Hands down, the class I took with Bobbi Brown Manager of North American Artistry Marc Reagan last spring.
Not exactly a “bumping into someone at a makeup counter” kind of experience, but it was counter related, and did come about as a result of a trip to a makeup counter.
The class was organized by the gals at the Bobbi Brown counter at Saks in San Francisco, and it. Was. Awesome! I learned some of the best makeup tips I’ve ever learned in that class. It was also frightening, sitting in front of a group of people without a stitch of makeup on (Marc demonstrated some techniques on me), but liberating…once I got past the whole terror part.
Not including that class, let’s see…
Oh! The last time I got my makeup done at Sephora was a total blast. It was for Valentine’s Day last February, and the gal who did my makeup, Chelsea, was a makeup artist rock star! — incredibly talented, chatty and really knowledgeable.
It was one of the best makeovers of my life, one of those unforgettable ones where you leave feeling like a million bucks. 🙂
What about you, my friend? What’s the most wonderful experience you’ve ever had at, or as a result of a trip to, a makeup counter?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hi Karen!
Once I was able to take a Laura Mercier Master Class at Neiman’s and it was an awesome experience! There were about 15 of us and each of us had an artist working on us. They started from cleansing all the way to makeup application. I learned so much- definitely the most informative session I have ever been a part of.
I once got a makeover at Sephora. And the guy that did my makeup taught me some really amazing tips! I left feeling beautiful.
This is tough! Mainly because my best experience ever was at booths…at The Makeup Show to be exact. BUT, I really enjoyed having my makeup done by Aisha Alves of NARS since she introduced me to Habanera and put aside any last qualms I had about colorful eyeshadow. Olive skin can wear mint too, wahoo! And I always always always love when my favorite SA is at Sephora. She totally gets my style, her recs are always top notch, and early on in my blogging life she called me talented. That has stuck with me and encouraged me on the toughest of makeup days.
I always enjoy your posts covering events and they encourage me to seek out more in my own area. There is nothing like getting together with other professionals to help learn and grow!
It was probably at a Laura Mercier counter where I learned how to tight line. I still can’t do tight line very well .. it makes my eyes water.
Monica.
I hate having my make-up done (a little side effect of having worked as a mua myself) so I don’t have any make-over experiences. Woops 🙂
I always have really good experiences at my MAC counter. All of the SA’s are so helpful and knowledgeable. That really makes such a difference.
The lovely ladies at my local Lancôme counter for introducing me to eyeliner, years ago. Lancôme’s liquid liner pen is still my favourite! 🙂
I am dying to take a class here in New Jersey. They have workshops in Montclair. I love Bobbi Brown and the whole concept of natural beauty.
You know, I’m not sure! There have been lots of awesome times, on both sides of the counter.
My favorite experience working at a counter was helping a girl pick out her first makeup for her Bat Mitzvah – she came with her mom and grandmother, and that was so much fun getting to help her and share in that experience, and bonding.
When my regular MUA at the Mac counter in 2002 refused to let me repurchase Lustre Lipstick in Touch for the 5th time (the 90’s were over, after all), and forced me to discover all the other great Mac lipsticks out there. Hahaha!!!
I typically don’t like having my makeup done at a makeup counter because it always comes out terrible. My favorite experiences are the times when I have just been browsing for products (which is often haha).
I’ve had two equally wonderful experiences at the makeup counter.
The first was I had my makeup done at Shoppers Drug Mart for events twice. The makeup artist there was excellent and a lovely person all around. The first time I was nervous, as I didn’t know what to expect but she put me at ease, listened to me, and created a look I loved both times. 🙂
Second time was at Sephora for an “Express” service. The lady there taught me how to apply blush since I hadn’t worn it before other than the two times for special events. She used the blushes from the Hello Kitty Graffiti palette I was interested in so I could see how the colours looked on my skin. I ended up purchasing the palette and it was one of the best buys I’ve made.
I suppose this comes down to the time when I was in Ulta, looking for a specific Bvlgari perfume I’d seen on the website. Just being in the market for a new scent and all. And I got there, looked around the perfume section, and found the tester… but no more perfumes! So I asked a sales guy, and he admitted they were sold out and it was a discontinued scent (sad!!). I was prepared to deal with that and was like “thanks, I guess I’ll keep looking”, but he ended up giving me the (still half-full) tester bottle to take home. I was so happy and never imagined a salesperson would do that just voluntarily!