Last week I was on the hunt for some new makeup.
My skin has changed dramatically in the last 6 months, thanks to all of this feral medication I’ve been swallowing on a daily basis in an effort to beat this IIH thing.
Think large amounts of pigmentation that have sprung to the surface, dark circles under my eyes that were always there but are now bigger and darker than every before and breakouts on my chin that refuse to budge. Let’s just say my make-up free face would do a spectacular job at startling any would be intruders, should they choose to enter our house first thing in the morning!
I decided to tackle one issue at a time and I’d heard amazing things about a product called touche éclat (French for radiant touch) by Yves Saint Laurent, so I took myself off to that counter at my local Myer store.
The lady working there was VERY helpful and didn’t bat a perfectly curled eyelid when I quickly explained my current skin situation was thanks to some pretty awful medication and perhaps she could recommend something that might help cover up these pesky dark circles I’ve got going on?
She looked at my face, smiled and swiftly made her way over to a draw where she pulled out what looked like a gold pen.
Nice YSL lady then explained that it was in fact a touche éclat pen and with a couple of clicks she would be able to give me a luminous fresh look.
I was dubious and told her so. She laughed, clicked that pen with more enthusiasm than a 8-year-old who has graduated from a pencil to a pen license and with a few strategic strokes applied under my eyes, BAM! those dark circles were gone.
Honestly, I could not believe it. I was SOLD.
Nice YSL then did a very gentle up sell attempt by introducing me to touche éclat’s matching foundation. She had a good look at my skin, picked a colour and put some in a little jar for me to take home and try. I thanked her very much, bought the magic pen and headed to another counter for round two.
I’d also heard that Elizabeth Arden was the counter to visit if you’re looking for a new foundation.
It came highly recommended from a couple of friends and despite the fact that my nasal passages were permanently damaged from when Pam used to pretty much bathe in Red Door back in the late 80’s, I decided to make my way over to the EA counter.
I was greeted by a friendly lady who could’ve sworn she’d met me before, but no, we hadn’t met and she probably just knew my face because I’m here all the time? Yes, that could be it.
I told her I was after a new foundation because my skin had changed a bit in the last 6 months thanks to some feral medication I was on and before I knew it friendly EA lady became Very Pushy And In Your Face EA Lady.
She sat me down in a chair, whipped out some capsule thing from her pocket and squirted it onto my hand.
“You need this! It will do wonders for your skin! All that greyness will disappear! (Um, wasn’t aware of any greyness, but thanks for pointing it out) And that pigmentation will fade! And those breakouts. It will get rid of those too! Look at my hand! I’ve been using it for years on one hand only! Look how smooth that hand is! And look at the other hand! It’s nowhere near as smooth! It’s an amazing product! You will love it!”
And so it went, on and on and on and on and on and on and f*&king on.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting there thinking to myself, “Look luv, I just wanted a sample of foundation. I wasn’t really after a 15 minute lecture about how smooth your left hand is or how grey my face is” while also thinking, “How do I make this stop?” and “Why aren’t I saying anything?” and “Why am I sitting here nodding politely and smiling?” and “FFS Smith, SAY SOMETHING. WHY AREN’T YOU TELLING HER TO STOP?!”
And then, finally she stopped.
But only to draw breath so she could tell me she was going to CALL ME NEXT FRIDAY.
That’s right, she now has my phone number. I know. She was THAT GOOD at the up sell.
I walked up to that counter for one teeny tiny sample of foundation, which FYI I did eventually receive and I don’t actually like, and by the time I left, she’d bored me senseless for a solid 15 minutes about a product that I have absolutely no interest in.
She then TOLD me to write my phone number down (and I thought I was bossy!) which I did (Why. Just why?) so she can call me next week to see what I think of the world’s smallest sample she gave me of the world’s most expensive skin changing product.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to answer her phone call because a) I threw the sample out when I got home and b) I don’t have $395, no that is not a typo, to spend on a tub of face cream.*
*Actually it’s not a tub. That’s a Christmas gift pack, which has 3 things in it. It’s normally $595, so you’re saving yourself a whopping 200 bucks by buying it #bargain
Long story short, after I left the EA counter, I headed straight back to the lovely YSL lady and purchased the foundation. Because sometimes in life the quiet approach is the best approach.
How do you deal with pushy sales people? Nod politely or interrupt them? Bought any new skin care products lately that we need to know about?
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