Alameda Beauty

Make Up As I Go

Beauty is in what makes you feel happy and capable
5 out of 5 stars and 21 reviews
·
California, Bay, Will travel
Travel area: Within 100 miles See details
Deals
OfferPermanent
20% OFF Makeup- Sipsters and Make Up As I Go Deal
Claim Deal

About this vendor

Vendor
Crystal
OWNER
Typically responds within 24h
2023 Best of Weddings Winner
AWARD WINNER (1X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Make Up As I Go is a wedding beauty service based in Alameda, CA. What started as a travel and makeup blog has evolved into a trusted hair and makeup business that nearlyweds can rely on to enhance their features and make them shine on their special day. The team aims to inspire natural beauty and health, and they've made it their mission to ensure you and your wedding party feel beautiful and confident as you walk down the aisle. Hair and makeup trials can be booked in advance, ensuring your dream look is achieved on the day, whether soft and natural or bold and dramatic.
Woman-owned Business
9+ years in business
Speaks English
Small team (2-10 members)
Details
Beauty
Beauty Group Bookings
Hair Stylists
Hair Trials Available
Makeup
Makeup Artists
Makeup Trials Available
On-Site Hair & Makeup
Fitness
Personal Trainers
Awards and Affiliations
2023 Best of Weddings Winner
Circle Message
Any questions?
Meet the team
Vendor
Crystal
Owner
Hi everyone! I am currently a cell and molecular biologist with a passion for beauty. I have an eye for detail and love to fuse inspiration with drive and create something that's not only beautiful but full of pure joy. My objective is to not make someone handsome or beautiful but to ENHANCE and assist in bringing to life a vision they might have for one of their most gifted days. For me, my love for medicine and beauty are not different at all. Its common ground is the opportunity for me to bring happiness. Love, Crystal
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
21 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
sparkle

Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
The makeup and hair team is praised as calm, patient, organized, and easy to communicate with during planning and the wedding day. Consultations (including video) were helpful and affordable, and artists were professional and punctual. Makeup and hair looked natural, lasted all night, and many would rebook.
Review photos
AvatarA
Highlighted review.
10/26/2025
Crystal is amazing! 10 out of 10 recommended! From trial to the actually wedding day I felt my most beautiful all thanks to her (: If I could do my wedding all over again I’d pick ...
her again to do my hair and makeup! She is very patient and listens to every idea and thought. She literally did the hair and makeup I wanted for my special day. Even when I cried happy tears my makeup stayed in place!!! I can’t thank Crystal enough for the incredible job they did. 
AvatarE
1/14/2026
Jasmine is the best! She was calm, kind, and incredibly encouraging throughout the entire process, from the trial to the day of. She patiently answered all of my questions about sk...
in and hair care, which made me feel confident and prepared. I was so happy to be paired with Jasmine. Crystal, thank you as well for the excellent organization and clear documentation through Google Docs and the messaging system. It truly helped me stay organized.
Circle Message
Any questions?
AvatarR
1/10/2026
I did all of the initial set up and paperwork with Crystal (the owner), and Jordan was able to do my make up the day of my wedding, and it was beautiful. Working with Make Up As I ...
Go was really great. We started with a video consultation to go over details like the kind of look I was going for (glam with a little color), and the excitement Crystal had for make up made me excited to work with them. They were also one of the more affordable MAUs I reached out too making it an easy choice. Since I wanted to save a little money on the travel costs, I opted to do my makeup and hair trial at their location. I had done it in August for a December wedding, and by the time the wedding rolled around, I was surprised by how much detail Jordan still remembered! Working with Jordan on my wedding day was perfect. She was so professional, friendly, and fast. We had been so efficient that we finished before my photographer and videographers arrived, so we had to stage some of my getting ready photos. I absolutely loved my look, and it lasted all night!
AvatarA
11/17/2025
Working with Crystal was great! It was very easy to communicate with her through the whole process, and she helped make my dreams a reality. I am someone who usually wears no mak...
eup, so I needed a little help figuring out what I wanted and what was realistic, and she really helped me out! We went with airbrush makeup for a more natural look, and it lasted the entire wedding and into the night without smudging or wearing off. My hair also stayed put all day, it was actually still curly the morning after! All in all, she is great to work with and did an incredible job on my hair and makeup. Could not recommend enough!
AvatarK
9/03/2025
Crystal was great to work with! She was so easy to communicate with and has such an amazing eye for detail! She did a great job helping me create a wedding look that I felt beautif...
ul and comfortable in. She was also so kind and patient to me on my wedding day and made me and my wedding party feel at ease.
AvatarI
7/09/2025
Working with Crystal was one of the highlights of my day as a bride! She was always prompt in responding and was punctual to our meetings. She was patient when I had provided kind ...
of lousy inspo photos and wanted my hair to look different from the photos I gave her. She is easy to talk to and super talented. Prices also seemed very fair! Would absolutely use her again in the future if the opportunity arose.
Response from Make Up As I Go on 12/23/2025
Izzy! You are the sweetest. It was such a joy working with you! Just holler if you need me...
around again!
AvatarG
11/20/2023
Crystal was absolutely amazing. She not only did a beautiful job on my hair and make-up but she calmed me down when I needed it most! She is a wonderful person to have by your side...
on your special day. I got so many compliments on both hair and make up and it held up all night long, through the elements!! Would absolutely book her again for any future MUAH needs.
AvatarC
8/31/2023
Crystal was great and very easy to communicate with during the entire process! From the initial call through the lookbook process, it was very easy to let her know what look I was...
going for. She will be as involved as you want her to be, which I greatly appreciated. On the day of she was prompt and made sure I felt comfortable the entire time. I loved how my makeup and hair turned out!
AvatarD
3/31/2023
Great job on both hair and makeup. Love her!
AvatarE
3/31/2023
Crystal did an amazing job with my hair and makeup for my wedding! During our trial, I described what I was looking for, and she made my vision come to life! She was also very avai...
lable when I had questions before the big day and made me and my mother feel comfortable. I have never liked my hair and makeup more, and I truly felt like princess! The only downside was that we got behind schedule on the day of the wedding which made it so we had to push off some of our couples and family portraits to after the ceremony. However, everything worked out in the end, and I would definitely hire Crystal again!
AvatarM
1/05/2023
I was the groom in a wedding that Crystal provided services for. Everything she did was top notch! She worked with my wife to pick out makeup and did trial runs to make sure she li...
ked the look. Crystal did my wife's hair and makeup for our engagement photo shoot and for our wedding. For every event she was on time. She is extremely professional and definitely knows what she is doing. She has tons of equipment including an airbrush which was impressive to me. I don't know much about makeup but I can tell when a person is passionate about their craft and that is very true about Crystal. Our photoshoot was in a hot, humid greenhouse and our wedding was in the rain, and the hair/makeup she did looked outstanding and lasted through both events! She is extremely friendly and easy to work with, and very knowledgeable. I would definitely work with her again and highly recommend her to anybody looking for this type of service.
AvatarS
1/05/2023
Crystal is absolutely the BEST! She is more than accommodating with her busy schedule and goes above and beyond expectations! Her work is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL and professional! She ...
has an amazing spirit and positive energy she brings with her. She took her time and made sure everything was done to the finest detail for my hair & make up. Made me feel sooooo pretty for my wedding and lifted me up in the best possible way.
AvatarN
11/09/2022
Crystal is fantastic! I found her on the Knot and just feel like I stumbled on a complete gem. She is incredibly sweet and easy to work with, and I had a lot of fun with her and af...
ter this experience consider her a friend. I had pretty high expectations for my hair and makeup since to me, besides the photographer it was the most important factor for my wedding. Crystal took the time to understand what I wanted, and though I do my makeup a lot and have a specific look I try to go for, I am horrible at describing it to others or knowing quite what I wanted for my wedding. She took the time to work with photos I shared but also work with my thoughts in the moment and adjusted to all my requests until she helped deliver exactly the vision that I was hoping for. Well organized, personable, and patient and kind. Her team is also incredibly, Danica was a total sweetheart and did a wonderful job on my family.
Response from Make Up As I Go on 11/09/2022
Neda, You are so sweet. You, yourself, are a gem and I am so glad that we got to meet an...
d click so well! You are very thoughtful and I am so happy you chose us for your very special day. I appreciate you very much! Crystal
AvatarI
10/04/2022
Crystal at Make Up As I Go was fantastic to work with. I was looking for a hair and makeup artist who could prepare a natural soft glam look on Asian monolids, and Crystal delivere...
d great results! We did a hair and makeup trial for our engagement photo shoot, and she also did my hair and makeup for the big wedding day. She is friendly, approachable, and accommodating of any special looks you may be looking for. There was a minor issue with the airbrush makeup on the wedding day, but she quickly resolved it and everything ended up great!
AvatarS
9/20/2022
The Make Up As I Go team was amazing and they worked real hard to make me look fantastic on my wedding day. Crystal was very organized, patient, and easy to communicate with. I was...
specifically looking for makeup artists that are good at working with Asian skin tones and Danica was perfect. I loved how Laura did my hair exactly how I wanted it. The makeup trail was easy and totally worth it.
Response from Make Up As I Go on 09/28/2022
Thank you so much Sarah! Glad the team and I can make you comfortable on your very special...
day!
AvatarE
9/09/2022
We had Crystal do our hair and make up for my wedding day and she did a phenomenal job. She worked on myself, a bridesmaid, mother of the bride, and mother of the groom. I absolute...
ly loved her work! She made me look stunning for my wedding day and the look was natural like I wanted. She was professional, prompt, kind and even kept me calm the morning of the wedding. Anyone that hires her is in good hands. Looking forward to working with her again if I ever need make up and hair done!
Response from Make Up As I Go on 09/28/2022
Thank you so much! You and your family were such a joy to work with!
AvatarK
6/04/2022
I have worked with Crystal twice for photoshoots. First one was for a bridal wear brand and the second one was for a noir themed shoot. She is brilliant at what she does, and what ...
an amazing person! Both the looks were pretty different from each other and she rocked both the times. Can't wait to work with her again!
Response from Make Up As I Go on 06/06/2022
Thanks so much Katina! It was so much fun working with you. Looking forward to other proje...
cts!
AvatarB
4/06/2022
Crystal is a truly talented hair and makeup artist! She is so helpful and creative when coming together to create a look. She cares about her work and it shows! I’d highly recommen...
d Crystal!
Response from Make Up As I Go on 04/07/2022
Oh you are so sweet! Thank you!
AvatarL
12/23/2021
I loved working with Crystal for our wedding! She was very communicative and made everyone look beautiful ! She and her partner showed up on time with additional lighting and seats...
and were very attentive to everyone’s requests! She was great to have around on the big day :) I highly recommend Crystal for hair and makeup!!
Response from Make Up As I Go on 04/07/2022
You guys were just wonderful to work with! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part ...
of your big and beautiful day.
AvatarM
1/19/2020
Crystal is an amazing makeup artist!! She was very professional and so much fun to work with. She did a fantastic job on my makeup and hair, as well as for my 4 bridesmaids. Cryst...
al stayed later to help me with my dress while my bridesmaids were busy with other things. I really appreciate that she went the extra miles to assist me on my special day. Thank you Crystal for your service!!
AvatarA
1/29/2019
Crystal is the best. She showed up right on time and made me feel very comfortable. She asked what I had in mind for a look before she even started and took the time to match my fo...
undation perfectly. The look came out beautifully and lasted the entired time. Book her if you want your makeup done right !!!
Response from Make Up As I Go on 05/21/2019
Thank you! Happy to help!!! ;)

Service area & Contact info

Travel area: Within 100 miles
Additional charges may apply
Vendor Logo
Circle Message
Curious to learn more?
Start the convo
*=Required
Use this secure form to reach out and share your wedding vision.
meet the owner
Make Up As I Go
Crystal
|
Owner
Typically responds within 24h
My wedding date is flexible

Wedding vendors in Alameda

Alameda Bridal Salons
Alameda Beauty Salons
Alameda Caterers
Alameda DJs
Alameda Florists
Alameda Reception Venues
Alameda Videographers
Alameda Wedding Bands
Alameda Wedding Photographers
Alameda Wedding Planners
  1. Wedding Vendors
    /
  2. Beauty
    /
  3. California Beauty
    /
  4. Alameda Beauty
    /
Make Up As I Go
Make Up As I Go's photos

Why use The Knot to message vendors?

  • Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
  • Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
  • Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
  • For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.