Alchemy hair + makeup by Rachael Johnson

Firstly, Rachael is down-to-earth, creative and sensible in her artistry. She is someone who knows the type of clientele she works best with, and she's done a great job of articulating that on her site. The most nerve-racking thing about deciding on a hair and makeup artist is not just about finding a portfolio of work that resonates and inspires you, but also taking a bet on the person who will be spending hours with you. Rachael is personable and friendly yet the vibe between us never felt contrived-- we didn't feel the need to fill the air with small talk. We both felt at ease in silence and in meaningful conversations throughout the trial and on the day.Rachael helped me feel comfortable with my indecisions in that she was up to experiment with the general look we were going for, so the bridal trial felt experimental yet focused on the overall natural 'no-makeup' look we were going for. We also experimented with a few different hairstyles, and she advised on the various hair clips that could go along with them. I personally don't know much about hair accessories, so Rachael's guidance even after the trial on hair clip options were super helpful in narrowing down on my decision.Most importantly, I appreciated Rachael's punctuality-- she was always on schedule or early whether it be the arrival for the trial or the arrival on the wedding morning. She did a fantastic job of breaking down a schedule for hair and makeup for myself, my mom and my sister-- everything worked out on time. And last but not least, Rachael got along with our photographer and our florist (whom she coincidently knew from uni!). The vibe was very fun, comfortable and easy with everyone around in the hotel room, which made for relaxed photos on the morning of the wedding. I highly recommend Rachael if you're chill and down-to-earth yourself. She's an amazing professional and awesome human!

Rachael did my hair and makeup for my son’s wedding. I basically left the decisions to her, bearing in mind we hadn’t met face to face before the day. I was so pleased with everything she did for me. Rachael is lovely to work with and she made me feel very comfortable. I was very pleased with how I looked, both hair and makeup. The comments at the wedding were how stunning, beautiful and amazing I looked. Ten years younger even. Thank you Rachael. I think I have a few friends who are keen to make appointments with you and I definitely would again.

I went to Rachael to get my hair and makeup done for a special event, I don’t normally bother writing reviews but I was so pleased with the outcome I couldn’t not!I was made to feel very welcome as soon as I walked in the door. Her makeup selection was amazing and everything on display was nice and clean - she also washed her hands lots which I appreciated!We developed a look for the evening together and I had an amazing time in the process. She's also super lovely. Highly recommend!

Rachael was amazing and I thoroughly recommend her services. Hugely professional, calm (especially when I wasn’t!) and as well as thoroughly loving my bridal look, I also received some great recommendations from Rachael for make-up and hair care into the future. Also, she has a great sense of humour, which I really appreciated during what ‘could be’ quite a stressful time. Thank you.

Rachael was an incredible hair and make up artist and I can’t believe I found her for my big day! She made me feel completely at ease and had such a lovely energy. I’m quite picky when it comes to my make up as I have quite dry and sensitive skin but she completely alleviated my worries and did the most amazing job, I’ve never felt more beautiful and it lasted all day and night. Thank you so much Rachael for making my day so special - I cannot recommend her enough!

I very quickly chose Rachael as the hair stylist for my wedding after finding her on Instagram and loving her work. Chatting to her on the phone sealed the deal, she’s lovely! I had a trial session with Rachael where we tried two different looks and by the end of the session Rachael had achieved the look I was hoping for. Rachael insisted on me coming back for a second session (free of charge) to work a bespoke bow my dress designer had made into the hair design to ensure she had tried it and I had seen the final look before the wedding day. She really went above and beyond! Rachael is exactly the type of person I wanted around me on the morning of my wedding, she has a great energy and worked quickly and professionally to get the bridal party (bride, 3x bridesmaid and MOB) finished on time and everyone was thrilled with their finished look. I would definitely use Rachael again and would highly recommend.

Rachael did both my trial as well as hair and makeup for my wedding day and I cannot recommend her enough! From the beginning, she was very attentive and greatly knowledgable. She took me through skin prep, application of makeup and was also prepared so that I could even bring more makeup with me to apply during the day itself. Rachael is a calming person which helped immensely, organising time well during the day, rotating myself, bridesmaids as well as my mother. Super happy with the results, I felt amazing and hair and makeup lasted the whole day and night!

Rachel did my makeup for my wedding last June. I would thoroughly recommend her. She went above and beyond to give me a very special look and I had several comments during the day about how nice my makeup looked. Rachel is professional, hardworking and extremely friendly and easy to work with. I felt totally relaxed in her company and able to tell her exactly the look I wanted.Thank you Rachel!

Rachael did my bridal make up and my bridesmaids and she did it exactly how we had all hoped for (if not better). She is so easy to talk to and really listens to what you’re trying to achieve! Couldn’t recommend her highly enough.

Rachael did such an incredible job on the make up for me, my bridesmaids and mum for my wedding in October.I was seriously concerned about looking over done and too bridal" and Rachael totally got where I was coming from and made sure I still looked like me (but just much better than usual....). She did a really incredible job and my make up lasted amazingly all day. She made us all feel so calm on the day and is an absolute babe to be around.Would 100% recommend Rachael to anyone who wants a fresh