How to get the most out of the beauty counter

Every day, it seems, new beauty products appear on the market, advertised to women as the newest! greatest! thing! they could ever apply to their face or body. Add to that ever-evolving high-tech ingredients, constantly changing trends and the fact that your skin just doesn't behave the way it did six months ago, and you'd have to spend eight hours a day researching your next eye cream to keep up with it all.

So what's the average girl to do when confronted with apparently infinite choices in makeup, skin-care and body-care products? (Other than reading her favourite magazines and websites, of course.) Enter the experts at the beauty counter.

Get free advice from the pros
You may not be able to research and play with the latest beauty products full-time, but the men and women working at beauty counters in department stores and retail locations do -- after all, that's how they make their living. "M.A.C artists are in a constant state of being trained," says Melissa Gibson, senior artist for M.A.C Cosmetics. "Customers are savvy and have expectations when they come into a store or counter. They want to know what is happening in the world of makeup and we like to make sure that we are on top of the trends."

And you may find that the staff know more than just skin care -- at some counters, you'll find expert lifestyle advice as well. At Origins, for instance, they educate beauty counter staff on more than just their products, says Therese DeBelder, executive director of Origins Global Education. "We also dedicate time on subjects like how to lead a healthy lifestyle, the principles of Dr. Andrew Weil, stress reduction and the use of essential oils," she says.

What you can get at the beauty counter
Services offered vary from brand to brand, but you'll usually be able to get tips on makeup application, advice on skin care for your type of skin, product suggestions, and even samples in some locations. Make sure to inquire at the counters of brands you're interested in to see what they offer.

At M.A.C counters, the three primary services are demos, applications and lessons. A demo is a quick application of one product -- for instance, says Gibson, an artist may show a customer how to apply a particular lipstick. An application, which must be prebooked for a small fee, lasts about an hour and, says Gibson, "is great for someone going to a special event such as a wedding, prom or charity event." A lesson, which lasts about 90 minutes, is more thorough and gives customers the chance to practise applying the product themselves. "Many times the artist will do one side of the face and get the customer to apply the product on the other side," says Gibson. "This is a great way to learn professional techniques that are suited to the individual."

Origins offers a number of complimentary services more oriented toward wellness, which last from 20 to 40 minutes and focus on specific lifestyle-related issues such as stress, lack of sleep or low energy and include a head massage and hand and arm massage. "These services help the guides to address a lifestyle challenge of the customer that affects her or his total well-being," says DeBelder, adding that the services allow customers to feel different products being used on their skin.

Do you have to buy?
At Origins, they try not to push products on customers. "We know very well that a customer who feels obliged to buy more products than he or she wants will never want to come back to the store anyway," says DeBelder. That being said, if you're spending a lot of time at a particular counter trying samples, and you obviously like the products, then the next step is generally to buy some to take home with you. "Usually if you are having an application or lesson there is more of an expectation to buy," says Gibson, adding, though, that M.A.C salespeople do not work on commission and that the most important thing is to find staff that you like and feel comfortable talking to. "My theory is that no matter where you shop, make sure you are being serviced by an artist first and a salesperson second," she says.

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