OP again. I ended up at Nordstroms. I actually made an appointment at Sephora because I needed to go to the mall anyway (and that particular mall did not have a Blue Mercury in it). I walked out of Sephora after I saw the makeup on the sales associates (as someone above mentioned, the makeup was crazy overdone). The store was also super crowded. Nordstroms was fairly empty and I just wandered over to the MAC counter (since so many of you mentioned MAC). The ladies were super helpful and seemed knowledgeable. I didn't mind the commission aspect since I had planned to buy a lot anyway. I bought all new makeup at Nordstroms and then went back to Sephora to buy brushes and look around at all the fun products. I realized during the makeup application that brushes made a huge difference in how the product applied to my face. Thank you all for your help!! I actually have adult makeup now and I love the way that it looks.

Where did you end up going OP?

OP here. I wanted to thank everyone for all of their help and let you know that I went out and got make-up yesterday!! It was so fun and now I think I am addicted I loved how I looked and ended up buying a bunch of new stuff including brushes. I haven't tried tried applying it myself today so hopefully I can re-create it.

I believe you make an appointment with a "beauty stylist" at some Nordstroms. The beauty stylist has no affiliation with a specific brand, and a knowledge of all of them but probably does work on a commission. This might be a good option if you can stay strong and stick to the basics.

I love MAC too. I think they have the best products available and for the widest variety of individuals/races.