Counter Confidential: Beauty Butterfingers

COUNTER CONFIDENTIAL

"Beauty Butterfingers" by Undercover Beauty Agent

Accidents happen at a makeup counter all the time—shadows fall, lipsticks break, and bottles spill. It’s something that we can’t control, but some days it looks as if a tornado swept through the aisles. And isn’t always because of a crowd. Sometimes it’s just one person. 

I don’t claim to be the most graceful person in the world. I trip over my own two feet most of the time, so I understand when something falls or breaks. Some items can be repaired or cleaned off, others can't, so it's best to alert the counter staff and let them handle it. Though you may feel embarrassed about your clumsiness, some items have to be replaced right away, like mascara. One client of mine never tells me that she's knocked everything she touched onto the floor. 

This client stops in at least once a month, and each time I have to replace at least three eye shadows. She usually wants to try on new colors, but she never asks for assistance. She also refuses to tell us when she has dropped or broken something. One afternoon, I saw Ms. Butterfingers looking at a mascara wand. Since I was busy with another client, I kept my eye on her to make sure she didn't need any help. And that's when I saw her drop the mascara wand, pick it up off the floor, and place it back into the tube. Rather than tell me it fell, she put it back on the display. In the seconds it to me to walk to the counter, someone else came to use the same mascara. 

The new client had a disposable wand and was ready to test the product. I tried not to startle her as I practically snatched the contaminated tube. An item like this has to be replaced for everyone's safety. We don't want to be responsible for anyone's pink eye right before a big event.

We understand if you have an "oops" moment. Things fall or break everyday. But please always tell one of the makeup artists if something falls, and don't be embarrassed, because we'll never hold you accountable. We only want you to tell us so we can protect our customers from germs and bacteria. 

Image courtesy of weheartit 

Undercover Beauty Agent is just an average makeup artist at your local beauty counter who's reporting true stories exclusively for Beautylish: "I love what I do because I get to make people feel beautiful on a daily basis. Working with so many different people in New York City has definitely been interesting. I've learned a lot and not all of it is very pretty. I'm a beauty advisor by day and a secret beauty agent by night, totally ready to share all my insider secrets and gossip."