Where Can I Go for a Make-Up Application and Purchase?
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Anonymous
| I need some help with make-up. I am in my early 30s and embarrassed to admit that I don't really know how to use/apply make-up. I basically put on some powder, mascara, and maybe a little blush and lipstick (on a good day). I have been wearing the same drug store brands for 15 years!!! I want to actually learn how to apply make-up (natural looking for day and maybe a smokey eye for night), and purchase some new make-up. Any thoughts on where to go? Do I just go to a department store make-up counter? If so, which one? Will they do a make-up application for me and help me select colors that look good on me? I am willing to purchase a whole slew of new stuff. |
Anonymous
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It isn 't cheap because all the brands they carry are expensive but Bluemercury could be the place. None of the people who work there are beholden to a particular brand so they are free to go to different brands for different colors or products. I bought new makeup about 3 months ago and I ended up buying foundation from Chanel, blush from Nars, eye pencils from Laura Mercier and lip stick and gloss from Bobbi Brown and Nars.
If you want a whole new look along with the products that go with it, be prepared to spend 200 at least. |
Anonymous
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I agree Blue Merucry is a good place because they have so many different brands. At for example Nordstrom, you will get a pushy (most of the time) woman from a specific cosmetic brand and they only give you their product and tend to push you into buying a bunch of shit you dont need (like eye primer you CAN buy at CVS without spending $50) and work on commission.
So Blue Mercury is good but be careful about what they tell you that you just have to buy. Really...you need some main components and maybe even invest in a few good brushes. |
Anonymous
| Thank you! Very helpful. What about Sephora? One of my friends mentioned Sephora. Would you go to Blue Mercury over Sephora? |
Anonymous
| I really like Nordstrom's. They have many different lines to choose from. You get such personal attention (you get the whole makeup application, tips, techniques, recs). Once you have decided on a line and pallette you aren't forced to go to a particular store like Blue Mercury because the brands are available in other stores. Each of the make up lines have their own reps in Nordstrom's so you will be working with someone from the actual company rather than just a sales person for the store. |
Anonymous
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I believe all the lines at BlueMercury are carried at Nordstrom, at least the make up. I'm not sure about the skin care. Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Nars, Trish McEvoy. Also, once you get a products you like you can always order replacements online.
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Anonymous
| OP I posted above about Blue Mercury. I have not heard anything about Sephora but whenever I go there, the employees make up looks like drag queens so I stay away from their *assistance*. |
Anonymous
| Seriously, check out YouTube for makeup application lessOns! |
Anonymous
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Sephora is a great place to try things out because (a) they give out as many samples as you want and (b) they have a really generous return policy if something doesn't work out for you. That said, their sales people are just that, sales people, and they don't know much about the products they are selling. But it's a great store for the sheer variety of stuff that they sell. I like the store in friendship heights, it's not as busy as the mall stores. Going to department stores to buy things kind of sucks because although the makeup artists know a lot about the products, they are going to give you a hard sell because they work off of commission. Also if you want help applying things and go for a makeover you are pretty much expected to buy something. I have no experience with blue mercury other than buying my Dermalogica stuff there and getting a lipstick - I felt that their staff was not particularly knowledgable about the makeup - similar to Sephora. Right now is a GREAT time to find palettes on sale that were produced for the holiday season. Palettes are great b/c you get small sizes of a bunch of things that go together and sometimes they come with lookbooks that tell you how to apply. Sephora (online) is a good place to buy palettes. Finally, I'm going to second the person that says to check out youtube for application tips - there are a TON of amazing videos. I did my own wedding makeup based on a series of youtube videos and the results were great! And then I am going to suggest www.makeupalley.com for tons of reviews on pretty much everything. Go there before you buy anything and read the reviews from real people, it is such a great site. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| i received a gift to the elizabeth arden red door spa in chevy chase and part of my gift was makeup application/lesson. they did a great job, so that is a good, though pricey, option. |
Anonymous
| Wow - thank you all so much. Great tips and advice. |
Anonymous
| Another place is Ulta. |
Anonymous
| There are a lot of surprisingly helpful and professional make-up tutorials on YouTube. No kidding. |
Anonymous
| I love MAC products. They started out as an independent professional makeup artist line, but now it's sOld in the dept. stores and sOme standalone shops. |