If you haven’t been to the makeup counter recently, you’re missing a prime and free opportunity to update your look.
If you’re like me, your makeup bag is a mismash of products from the sacred to the profane. Some are high-end, others snagged at the drugstore. I collect like a crow, dazzled by bright shiny objects. Over time this approach leads to magenta lips and orange eye shadow. Once there may have been some coherence like the “plum” face or the “blue-red undertones” face, but the original reasoning has long since been lost, and now I just clash.
The solution? Get thee to the department store and let them straighten you out. It’s free – at least at the beginning, and these people are trained to apply it correctly and know what’s au courant. It’s one more thing you can delegate, so really, you’re already making money.Â
The makeover at the makeup counter provides information on your best features, how to accentuate them and which colors are flattering. Recently I ambled up to the Bobbi Brown counter at Neiman’s. I needed a new look and didn’t have the time or patience to figure it out myself. I like Bobbi Brown because she specializes in the no-makeup look and colors that don’t scream Lola at the Copa.
Without an appointment, I was whisked onto a seat and Bobbi’s minion began knowledgeably applying what I needed.  Now don’t feel guilty. Both sides get something out of this exchange. You get information and she gets a pigeon for her sales pitch. Of course you’re under no obligation to buy, but she’ll make you look really polished and you’ll probably won’t to pick up an item or two that you can’t recreate via the drugstore. Isn’t the fantasy that you’re this together worth a few bucks?
If you’re really craven you’ll get the makeover before a big date or your wedding bridal pictures. In most instances you don’t need to make an appointment ahead of time.
What I Bought:
- Eye shadows: Bone, Toast, Rich Brown
- Tiny lashline stippling brush
- Pinky lipstick (but not the liner)
- Gloss – makes lips look poofier
What I Refused, with Garlic & Cross
- Basic brown eye shadow
- Blush – love my own Jane “Petal” available at Targét
- Powder
- Eye shadow brush, horrifically over priced, probably sable
- Lip liner
- Mascara
Moral of the Story: The next night I met a friend for dinner and she said: “You look great! Hey – did you get new makeup? You look really good.†Should I be insulted?
TIPS:
- Do this once a year just to have a clue about what’s current
- Don’t buy everything – have some sales resistance, sis
- Do buy what you can’t reproduce at the drugstore
- Do use this service the afternoon of a particularly important event
