Bobbi Brown makeover? How much might a new look cost?

[JeffActually]

DH is struggling to find me a Christmas present and I am struggling to give him ideas.

So....I have been thinking about a makeover for a while - I have a 17 month old and am pregnant with #2, I wear barely any make up on a day to day basis, work in a farm shop and live in jeans and baggy jumpers.

When I go out I sometimes wear a bit of cheap foundation, some bronzer (which is possibly over 10 years old) and a bit of whatever lippy I was given for Christmas 4 years ago.

I need help

Having done a bit of research on MN it looks like Bobbi Brown is the best make up counter to go to, unless anyone has other suggestions?

How much would I be looking at spending, if I go to them and say I have 'x' amount of money to spend and can you give me a new look for that amount will they do that?

Does anyone have any other suggestions for what I could ask for from DH, I probably need an entire face, body and hair makeover!

I just need to feel a bit more human...

Well he could book you a makeover - think about £25 which is redeemable on products, then he could also give you say another £75 voucher. Bobbi Brown products are good.
Or you could look for a freelance makeup artist to come to you and do a makeup lesson, probably around £60, she would talk you through everything, write down the products she recommends and puts on you so you can go and buy them bit by bit. A good mup artist will use a variety of different brands.

A friend of mine went for a Bobbi Brown make-over while we were on a weekend away last year, they recommended about £400 worth of stuff in total ( this included moisturiser, brushes, make-up remover etc) but she didn't buy all of it. She was seen straight away without an appointment when we walked in, it took about 90 minutes and she was pleased with the results and the non-pushy service though a bit at the price!

get the brushes in ebay - i always do, no issues with quality

tbh i would build it up gradually - why do oyu need to buy the lot? if you are unued to wearing make up it might be a huge FAIL.

id do foundation blush and mascara first

I had one & was really impressed.
I stressed that I didn't want a full on 'face' & they did a great job. I think the 1st time I just bought foundation, an eyeshadow & a lipstick (about 60 pounds) though have since been back for more.
Although loads of products were written down & didn't see pressurised.
Never been able to do the eyes like they did though..

I would say the best part of £100. If you go to Debenhams you don't pay for a makeover ime and the women are more than happy to plaster you with slap

The makeover will be free and you can spend as much as you like. In my experience it's easy to spend £££, though you may be more disciplined than me!

I haven't done the makeover but I love bobbi brown products. I have their tinted moisturiser, lipsticks, face powder, blusher and brushes. I think the lipsticks and powders are £20, the foundations are £30. So £100 should be plenty if you are after something simple. I agree you don't need to buy a full face if you are not use to a full face all the time. I don't either, and am happy with just tinted moisturiser + powder. And I like cheap eye and lipcolours. But I found BB lipsticks lovely with lots of pigment. So they last longer than say my Revlon lipbutter (which is another of my fave well my lips are peeling).

I don't wear lots of make up but I do like Bobbi Brown's range and was quite impressed when I went to their counter - I had a makeover but never paid anything (perhaps it was a quiet day). I ended up buying a concealer and blusher, and didn't feel pressurised to buy everything. It is £££ but I think if you don't use much anyway, you can get one or two bits you know you'll use every day. I now have a lovely streamlined makeup bag with a few items that I know suit me. Much better!

IME the concealers, foundations, eyeshadows and lip glosses are worth it, but the mascaras I've tried are no better than high street versions. And I like the gel eye-liner too - much more natural and less harsh-looking than pencil eyeliner, and it stays put! I don't wear that everyday, but it's nice when I do get around to glamming up.

Some of the palettes are lovely - I am always a sucker for a palette .

I have had a few makeovers over the years at BB.
I have said I couldn't afford the whole 'works' but recommend the key items and then I can mix and match with what I already have and can buy cheaper.

They have always been fine about doing that and not pushed the most expensive thing. Because of that I have gone back time and again.

Lovely stuff.

My experience is just the same as drownangels'. No charge for makeover - they will write down details of everything used but no pressure to buy the lot.

I've had a makeover at BB. I like them as you don't end up looking too 'made up'. You look like you but better.

Like the others have said you could end up spending loads but explain that you just want to start with the basics and perhaps invest in a foundation / tinted moisturiser, blusher, and lipstick?

I love BB but have just bought a mascara from them which I'm not terribly impressed with so it's going back. I would recommend Clinique for a good natural looking mascara - about £16.

They give you a sheet with all the products they recommend written on it so if you like the look and the products you could add to your make-up bag for birthdays etc.

Personally I would go to a MAC counter and ask for a natural look -I don't rate BB at all and think it is massively overpriced for what it is.

Strange because I feel exactly that way about MAC, and think BB very good for miost things.
Agree Clinique mascara probably better thopugh (or laura Mercier, or Chantecaille).

Thank you all so much for your replies, there's a lot of info for a make-up dunce like me to be making a start with!
I shall drop a few less than subtle hints at DH and see what occurs ;-)

You mentioned hair too. If there's a salon you've always wanted to go to, another choice would be a voucher there for cut and perhaps colour. Hair - and good underwear- are the two things that always affect how you look.

You could still go for a free BB consultation as well, and buy your favourite products from them as and when you can afford.

You need foundation £35 Concealer around £17 , blusher around £17, eye pencil- but buy Rimmel or similar much cheaper, ditto mascara, and lipgloss. You could try their eye shadows but personally I think they are over priced- Revlon do some really nice ColourStay quads fr £7.99.

sorry- foundation is £30 not £35.

Another option could be to get a makeover at Space NK. That we they will use lots of different brands that will suit you rather than being restricted to one brand.

On BB eyeshadows, not so sure about the powder ones, but the cream ones are some of the best I've ever tried and I personally don't think they are at all over-priced for the qualityand ease of use.

Agree on Space NK recommendation if you are near one.