Beauty consultant made me feel like crap 💩

[Prettydisgustingactually]

So I’ve been feeling a bit crap about myself lately, almost 57, skin looking a bit rubbish etc so decided I’d cheer myself up and invest in a new foundation.

Took myself off to the JL beauty department to face the 100 + various options. I’d decided to choose a couple I liked, get samples to try at home in my own lighting and then go back and buy. I don’t have tons of money and don’t want to get the wrong one. I went over to the guerlain counter and asked for help colour matching. She asked if I was wearing foundation and asked me to remove it which I did. She tried the colours on my chin and asked me to choose. She then put it straight on my face, no cream under it, just straight on. I mentioned it going on better with something under and she said “Yeah I suppose I could have but it doesn’t matter” She put it on half of my face (not especially gently) and showed me the mirror. When I asked her if she was doing the other side she said no as that’s classed as a makeup session and she’d have to charge me. She then handed me the sponge snd said “Try and spread it over if you like” and walked off. She put a pin head amount into a plastic container, wrote on it and handed it to me.

If I’d asked her to show less interest she couldn’t have done. I walked away with a half made up face and no eyebrows as she’d wiped them off, and went straight home as I looked like crap and felt really silly. No upselling of other products, no attempt to talk to me at all. I really feel as though if I’d have been a 30 something beauty, she’d have made more effort.

AIBU in thinking this was really poor customer service?

No7 colour match thing is bang on. And their staff are generally a lot better.

My sister is in the beauty industry and wont go anywhere near JL, she says that the staff seem to care more about how they look than how you look. She really rates the Boots No7 staff in particular as they seem to have much better training that many beauty counter staff. They dont pressure but will do the "gentle steer" upsell which is better as you come away with what you need rather than what they want to sell you, which of course pays off for them in the long run as you go back.

I recommend the No7 Radiance+ foundation. I am a similar age to you and find it gives really nice coverage without looking caked on or settling in the cracks lol

Coulda been worse, you could have been in Sephora and served by a gormless teenager who didn't know what primer was (me last week) 🤣

Another vote for Boots anyway, colour match thing works, a good range of different textured foundations and reasonable price.

I assume sarcasm.

But seriously it's been a hard weekend for people on retail. If you'd wanted a full on experience and not a foundation match that you asked for then a different weekend would have been better.

No one is looking at your eyebrows.

That sounds rubbish. I’ve had lovely experiences at Clinique and Christian Dior counters in the past, maybe try those? It probably depends on the person working though.

Mac used to charge (£20?) for make up, but that could be credited if you spent anything. Not sure if anything like that still exists?

You could try Facebook for local MUAs who bring a selection and do lessons, I’ve always fancied giving that a go.

I don't think your experience is typical so please don't let it put you off.

I'd complain to Guerlain for sure.

I tend to go to Frasiers in Glasgow as all of the women at the beauty counters there are very friendly and have exceptional customer service skills - I'm sure there will be somewhere equally as good where you live. You just have to find it.

Thank you so much! I’m going to give that a try next week. @PyongyangKipperbang

I’ve had this too although in Boots and a good 10 years ago. I was a bit stunned that the lady just sent me away with half a face done, it turned out to be really orange in natural lighting. It’s a strange and embarrassing way of doing things. I suppose they expect you to wipe everything off or just buy the foundation so you can do the other half yourself. So it’s not just you that this has happened to, but her attitude doesn’t sound great at all

Yeah that's total bullshit.
I've walked into a Nars shop before, looking like absolute poop in no makeup because I wanted some of the tinted moisturiser, which is absolutely amazing. I don't wear loads of makeup, so although a tune is thirty odd quid, it'll last me about a year.Clearly not their customer of the year.
They treated me like a queen, absolutely fab. I walked out with what I wanted, and even though they'd tried a few extra bits on me, there was no upsell. And as a result I bought something extra (which will probs also last me a year).
That's how you do customer service.

If someone asked me use primer and then also do their entire face afterwards, without buying anything, on the busiest night out weekend of the year - I’d assume they were a CF and be pretty pissed off that they were looking their night out make up at my expense!!

Also no one will have noticed what make up you had on whilst walking around the shops.

Im not sure why you thought it was the sales asst to cheer you up, use primer, fix your make up etc - you asked for a colour match but expected a lot more!

You assume correctly! You should not have to carefully select your weekend on the basis that staff are tired/worn out etc. Would you accept that from a waitress who gave poor service or your dentist etc. She made absolutely zero effort to speak to me, she wasn’t careful or gentle when applying it and could not wait to get me out of the chair. She couldn’t even be bothered to blend it and handed me the sponge. I didn’t expect flowers and champagne but common courtesy is not really that hard and if it is, seek alternative employment.

Sounds rubbish OP, sorry you had to deal
with that. Though if you just want to colour match foundation you just need to remove a tiny bit on your jawline not remove full face including your eyebrow make up.

Definitely complain to Guerlain, that sounds terrible. I've had absolutely lovely service from Dior and Mac counters. Everywhere I've been has at the very least offered to 'even me up' if they've demo'd on half my face. Surely a chargeable full face would include the full works eg eyeshadow, lipstick, blusher etc etc??

I had exactly the same at JL - amazing service from Laura Mercier and contempt from Charlotte Tilbury assistant .

As someone who was an Account Manager in cosmetics previously. She was exceptionally shit and you should send a message to the store about your experience and it will be passed on to her Account Manager or Area Manager. She can't be hitting her targets and making much commission behaving like that.

You asked for a colour match she matched your colour yes? I wouldn't go to a dentist and ask them for a check up oh and while you're there could you do a filling.

So on that basis, you would cheerfully accept shit restaurant service on Boxing day because all of the staff in the restaurant had worked their asses off on Xmas day?

No, thought not

Sorry you had this experience it so disheartening when you already feel a bit 💩. Have to agree with most people boots do seem really nice a don't pressure you. I have a few of there cosmetics probably just because it's easy to buy, the other brand I buy is Laura gella you can buy it off the internet although I buy from a cheap makeup shop, that brand is really nice on mature skin.

I've also spent ages wandering a beauty hall before trying to get someone to help me. Funny a couple of people mention Bobbi Brown because that was a counter that I found excellent in an independent department store. And I also second the space NK suggestion, they've been brilliant for me in different branches. My best experience ever though was Macy's in New York so not easily repeatable unfortunately. The woman who served the OP was rude, no idea why anyone is trying to excuse her. She didn't need to make the OP feel crappy no matter how hard she's worked over Black Friday!

No but I'd be more understanding that I'd get only what I'd paid for and not a free starter

Absolutely agree with this. I'm your age, OP, pretty clueless about make up, and had to go to an important occasion recently. I went into Boots with my unmade up face with wrinkles and age spots and just stood looking lost in the No 7 part. I landed there purely because the women in their photos in store looked nearer my age and not like all the teenage pictures on a lot of the brands.

A No 7 lady who was around my age approached me and she was AMAZING. Gave me so much help and advice, helped me match colours properly to my skin, found me the perfect foundation, helped me with which lipstick and eye products might suit and how to apply them. I spent about £50 (so not a fortune given I bought quite a lot of stuff and a brush) and honestly everything she recommended was perfect for me. I'm.never going to be the world's biggest make up wearer but if/ when I need more I'll go back in a heartbeat.

That's quite a lot of no 7 products so they were helpful but they sold to you. If you just wanted a foundation match and said that's what you wanted then hopefully that's all you would have got

Just here to add another boots no7 recommendation. Worth noting that you can book a full make-up consultation through the boots website - would suggest doing this in advance to make sure you don't get a repeat of the JL experience.

The MAC store in St Pancras was amazing for customer service when I dragged my tired 50 something arse in after work one day looking for something to do before my train. Could not have been more helpful. I remarked to the woman who served me, lovely person in her 20s, that I never find beauty counters in big stores very good and thought it was my age, although it was never very good when I was young. And she was telling me about how they train people - all I can say is I was very impressed.

Sorry that happened to you.

After a few disappointing, awkward moments I've found that if I go with someone else, a friend or my sister the service is somehow much better. We always try to have a bit of fun and don't take ourselves too seriously. And with the prospect of increased purchases, the server tends to be a bit more attentive and responsive.

Decent make up companies websites have a camera app to try on make up colours I use it for lipstick, hair colour and sunglasses I'm way too shy for that in shops.