Went to MAC cosmetics today for a new look (a first* for me)and met Santana who is a beautiful, 20 something woman with a ¾ sleeve. She has a Buddha on her upper arm and a skull covered in flowers on her forearm. The skull is to remind her that there is beauty in all things, even that which may appear to be ugly. She lives her life by this ethos she tells me.
Santana was hugely knowledgeable about the makeup and chatted constantly about each product as we selected tones and colours. We chatted about makeup and my life and her life and we laughed, we laughed a lot, it was always together and always good natured almost conspiratorial, absolutely delightful, I actually felt like I belonged. I don't know that I have ever had a woman treat me quite the way she did...like I was another woman...the me inside. This is also another first* for me, it is also hugely reaffirming.
I loved the two hours I ended up spending there and the huge amount of money I spent, paled into the background. Santana came round the counter with her arms outstretched as I was leaving saying to me thank you for such a great afternoon, I have loved working on your makeup, I give her a hug and thanked her. We had to talk a bit later and she asked for a social media contact and once again thanked me for such a great afternoon.
The MAC cosmetics are pricey but excellent quality and seem go a long way. While the look and the cosmetics were important, none of it would have worked without Santana. I did encounter other staff and they all appeared to be extremely friendly...in fact one of the guys paid me a compliment on how good I looked especially my eyes. They may have just been polite but for this gal it made my day.
So all you SA girls, if you are unsure...save your $$ and get yourself along for a consult...I probably have enough cosmetics to last me a year, but it is all matched to my skin tone, it is all good quality, it all mixes and matches and I can go fairly plain or jazz it up a bit depending on where I am going. I also know exactly where each product goes, also how it is applied...and you only need a tiny bit of each which will go a long way.
Without the input of Santana the experience would have been very different. I loved her accepting attitude and her matter of fact way of checking to make sure I was not getting anxious sitting in public having my makeup done...she was a delight. When I had to call her after getting home she asked if I would show her any photos of me having done my own makeup and gave me her Facebook contact details. She once again told me what a great time she had with me today and if there was anything she could do to help to just call. Santana went above and beyond the call of duty to put me at ease and ensure that I enjoyed myself. It was a hugely affirming experience for me.
The cynic in me wants to claim that Santana was doing nothing but her job and "sweet talking" me. I am sure there was some of that but there was undeniably a huge amount of "her" in it as well. I think she genuinely got a kick out of seeing me so happy when we were finished.
So now I found myself fully made up standing in the middle of a shopping centre(another first*) ...and you know what happened...nothing...I walked out and got into the car and nobody paid me even the slightest amount of interest...just as any other woman would expect.
Liz
