Do you get funny looks when you buy certain makeup?

[JustDivine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jardinaires well when i was younger i had a sort of un-amusing situation with a MA.. i was probably 13 or 14, walked up to the MAC counter looking for an eye shadow i had really liked the previous time i visited.. i was so in love with MAC cosmetics, even at such a young age, i viewed the MAs as these glamorous people who must live their entire lives with beautiful makeup and contoured eyes and perfectly applied false eye lashes.. well, this bitchy little MA walks herself over to where i'm standing, gives me a once-over, and sort of smirks.. "would you like me to do your eyes for you? our eyeliner is the blackest you can get anywhere" and i sort of laughed, oh, haha, yeah honey.. my t-shirt is black.. this must mean i want you to emo me out.. anyways.. i told her what i was looking for, and yeah she helped me but she did so with this sort of "i'm better than you" saunter and when she told me the total it looked like she expected me to pull a wadded up ball of 1s out of my pocket and be all shocked at "how expensive it is" i HATE the MAs like that. now that i'm older, when i encounter MAs or for that matter anyone like that, i do not take the attitude. MAC is a fun place to be and shop, and just because you work there you do NOT shit stardust as some people seem to think.

Preach on!

I have this MA who repeatedly tells me I cannot wear any lipliner besides Currant (which I ended up buying but is too dark and strong for me!) and Chestnut because it won't show up on me (NW45). She likes that same ultra bold liner and pink lipstick but that's not me! Well I have had my eye on Lush-n-Lilac for a while now and bought it against her approval. Wore it into MAC today when I went to buy something and she complimented my lip (which was just the liner and a gloss). Hmmm.....

 

[pennybeau]

Thankfully, I haven't had to be in this situation yet.

The MAs at my counter are always encouraging about anything I decide to get, but they usually always try to get me to buy more and more and more...

 

[damsel]

i never had any strange looks from any mua. i usually look around the store for a while then let them know what i want, get it and leave. i don't limit myself to certain colors, i wear and do whatever i want makeup-wise. it's not the artist's job to judge your choices, but to assist you if you indicate you need it. with all that said all the mac makeup artist i've met have been really cool & helpful and that's prob why i haven't had any problems.

 

[AppleDiva]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Face2Mac What that MUA should have done is say "if you like that color, may I suggest___" in whatever nude that she thought was appropriate and if you still went with Hue, that would be on you, not follow you around the store and bug you. It must have been quiet in the store for her to be surrounding you. I like it when the MUA say like maybe Haux might be chalky on your skin but you could try it and not think of their damn sales of you returning it because you probably would go back to them because they were right.

Very good point. I think with the way many of us layer our cosmetics, the MUA does not know what combination of lip products she would be using to create an exciting lip look.

 

[jardinaires]

i think some MAs look at it as them providing a "service" to the "unknowing general public" when it comes to color selections.. when i go to a new counter out of state or in another city when i travel, occasionally i'll get people trying to pitch products to me that i either already own or already decided against. they don't seem to understand that just because i might come in with no makeup on wearing a sweatshirt and unstyled hair, i do know what i like and i know a thing or two about makeup myself, i'm not some idiot who wandered in off the street that thinks they're at a max factor counter, looking for pictures of carmen electra. i love when you develop a relationship with your MAs and they know what foundation you like and what color you'll need, what your favorite finishes of eye shadow are or even just a particular color you love to wear. when you find a good MA you've found a good representative of MAC that can treat you with respect just for being a customer in their store. all these people trying to force their makeup opinions on you, they aren't in my opinion properly representing the company's reputation for supporting diversity and abstract views on beauty.

 

[elektra513]

I don't get this at MAC, but at Sephora all the f-ing time. To the point where I had to start complaining to corporate. I told them the next time (if there is a next time) I shop Sephora, it'll be online, b/c I'm sick of their SAs assuming all their customers are idiots.

But you handled that so wonderfully.

If stuff like that happens to me again, I'll say something similar to what you did.

 

[vcanady]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Ms.August~365 I've had a few of those experiences at MAC also. But the worst was actually in a Sephora here in Cali when Bare Escentuals was getting really popular. I walked in the store to color match and purchase the set, and the sales woman "informed" me that mineral foundations make black skin "ashy" and I should try a line that specializes in darker skin tones. Normally I am a straight to default person, but I was actually so shocked by her bluntness that I just laughed and went about my shopping. It ended up that the deeper tones were too DARK for my complexion... and not at all ashy.

Geez that was pretty offensive of her! I would of been rather ticked off!!

 

[LineausBH58]

never to me.... but I have to say that about 98% of the time I walk into MAC or at the MAC counter... I'm full on 4 to 5 blended e/s... so NO ONE ever says that might not work for me.
If I went in for something... It's me who is shelling out the cash for it... even if I change my mind when I get home... it's up to me.

I like your response tho... and she had no right to say anything to you about the color choice.... how did she know you don't blend your l/s or something???

 

[LineausBH58]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Ms.August~365 I've had a few of those experiences at MAC also. But the worst was actually in a Sephora here in Cali when Bare Escentuals was getting really popular. I walked in the store to color match and purchase the set, and the sales woman "informed" me that mineral foundations make black skin "ashy" and I should try a line that specializes in darker skin tones. Normally I am a straight to default person, but I was actually so shocked by her bluntness that I just laughed and went about my shopping. It ended up that the deeper tones were too DARK for my complexion... and not at all ashy.

WHAT!!!! wow.... i heard something like that from a sales girl( I called her a sales guy cause her "matching" of my skin tone was OFFFFFFFF! But she told me that using the small Kabuki(sp) brush would make the prouct look ashy on me... and that I should use the full face one....

 

[blazeno.8]

Yeah, that actually happened when I went to pick up Pink Grapefruit and Sci-Fi-Delity. Only once I paired those two did it change to the "MA Seal of Approval". But before it was trying to get my to switch to something more neutral since this is a bronzing collection.

Then the same MA had the nerve to insist that I should get one of the blushes which I felt was too bright (I love purple, but the sheen was INTENSE). When I told her that she told me "No, it's not too bright." Then I just kind of stopped and slowly turned to her and said "It's too bright". That was the end of that conversation.

 

[DirtyPlum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazeno.8 something more neutral since this is a bronzing collection.

what BS??!! She needs to read her notes again and understand that yeah NSF is about flesh tones and beiges etc but that most certainly doesnt exclude WOC?!? I think NSF is one of the more WOC friendly collections!

I was at Shu U the other day and was told a lipgloss similar to Love Nectar was too light for me and at Guerlain got told to look at brown lipsticks rather than corals because it was more in harmony with my (brown) skintone. Right, ok.

I mean fair enough, tell me you prefer A shade to B on me, but dont fabricate rules about what colour suits me and what doesnt in your opinion...

I actually find it funny and just brush off comments like that!

 

[1QTPie]

The only time I got a strange look was when I was considering buying Gesso. She explained to me that it can come off gray and lot of people don't like it (white or black.) But she never said, "don't buy it." And once I told her that I use matte whites to base my dark mattes to make them "neon-ish" she was totally down with my game plan.

 

[blazeno.8]

^^ The funny thing is that everything rang up on the register as "bronzing" (which is also printed on the receipt). I think that's why she was trying to get me to go for the two brownish lip products.

 

[vogueBLACK]

I love MAC, but I hate going to my local MAC counter because the MA's ALWAYS stare me down. Even when I ask a question or ask for suggestions, they just look me over. And I'm like WTF, can I please have some quality customer service, and tell your coworker to stop ice grillin' me! lol

My makeup is usually blended pretty well, right shades and flattering colors... and I know well enough about MAC cosmetics, so I don't know what the problem is. Now I just go with my list already in hand and keep it moving.

 

[blazeno.8]

^

That's horrible to hear.

 

[entyce08]

this is really disconcerning to me because i think in this day and age you can make almost any color work on almost any skin color if you use the right technique...... i think the only "rule" written in stone is that your foundation should match you skin......other than that it all about expression of self!!!!! These MA/sales people need to get wit it or get lost!!!!

 

[User49]

I'm and MA and I would never jump in and tell someone this will or wont look good on you. If they asked me 'what do you think' then i would be honest about it, but if a customer was just browsing then i would approach them and see if they wanted any help. That has to be the worst way to approach a customer lol! Instead of 'hi what can i help you with'... 'hi that colour wont look good on you!???" wow. what was it her first day?? Even a customer myself I would have been annoyed by this behavior. I think what you said was good because it was polite and got the point across!

Next time you want to just browse come to our store lol

xx

And yeah it's quite disheartening that people seem to feel that they are being stared out and discourage to browse because one of the good things I thought Mac had going for them is that they aren't 'pushy' like benefit or some of the other make up brands. we are even trained up to make sure that if someone is just in the mood for browsing then we leave them to it because some people shop by looking and trying things on and being indecisive and then finally making their mind up and thats fine (lol thats how I shop anyway! Coming back to something a million times and i always get the suspicion security are thinking i'm nicking because i spend so long making my mind up lol!) So you know just do your thing and browse, maybe some ma's are just money hungry...

 

[aeroSOUL]

As a MUA, if i see someone buying a lipstick that i don't think would look great on them, i'll use the RIGHT line and suggest something else that will look similar, but will complement them more. If i let a customer talk out with something that dosen't comp them at all, i feel as if I'm not doing my job.
MAs shouldn't be rude, but neither should customers, after all, we work for YOU, which most people have forgotten.

 

[mrsgray]

ok I've been reading the responses and I have to be honest the first thing that came to mind was "I wish a bit** would" I have zero patience and I can also be very blunt so I probably would have said something along the lines of "Did I ask you" to that chick. But I also don't like to be followed around or pressured. I've also been told I'm very headstrong and once I make up my mind the President of the United States couldn't sway me.

My only makeup experience I've ran across at Mac is, I was one of two customers in the store one morning. This chick comes out the back rolling her eyes like she couldn't be bothered. So being the blunt person that I am I told her "don't come over here with your shyt don't stank attitude" NOT TODAY. No exaggeration, I can't stand people being rude for no reason or acting as if they are better than anybody else. I truly believe in the saying the grass is NOT always greener on the other side. Anyway, she said "oh no, it's not you" to which I replied "I know it ain't me, thus why you not about to take out whatever IT is out on me" Once she realized that she probably shouldn't have judged MY book by it's cover she made close to a $100 sale. We even joked around a little and I got her to smile. And she told me, "you look very sweet and innocent on the outer exterior, but you straight HOOD" and I said "why, thank you" ROFLOL My husband says I have looks that could kill so he always encourages me to smile at all times. LMAO

That was the actual Mac store. Normally I go to the Mac counter and they are usually friendly because my cousin works at the perfume counter right behind them and they all know each other and she probably has warned them all that I'm not wrap too tight. lolol (for those that don't know what "wrap to tight" means, it just means she told them I was a little crazy)

Sorry so winded but stuff like this gets under my skin. Discouranged? Hell no. Pissed? To the point of pisstivity. LOL If I had been in the original posters position, I probably would have done something like get the chick to pull all these products for me..I'm talking a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff only to change my mind at the register and tell her "I didn't like your attitude today so now you've worked for your check". I know, evil

.

 

[Tashona Helena]

^lmaooooooooo haha I love your attitude chick. I've never had these experiences happen to me, whatever I ask for at the counter and store they just give it to me with no hesitation lol. I never got anything I wasn't able to work with, like someone else said we can make almost any color work for us, so the attitude from the MA is unnecessary.