HARTFORD, Wis. — A Milwaukee-area makeup artist says she's still waiting to be paid more than $500 for wedding services she provided two months ago, and she's likely not alone.
Francesca Cianciolo has worked as a freelance makeup artist for the last decade, finding most of her clients through social media connections.
"A lot of people are going through social media now to find vendors," Cianciolo said.
That's how she connected with a business called Mila Artistry, operated by a woman named Tai.
"I was reached out to initially in August, saying, 'Hey, I'm looking for someone to do this wedding, and someone cancelled. I love your work,'" Cianciolo explained.
Cianciolo received a contract and pictures of the bride ahead of time. She completed the makeup services and was paid the following day.
Watch: Milwaukee-area makeup artist says she's owed hundreds after wedding gig goes unpaid
A month later, in September, Tai reached out again.
"She reached out to me again, asking if I was available for this particular date. I said, 'Sure.' This one was actually up in Wausau," Cianciolo said.
After providing makeup services for the bride and several bridesmaids, Cianciolo returned home and asked about payment. Tai said she would try to pay that night, then said the next day she was still going through invoices.
Cianciolo showed us the text messages of her consistently following up about the lack of pay.
"She [Tai] told me that she was going to pay me, but she needed money from her aunt," Cianciolo said. "And then never heard from her ever again."
Two months later, Cianciolo says she's still owed more than $500. When she posted about her experience on Facebook, other makeup artists began sharing similar stories.
"You know, makeup artists reaching out to me, 'oh, she's still doing this?' Makeup artists telling me 'hey, I have a friend who hasn't been paid'," Cianciolo said.
We called and texted Tai on Friday for comment. She said she wasn't able to answer phone calls. In a text message, she said, in part, "the information being shared online doesn't represent the full situation and is inaccurate," and "because of how the conversation unfolded publicly, communication with the individual has been discontinued."
For Cianciolo, the situation highlights broader problems in the wedding industry.
"It makes me feel used, it makes me feel taken advantage of, but it also makes me angry for the state that this industry is in," Cianciolo said. "To have someone that claims that they do this. It is so disheartening."
TMJ4 News did this story because Cianciolo emailed our investigative team. If you'd like Jenna Rae to investigate something, email her at Jenna.Rae@tmj4.com.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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