“What are they exactly?”
“One’s a primer and the other one reduces your pores” he smiles “Anything else I can help you with?”
Yes, why is this always so dirty? I gesture to the counter in front of us which is caked in old makeup.
I see that he wasn’t expecting this question but he turns to really look at me. Unfortunately for me, his makeup is perfect and the spotlights are not doing my 50 shades of grey any favours but I hold firm.. The teen stops breathing.
“Ah well …..”
It’s Saturday afternoon pre Christmas in Sephora and it’s really busy but this display has always looked neglected, broken brushes, dirty shelves, missing testers and foundation testers with broken plastic heads. I like this brand, I even have some of it at home (not wearing it now sadly) but this is not at all attractive.
He starts to rub the plastic on the shelf with his thumb as he carefully chooses his words and we wait. I know that my expression is very similar to the one Meryl Streep wore throughout the film “The Devil wears Prada” because the teen told me later.
“They’ve used a different material here, the other displays are shiny but this one just looks untidy compared to the others.”
We both nod, not because we agree obviously but I decide that this young man is not responsible for all the sleights of hand that the beauty industry aim at women young and old. However, if Red Bull can be successfully sued because, newsflash, their drink does not give you wings then maybe it’s about time the beauty industry stopped taking us ladies for dupes by advertising anti-ageing creams on twenty year old skin, mascara on models wearing false eyelashes and anti-cellulite on perfectly sculpted thighs for starters because ladies, we’re worth a lot more than that.
The teen pushes against me to make me move away which is just as well because any longer, I might even cackle and Halloween was weeks ago. I don’t think I caused any lasting damage, he probably thought I was a mystery shopper for Nars and the teen says she’ll shop on her own from now on but I left Sephora smiling. I only wish that I’d had some of this nonchalance before now but could the world cope with confident women when they’re young and do not need pore minimising cream nor primers to be beautiful?