I think it was worth the money. :) HIGHLY recommend her!