6. Navigating cosmetic counters
The make-up minefield
There’s no denying that cosmetic departments can be intimidating. All chrome and glass, bright lights with those glamorous packages lined up on the shelves, and then we have to contend with immaculate consultants! Collectively these factors have the potential to overwhelm and make us feel inadequate.
Many of us buckle under pressure from a disdainful or a pushy sales consultant and end up buying a product we didn’t want and didn’t need. It’s frustrating. Don’t be intimidated or flattered into purchasing a product you won’t use, or buy a product that is so expensive you are reluctant to use it.
And take heart. There are hundreds of pleasant, helpful consultants out there with the knowledge, expertise and maturity to understand your requirements and move you towards your goals in a compassionate manner. Assertiveness and clarity are required from you when you visit a cosmetic counter. Women who hover, hesitate and dither tend to be dismissed as ‘browsers’, rather than potential customers.
Try it before you buy it.
Advertisements often trumpet the virtues of some marvellous new product designed to answer every woman’s anti-ageing prayers. The advertisement usually has a photograph the product applied to a particularly youthful looking celebrity.
Somehow we get sucked in and think “Yes, that’s for me.” And it could well be.
You could look like the celebrity if you used every single product listed in the box beside the photograph, if you possess a similar bone structure, similar skin, or identical genes and if your funds are unlimited, but as it stands, it’s unlikely! Beware of smoke and mirror advertising!
Make-up can be expensive and new products arrive in the stores almost daily. Most people prefer to try before we buy it whether it is new on the market or just new to us. There is no secret to obtaining samples or trial sizes, most cosmetic houses provide them especially with new products.
A trial size or sample can be more forthcoming when you purchase something. The giveaway might be a companion product to an item you’ve bought – this goes with that – or it may be an introduction to a new range. Occasionally cosmetic companies give away discontinued lines or colours – usually lipstick.
If you are genuinely interested in a particular product but are unsure about purchasing it some companies will put a smudge or few drops into a tiny sample pot for you to try out at home. Not every product is available in a sample size, especially established products within established ranges.
Most companies readily give away product samples, but some do not. When I was researching this I was invariably told the production costs of trial sizes and samples was similar to the cost of producing full size products. The marketing strategy of trial sizes is primarily to retain existing customer’s loyalty and interest. Product samples are doled out at the counter consultants’ discretion.
At Easter I landed in Portugal and found that I’d left my make-up in Spain. I needed my make-up for a function and the holiday weekend that followed and so I was faced with buying almost an entire kit (I use almost every product listed in day 4 – “Marvellous Make-up”). Off I went to a MAC cosmetics store in the Forum shopping centre on the Algarve where I built a reasonable rapport with the assistant. She realised I was a serious shopper, but when I mentioned that a sample of anything would be appreciated she ignored me. I was faced with the choice to repeat myself or to let it go. I was spending a considerable amount so I repeated my request. The consultant said MAC do not provide samples.
By way of contrast I walked across the concourse to a Douglas Cosmetics store to complete my make-up purchases. The sales consultant was knock-out helpful, knowledgeable, understanding and generous.
So, when it comes to obtaining free samples or trial sizes; nothing ventured is nothing gained - ask for them!

Make-up consultations
Here’s the heads up about in-store make-up consultations:

• Cosmetic houses don’t cross-mix brands when it comes to consultations. An appointment made for a consultation or lesson will be with the cosmetic company that takes the reservation; you won’t be trying one brand of mascara, another brand of lipstick and so on. The make-up applied in your consultation will be one brand from one cosmetic house –for example it will be all Laura Mercier make-up and skin care, or it will be all Estee Lauder make-up and skin care and so on.



• Freelance make-up artists are not bound by brand loyalties although they often recommend personal favourite products.



• Hairdressers and beauticians are often able to refer you to a freelance make-up artist, or jump onto Google and find one yourself.



• Visit the make-up counter before you attend your consultation and check out the prices of the products to ensure they are within the range you are prepared to pay for your cosmetics.



• There is likely to be a charge for a full consultation, make over or make-up lesson. Most cosmetic companies work on an appointment system and take a reservation fee or deposit to confirm your appointment. The deposit may be redeemable on products you purchase at the time of your consultation.



• If you don’t show up you’ll forfeit the reservation fee.



• Some cosmetic houses have private consulting rooms or cubicles; others hold consultations and make-up applications at their in-store sales counter. If the consultant doing your make-up is flying solo you may be left sitting in the chair while counter customers are attended to. If your appointment is during a busy time or during an in-store promotion the consultant or make-up artist may use a microphone to draw nearby shopper’s attention to what’s happening. Are you comfortable with this?



• Discuss your needs with the consultant prior to your appointment. Ensure any issues you have such as sensitive skin or dark under-eye circles are understood and will be addressed during your consultation. It is important to confirm the consultant you’ve discussed your problems and are comfortable with is the consultant you will have your appointment with.



• Establish the consultant is trained and fully conversant with the skin care requirements and the make-up techniques for mature skin.
  
  I was recently caught out at a consultation with a French make-up house. I assumed the mature consultant with whom I discussed my needs and confirmed my appointment would be the person doing my make-up. I arrived fresh faced to discover that particular consultant had the day off. Rather than re-schedule, I stupidly allowed myself to be fobbed off onto a much younger, less experienced associate who lacked understanding of mature skin and appropriate make-up. I left looking like an elderly disgruntled raggedy Ann doll!
  




• If you know you’re never going to apply several different eye shadow colours, mix foundation yourself, smooth on camouflage and concealers or fiddle around with translucent powder tell the consultant!



• Discuss the amount of time you have available and are willing to spend on your make-up each day. Work out a skin care or make-up regime that’s right for you.



• It’s the consultant’s job to sell you as many products as possible, all of which may be applied to your face during a consultation. You’ll need to tread a fine line here, it might be better to allow everything to be applied and then purchase the products you really like rather than to keep refusing the application of products in which case the consultant might decide you are a ‘browser’, lose interest and not show you the one unknown product that could be your waterloo!



• Ask the consultant to write down the exact name on the label of each product, the price and the colours that were used on you. This is invaluable for future purchases, and to compare with products you already have.



• If the cosmetics you are trying are on the pricey side ask for suggestions for alternative uses for the products. Could the camouflage double as eye shadow primer for example?



• If your skin is acting up and not in it’s usual good condition don’t go to have a make-up consultation. The emphasis will be directed toward skin care and make-up coverage products that are not what you need. Wait until your skin returns to its normal good condition before you go.



• Companies appreciate a telephone call if you have to bail on an appointment.



• Remember to pick up a business card or direct telephone number when you’re booking your consultation.
  

At the counter

• Many cosmetic companies offer companion items that work in conjunction with one another. Don’t be intimidated into buying ‘this goes with that’ products. Each product should stand alone without needing some other complementary product to make it work properly. If you are unsure or already have something similar don’t buy it.



• The best time to shop for make-up is on a week day morning when the stores are less busy and the consultants have the time to pay more attention to you.



• Test a product at the beauty counter then wear it for the day to establish that it does do everything it says it’s going to do for the length of time it claims to do it. This also gives you the chance to check that colours and formulas will suit your skin.



• Test make-up on the site where you intend wearing it. Put foundation on the face, lipstick on the lips, and eye shadow on the eyelids etc.



• If you are pushed for time, borrow a hand mirror (or take your own) and walk outside into the daylight to check a colour is the right shade for you before you buy it. Florescent lighting in stores is deceptive and in the light of day you could find that you don’t quite look the way you thought you did!
  

Foundation

• Unless you are really into cosmetics, blending your own foundation each day from two or more different colours (or products) is time consuming and the results are not always constant. Find a foundation in a bottle or tube in a colour and consistency that suits you without having to mix it with something else.



• Apply a smudge of foundation at your jaw line to test the colour. Try several colours next to each other. The correct foundation will blend into your skin, not stand out like tiger stripes.



• Don’t bother to test foundation (or any make-up for that matter) on the back of your hand. It’s a waste of time because the skin colour is not the same as the skin colour of your face. Stand in front of the mirror and look at the back of your hand beside your face. Can you see the difference between the two?



• Take baby wipes or make-up remover towelettes along with you to quickly remove products you don’t like or make your skin tingle. It is an idea to take along your own regular cosmetics with you so you can match colours, or re-apply it when you’ve finished shopping.
  

Purchasing lipstick
Seek expert advice from a make-up consultant to get exactly the right lipstick shade for you. And wear your glasses if you need to! Try lipstick on the lips, not on the back of the hand which is skin coloured, not lip coloured. To maintain hygiene, use a tissue to wipe the lipstick tester before loading a cotton bud with the lipstick colour. Apply lipstick from the cotton bud; not from the lipstick tube. If you need more lipstick use a fresh cotton bud each time rather than re-loading the same one. Wipe the tester again with a tissue after you’ve used it.
Cosmetic houses periodically discontinue colours. If you’ve been wearing a favourite lipstick or eye shadow colour for years now is the time to update. Take a look at the latest ranges; technology changes all the time and make-up has variously become sheerer (fantastic for a more youthful look), longer lasting and lighter weight.
Trained make-up consultants are aware of warm and cool skin tones (they see hundreds of faces each week) and can often help you with your skin tone.
However, an accredited, trained and experienced image consultant is the most reliable professional to provide you with a full colour analysis personalised to your own skin tone.
The shelf life of make-up
Make-up does not last forever - something you probably don’t want to know if you’ve just forked out the equivalent of a king’s ransom for a tube of mascara!
Creamy make-up contains oils and fats that can turn rancid. Other ingredients such as wax and pigments can also contribute to make-up “going off” or “turning bad”. Elements such as steam and heat affect cosmetics too, causing ingredients to separate, flake or dry out. It is not mandatory in Australia for make-up to be labelled with a use-by date so we need to rely on appearance, colour, taste, feeling and smell to determine the freshness of a product. As a rule of thumb it makes sense to buy cosmetics in small quantities. The smaller the container the more likely you are to finish the product within a reasonable time frame.
Here’s the heads up on a few things:
To help control contamination avoid touching the product in its container. Pour the product into your hand, or use an applicator. If you pour out too much, wash it off. Never put product back into the container.
Over-exposure to air can dry, thicken, crack, or encourage bacteria to form on a product.
Keep container lids firmly closed.
Water or saliva will not extend a product. In fact both can introduce bacteria that break the product down and lessen the life of the product.

• Foundation in liquid or cream form has a shelf life of around 18 months.
  You’ll know it’s off when the ingredients separate or if the mixture has thickened or thinned. It may have developed an earthy smell.



• Concealer in a tube, stick or compact lasts for around 2 years.
  You’ll know it’s off when a layer of grease forms over the product, or if it has cracked or caked in the container.



• Lipstick has a shelf life of 4 years.
  You’ll know it’s off when the colour changes, it tastes rancid or nasty, or if it burns your lips. Update your lipstick colours regularly.



• Powdered eye shadow lasts indefinitely.You'll know it's off when a dry translucent film covers the top and the product beneath is flaky.



• Cream eye shadow and cream blusher has a life of about 2 years.
  You’ll know it’s off when it feels greasy and the ingredients separate.



• Eye and lip pencils last indefinitely
  You’ll know it’s off when the pencil colour is dry, crumbly or breaks easily.



• Mascara lasts for about 6 months at the most.
  You’ll know it’s off when the wand clogs with product or it comes out of the container dry.



• Loose powder is one product that lasts with little ill effect for years.
  You’ll know it’s off when it’s lumpy, clumpy and feels sandy or grainy (usually after it has been exposed to moisture). If you’ve kept your powder for a long time the chances are the colour and texture are now incorrect for you.



• Compact powders – eye shadows, face powder and blushers last for about 3 years.
  You’ll know it’s off when the colour is ghostly, the texture is chalky and the product is cracked.



• Nail polish lasts for around 3 years.
  You’ll know it’s off when it separates and won’t remix no matter how hard you shake it, or it’s very thick or dried out in the bottle. Don’t bother with nail polish thinner, if you’ve had the nail polish for 3 years and it has deteriorated sling it out and buy a new nail polish in a current colour.



• Fragrance lasts for about 3 years.
  You’ll know it’s off when it smells vinegary or the liquid darkens. Buy fragrances in smaller quantities more regularly.
  




• Discard any product you have doubts about.



• Don’t borrow anyone else’s make-up (but you know that!)



• Clean applicator tools and brushes regularly.



• Touch the product with your fingers as little as possible



• Store cosmetics and fragrances away from sunlight.
  

Next time we hit the good stuff girls, with "Menopause Magic". Look for it, lots of tips on how to cope with the symptoms, some natural remedies, what different symptoms actually are, what colours to avoid wearing and a few words about fragrances. Kisses until then, Dawn xx