MAC Counter at Nordstrom: Experience

Hi everyone! I don't normally use my blog to talk about my horrible experiences. Its usually pretty positive. But I decided to make a post about this because I think others have had the same experience as I did. 

So on Thursday, I went to Sephora to get Jaclyn Hill's Champange Pop. I was the first one in the store (yay) and the first one to buy Champange Pop that day (yay again) but my problem wasn't at Sephora. The people at my Sephora are wonderful and very sweet and helpful. After I was done at Sephora my sister and I decided to walk around. We went into Victorias Secret and Kate Spade. I parked at Nordstrom so we went through there to get to my car. I saw a MAC counter and I have been looking for certain products but the MAC counter I usually go to (Macy's counter) was out of. 

So I stopped by. I don't know if it was because they were "busy" (they had three people working) but I was ignored. Blantantly ignored. They were disinterested and the white woman acted like I was the biggest pain in the ass they ever had. I asked the two girls working the counter (other woman was doing make up on a client) if they had the travel size Fix + the black lady said "let me look" and never got back to me. I probably asked them too many questions but I couldn't find ANYTHING on my own it was so cluttered and messy. I finally gave up on them. At that point I just felt in the way and the black women working there had such a bad attitude. I don't know if they were overwhelmed (they weren't that busy) or if it was because I look like a teenager. Frustrated, and pissed off I decided to look at some of the other counters. I was in Bobbi Brown when a blonde woman approached me. She asked me what I was looking for today and I told her I just came from MAC, I've been treated poorly and theres nothing specific I'm looking for from Bobbi Brown I just wanted to see if any other brands had what I was looking for. She didn't really understand what I was talking about with these two women. Until we went over there. Her name was Stacy and she is a make up artist for Bobbi Brown. So Stacy told me she could help me find the travel size fix +. The black woman (not being racist I don't know her name) was testing foundation colors on her customer and when Stacy asked where the Fix + was, the black woman snapped at her saying they were out of it. Why couldn't you tell me that when I was standing around for 15 minutes? Stacy looked at me and knew exactly what I was talking about when she originally approached me. I ended up buying the full size Fix +, and a Bobbi Brown product. I wouldn't of bought anything if Stacy hadn't helped. When I bought the huge fix + I walked back to the MAC counter and approached the rude white woman and shouted "I ended up buying the full size" and smiled. Then the white woman payed attention to me. The other woman at the Bobbi Brown counter, Carmen (also a make up artist) rang me up when I saw the Bobbi Brown product I wanted to try (will tell you the product details when I do my haul:) and the price was listed wrong so she called her manager and decided to give it to me the price I originally saw. (Real price was twice that). Thats what I'm talking about with customer service. I get that some people are just rude customers but that doesn't mean you spread the rudeness to your future customers. I was nice to them. I complimented the black woman because she was very pretty and had gorgeous hair but she just snuffed me off like my compliments were obvious or whatever. But heres my thing; I spend more money at MAC then any other stores, brands, counters, etc. I've never had a problem with the customer service with MAC employees until that day. I know there are soooooo many videos on YouTube about bad MAC experiences. Before Thursday I had no idea what people were talking about. I have filed a complaint with the company about what happened. I'm not saying dont shop at the MAC counter in Nordstrom at Easton. Its just not realistic. But shop somewhere where you are treated important. I work retail. I deal with the same thing clothing wise. I know what it's like. Sometimes a random sales associate is a really good listener and they understand better than others. I don't plan on going back to that MAC counter but I will go back to Bobbi Brown to see my girls Carmen and Stacy. They really made me feel better but I am still pissed off about the women at MAC. Stacy actually talked to me about becoming a make up artist and how she learned, and even said when I was ready she could get me a job to work with her.

Sympathy sells beauty products. 

Be sure to tweet me any experiences you've had at MAC. I don't think I'm the only one to have had this situation. 

xoxo, 

aubs. :)

Summer Beauty Tips!

Hi guys! Welcome back to my blog. So this is going to be a list of all of my summer beauty tips, and not all of my tips are limited to summer, you can use them in any season. 

1. Foundation with SPF

Especially for summer, to protect your face from sun damage, you want a foundation with SPF. It does give off a white cast with flash, but if you need a flash then it must be dark and theres no reason to use SPF if you're in a dark place. 

2. Instead of using an eye primer or base, use your foundation to cover your veins and then use a lighter concealer to brighten the eye making eyeshadows appear brighter. 

3. Highlighter

If you don't want to wear a full face of make up but want a glowy refreshed look, a highlighter is what you need. I recently bought the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone from Ulta $20. But if you want something that is less expensive, the covergirl instant cheekbones blush duo in 240. The lightest color is the prettiest highlight. 

4. Instead of buying an expensive setting spray.

Instead of buying a setting spray example: urban decay chill make up setting spray $30. A cheaper alternative is the sample size of the Mario Badescu Rose Water $8(?). If you have dehydrated skin, this can work as a moisturizer too:) 

5. A pink toned blush

A light pink toned blush will give you a flushed hydrated look. I love the MAC blush in Gentle. If you are going for a bronzy look, MAC Margin will be perfect for you. 

6. Tap in Primer instead of rubbing. 

Pressing your primers into your skin rather than rubbing will save protect and entact your make up. 

7. When working with a shimmery lid color, apply crease/transition color first. 

For the longest time I could not get a shimmery lid color to stay where I wanted it too, on the lid. It would always transfer into my crease and I prefer a matte crease. Many people probably already know you apply your crease color first but it never mattered much to me because I always used matte shades. It makes a difference when you want a very pigmented color, or a shimmery color. 

8. Setting your undereyes helps withascara transfer. 

If you have problems keeping your mascara where you want it, try setting under your eyes with a powder. Whether or not you use concealer is up to you, but setting also helps with creasing. 

9. Tape really does work when using liquid eyeliner. 

For the life of me I could not get the right winged eyeliner on myself. I used tape but somehow it never looked even. The trick to having perfect eyeliner is this: practice makes perfect. Clichè but knowing how long or thick you want your   eyeliner to be is the key. It will take time to figure out what looks best with your eye shape. If you struggle with liquid, try gel. It sounds much easier, I have yet to master liquid but I can create a perfect wing with a black shadow, so maybe its the liquid. I'm really excited to try gel. Any suggestions? I'd love to find a drugstore one first! :)

10. Make up is make up. 

Don't get frustrated. Your face is a canvas and you are painting. It doesn't come together until the very end so if you  think it doesnt look right, keep going. The best part about make up is you can wash it off and try again. Make up is different for everyone. Everyone is different with different eye shapes and eyebrows etc. You won't figure out what looks best over time. Jaclyn Hill has practiced for years, it wasn't just over night. :)

xoxo, aubs

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