Who was unreasonable me or the people on the makeup counter

[Lounde]

So we are away for a break and I forgot to pick up my make up bag. Thought you know what I’ll just buy the basics again as it’s probably good to have a second lot for the car anyway. I don’t have tonnes and tonnes of make up but I invest in the formulas I prefer. I thought I’d just pick up an eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, foundation, blush, concealer and a gloss. I knew my account was going to take a hit but I rarely treat myself so thought why not.

I explained the situation to the girls on the counter (think Chanel, Dior, Charlotte Tilbury etc) and they said they could help me pick some things out.

We were on our way to a nice lunch. I said in a very courteous and polite manner “please do you mind just slapping on some of the make up for me as I’m in a bit of a rush and stopping has delayed us”. Got told I would have to book an appointment. In this completely dead stand with 4 people literally just stood around. No appointment was available for two hours apparently.

I bought the products but it just left a bad taste in my mouth. I wasn’t looking for a full beat. Just some foundation and eyeshadow. Literally 2 min job.

I ended up spending around £300

I do, which is that your cars and holidays are a staggering waste of money.

If I was in such a rush I would have much rather done it myself rather than get into a situation where there was unnecessary faff

Where were you planning on applying your make up if you were bare faced when you got in the car, and then realised you didn’t have your makeup with you?

I’m thinking you asked them to ‘slap some on quickly’ first and they couldn’t, because you didn’t have an appointment, so you ended up having to buy it…

Cars yes, holidays no, they're great

Personally I don’t think your unreasonable as if you said oh can you colour match me they would have applied it. I recently went and got colour matched for a product I use all the time but as I’ve not been away for a while the shade I have is too dark. I picked the shade I liked and as I was shopping the guy did my whole face with the foundation

Please can everyone stop saying computer says no. It’s from a very unfunny, racist, bigoted tv show and wasn’t even a funny phrase 20 years ago. Plus the guy who invented it is an abusive pervert

You're getting some unnecessary stick in my opinion. You spent a small fortune - I don't think asking to slap some foundation on is too much to ask.

Intrigued to know what brush you use from Amazon though please? I'm yet to find one I like 😃

Do you really need foundation?

It was a weird comment from that poster, but to be honest I’ve only ever heard drag artists use the term “beat”. Not that I actually thought that made you one.

You have also confused others but referencing multiple brands. You can just say what brand you bought (it’s a personal irritant when people do this in here). Charlotte Tilbury is not going to hunt you down and sue you for saying the MUA in a department store told you to book an appointment.

On the face of it, I do actually agree with you. And I do think it matters a little that you spent money on their products. That said, an early poster may have been spot on in that those were untrained shop assistants, and not allowed to apply a full face of makeup. Imagine what you’d have posted if they’d said yes and done a shit job.

Yeah, that’s a bit rubbish of them tbh. Doesn’t surprise me tho, they already had your money.

But so many women don't use or need foundation, so it is alien to many

Does it matter? She wants to wear it.

I don’t understand your comment at all, or how it relates to my comment but Plenty of women use foundation. Perhaps you hadn’t noticed but there is a huge market for it.

Wow, you sound massively entitled. Why couldn't you have bought the make up and "slapped some on" yourself if it was literally a two minute job.

Haha! How dare she hope for a couple of mins of customer service for a £300 purchase, right? 😀

Did you really need to comment?

I’ve had many times when something has been applied quickly. Sure, longer is also possible when more elaborate.

cars yes. Holidays no. 🤣

I'm gobsmacked. It would never have occurred to me to think that, just because I was in a hurry, I could ask make-up counter staff to quickly slap on a bit of make-up for me. That's REALLY different from booking an appointment for a make-over. The latter is presumably offered with the idea that you are making use of their knowledge, skills, etc to get the best use from a set of products, and to learn tips for doing it better yourself in the future. But what the OP was asking for amounted to using retail staff as a kind of maid service for her personal convenience. Astonishing really.

I would rather put it on myself if in a rush. There would be a high chance in two mins they’d make a mess and you’d end up redoing it anyway.

But this is why it looks natural to you; you've been looking at this particular look since you were a child. To people who don't wear makeup, and are use to bare faces, the 'natural' full face of makeup, doesn't look natural. But like I said, they are simply different looks and neither are better. And yes, for some people, it hides things they dislike.

I have melasma. I'm sure my skin looks patchy to those who wear makeup and walk around with featureless skin, but I like it. Feels like me. I get my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes dyed, so I'm not opposed to any of it.

I think YANBU, it would have been good customer service to do it , especially as you are spending £300, and there are several staff available at the time.

I worked in House of Fraser and Debenhams around 20 years ago and I remember the make-up women doing this a fair bit.
Sometimes in retail you have to go above and beyond to keep customers coming back?
Seems like thats not the general consensus though!

That’s not always true. Some consultants are fully trained in make up - I worked alongside many make up artists who worked on the counters in order to prop up their earnings. Many of us (on Clinique and Chanel) had some make up training from previous jobs, and then the brands themselves provide intensive training - usually 3 days every month or so at the head offices in London where you’re given a free bag of the new products and then do a course in how to apply them. There is some health and safety in terms of hygiene - making sure you don’t double dip with products, using disposable applicators on customers etc but no specific hygiene course beyond that.

Some of the department stores hire people purely for sales counter roles where there is no beauty training involved and sometimes these people will cover the premium counters when the brand consultants go for lunch etc - so if you are approaching a counter then the staff may likely have no make up training at all.

Clinique is part of the Estée Lauder brand (many brands under this) and they have their own bureau where they provide trained cover for counters for holiday cover etc - they are all trained at the same headquarters.

Many people mistakenly think a Clinique consultant working at Boots (for example) is an employee of Boots but they work for Clinique (well, Estée Lauder). They have to adhere to the rules of the shop but their earnings, management etc is all under the main brand.

That is terrible customer service. I was at an Armani beauty counter recently on a very quiet evening about an hour before shop closed. I needed foundation and the SA was helping me decide the best colour etc. I asked her if she could do my make up as I was going out a little while later. She couldn’t have been nicer, did my makeup, spritzed me with fragrance. I had the loveliest experience, bought a lipstick and a primer as well as the foundation. In my experience, people at make up counters are always willing to try out the products on you. You should have taken your custom elsewhere, you were paying enough.

But natural skin is lovely also?