14 Situations in Beauty Salons That Raise Only One Question, “What Was That?”

Stories about a woman’s hair that was only supposed to be “trimmed” but ended up several inches shorter are a well-known urban legend. And of course, each of us has left a beauty salon feeling dissatisfied at least once in our life. At the same time, hairstylists, nail technicians, and makeup artists also have a bunch of stories that are impossible to forget and the story about a “friendly bite” from a client proves our point well.

We at Bright Side dove into the revelations on this topic and became convinced once again that a calm exhale and a good sense of humor can save any situation.

• I work as a makeup artist at a salon. The other day a girl came into our salon — she looked posh, was wearing expensive clothes, and was well-groomed. We discussed the makeup she wanted and I started to work. When it was time to do her lips, she suddenly bit my hand, jumped up, and rushed out of the salon. I just stood there confused and watching how she was running away. I had a whirl of thoughts in my head. Anyone I share this with starts to laugh their heads off when I tell them about it. There are so many different clients in the world. © Overheard / Ideer

• I got an order for evening makeup, which was supposed to be finished by 7 PM. I did my work, but the client switched on the mode “I don’t like it, I won’t pay for it,” though she liked everything in the process. At some point, I wondered whether she was simply trying to cheat me.
  — Ok, don’t pay if you don’t like it. I will remove the makeup and that’s it.
  — What do you mean by “remove”?
  — You don’t like how you look that’s why I will return you to your initial look.
  Short pause.
  — Well, wait... in general, I think it’s ok. Let’s keep it as it is.
  She paid for my work. Later I learned from my colleagues that this client is famous for pulling these tricks, but no one had offered to remove her makeup before. © LRAss / Pikabu

• Normally, I don’t work at home because I have a little kid, but today a client asked to come to my place. So I was doing her makeup and my kid (1.5-year-old) is walking around quietly. After we finished, the client left happy and satisfied. When I was about to start washing the brushes, I found out that my kit was missing 2 brushes, a highlighter, and a sculptor. I got confused, started to look for them around my apartment — they were not there! I had already said goodbye to them when I get a call from the client, “Hi, I found your cosmetic brushes, a toy car, and a diaper in my bag.” Turns out, my kind son decided to present gifts to my client. © Cynical makeup artist / Vk

• Client: “You didn’t study well, did you?”
  Me: “Mmm... No, why do you ask?”
  Client: “You are a hairdresser! There is nothing difficult to do!”
  Me *recalling all the time I spent on my studies, at my internship, and at seminars*: “Well, actually it’s not that easy...”
  Client: “Ok, ok! You all say the same thing! My neighbor took a 2-week course and started to work right afterward...” Blah-blah-blah...
  My thoughts: “I will not accept this woman as my client ever again...” © KateSova / Pikabu

• I made a post on social media saying, “I needed a volunteer to apply makeup to on the 10th of September at 2 PM. For free.” I found the volunteer within one hour so I wrote a comment under the post saying I had found the volunteer. It was the evening of the 10th of September, a girl writes to me asking me to sign her up for an appointment for tomorrow. I checked my schedule, I had free time so I scheduled a meeting with her. She appeared at the studio on time. I applied her makeup, she liked it, and she was about to leave.
  — It’ll be $25, please.
  — What do you mean? You wrote that it’s free!
  — Who wrote? Where?
  — Wait, I will show you! — and she starts to look for my post and shows it to me.
  — I asked for a volunteer for YESTERDAY for my friend. I was very clear in the post about the day and the time.
  — What you wrote was unclear!
  At that point, she started screaming at me about how bad I was and how I cheat unsuspecting girls with services that they don’t need at all. © Lisycha / Pikabu

• I work as a nail technician. I start my work at noon. Once I got a phone call at 9 a.m.
  — Hi, do you remember that we have an appointment at noon?
  — Hi, yes...
  — Oops, sorry. Did I wake you up?
  — Yep...
  — What a sleepy head you are! It’s morning already! We have been waking up at 6 a.m. for our whole lives... © Overheard / Ideer

• Once I got a client with really black hair and, of course, she wanted to dye it an ashy blonde. I explained to her that it was impossible to get the result she wanted with one procedure and that, best-case scenario, the color would be a caramel blonde. She agreed, we did everything, and she left. After several days she returned in a huff, saying she wanted to be blonde but she became a redhead instead. Our salon manager found the record of the conversations we had where the girl was warned about this. The client left again. For 5 years (and counting), all my posts on social media have furious comments from her saying that she wanted to become blonde, but I turned her into a redhead...© IVANETSKAYA / YouTube

• My friend is a hairdresser and her biggest complaint is unrealistic expectations. People want to go from dark brown to platinum in one session, they want bright pink hair that never fades, or they want amazing rainbow hair from a heavily filtered photo on Instagram... © manlikerealities / reddit

• Me: “Hi, how would you like to have your hair cut?”
  Client: “Hi. I would like a pixie cut, please.”
  Me: “Ok.” (Starting the cut.)
  Client: “Hmm, Natalie used to cut my hair a little bit differently...”
  Me: “Really? Why did you come to me, and not to Natalie?”
  Client: “Well, she gave me such a bad cut last time!” © KateSova / Pikabu

• I am a self-taught master and I have already been working at a beauty salon for 6 months. Once, the manager of the salon comes up to me and says, " You have a client today — please don’t argue with her. Do everything that she says — she is very picky and impulsive! She is the friend of the salon’s owner." Well, ok...
  The client was late for the appointment. She burst into the salon without any apologies and asked, “So, who is going to do my makeup!?” As I was working with her, she was constantly moving, calling someone, and watching photos on her phone. Then she says, “I need a break” and leaves. When she returned, we continued and she didn’t like anything: one brow seemed wider than the other one, the second brow seemed longer than the first one, then she starts to rub her eyes after I had already applied eyeshadow. One minute she wants extended eyelashes, the next moment she doesn’t want them. She kept asking me constantly why I was doing it this way, and why not that way? I was explaining everything to her like she was a little kid and working at the same time.
  In the end, despite all the stress, her makeup turned out very nice and subtle. She kept looking at herself in the mirror and enjoying it. Now I am lying in my bed and still haven’t come to my senses. © Cynical makeup artist / Vk

• I was in cosmetology school and just about to graduate. A woman came in and I was assigned to take care of her. She had long hair down to her waist. She came in with a picture showing me what she wanted to have done. It was a very short haircut and a very drastic change. I kept asking her if she was sure she wanted it that short. She kept telling me that, yes, that was what she wanted. So I did what she asked. I gave her the exact haircut that was in the picture. When I was done, she turned in the chair, looked in the mirror, and freaked out! She was crying, saying I ruined her beautiful long hair, refusing to pay, screaming at my instructor. It was awful. That experience ruined my hairstyling career. It’s too bad because I loved being a hairdresser, but that woman scarred me for life. © Barbara Klickstein / Quora

• I work in a beauty salon as a nail technician. Once a MAN comes to me and asks to do false nails for him. Turns out, his little girl was going to have a birthday soon and the celebration was going to be held in the “I am a princess” style and even her father would have to wear a pink dress, have painted nails, and wear a crown on his head! It was the first time I’d had this type of request from a client. © Overheard / Ideer

• I realized I should itemize and photograph my kit. In general, you should expect things to be stolen. Models are so grabby, I swear I’m going to bite the next grubby hand that reaches for my setting spray. © bitelulz / reddit

Do you know a story about the unforgettable relationship between a stylist and a client? Will you share it with us, please?