What to do?

[kittiegothgirl]

i'm not a MA or anything, but i just wanted to ask you all some qeustions...
this weekend i went into the MAC store in Antwerpen (Belgium) for the first time and i bought for 750 euros worth of stuff...
the girls in the shopwere really friendly but when i asked her if they had any msf's left she didnt know what they were :s
uhm you work at MAC??
:s
also : i wanted to try a MAC foundation, because i'm afraid to buy those over the internet ,(that i would buy the wrong colour etc

)
and i wanted to show the girl an example of my other foundation ,so she would know in what colour scheme she should look and make it easier for her..
and she waves it away, "i dont need that"..
i told her, it needed to be a very light color with a rosey tint..
now what she does : she picks up a yellow tint which is horrible on me..
next a colour that is more beige...
she puts it on and sais

ooh this is so perfect for you , a prefect match...!!
i look at the bottle a bit iffy because its really not my colour, but when i look in the mirror there it looks pretty ok..
so i am too shy to say anything about it and i buy it..
i come home, look in the mirror and i look like a tanned barbie :s
NOT my style or color at all ... now at first i was thinking : they al had tanning makeup on , so she must have figured that i wanted to look tanned too since thats fashion??
but i was wearing my long velvet GOTHIC robe.. :s which kinda should have shown that i am not the kind of person that wants to look tanned...

i am sorry for this rant but i really dont know what to do here :s
should i bring back the foundation ? (i didnt touch it :s)
i dont even know if they accept returns :s

i'm also kinda scared of hurting the girls feelings since she was so nice to me ,and i dont want to look like this bitchy customer you all have been talking about...

help? :s

 

[redambition]

did you ask for an MSF, or mineralized skinfinishes? a lot of MAC MAs aren't aware that us addicts shorten it down to MSF

i said MSF once to a MAC artist and they looked at me like i was a crazy woman.

secondly - if you aren't happy with the foundation, and it does not look right on you, then definitely take it back and explain that you had it applied in store, then when you saw yourself in different lighting it did not look like a good match. if you are nice about it, there shouldn't be a problem, especially as you purchased it reccently.

i find it's easier to get a sample to try when someone is matching a foundation to me. that way i can see how it wears, see how it look in different lighting and check that i like the texture. if that's not possible - at least try to go outside into daylight with a mirror and check to see how it looks. lighting in stores is not always that great.

 

[kittiegothgirl]

aah ok , i did ask for msf's

lols ^^
the samples are a good idea

think i'll ask that next time

yeah, i hope they will take it back because i dont know what their return policy is

the only problem that might occur is that i dont know when i'l be able to take it back ( i live 2 hours away (with the train) from antwerp) and i dont have much time to go outside..
so i hope i can go this week....
thnx for the advice

 

[user79]

This may be controversial but Europe doesn't have the best return policy, compared to N. America. I am used to the customer service in Canada where stores like MAC take back anything, no questions asked. In Switzerland, that's not the case. MAC will not accept returns on stuff here. I rarely return stuff, but if it's absolutely necessary with cosmetics like being pressured into buying the wrong foundation, or the lighting being so bad at the store that it looks totally different outside, I bring it back and tell the store I had an allergic reaction. That way, they have to take it back!

I know that may not be the best thing, but we have to pay so much more for the products here anyway and the lack of a propper return policy on important stuff like foundations makes me really mad!

 

[redambition]

it's similar here in Australia - returns policies on cosmetics are much, much stricter than the US. People say how they return something because they decided they didn't like it... that would be pretty difficult over here.

it's even difficult to return a cosmetics product when it doesn't perfom as it's meant to. like that mascara i bought once that promised no smudges but left me looking like a raccoon every time i blinked. 6 hours after applying it, i could run a dry finger over my lashes gently and it would get covered in mascara. i had to make an official complaint to head office, then provide proof that they had allowed me to return it at the store before i was able to exchange it for a different product.

with stuff like foundation - i think that if an MA in store has matched you up, you've purchased the recommended shade and that shade is wrong you should be allowed to at least go in for a re-match and exchange. given that can be difficult, i always ask for a sample first. if they can't provide a sample, i ask fo an application that i can wear around and go outside with to check that i'm happy with the match.

/end rant. (sorry, got a bit carried away there...)

 

[kittiegothgirl]

hmmm, yeah ,i geuss i kinda screwed up not asking for a sample first... :s
the most annoying thing is that this store is so far away and i'm leaving on a holiday this thursday... :s
so i have no idea when i can take it back, and IF they will take it back at all...

geuss i'm stuck with this foundation.. and i dont see me selling it here since i payed about 30 euros for it

and you all can get it so much cheaper

lol
sometimes i really wished i could move to the US ..

 

[chocolategoddes]

I'm sure you can exchange it at the store or to some on else. what is the shade name. There might be someone here who would be willing to buy it off you.

 

[redambition]

kittiegothgirl - in no way was my rant directed at you, and i'm sorry if you felt it was!

i got a bit worked up about strict returns policies in general. i can see how they are a good thing, but sometimes there needs to be a little leniency

with your foundation return issue - you never know until you try. maybe try getting the number for the counter and giving them a call if you can't get to them straight away. they might be able to offer you a solution, or at least answer your questions about the return and let you know if they'll take it back.