Belle Academy of Cosmetology, LLC. in Waterbury, CT

Absolutely terrible!!  This school is just taking the student's money & they don't care if the student can actually perform what they need to. Invest in better  educators immediately because these students lack the skills necessary to actually be successful in their trade.

Between two "graduating" students doing my daughter's hair---neither of them knew what they were doing & there was no supervising trainer to step in & teach or help out so my daughter left there on her 18th birthday & cried in the car for 30 mins because her hair looked so bad.

They bleached it out and left it patchy, orange-orange. Not just brassy bc she pulled gold, I mean orange like a tabby cat .  It was horrible. I feel like calling the state to have their teaching evaluated because it's that bad and students should not be paying the school top dollar for this kind of educational experience. The school clearly doesn't care what they produce.

We had to pay a lot of money to get it fixed but it was worth it.  The damage to her hair will take much longer to repair however

I went for a tour to this academy. The tour stated everything. Being an African American women interested in beauty, I was excited. However, once I noticed one truck in the driveway with Trumps picture on it, I was very surprised. Moving on, I was filling out paperwork, and the cosmetology teacher approached me. She did NOT look the part what so ever. When you think of cosmetology, you think glamour. She was far from this. You're better off learning from YouTube.

Now, as for the owner, Mike. I can honestly say he is a very Money hungry person. He makes sure that he gets your money, no questions asked. He made comments that made me very uncomfortable, for example, when talking about the Asian community, he stated all you need to do is give them a room, WiFi, and a pot of rice and they're good to go. I was shocked. Also, when talking about fasfa, he gave the impression that he assumed my parents were separated. Like a typical "black" family.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, go see for yourself.

I attended the Nail Course at Belle Academy.
My first and most accurate impression was set during the tour. The owner, Mike C has such a "used car salesman" feel about him. He's an aspiring politician - that alone probably says everything you need to know.

(He also used some colorful, unnecessary, words to describe the instructors - which shocked the students, which I won't go into detail about)

As if HE didnt leave much to be desired, the course was also lacking. The course doesn't offer the exact curriculum as stated on the Certification.
There was no training on artistry/design, management, laws, nail care retail, salon management, clinical practice, record keeping, state laws/rules or regulations.
The course does not set students up for success. Mike C. also hasn't acknowledged that "Nail Care" includes more than just manicures and pedicures. Whenever he addressed students, he mentioned "manicures and pedicures as being money makers". Any instagram search will prove the contrary. Nail art and acrylics are massively popular.

Overall, this course isn't worth the fee, based on the "training" received.

I visited Belle as a client because I had recently paid for a cut that needed some oomph...Upon a friends recommendation, I saw an awesome soon-to-be stylist named Tonya who was exceptional, but she also remembered my friend and her family!