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?

Back of your hand is nearly always a different colour and texture. That’s the old way of trying it. It should be jawline

Ok. I'm out!
😂

I was going to suggest MAC if they still do this.
I went a few years ago now but felt really listened to, so much so I went back just before my wedding so they could show me how to do my own make up on the day.

Boot no 7 counter the best x

Sorry you've had a bad time, OP, but I can't cope with this particular argy bargy - so I'm off.
Good luck 🤞! 😊

That she was going to try properly at home. If she used it there and then without usual prep she wouldn’t know how it goes on so was never going to buy anything as she couldn’t test it. Plus she wiped off her eyebrows.

I 1000% complain for sure!

A while ago I wanted to change my foundation (skin changing with age), I was in Selfridges, walked past Dior so thought I would try there. The guy could not have been lovelier, he took about 15 minutes explaining, trying different types/shades. Complimented skin (yes, I know he was sucking up to sell me stuff but it made me feel good anyway!). I have used a lot of Dior products since then, it was just such a good experience. That's how you do customer service.

The young woman at the no.7 counter pretty well sneered at me when i went to enquire about that new range of products that are supposed to 'reverse' skin damage.

I was literally her target audience being an early-40s Xennial and I was feeling like I might treat myself to 3 or so products but honestly she was so vile I just didn't want to give her the satisfaction. So she lost a sale there.

I am overweight and not particularly fashionable - putting it mildly! - so she obviously made a snap judgment and then so did I, because I walked off without buying anything 🙃 😅 I wish I'd complained but it was a few months ago now.

Being overweight sucks for customer service, I have found.

Fairly typical experience. I’ve had same, ask directly which color ? And they won’t answer. And have wiped your face off …

Yeah, I do find being old and a bit overweight usually results in snootiness/desultory service, especially if you are really casually dressed. That was why I was so impressed with the Dior chap who served me, he made me feel like I was worth bothering with, not a write off.

It's stupid though, I have a hell of a lot more disposable income to spend on cosmetics etc now than when I was younger, AND I am less confident about my appearance and more likely to be trying things that might help. You would think I would be the target audience for cosmetics salespeople.

Not at the counters in Boots they don’t, I’ve had my foundation matched on my face there loads of times.

No it’s your unpleasant comment.The sales assistant time! Isn’t this about the customer.
Do you work as a sales assistant, really hoping it’s not the beauty department, or anywhere, where you have to make an 'effort’ to do the job you’re paid for.

Eh, sorry what? op isn’t self conscious of her eyebrows, Mrs gaslighty! The assistant wiped off her makeup, done half her face and threw her to the wolves! If you’re going to do a face sample, you do the face! Not half the face! And if you mess up anythng that’s already on said face you fix it! If you can’t do that, stick your product out on a shelf with a tester and don’t touch anyone’s face.

You said you weren't going to buy anyway. Not then and not from her. I suspect you'd have wasted her time finding the right shade, maybe getting a full face of foundation, asking her advice, taking home the samples and then buying from Amazon. Because that is what people do.
You complained about customer service but in reality you were not a customer.

In the old days you'd have spent the time with her, had a good experience, and bought foundation, and maybe the blusher and lipstick to complement it. But you said yourself you weren't going to buy on the spot.
The sales assistant is on commission - she would have guessed she'd earn nothing from you. She gave you what you asked for - shades to match.

You could have paid for a make-up job and gone out feeling good with your make-up professionally done.

Not quite the same but someone on a beauty counter was rude to me and I complained to the company . They apologised , asked about time and where I was and got lots of freebies . Don’t let her rudeness make you feel bad .

My son works in sales for Mercedes. They are taught to treat every single customer who walks through the door as a potential buyer. It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t buying on that day. The better the foundation looked, the more likely I would have been to return, for foundation, primer, I need a new mascara…see how it works! They won’t be getting any commission from me.

Busiest night out weekend is the last one before Xmas.

Worked in hospitality since the last century, Guess how I know!

What has revolutionised foundation buying for me is working out whether I had a yellow or blue/pink skin colour. I wasted a fortune on yellow based foundations when I didn't have a warm skin colour. It doesn't matter if the shade matches in depth of colour if the undertone is wrong. I am a pale Celt and all yellow based foundations no matter how light look very wrong and rather orange. You can guess if you look nice in warmer colours or colder colours. Mustard and khaki -yellow based colours - look hideous on me - my teenage children confirmed this with me. Hopefully the consultant can at least tell you whether the shade is warm or cold - and you need to eyeball the shade too. I once bought a MAC foundation which was supposed to be cold based - and yes I know they have a different and rather odd description system - but this was definitely labelled and sold as cold. When I saw it lined up next to my other foundations its yellow base was very evident. Of course you might be warm in which case you wouldn't want a cold base. The name of the foundation often gives it away - like golden beige is very likely to be warm while rosy porcelain is going to be blue based..

I’ve had good experiences at Chanel. Recently me and a friend went to a counter and the chap there did both our eyes. He also did a foundation on me too. Gave me a little lesson in eyeshadow application and how to use the pallets. Also had good experiences at Dior in Harvey Nicks.

I wouldn’t be impressed with half a face.

Spacenk was poor in Leeds recently as well. Unhelpful and rude.

I'd probably complain about the assistant - yes she was rushed but she didn't need to scrub off the make up and do half a face and leaving her minus her eyebrow. She could have slapped a bit on her hand and handed her a decent sample blob if she was that rushed.

They are usually like this regardless of age or beauty 😭

I’m 57 and have had good service at Bobbi Brown counter, mostly because they leave me alone to try stuff in and hand me make up remover etc when I need it. Guerlain I felt was nearly contemptuous ( Peter Jones store). I had a chat with a charming young assistant at JL Oxford street Hermes counter , didn’t buy anything but we discussed beauty trends and make up, she couldn’t have been nicer. Im wary of beauty counters , a bad interaction can make you feel shit.

You’re totally wrong! I’d never buy make-up online. For me I enjoy going to buy it, taking the bag and opening it up when I get home.

So I wasn’t worthy of being treated properly because I wasn’t buying on that day. Imagine you worked in a high end car sales showroom. Would you dismiss people who weren’t actually there to buy on the day? How stupid and shortsighted to not be able to understand that someone browsing today could easily return and spend a fortune the next. If you don’t treat customers with respect or ‘potential’ customers, they certainly won’t be back. I do t really get why you can’t understand that. I’m guessing you know very little about sales.

So they should, the profits and mark ups they make selling their products to women are phenomenal.