Makeup Artist's -What Are Your Customer Pet Peeves?

[BeneBaby]

Rant!! I always see threads about what people don't like about MA's. Well let me just say that not all clients are a cup of tea! If you are a Makeup Artist or a sales associate, here's your chance to sound off on what bugs you!- People...please wash your face before you ask me to touch it. I don't get paid enough to touch your eye boogers!- If I offer you a mint, TAKE IT!- Please be nice. I am here to help you and make you happy. - You cannot return something after you've used it ALL. - Get off your cell phone when I am doing your makeup. It is rude. Also I cannot line your lips if you are talking to your friends. - Don't like green eyeshadow??.....let me know before I start. I can't read minds. - I cannot cure the following..... wrinkles, baggy eyes, acne, droopy lids, large pores, oiliness. However I can help make it look better. Have realistic expectations. Ahhhh. I feel much better now!

 

[speerrituall1]

Breathe and relax.

 

[spazbaby]

Ohhhhhhh cell phone addicts really get on my nerves...

Anyway, I've been in situations where an MA wants to give me an "on-the-spot" makeover so they get out the makeup remover and I'm trying to tell them I'll just remove it myself and they emphatically insist on doing it for me...so in that case, they're just gonna have to deal with my eye boogers!

 

[BiB36]

oh boy....where can I start...

1. talkers, they're moving the head, mouth, the one eye open client is great

2. the "I want make-up but don't want to Look like I'm wearing any" client

3. The shaky eye lid client - you girls know what I'm talking about

4.The coffee and cig breath client - when I was pregnant this made me loose it!!

I can keep going.......lol:icon_eek:

 

[spazbaby]

I'm highly ticklish, so I don't even bother trying to get my eyes done anymore. If I do it myself it doesn't tickle but when someone else tries to do it (especially liner) it tickles like crazy. I just turn down offers to do my eyes.

 

[Liz]

i have a couple:

-this one lady came in with a bright red sweater and wanted to get a lipstick to go with it. with her skin tone and everything, i picked viva glam 4 and she was like "no. i want to match exactly" so we go through all of mac's red lipsticks and some berry ones for like 15 mins and she ends up getting the VIVA GLAM 4!

-people who come in and want free makeovers or to "just do my eyes"

-people who get irritated and pissy when they walk in wanting a makeover and we tell them we're in event mode and there's like the $50 reservation fee (that's redeemable in product) and the schedule is booked.

-people who come in during this christmas time and get all pissy about the line of people getting rung up or being waited on. hello. there were 5 other people who came here before you did!

-ditto on people's expectations. i'm not a dermatologist or a surgeon, i can't get rid of your bumps and wrinkly skin.

-people who come in with makeup on when they're going to get makeovers. ESPECIALLY mascara! argh! it's hard to take it off on yourself, let alone being gentle on the customer.

-people who come in and want something like an eye shadow. you try to help them out and you ask them what shade they like and they "whatever, it doesn't matter" or "you choose for me" then you pick colors out and they say "no. no. no." You have eyes! they're right in front of you! give me some feedback about what you want!

-the other day i had a lady come in with her friend looking for blush. they're asking me if i'm new, i say yes. then they ask me what kind of training i had. so i tell them i've been using mac for like 3 years and i've done people's makeup for a few years. and they were like "oh." and had this Look. Then one was like "shoot. i wish i could put that on my resume 'i did my cousin's taxes for 10 years, can i be your CEO'" i was just thinking, "if you're so good with makeup, then why are you here getting help?! you work here then!"

i'll probably have some more. lol

 

[chickylittle]

I can't believe how rude that was...I would have lost it!!!! :icon_twis

 

[Liz]

hahaha. ditto to the people who have the shakey eyes. you're getting your makeup done, i'm going to touch your eye. calm down.

people who bring their kids in and want makeup put on them. we're not supposed to do it since it can be risky. we put makeup on them and thye get pink eye at school, but they will end up blaming us or something.

crying kids. period. lol

 

[Liz]

thanks. lol.

after being with my bf, i have learned to put up with a lot. lol. j/k. i always joke around and say that if i can handle my bf, i can handle anyone. hahahaha.

i do like helping people and i think i am a really nice person. i don't know when i've ever been rude. at least not recently within the past 2 years or so.

 

[BiB36]

OMG Liz!!!!!!I hate condescending people - we do get them - they want and in alot of cases NEED us but then they're witchy!!

Your post was too funny!

 

[tann]

YES, I have some comments. I hate people who are touchy about their eyes. It's too the point where I hand them the eye liner and say, "Here, I don't want to scare u." Also, the ladies who has the dark bags. If they don't disappear, they have a problem. They know they don't have any thing at home better that what i have. Or, the people who tell you their foundation doesn't match. I've had school training, and I know how to custom blend foundation. If they don't know what color of foundation they use, I obviously know how. Then, the reason why i'm afraid to work retail, is they're mostly older makeup artists (no offense to anyone), they question my 2005 training. They know i've been to school, everyone else, just experience. I'm trying to sell something, and one of them comes running over telling me not to apply blush downwards, you know, the whole gravity thing. I know that applying it that way, just in case you put too much, you can blend it on the outs of her face. I called over a lady who said she wanted make up, but barely(ha), so i did a wonderful job. The older makeup artists came over and complained in front of her she looked like she didnt have any on. She commensed to rubbing a different foundation color over her totally made up face. the lady looked at me like, "help". When the customer became so mad, and told her off, her only response was, "oh, i totally screwed everything up." i think she did it on purpose, but that lady bought everything i put on her, and i quit in the middle of the day. I've never done that on any job. But if i pay all this money to go to a make up school, don't u dare question me as an employee, or pro make up artist!!!

tann

 

[tann]

Also, the one who needs the exact lip color, we don't have it, neither does she, and she's trying to create it in her head as if she came up with this great color that no one has. She walks away with nothing. Sucks! You know u need this color!!

 

[Jennifer]

nice thread! loved all of your rants.

i don't work in any of that, but i can imagine how bad it can get! dealing with the public is tough.

 

[monniej]

i hear you ladies. if you think you have it rough, try giving bikini waxes - enough said!

 

[Jennifer]

LOL

 

[chickylittle]

That would be rough....I can't even imagine!!! :icon_eek:

 

[Nolee]

LOL :icon_chee

girls, i really do get what you mean.. a friend of mine is a MA and always complains about the exact same stuff you do..

 

[Liz]

i had one lady come in with her teenage daughter. the daughter wanted to try out the studio fix.so i looked at her skin... she had yellow tones, but had pink cheeks. so of course i use NCwhatever she was and it looked nice. the mom says, "doesn't that look too yellow?" so i go into the whole "she has yellow tones..." thing and her mom is lookign at it questioningly but the daughter likes it. so the mom keeps looking at it all weird and but is saying "oh. well. you know, so never mind." but still looking at it like she doesn't think it looks right. so i'm like "ok, if you don't like the yellow tone, i'll show you the other line that has the pink tone" and i tried the NW stuff which came out way pink on her. and the mom was like "oh yeah, ok so she is more yellow toned" and i was saying that "she has pink cheeks which you were trying to match, but it's the whole face that you want to match, not the cheeks." argh. i know what i'm doing lady. and the daughter was looking like she was embarassed and wanted her mom to shut up since she liked the first one i put on her.

 

[Marisol]

Whoa... that tops it all!:icon_chee

 

[kuanyin]

WHAT? You CAN'T cure my wrinkles and acne?! Geesh. I guess though that is basically what we all want with our mu - miracles.

I have only had one makeover and it did not go very well. I called ahead and came at my appointed time. I can't remember if I wore mu (but, please understand that I don't want to go out in public w/o it!) The person who did makeovers wasn't there. The girl who filled in seemed irritated. She then rushed through it, didn't tell me what colors she was using, put away her supplies and was done. I was thinking, "you don't want to sell me ANYTHING?" The mu was fine and I was prepared to buy at least two things, but she walked away without even seeing if I liked any of it. My guess is that she lasted in sales about two months. I don't know why it seems to work out like this for me if I try to arrange a service in a dept store that they alledgedly offer. Usually the people are great, nice and helpful, but if I think I will take them up on offered services, it is a no go. Like the time I finally decided I would get a bra fitting, after reading time and again how most people wear the wrong size, how you should get fitted by a pro, signs up in the dept saying they offer fittings.... I asked a saleslady (and honestly, it is EMBARRASSING anyway) and she gave me a LOOK and said "What?! Doesn't your bra fit you??? Egads.

My MAC store is about the size of a large closet, it is in what used to be a very small candy store. Everytime I have ever been there, it has at least ten people shoving against each other. Usually there is a one person actually looking and two people agape watching her. Two people who are NOT actually shopping but have planted their butts directly in front of the e/s section and are not moving! Oh, there are usually two boyfriends/husbands planted firmly in the prime counter area also. I mean, they are not trying it on, they don't care what their loved one gets, why do they have to be RIGHT THERE? Oh, and there are usually three little kids/babies in strollers along for the fun. Yeehaw. Yes, I think customers can be incredibly rude. I wouldn't dream of asking for a makeover there, I'm grateful when someone can help me out a little bit and ring me up! My hubby has learned to drop me off at that corner, then come and wait outside for me. I love it though! The salespeople are usually as helpful as they can be under the circumstances and there are always at least two with the most imaginative and extreme mu that I could ever expect to see in Kansas City (and one of those will be a guy, a very brave guy IMO)! It never looks like as much fun at the dept. store MAC counters, so I continue with this one.

I sympathize with the asking people what they prefer "oh anything at all" and then "oh, not THAT!" I go through that at my job scheduling appointments. Let's face it, ANY job working with clients is bound to be a love/hate thing.