Secret Salon

Secret Salon offers wedding hair and makeup on a mobile basis, so the bride picks the setting: a hotel or resort suite, a rental home, a private residence or a garden venue. The team brings its own equipment. Service runs across San Diego County, North County, Temecula and nearby Southern California wedding destinations, with dedicated pages for San Diego, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Temecula and San Marcos. Among the venues it says it has regularly worked at are Los Willows, Green Gables Wedding Estate, Omni La Costa, Ethereal Gardens, L'Auberge Del Mar, Twin Oaks House and Gardens, and The Secret Garden at Rancho Santa Fe.

Bridal makeup is built around airbrush application, which the salon describes as lightweight, long-wearing, smooth and sweat-resistant, with a finish meant to resist shine through the day. Brides can choose a soft, natural glam look or a fuller bridal style. Each look is adjusted to the bride's features, dress, venue, lighting and wedding style, and the salon says it works with all skin tones, skin types and ages. Professional kits carry a range of airbrush foundation shades so that every bride and member of a wedding party can be matched.

Hair services cover custom bridal styles such as soft beachy waves, chignons, Hollywood buns, low buns and textured updos. The team can also style and secure hair accessories and veils. Invisible weft and clip-in hair extensions are offered for wedding styling; extension consultations are free and clip-in color matching is complimentary.

Bridal party makeup and hair are available for bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, flower girls and guests. For larger parties, the salon coordinates multiple artists. Trials and preview appointments can be booked ahead of the wedding to plan the look; trials take place at the studio or in the client's home depending on availability, and most brides book their preview about two to three months before the day. Preview appointments are not required.

Booking works by appointment only, with no walk-ins. Brides usually reserve six to twelve months ahead, and April, May, June, September and October fill fastest. A signed contract and a non-refundable retainer hold the date, and the final balance is due on or before the wedding day. Services cannot be cancelled, though changes to services or timing are accommodated where possible. A travel fee applies based on the getting-ready location and the number of artists needed. Artists arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time to set up. A pricing guide is available on request.

The salon states that its team is fully licensed and insured and that its makeup artists are licensed. It says it has more than 14 years of experience and more than 300 five-star bridal clients. The salon describes itself as award-winning and says it has won The Knot Best of Weddings nine times and is in the Best of Weddings Hall of Fame. Its artists also have experience with photography and HD video.

The salon fits makeup and hair to each bride's features, dress, venue and lighting rather than offering one set look.