I figure I'm going to be spending around $200 on cosmetics, am I right?
Personally, I would not buy a lot of makeup from any one brand that I had never tried before, just because you don't know how you'll react to the ingredients.
I agree. I love Revlon's Colorstay eyeliner and won't switch from it for the world. On freshly washed eyelids, you apply it, get to smudge it around for a few moments, then it sets like a permanent marker and doesn't budge till it's washed off. At
Rite Aid, on sale, I can get it for $4. So, I'm not going to overspend at a makeup counter for a higher priced brand that may not react to my skin as well & smear or turn to racoon eyes over time.
However, I tried Revlon's Colorstay lipsticks, thinking they would be just as good. And while they do stay on forever, I don't care for the colors or texture, so I don't buy them.
I swear by MAC's foundation & concealer & powder - to me that's the
basis of a face. If those colors or texture are off, or look unnatural, it doesn't matter what else you put on top. But, it would actually be better to go to Sephora for the other makeup items & brands as Sephora has a satisfaction guarantee. You can bring
any item back if it doesn't work for you.
Rite Aid does that too.
They're awesome at what they do. And if you don't like one of the colors they put on you, you tell them and they'll take it off and change it.
A makeover should be so you can test the colors & find what is right for
you. It's not about someone just putting stuff on you whether you like the end results or not.
If you aren't going to like the colors, you aren't going to buy them. That's the whole purpose of a makeover.
If you (general you) get a makeover done, you DO have to be proactive and vocal. You need to speak up and say, "Oh, I think that's too dark/light/bright/orangy for me," so they can change it, to find what
you like. They know the colors at MAC, but that doesn't give them final say over what you want your face to look like. They are there to
help you find a color that is more rose, more subtle, more smokey eyes, etc. YET, you do not have to buy every item they put on you. Even if you liked the blush, you can still opt not to buy it & go somewhere cheaper & get basically the same color, now that you know which colors works best.
I should amend what I said about my trip to Bendel's. I never asked for a makeover. I went in to buy the foundation & concealor. Since the MAC person's job is to upsell me on
more products, of course she put the foundation & concealor on me...then had to add blush...then had to add a lipcolor...
So it turned into a makeover (and I didn't get charged. )
As a PP mentioned, the lipcolors were too bright for me, this time. So even though we spent a lot of time & I tried
all the colors in the range I liked, I didn't buy one.
A little FYI:
Origins makeup & skincare offer FREE facials & makeovers, too, at their stores.
(It took around 45 minutes as she did both, so I did tip the woman $5 who worked on me after.) But, that's how they sell you products. I ended up buying a new lip color I love & a matching blush and a bag of samples.
Right before my birthday, I get sent a postcard for 10% off any item.
I have 'Love Alert' and 'Sugarrimmed'. Both have sold out where I live so I've put those two aside for Disney this Christmas. One of the MAC artists told me they plan to make the product a permanent part of the line in early January. 
