Have you ever had a really great beauty makeover at a counter/store?
Have you ever had a really great beauty makeover at a counter/store? Have you had any bad experiences?
Best was definitely by Nicholas Lujan who works for Make Up For Ever, and it was at the MUFE Boutique at the Venetian Sephora. I believe he’s based out of NYC now doing stuff for MUFE, but he was fantastic. Easily best ever makeover I’ve had. There was one where they over-drew my lips, didn’t blend the eyeshadow, put on lashes that were half-on, and that was pretty disastrous.
No! But I’d like to try one out.
I’ve had them done by a few different brands over the years but the best ones I’ve had are always from MAC. Now I won’t have one done unless it’s at a MAC counter.
i’ve never had a full face makeover, but i have had a couple experiences when getting foundation matches.
i loved chatting with the girl who helped me match foundation at MAC and we chatted about blush and funky eye shadow.
i went to a sephora to get a match this fall since i lost my barely there tan, and tried the hello flawless liquid foundation. it totally oxidized and turned wayyyyyyy too yellow on me (which i only figured out when i went out to my car) and the foundation itself just had me looking like i was sweaty, it looked so oily. i don’t think she could tell i had my brows filled in, so she filled them more and the inner part of my brows were practically squared off, so while i kept browsing the store, i would soften the edges when i was near a mirror or compact.
someday, i’ll let myself get done up by someone… haha
I’ve had my makeup done several times by the remarkable Marcus Monzon. He’s one of Guerlain’s top national artists and travels the country working his makeup magic. Having makeup done by a true artist is a revelatory experience.
That should have been Monson. Sorry Marcus!
I rem ur makeover look
no 92 n diamond powder … amazingly done
yeah I did had 3 yrs back n it was done by my frnd
Dr. Neeraj at clinique counter fabulous base makeup n lovely teal blue purple eye makeup 🙂
he was working there n now he is freelancer n am dying to have one now 🙂
I’ve never had a makeover, nor do I have any plans to ever do so. For one thing, using testers kind of grosses me out, as I’ve seen far too many people sticking their fingers in products. Another is, for me, makeup is a very persomal thing, and an outer expression of who I am, so having someone apply it in a way they want to, or in a way that’s “on trend”, just doesn’t appeal to me.
I have, however, gotten recommendations on pairings I may have never considered on my own, and tried them at home. For example, when I bought the Kat von D Ladybird palette, I mentioned something about not wearing a shade like Cleopatra, but the SA told me to try it with Fur Elise or Sioixsie Sioux, which ended up being wearable.
An Illamasqua counter just opened near me and everyone is super nice. They actually love putting makeup on your face and never pressure me to buy anything! It’s great and I love going there just to try out new looks.
I normally end up always hating my makeup when I get it done- they always think I have green eyes (I have blue) and layer on a ton of purple eyeshadow and liner. I always end up looking overdone and not good. That being said, I got my makeup done at the Chanel counter on 5th ave and it looked amazing. Really beautiful and flawless.
I’ve always been hesitant incase the makeup or the brushes, if improperly cleaned beforehand, might break me out. In the instances of a subpar session, did the make up artist still expect you to purchase anything?
I’ve always had great experiences with Sephora associates applying products on me, and have had some shockingly bad experiences with associates at MAC and Guerlain counters!
I don’t think so! Counter people tend to be unfamiliar with my face shape or undertone and the results tend to be less than flattering… I think the exception is Illamasqua BAs.
Nope… I guess I never look like I wanna spend a lot on makeup. :-))
The one I had at YSL was amazing! I only wanted to try a lipstick, but the woman said she would ‘warm up’ my face to suit it and ended up applying a full face. As a newbie to ysl, I was in love and never knew I could look so good! (Posted about it on my blog actually)
Sadly, no. My limited number of DS makeover experiences have been super ho-hum to disastrous, but I have also never attended a special guest MUA event either.. I’ve had some MUA’s that have been particularly insightful on products that would work best for me, but that’s about it. The disastrous one had me donning the shades and quickly ducking into a taxi before anyone could even get a glance at me. Years ago now, I had booked a mid afternoon session at a high end department store in TO for an evening eye look. I had an important special event that evening and wanted to look extra goood. I was wearing a silver dress so the MUA went with a dark navy blue and silver eye look. Well, I got what I asked for: a dramatic eye which would have been perfect had I been a Las Vegas show girl, and I felt so absolutely cartoonish ridiculous, I couldn’t wait to get it off of me. I scurried home with barely enough time to scrub the look off and start from scratch on a much more subtle look. Lesson learned.
Yes, once. I went into Mac to get my makeup done for my Junior prom and the MUA knocked it out of the park. She was a cute little blonde chick with a New Jersey accent. I am very fairy toned and she didn’t try to bronze me up and make me look darker than I am. She gave me an incredible smokey eye. Taught me how to do it myself at home, and even gave me a couple product recommendations that I still use to this day (11 years later). When I went back for my senior prom she was not at that Mac anymore and my makeup didn’t come out nearly as good.
I’ve only had my makeup done once, at MAC – and it was horrible! The lady basically layered black and purple eyeshadow pretty heavily all over my lids up to my brow bone and didn’t finish the rest of my eyes or face. Seriously, no mascara, eyeliner, nothing. Thank goodness it was a spur of the moment thing and I didn’t have to go anywhere after. It was embarrassing enough just to walk back to my car like that.
5 words: Marilyn Acosta at Bergdorf Goodman!
Revised (6 words): Marilyn Acosta, Guerlain counter, Bergdorf Goodman. If you’re in NYC, GO!
Haha yes! And coincidentally they were both at Selfridges (Oxford St, London). One was at the EL counter – mannn my lips were overdrawn, my foundation was not blended in, the lipgloss was all on my cheek, the eyeliner had declared its independence from my eyelid and was charting its own pathway to my hair line – pure disaster. I think I actually shrieked when I stepped outside and looked in my mirror.
The other was at the YSL counter when the new Touche Eclat foundation debuted. The MUA (a guy) was really nice, gave me chocolates and champagne, told me how he trained at the “Champs Elysees” and how he knew my exact colour match. He was trying really hard for me to purchase the foundation but (gladly) I declined as I wanted to see how it wore on my skin first. There I sat feeling like a queen while he did my foundation, and felt so extra special walking around London. When I got home and looked in the mirror, the foundation was wayyy too red for me. I looked really scary! Even my younger sister who isn’t into makeup at all commented on how freakish I looked!
Oops guess I answered too excitedly. My answer then would be “no” but would love to given my experiences above! 🙂
I had a man named Blaze do my eyes at a MAC counter in Ohio. He was awesome! He had fabulous eyebrows himself 🙂 I didn’t know that much about makeup back then, and I’m blonde/blue eyes, so I never wore that much. He did them super dramatic, dark dark brown…it was a lot, but my eyes were sooo blue and piercing!
I had a makeover done after a man broke my heart. I originally went to ULTA for an eyebrow wax. The woman there asked me how I was doing and I burst into tears. It was very therapeutic venting to her. She gave me a makeover using Iman Cosmetics. I did feel better afterwards. 😉
wow. That’s an amazing story. It’s amazing she listened to you as a human being instead of directly trying to sell you makeup.
Aw, it’s nice to be able to talk to other women and do our womanly things at a time like that!
I’ve never had a good makeover at a counter or at Sephora. More than anything the makeup always looks sloppy to me. The liner is harsh and jagged, the eyeshadow isn’t blended, and the foundation and powder are cakey or streaked. I stopped letting anyone else do my makeup about a year ago after having a national rep from Armani do a terrible job on me (the lashes were clumped, the color choices were so off from my complexion). Through YouTube and lots of practice I’ve gotten pretty good at doing my own makeup anyways.
No, the closest I have come to one is when I had my colors done before my wedding. I look way better in warmer shades.
I never had a makeover that I liked. I like to see how others see me, but in the end they don’t know my face well enough to do a good job. Also, when things are uneven it drives me crazy and I still have to have a makeover where the eyeshadow is blended evenly, or my cheeks, or my brows…
Maybe if I could have a pro pro (yes, double, or maybe even triple pro) do it. 🙂
I admit that I love the process, it’s so relaxing! 🙂
Best makeover….I was six months pregnant and had a horrible experience with someone representing another line. I was close to tears because this person treated me so bad. All I wanted was to be matched in foundation. I was determined to not leave the mall empty handed so I was happy when I saw a Bobbi Brown counter in Belk. Met the manager where she gave a beautiful “enhancement”…she didn’t make me over, just highlighted what she considered was my best features. I felt like a million bucks when I saw the after look. My husband was too and told her that he was buying everything that she used on me that day. I was floored because I wasn’t expecting that. We did walk by the other makeup line and their horrible rep….her mouth dropped. She lost a big sale due to her nastiness.
NARS. When I’ve had my makeup done at NARS it’s been awesome.
I’ve never had a good makeover. Every makeover I’ve had looks like a hyperactive 4-year-old did my makeup. No blending, no caring, just slop, slop, slop and get out of my chair. Just horrid experiences.
I have never had a good experience with a makeover. Usually my makeup looks like it was done by a child afterwards. No blending, no care, just slop, slop, slop and get out of my chair. I would never have another makeover done unless it was a real, REAL professional.
I don’t get makeovers often because normally the artists expect you to buy a bunch of products afterwards. I don’t have a problem with that if I’m really impressed but most of the time, I’m not. The only impressive makeover was done by Raphael from NARS. I forget his last name but I believe he’s the southern overall rep for NARS. I had signed up for a master class at sephora with him and the class got cancelled. So he did my makeup as a thank you for signing up. (Otherwise not sure I could get such a high position(?) MUA to do my makeup.) He made my skin look beautiful.
On a side note, I want to encourage people to trust their gut instinct. There was a MUA assigned to me for an event and I didn’t like her style. However, I went to her anyways because I figured she’s a professional and I’m not… so what do I know. I regret not having the confidence to make that judgement because I look really washed out in a lot of photos from the event. 🙁
I´ve only had two makeovers at Clinique because I was friends with one of the sales girls – I don´t know why, but quite often, if I approach an empty counter people start to stop by, ask and buy. So I agreed to have these makeovers to help her lure clients :)! One makeover was fine and fun and the other not quite – the MUA loaded products on my face and for the only time in years of using Clinique, my skin broke out.
I also had a personalized makeup class at a MAC counter and that was fun – I didn’t really learn many new things, but it was a lot of fun to chat all about makeup with the MUA!
Once, at IlMakiage (now LeMaquillage) I got a beautiful makeover. It was a really natural look, but I looked the freshet ever, with the prettiest undereyes.
I generally have good experiences because I know what works for me and I’m very vocal and direct during the application. My worse attempt at a makeover was at the Chanel counter this past October. Despite my explicit requests, this Chanel MUA was hell bent in showing me how the Fall collection would benefit my NC 50 coloring. When done, I looked like Jack Frost with all these frosty, cool toned eyeshadows on my face. Luckily I only let her do eyeshadow. I complained to her supervisor, went to the Tom Ford counter and was “corrected’. I went back to the Chanel counter and showed them my true makeover. I bought a few items including the Tom Ford Savage Blush and two lippies – Black Orchid and Coco Ravish. Chanel, child please. I’ve had better makeovers with the children at Sephora.
No, I’ve never actually had it done, but I do remember a friend of mine who normally never wears makeup got it done in a Body Shop. I went off in search of other things and when we met up again, she was not only unrecognisable but she had on very dramatic – and quite badly applied – BLUE eyeshadow. I didn’t know what to say!! That is so not the way to get an inexperienced person into makeup. The MA should have done a light neutral colour that actually suited her and then she wouldn’t be so scared to buy makeup and start getting into it!
OMG! My BEST experience was also in Vegas with Nic at the MUFE in the Venetian Sephora! That was about 2 years ago. I was hoping to see him again when I was there in January, but he had moved on by then. The guy who was there in January was also very good. I just don’t think you can go wrong at that location. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about my local Sephora. I’ve never had to go home and wash it off, but have not had any WOW moments. I’ve also had very good applications at Bobbi Brown counters.
I’ve had a couple of good experiences with Sephora makeup artists. When I got to be a VIB Rouge, I took advantage of the free makeup sessions and the MA did a great job. She was a great listener and the makeup was very nice, albeit more than I would wear on a daily basis, but still flattering. Another Sephora MA at JC Penney did a really dramatic hot pink / violet eye on me which I liked, but I did go home and wash it off before my husband saw it. It would have scared him!
I just had a bad experience last week when I went on an impulse to Ulta to get my eyebrows waxed. The girl was very nice and fun to talk to, but I asked to keep my brows full. I just spent a month or so trying to grow out my brows because they were getting too thin and lopsided, and she just waxed them back to how they were before. I was really upset. I hate how I look with really thin brows! On the plus side, I’ve learned how to fill in my brows!
I do hate when MAs line my waterline. It really bugs my contacts, not to mention it’s unsanitary. I didn’t use to say anything, but now I’m older and I speak up, quite bluntly, don’t do that on me!
Not a full makeover, but an Armani artist in Melbourne tried on the Designer Lift foundation on me, with their plummy-pink blush. I avoided cool-toned blush before then, thinking it wouldn’t look good on me. I was surprised at how natural it looked on me! My obsession with sheer, plummy-pink blushes now rivals my obsession with coral blushes. 😛
I actually happen to be in the market for a plummy-pink blush. Which one’s do you reach for? =D
Sorry it took so long to reply! My favorite is still the Armani one I tried that day, which is their sheer blush in #6 Light Rose. It’s not the most pigmented blush but I feel that’s what makes it so easy to wear. It’s quite similar to NARS Oasis, but without the shimmer. Hope that helps! 🙂
I had two great experiences, both with MAC senior artists – first one in Italy (at the time, the amazing and kind Max Della Maggessa), second in Brazil (the lovely Fabiana Gomes). The results were fantastic, I felt like a supermodel!
Yes, Bobbi Brown. It makes me wanna buy a LOT of products but… I think I need some more money xD
I live in Chicago and when makeup artists are launching their brands they travel around giving makeovers and they always hit Chicago. The best I ever had was from Vincent Longo. He did smokey eyes that I have never been able create. The national makeup artist for Armani is a really nice guy and he would be second. Trish MacEvoy is very nice, very classy. Bobbi Brown is very distant. She has very little interaction with people, she just directs her people. Laura Maurcerier was very nice and was really interested in each person.
Yes and No.
It looked great – beautifully blended, amazing color.
The only problem was turned out to be allergic to half the products and began to suffer with an hour or two.
Yes, once at MAC in Dubai
I sure have! If I think back, my most recent and memorable were at Burberry on Bloor Street in Toronto-she did a fantastic look with purples and I ended up purchasing 2 single shadows and a lip shade based on that makeover.
More recently, I visited a Caryl Baker location in Toronto and the MUA there did a phenomenal smokey neutral look with earth tones and it was so perfect for the event I was headed to. I got a ton of compliments and again walked away with several products!
I’ve had several experiences, with two in particular standing out as excellent and one disaster. First for the good was when I was 18 or 19 and meeting up with my father in Chicago over a break from college. They just happened to be having a huge department wide special MA event at the Nordstrom on Michigan Ave. in Chicago (gotta love the Miracle Mile!). A very talented man (don’t recall his name) from Lancôme sat me in his chair and worked his magic. I left with exactly what I wanted, a special look for a night on the town and a dinner “date” with my Dad. Thanks to Dad and his AmEx, I went home with the products and thanks to the MA, I went home with the techniques to recreate the look at home. The other really good experience was at a Sephora in the greater Chicago area, don’t recall which one–I think it was in the northern suburbs. I was staying in a hotel for a month and had run out of foundation. I also was in the market for a new concealer. So, I *GASP* braved going to the mall with no makeup on my face whatsoever in order to find the perfect new products. The BA tried Diorskin Nude Skin Glowing Makeup (went by a slightly different name at the time) in 010 Ivory as well as the Diorskin Nude concealer in 001 on my skin at it was love at first sight (or application?…). However, I didn’t want to commit to buying the products until I saw how they looked in different lighting and how my skin reacted after a few uses. This BA hooked me up with a generous sample that lasted me 10 days. I ended up going back and purchasing the products and the foundation has been my HG ever since (nearly 2 years). As for the bad experience, that was also at Sephora, this time at the Mall of America in Minnesota. I wanted to try out a certain gel eyeliner (don’t recall which one). I was searching it on my hand to see how the color/texture was when a BA came up and asked if I would like her to apply it for me. I had some extra time so figured why not. She then told me. That the product I was looking at wasn’t really that great and wanted to try something else instead. I said that was fine and she brought over a gel liner by Buxum. I told her that in the past I had tried Buxum mascara and that was the only product is ever tried that irritated my eyes/contacts. She assured me that the eyeliner would be fine. However, she was having trouble applying it evenly on my left and right eyes. My eyes are slightly different with one lid being more creased than the other. She kept going back and forth from one eye to the other, insisting she was a perfectionist and had to get it just right. Then the truly awful part came in, I hav a slight tremor that I’ve had since I was a young child. She told me that she’d never be able to get it right if I didn’t stop shaking. I calmly explained to her that I could not control this and that her pointing it out (which she did repeatedly) was making it worse because it was causing me to get anxious. She just kept insisting that if I tried I could stop the tremoring and she could get it “right”. I ended up getting up and walking out. After all that the product was horrible. Portions of the line flakes off within an hour whereas other parts of the line I literally had to scrub and scour off my lids because she had applied so much product. I did later comment online through sephora.com that they might want to consider some customer service etiquette training at that particular store. (Wow I really got long winded with my response. I guess it’s something I’m passionate about. Sorry 🙂