Now you can hire a personal glam squad — is it worth the money?
Nicole loved GlamApp
I’m not a makeup person. Just ask my coworkers, I don’t wear makeup to work. Ever. Men don’t do it and I don’t see why I should have to either. Everyone knows what I look like so why bother hiding it?
I do like to mess around with a makeup brush when I’m going out, but because I do it so infrequently I’m woefully inadequate at drawing lines around my lips and above my eyes and whatever else putting on makeup entails. Enter GlamSquad and GlamApp.
These two apps promise to send world-class makeup artists and hair stylists to your home at the click of a button. All you need is an hour and a hundred bucks and you’ll be red-carpet ready with little to no effort at all. Sign me up.
I tried GlamSquad first. I had a few important video shoots and meetings at work one day and wanted to make sure my hair and face were on point, so I ordered a blowout and “natural makeup” application about a week in advance. Ordering the service was streamlined and simple; I got confirmation of the appointment the same day.
On the day of, my artists showed up at my office five minutes early and ready to go. We found a private conference room and got started. I told my makeup artist that I wanted a very natural look and told my hairstylist I wanted my hair to be simple and straight. They seemed to know what they were doing – my makeup artist told me all about the celebrities and models he works on, so I trusted him.
One hour later, we were finished and I was very happy with the results. I have a lot of hair and it’s hard to manage, my GlamSquad stylist handled it perfectly. The makeup was another story — I was happy with it but others pointed out that the artist went a little too natural, it didn’t look like I was wearing anything. For the price I paid that wasn’t what I was going for. I also noticed that no one cleaned any brushes in front of me, I’m going to have to assume they do that between appointments because I don’t want to believe they used dirty brushes on my face.
Overall, my experience with GlamSquad was seamless, the app makes everything super easy and you can tip on your phone.
About a week later I tried GlamApp, a competitor to GlamSquad. I was in Philadelphia for a wedding and hired a hair person and makeup person to make getting ready easy. Unfortunately, GlamApp wasn’t as user friendly as GlamSquad. I couldn’t figure out how to schedule my appointments at the same time, so I scheduled them right after each other. That meant getting ready took two hours instead of one. I also csoouldn’t figure out how to tip on the app– as someone who never carries cash, that’s a big hassle.
The artists, however, were great. Hair was first. My stylist set up in the bathroom of my Airbnb and got to work. I went for a simple, sleek look and she was finished before the hour was up.
My makeup artist was also great, albeit a bit pushier. She wanted to put glitter all over my face and I had to say no multiple times. Still, I think it’s good that she pushed me because this time I ended up looking like I was wearing makeup and was pretty happy with the result. I definitely couldn’t have done my makeup as well as she did.
This time I did ask about cleaning brushes and she assured me she did it between appointments.
Overall, my rating is mixed. If you don’t have time to go to a salon and have some extra money, I’d say go for the hair option. But I think you’re better off taking makeup lessons and buying some quality products than hiring a makeup artist every time you have an event.
Brittany loved GlamSquad
Hiring someone to do your hair and makeup is like looking for a good nanny — you just want someone you can trust with your precious cargo, i.e. your appearance. It’s always stressful when a stranger gets to dictate what your face looks like, which can make using these apps a stressful or surprising experience.
I tried the GlamApp first and scheduled the hair and makeup artists to come to my apartment before work. It was a little confusing because you have to book them individually, and I wasn’t totally sure who was coming, but they both showed up on time and ready to work.
I chose the “contour queen” option for makeup, and told her I wanted to look natural, like Tamron Hall the “Today” show. Unfortunately, the result was more like a Real Housewife on a reunion show. The mascara was caked on, the contouring was very intense, and it didn’t look like my face. As far as my hair was concerned, the stylist was supposed to give me big waves, but she also missed the mark on delivering what I asked for. The curls felt stiff, and I spent most of the day trying to get them to lay in the right direction.
Two days later I reserved a hair and makeup team from GlamSquad to make me over for a video shoot later in the day. The app sent me the names and photos of the professionals in the confirmation email, which was definitely refreshing. They met me at work, and when I greeted them in the lobby, I was surprised to find that the hairdresser was the same one I had two days prior. She apparently worked for BOTH apps (surprise!). Since I wasn’t totally happy with my hair the first time, I gave her a little more direction and she totally nailed it. The makeup artist from GlamSquad was my favorite. She was quick, professional and I loved my makeup.
All in all, I liked the experience with GlamSquad best. I have my daily makeup routine down, but I think I’d consider using the app if I had a big event to attend and wanted to get ready at home. Users should know that you don’t have control over who they send, which means you could end up with someone you love, or someone who makes you look like a YouTube makeup tutorial gone wrong. What I learned from my experience is to be very specific about what you want, and to respectfully speak up if you’re not feeling confident. The professionals are more than happy to make adjustments, and for $100 or more, you should be satisfied with the outcome.
Jeanie loved GlamSquad
Let me start by saying that I typically feel very uneasy about getting my makeup done by anyone. Maybe it’s all the negative makeover experiences I’ve had at department stores (or even at my own wedding) — but I almost always find myself dreading the outcome. So it was no different when I scheduled my beauty on demand services. I was fully prepared to have to wash my face after each session.
First up: GlamSquad. I timed the appointment for my kids’ afternoon nap, but couldn’t get them to sleep on time. So when GlamSquad arrived five minutes early, I wasn’t quite ready for them and it made for a less glamorous experience from the get-go.
After they set up, I realized they only used hand sanitizer and hadn’t washed their hands. That made me feel a little icky so I spoke up about it and they were more than happy to accommodate.
With that out of the way, the hair stylist started blowing out my hair…until the circuit blew out – twice! A tip for those getting glammed up at home: Make sure your blow dryer isn’t plugged into the same outlet as your air conditioner.
About 20 minutes into the session, it was finally smooth sailing. The hair stylist was a pro – despite all the electrical hiccups, she was able to achieve the “weekender” look (a blowout and curls) in less than 45 minutes. And the makeup service was equally great. Step by step, the makeup artist showed me how things were progressing with my “contour” look and I was pleasantly surprised. After getting all dolled up, I went out for a night on the town with my girlfriends. The total for both services, including tip, was around $150.
Next up: GlamApp. This time I scheduled my appointment at work. And while that was less stressful than being at home, I was uneasy with the way both my hair and makeup were progressing. Everything felt overdone. My smokey eye was too dramatic, my foundation was at least five layers thick, and my hair stylist could not figure out how I liked my bangs, even if I gave her photos to reference. For this appointment I paid a little less than GlamSquad: $120 plus tip.
Take a look for yourself in the video above (maybe it’s all in my head) but I felt like a showgirl and not at all confident walking out of the room with the final look. Sensing this, the stylists could not have been nicer. They stayed an extra 15 minutes to try to make me feel better, but I was pretty deflated at that point. Once they left, I went into the bathroom to try to tame the look before walking out in public.
Final verdict: I prefer beauty salons over beauty-on-demand services. And unless it was for a super special occasion, it would be difficult to justify the cost. But if someone gifted me this service, I would prefer to go with GlamSquad because I was happy with the overall look they were able to achieve. But note that GlamSquad is currently only available in 3 locations (New York, Miami and LA) while GlamApp services 22 cities nationwide.
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