Pins & Curls

First off, I have A LOT of hair. Long, thick hair. Not all stylists are created equal in being able to deal with my hair. In addition to all my natural hair, I also added extensions for my wedding day.
Michelle did a great job handling my hair through multiple trials as I was very fickle about what I wanted! She was relaxed, patient, flexible and nice!
I was really, really, happy with the results on my wedding day. My hair looked absolutely stunning and I received a lot of compliments on how well it was done. From the waves she made within the crown I wore, to the long luscious curls that lasted all night, and getting my bangs just right, I felt beautiful, confident and comfortable all night. Michelle has skills!!! :)
In addition, Michelle really saved the day by having double sided tape that she suggested I put on my dress sleeves, what a BRILLIANT idea! LOL. Really helped me out!
:)

I absolutely adored my wedding hairstyles. My up-​do was perfect for the main event. And she was careful in her styling so I could remove the pins and really let it down during the reception. It was so fun to have two completely different wedding looks. This is especially impressive as my long, curly hair can be a bit difficult to tame. I’m so grateful I had her help on my special day.

Hire this woman because she is a magician with hair — and can transform your normal locks into beautiful art! Michelle is beyond talented with hair, super sweet, very professional and goes above and beyond for her clients. Michelle did hair for my 4 bridesmaids, MOB, MOG, and myself for my wedding day, and she also did my rehearsal dinner hair.
Before I even got engaged I had seen Michelle’s work and knew immediately that if I was lucky enough (she gets booked quickly!!) that I would want Michelle to do my wedding hair. Michelle was quick to respond to all of my correspondences leading up to the wedding and created a custom schedule for my bridal party and I which was great!
For my rehearsal dinner I wanted beachy waves. I have super straight asian hair that is slippery and can never get my curls to stay! And yet, Michelle’s beachy waves lasted from 10am to 12pm in the humidity and heat of Hawaii — as I mentioned before, this woman performs pure magic!
I had a few trials with Michelle (I, like many brides, changed my mind a few times), and each time she was such a pleasure to be around and was so helpful in providing great suggestions to me that would fit my wedding vision. She ended up creating the most elegant and timeless hairstyle to fit my personal style — I loved it and wished I could wear it for more than just 1 day!
I got married in Honolulu outdoors where the wind was quite strong, but not to fear, Michelle’s hairstyle lasted the entire day and night! My bridesmaids and the mother of the brides’ hair also lasted in the wind, humidity and heat! They all loved working with Michelle and complimented her cheerful demeanor (so helpful on your wedding day), ability to create any hairstyle you ask for, and professionalism. Thank you Michelle for making me feel so special on my wedding day!!!

What can I say about Michelle? That girl can do hair! I booked her through Lynn Yee for my wedding day. During the trial session, I simply showed Michelle a picture of the hairstyle I wanted and she delivered! She is super talented and sure knows how to make them curls look good. She is very easy to work with and has an amazing personality. On the day of the wedding, Michelle showed up early and did her magic. The bridal party loved their hairstyles! Of course, I loved my hairstyle most ^.^ It was exactly what I had envisioned. She also gave me the idea to put on a simple flower pin which added the perfect touch to the hairstyle! Go for Michelle, you won’t regret it ;)

Michelle is hands-​down an amazing hair stylist. She is so versatile and works with you to create the look that you envision (or even if you just have a rough idea!); you can see the range of styles that she’s done on Unilocal,Facebook, and her website. And to top it all off, she is such a sweetheart! She did my wedding hair trial and wedding day hair. Not to brag, but she made my hair look SO GOOD. Starting with my first email communication with her, I knew that she’d be wonderful to work with. She was always available to answer any of my questions, even before I decided to work with her officially. And once I booked her, I never looked back.
At my trial, we tried 2 different hair styles based on my different photo inspirations. One of them didn’t feel like me. I liked the other one however, I really felt that we needed some adjustments in volume to make it work on the wedding day. I chatted with Michelle about all my concerns, and she was so great at assuring me that she’ll make some additional changes and allot extra time on my wedding day to ensure that we get it right.
Michelle is also extremely organized, for all those brides (like myself) that love having everything about the scheduled nail down to the minute! About 3 or 4 weeks before the wedding, she reached out to me and Julie Dy (my makeup artist) to start coming up with a hair and makeup schedule since we had 7 women total (including me). She also was thoughtful to leave some time in between each of the women so that we’d still be ok on time even if we ran over a bit. Day of the wedding, she and her assistant, Danielle, arrived a bit earlier to prep, and the rest of the day went off without a hitch! All those concerns I had from my trial? All out the window! Michelle addressed all my feedback and then more. And she sure has many tricks up her sleeve to make sure that the hair and the volume that it had maintain all day (even with lots of dancing)! My hair still looked intact the next morning (I was so tired that night that I fell asleep in my hair do ;)), and I got a free glamorous wavy look once I took out all the bobby pins! Plus, all my bridesmaids’ hair looked amazing as well!!!
I really admire when people are 1) great at what they do and 2) genuinely nice, and Michelle is both of those. My family and bridesmaids had such a great time prepping and making conversation with Michelle and Danielle. Even though we had to wake up a bit early, we had so much fun and it made the time fly by.
I’d recommend Pins & Curls to any bride or even just for special occasion hair! THANK YOU SO MUCH MICHELLE! YOU’RE THE BEST!

Michelle & her team did an absolutely amazing job with hair for the wedding I was in last weekend. Not only did she send reminders a few days before with «what to bring/​do the day of», they made sure we stayed on schedule, kept us upbeat even after ⁵⁄₆ hours of beauty prep (yes, it was a long day), and most importantly made everyone look & feel their best. I’ve never received so many compliments from wedding hair! I would absolutely recommend Pins & Curls!

Michelle is absolutely amazing! She is extremely talented, accommodating, and friendly! I hired Michelle to do hair for me and my bridesmaids before my wedding a couple days ago. You can tell she really cares about people and loves what she does. Everyone’s hair looked fantastic when she was done! She is great at taking your hairstyle ideas making them a reality. She was so organized and kept us on schedule so that we were on time to the venue. I enjoyed working with her so much and I would recommend her to anyone!

Michelle is so sweet, patient, and talented!!! Before the trial day, she sent me an email ahead of time and ask me for the styles I have in mind. She specially mentioned we can adjust the styles during the trial to find one suit me best. Before the wedding, she sent me a very detailed schedule and things to prepare on the hair part before the wedding day. She arrives ahead of time, and set up things very quickly. She periodically showed me the look on the back and side of the hair while she’s doing it to make sure I like every detail. No matter what request I have, she can adjust and make it perfect. She’s so talented! She’s also very warm and sweet person. You’ll know when you contact her. I think this character is so important to a girl on her wedding day. Michelle will make your big day more sweet and romantic.

Michelle is super talented!!! I had her at my wedding and I could not be happier about this choice!
I had a hair trial with her in her studio and she was super patient trying 3 hair styles on me based on my feedback. After that, she sent me all the trial pictures and followed up for more feedback. A few weeks before the wedding, she sent me a very organized makeup+hair schedule and asked me again if I had any specific requirements. I was very impressed by how organized, detail-​oriented, proactive and professional she was. This is one of the best qualities in a vendor and she aced it.
On the wedding day, she arrived 30 minutes earlier and set up everything before anyone showed up at the venue (simply amazing!!). She did hair for 3 bridesmaids, 2 moms, my husband and myself. Each of us has very different hair, and she managed to make everyone «wow»! She gave me the exact style i wanted and it held for the entire day!!! I did not need to worry about my hair at all through the entire wedding.
Also, Michelle has a very warm personality and it was so relaxing and fun to chat with her. I just loved working with her!!!

New to reviewing, but I just had my wedding a month ago and am posting reviews for all my wonderful vendors who made my husband and my day so special. Michelle is so easy to work with because she is really looking to provide you with exactly what you want. She has great communication leading up to the day to make sure everyone is on the same page and that you, the bride, do not have to worry. My hair was absolutely perfect on my wedding and held up the whole day… and I mean for over 16 hours!
Having now gone through the process of choosing all my wedding vendors, i understand how very stressful it can be for brides. Going with Michelle for my hair and my bridesmaids’ hair was a simple choice. She listens, is accommodating to your needs, and provides the quality and stress free environment every bride is looking for. Don’t wait to book her either because her schedule books up fast!

All I can say is WOW! Michelle is amazing!!! I couldn’t have asked for more with my hair and bridesmaids’ hair for my wedding. First, she is SUPER sweet and caring about making sure you are completely satisfied with your hair. She really listens to what you want and executes it to a T! My hair inspirations photos were all over the place, but she patiently worked with me to pick out hairstyles that matched my style and tried several different looks during my trial. I think she is some type of hair whisperer because she tamed my frizzy hair into beautiful effortless curls. She can take any photo and recreate exactly like the photo! She’s also super reliable and organized. Replying promptly to all my questions and even creating a timeline schedule for hair and makeup to make sure we stayed on track the day of my wedding.
Thank you Michelle for doing such an amazing job for my wedding. You really go above and beyond for your clients. I’m so thankful I was able to snag you for my wedding since you get booked up so quickly.
My tip for future brides– Michelle is a MUST for your wedding. You will not be disappointed, trust me. Contact her early because she books up fast!

Michelle did my trial today and I was amazed by how perfectly she followed my photo! To me, that shows raw talent; for someone to see a picture and can capture it in real life form, it’s quite amazing. That also means if I have changes from now until then, she could quickly adapt and make magic happen on my wedding day! I won’t make any changes, but it really speaks toward how talented she is. Not only is she great with hair, but she is so fun, charming, and pleasant to work with. I am thrilled to be working with her!

Amazing job! Michelle was fantastic and so talented! I kind of had a vision of what I wanted my hair to look like for my wedding day but could only show her a mish mash of random photos and she played around a bit and voila, it was perfect! She took her time and didn’t rush anything, even during my trial. She paired with Lynn Yee for my makeup and I couldn’t be happier with this pair! Reasonably priced, organized and most importantly finished ahead of schedule which is a big +++ for me! My bridesmaids were also equally happy. I also love that she provided a touch up kit for me with extra bobby pins, hairspray and supplies I might need throughout the day. I highly recommend Michelle, you can’t go wrong!

Michelle was, simply put, a joy to work with; she made me look and feel like a stunning version of myself (but still me!) on my wedding day. I had done several trials with other hair and makeup folks before finding her, and was horrified to walk out of those trials looking like a little beauty pageant nightmare instead of the classy, understated, vintage-​inspired look I was hoping for. Michelle executed exactly what I wanted in terms of my hair, from the first step of identifying and clarifying what I liked in the pictures I shared (finger waves! they have a name!) through final polishing and details. It was so meaningful to have someone who helped me look and feel how I *wanted* to look, instead of just doing whatever bridal is *supposed* to be. She really listened, and made. it. happen.
I can’t overstate how happy I was to have her help, and how gorgeous she made me feel. She also did the hair for my bridal party and mother, and everyone looked amazing (curly hair, straight hair, thin hair, thick hair, all the above). The scheduling she did in advance also made everything run smoothly on the day of. Moreover, when my initial makeup choice bowed out, Michelle responded to my email with several options of ladies she works with for makeup. I ended up choosing one of her recommendations (Lynn Yee, who was equally amazing) and Michelle coordinated everything seamlessly. I can’t recommend Michelle enough.

The following is a review by my wife–
Pins & Curls is AMAZING! When I decided to hire Michelle, I knew I was in good hands because she does beautiful work. What I didn’t expect was the unbelievable amount of care and concern she had for me as a bride on my wedding day.
As soon as I booked Michelle, I was immediately impressed by her responsiveness and professionalism. She is super organized and knows exactly what to prepare for from beginning to end. Michelle even found a makeup artist for me and booked the both of them together as a package so I only had to deal with one point of contact. She also thoughtfully prepared a hair and makeup schedule so that all of my bridesmaids would know when their appointments would be. She was very patient even with my multiple changes and revisions.
On the day of the wedding, Michelle showed up right on time, ready to go, and with a big smile. She created this beautiful french braid across the back of my head that went into a low side bun. It was gorgeous! In addition to my hair, she also did my 5 bridesmaids. Michelle also sells hair accessories, and she was able to find me a flower hair accessory that matched perfectly with my wedding dress.
After we left the hotel, we went to take pictures around the city and at Treasure Island. I was nervous because it was crazy windy, but my hair stayed perfectly in place.
I also hired Michelle to stay for touch-​ups and it was worth every penny. She met us on Treasure Island to touchup my bridesmaids and I before the ceremony. After the ceremony and all of my happy tears, she made sure my makeup looked great for family photos, and also helped me change for the reception dance.
Michelle exceeded all of my expectations and I was truly lucky to have her with me on this special day. I just got the photos back and everyone’s hair looked amazing! Thank you Michelle for taking such great care of me throughout the wedding process, and especially on my wedding day. If you are getting married or having a special event soon, you need to book Pins & Curls now!
–Kelly Pong-​Der (wife)

Finding a hair stylist for your wedding day is no joke! You have to find someone who is reliable, consultative, punctual, and can look at a picture and execute it perfectly on their first try on an unknown head of hair. Michelle is ALL of these things and ridiculously talented! I cannot believe how lucky I am to have found Michelle!
She is responsive and organized. She sent out this lovely schedule a month prior and was able to adjust the schedule to accommodate our timeline with 6 BMs and myself without having to wake up at an ungodly hour. I cannot thank her enough for being so understanding and accommodating.
My BMs came to their appointment armed with pictures and explanations of what they are looking for. Most of them had pretty complicated requests for up-​dos and side pony tails with braids, twists and curls that is so in style right now. I was nervous that maybe it would be difficult to execute their vision with the limited time that we had for each girl, but holy cow… Michelle is such a pro! My girls looked GORGEOUS! Michelle was able to accomplish the EXACT look that my girls were going for. We were all SO impressed with her work.
I have wedding #2 at a Chinese banquet coming up and of course Michelle was my first call. To echo every single one of these reviews, Michelle is a sweetheart and a genuinely kind hearted person. It is truly a pleasure working with her so if you know you’re going to get engaged soon, book her NOW because she is very popular and you don’t want to miss out on working with her. :P
THANK YOU MICHELLE FOR EVERYTHING!!!

My best friend hired Michelle to do my hair this past January. I was getting married in San Francisco’s stunning City Hall on the mayors balcony by the honorable Gavin Newsom.
Michelle was absolutely a pleasure to work with! She took advice not only from me but from my family as well (which we all know isn’t an easy feat with differing ideas of how you should look on your wedding day). She was attentive and was extremely professional and a delight to work with.
I also got married in Hawaii in May (what girl doesn’t want two weddings to the same man?) and I should have flown Michelle because Michelle was far superior then the person I hired in Hawaii.
Do yourself a favor and hire Michelle. She’s worth it and a pleasure to work with.
Thank you Michelle for making my hair look gorgeous!

Michelle came highly recommended by one of my bridesmaids (an unbelievable friend, who would never give me bad advice, ever). I have to say, Michelle being there on my wedding day was a God send… she’s probably as good as it gets in every way possible. From the very first encounter, she was sweet and professional. She obtained photos and information, so she knew what type of hairstyle (s) I was interested in along with other details about the wedding so she could achieve a cohesive look. During the trail, she offered great advice, while still accommodating to my preferences. She made sure that I was always comfortable and even recommended the make-​up artist, who I also used for my rehearsal and wedding. I was thoroughly impressed with her work and she even provided options for hairpieces during the trial. Of course, I fell in love with one she recommended and I wore it at my reception. I also bought hair pins from her as gifts to my bridesmaids. She was so personable, that I felt like she was a friend that I have known forever, and I sent her an invitation to be a guest at my wedding. On the day of the wedding, she arrived on time, and got through 10 of us in the bridal party with time to spare. She even drove my mom and aunt to the ceremony when they missed their call time for the wedding pick-​up!
The finished looks were incredible! Every one’s hair looked so beautiful! I was told from the makeup artist, who sees brides regularly that I had the most beautiful up-​do she has ever seen. We were all raving about not only her work, but even more so, Michelle. I could not have found a better person who was so attentive and who made me feel like the most important person on one of the most important days of my life. All of my bridesmaids loved her, and I don’t know how any one could not. I honestly don’t know what I would have done with Michelle, she made my hair and day as perfect as can be.

Bottom line, Michelle is great. I’m very lucky to have found her to do my wedding hair!
I was pretty indecisive about how I wanted to have my hair for my wedding day — up, down, half up… what about wind?! Michelle put up with all of my indecisiveness and worked with me to figure out exactly what I wanted leading up to my hair trial and wedding day. She was extremely communicative and thoughtful in her recommendations.
Michelle is professional, but also someone you want to be around on your wedding day. She has great energy and charisma. Not only did she style my hair, but all of my bridesmaids as well. My hair stayed perfectly in place all night and everyone looked incredible. I would not hesitate to recommend Michelle to anyone who is looking for a wedding hair stylist.

I just recently got my wedding photos back from my photographer, and it’s been so fun to relive our big day from last October. One of the things that stood out to me the most was how my hair — my typically unruly, frizzy, mess of a mane — stayed absolutely perfect from early morning all the way through the after party, thanks to Michelle.
Michelle killed it. She was prompt and super helpful throughout during the entire day. The great thing about Michelle is that she knows how to work with all different types of hair and hairstyles. She managed to give me perfect loose ways (that I had been coveting ever since I saw them on Pinterest), my bridesmaids these amazing up-​dos, and my mother in law who has chin length hair an up-​do as well. We got compliments about our hair all day, and even weeks after the wedding!
Michelle stayed with me until the of the start ceremony for a final touch up — I could feel that she was truly invested in making my day a special one and that she wanted me and my wedding party to look perfect. If you’re planning a wedding, definitely reach out to Michelle ASAP as she tends to get booked up fast — you won’t regret it!