What's the least scary department store make-up counter?

[ScarlettCrossbones]

My lips are disappearing and I just need to run in, get some advice about the right colour to make them look simply as though I HAVE lips, so the merest rosy-brown-y colour, then run out again as fast as I can. The only other makeup I wear is mascara, because my eyelashes were disappearing too. Ah, age.

I've very occasionally had a makeover in the past but the girls on the counter have always turned me into an over-made-up panda-eyed starlet - they want me to look just like them! - despite my protests.

Please, which counter has sympathetic middle-aged women who won't intimidate, laugh at me or recoil in horror when I say I usually wash my face with handsoap ...?

I had a great experience at Bobbi Brown. I chose them because I followed the advice to pick someone whose own make-up you like, and the Mac counter woman had horrific scary-looking make-up while the Bobbi woman looked much better. And kinder. And didn't do a hard sell either. She asked me lots of questions about what I liked, put on everything I asked her to and told me how to do it myself, sold me what I wanted and wrote down the rest of things so I could buy them gradually rather than handing over an enormous sum of money all at once.

MAC are good. If you just pop in they can get some bits on you, but for £25.00 the make over is brilliant and you get the £25.00 to spend on products after so its not really cost anything!