thelookcenter School of Make Up

thelookcenter School of Make Up is a makeup school and styling studio at Klosterzelgstrasse 17 in Windisch, in the canton of Aargau, which its own pages place "nahe Zürich", near Zurich. Besides courses and workshops, color and style advice and an online shop, it runs a bridal service: bridal makeup and wedding hairstyles, with a trial about 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding and styling on the day at a place the bride chooses. Its wedding prices are published, including travel, early-start and overtime rules, so a couple can work out the cost before writing.

The site's legal notice names Xochitl Arteaga as responsible for the business. The pages describe the bridal team as the professionally trained team of the makeup-artist school (Visagistenschule) thelookcenter.

How the bridal service works

The bridal pages describe the same sequence for makeup and for hair. About 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding, the bride has a consultation with one of the makeup artists, who shares ideas and suggestions, and the bridal makeup and hairstyle are created on a trial basis to the bride's wishes. The price list says the trial makeup and trial hairstyle take place in Windisch or Brugg.

On the wedding day, the makeup artist or stylist comes on request to a place of the bride's choice, for example the wedding venue, her home or the hotel. The hair page says the team works at the place of the bride's choice in Switzerland, so the service is not limited to Aargau.

The makeup page promises a look that easily copes with happy tears ("Freudentränchen") and still looks good after the ceremony, dancing, dinner and party. It also says the makeup is not done after passing trends but matched to the bride's wishes, her dress and her bouquet, with the aim that she still likes the photos when she looks at them in 20 years.

For hair, the page lists low buns, messy buns, braided styles, waves and curls, with or without hair accessories, for any hair length. A bride can bring a concrete idea or decide at the consultation.

Guests

Both bridal pages say the team is happy to do hair and makeup for wedding guests too, such as the mother-in-law, the maid of honor or the bridesmaids. They ask the bride to raise this at the consultation, because extra time and possibly more stylists have to be planned for the day. The price list adds that the team is available for questions about group offers.

The price list

The wedding price list sets out two options.

Das Gold-Paket, makeup and hairstyling, Fr. 720. It includes:

• an individual, comprehensive consultation with trial makeup and trial hairstyle
• professional, long-lasting makeup, with false lashes on request
• the wedding hairstyle, meant to last the whole day
• help with the veil and accessories and with putting on the wedding dress
• the right lipstick shade for the day

The price covers about 4 hours of styling on the wedding day with the makeup artist and hairstylist. Beyond 4 hours, the hourly rate is Fr. 90.

A la carte, makeup or hairstyling. For the bride who wants only one of the two. The makeup package includes a consultation with trial makeup, the wedding-day makeup (false lashes on request) and help with veil, accessories and dress. The hairstyling package includes a consultation with trial hairstyle, a hairstyle that the page says still looks freshly done after celebrating and dancing, and the same help with veil and dress. It covers about 3 hours of styling, and beyond 3 hours the hourly rate is Fr. 80. The price for this option is printed on the page with a typo, so it is worth asking the studio to confirm it.

Rules that apply to both options:

• Early start. If the team has to be with the bride before 7 in the morning, a Fr. 50 surcharge applies.
• Travel. No surcharge for journeys under 20 km. For longer distances, a flat rate of Fr. 60 per hour.
• Deposit. 50% is due at the trial, the rest after the wedding.
• Payment. Cash, credit card or TWINT.
• Extras. Hair preparation treatments such as an intensive scalp cleanse or special masks are not included, but can be booked on top.

A downloadable PDF price list and a "Gut zu wissen" (good to know) section on preparing for the first appointment are linked from the page.

Care tips before the day

The makeup page gives brides a short preparation list: exfoliate face and lips the evening before so that dry flakes do not affect how foundation and lipstick hold; do not forget moisturizer; during the celebration, dab away shine, tears or sweat rather than wiping; and pack concealer, powder and lipstick for touch-ups.

Other services

The services page lists makeup for a day, evening or business event, and a menu of treatments with prices and times, among them lash lifting with keratin (1 hour 20 minutes, CHF 120), brow lifting (1 hour, CHF 80), threading for brows (20 minutes, CHF 25) and face (CHF 35), and lash and brow tinting. A personal makeup lesson, "Learn by Doing", costs CHF 240 with a brush set or CHF 180 without, for 2 hours, and a lesson for two costs CHF 300 for 2 hours 30 minutes. A personal color analysis (CHF 250) and a personal style consultation (CHF 350, 2 hours 30 minutes) round it off. For a bride, a lash lift or brow treatment in the week before the wedding and a makeup lesson for touch-ups are the relevant ones.

What the site does not settle

• Language. All pages are in German, and none mentions English. A couple who does not speak German should ask when they first write.
• Trial from abroad. The trial takes place in Windisch or Brugg. The pages do not offer a trial elsewhere, so a bride arriving shortly before the wedding needs to discuss timing.
• Guest prices. Styling for guests is offered, but not priced.
• Access. The address is given, but the pages say nothing about how to reach the studio or about parking.

Who it suits

thelookcenter suits a bride marrying in Aargau or elsewhere in Switzerland who wants hair and makeup from one team, a trial in advance and a price she can calculate before she writes. The rules on travel, early starts and overtime are spelled out on the price list. The caveats are the German-only site and the trial in Windisch or Brugg, which a couple from abroad has to fit into their plans weeks before the wedding.

Contact: thelookcenter School of Make Up, Klosterzelgstrasse 17, 5210 Windisch. Email info@schoolofmakeup.ch, phone +41 76 411 98 19, or the contact form.