I decided that on Saturday, I was going to get a makeover at the Mall's cosmetic counter. That is why I left the hotel Saturday morning without any makeup on.
The last time I got a makeover was in 1993 when an Avon representative who's husband was a crossedresser offered makeovers to new Tri-Ess members..
Now that my beard is almost gone, I wanted a fresh look and a new opinion.
As I mentioned yesterday, I bought an orange headband, so I could pull my hair back.
I arrived at the Mall around 11:30 am. I walked into Dillard's thru the side door. I walked thru the men's section (Yuck, Lol) and headed toward the center of the store. I passed this young lady in the perfume counter and asked her where the Fashion Fair counter was located. She walked me to it and stated that her mother uses Fashion Fair. I smiled and said yes, we older ladies stick with the tried and true. She had flawless makeup on and it looked great. I asked her which product line she uses. She had on L'Oreal.
Once we reached the Fashion Fair counter, the clerk was not there. The young lady left me to go find her. After a few minutes, a guy working the adjacent counter, using female pronouns asked if he could help. I told him I was waiting for the Fashion Fair clerk.
The young lady returned and said she did not know if or when the clerk would arrived. I was disappointed. I was asked if I had an appointment. I told her I just arrived last night from Atlanta and just came over.
So I decided to ask the young lady who I should use as a second choice. She recommended Clinque. So she took me over and introduced me to the clerk. The lady was happy to see me and asked me to sit down. The Clinque lady, Bonnie was slightly older than me and we had a good connection. Our family backgrounds were similar along with our ages and she has worked with Transwomen before.
When I sat down I told her I was a Transwoman who is completing beard removal and I wanted a new updated everyday look. She said she could see a faint beard line under my neck but that my skin looked great.
She asked if I had a facial cleaning routine. I told about my morning and evening routine and she was impressed.
We spent the next 90 minutes working on my makeup. The best way to tell the rest of my time at the makeup counter is by areas of the face we worked on.
FOUNDATION
Clinque has some darker foundations and she used her hand to apply it. On Youtube, I see some ladies using a sponge or applicator to place their foundation. But like my old Avon lady, Bonnie likes her to use her fingers for better placement. In the early 1990's Avon did not have a foundation dark enough. That is why I eventually went to Fashion Fair. But now, most cosmetic lines cover the full range of skin colors. She showed me how to add contour line lines.
BLUSH
They have a three color process for blush. Using a brush they add a basic color along the check line and then there is a lighter color above and a darker color below the blush area (cheeks). The color set she chose was nice but faint.. I like it a little redder and a slightly more pronounced look. She was surprise I knew about adding blush to my temples and recommend that placement to make my eyes look bigger.
PUFFY EYES
I saw a video that showed how to conceal the bags under your eyes. I talked about that with my clerk. Clinque has a serum (that means expensive) in their concealer that uses caffeine and other items to reduce and hide the bags. It did minimize them. But I am going to see if I can create my own coffee based cream.
EYEBROWS
She liked my eyebrows and asked if I have them threaded. I had electrology on them back in the mid-1990's. The electrology tech did a great job and no one ever mentions them being arched. I guess most people can not tell because of my glasses or do not care. She added a dark brown pencil and used a spool to brush them.
EYESHADOW
Bonnie, used a primer on my eye area. I told her I bought some recently and it did hold the color onto my eyelids. We talked about colors and how to match them.
EYELINER
Bonnie used a pencil eyeliner. I told her I place my bottom eyeliner along my waterline. She said that was OK, but for this makeover, they do not place the top or bottom liner on the waterline for safety reasons.
MASCARA
I asked Bonnie to tell me about the different types of Mascara because you see so many versions and applicators. She recommended a type that stretches out your lashes. I put the mascara on because I knew I would blink and flinch if I let her do it. Plus, I have gotten real good with mascara. Overall, I did not get a better understanding of the types or different applicator styles. But what she put on looked good. I told her I curly my top lashes after they dry.
LIP STICK
She recommends putting a lip liner over the complete surface of your lips. I told her I do that because it helps keep my lipstick on longer and after I eat, I still have some color on my lips. She choose a dark shade of lip liner and lip stick. Like my Avon representative, she liked the shape of my lips and felt I should highlight them.
FOUNDATION POWDER
Once complete, Bonnie used a cotton ball to set my foundation and makeup. She recommends using the cotton ball to apply the powder and press it into the foundation so that the foundation presses into your skin and last longer.
SUMMARY
So I bought the foundation, foundation powder and lip liner. The makeover was fun and the look was good but not great. I learned alot and felt very comfortable in public discussing makeup and having it applied. I was looking for a "knock you socks off look". But this was not it. The foundation was perfect but I thought the lip color was a little too dark.
Once my makeover was complete, Bonnie asked if I wanted to buy any product. I read some blogs that stated I did not have to buy any products. But the tech makes her commission when I purchase products and a tip was not required and in some cases not accepted. After spending $75, I felt satisfied and hugged Bonnie. I thanked her for her advise and opinions.
After I left the Clinque counter, I walked back over to the Fashion Fair counter and the clerk had arrived. She got there around 1 pm. It was now 1:30 pm.
I showed her my old, almost 20 year old Fashion Fair containers. I told her that the next time I come, I will make an appointment and let her complete a makeover for me. But I had to go and I knew I did not want to spend anymore money on cosmetics.
So, I left Dillard's and headed to Goodwill.
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