SHESPEAKS Your Power to Influence

hen was the last time you went to a cosmetic counter within a specialty store (like Sephora) or department store (from Saks or Macy’s) to seek expert advice from the beauty advisor? Was your intention to create a “new you”, a total updated, cosmetic look, or just to window shop and see if a particular new shade of lipstick caught your eye?

Perhaps, inebriated by the possibilities of change or seduced by the tantalizing offers, this was your first flirtation with the makeup brush wielding, cosmetic maven at the store who most assuredly promised to create a whole different person, really a “new you”.

Regardless of how you came to sit in the chair and stare at yourself in that less than feature enhancing, fluorescent-lit mirror, you find yourself suddenly credit card slip in hand, lugging home hundreds of dollars of cosmetics. Then the sinking feeling slowly starts to permeate your gait. You know you will leave those bags untouched, unopened for days, as you grapple to overcome the “why did I do that & should I return it” syndrome. The symptoms are easy to recognize ? from buyer’s remorse to guilt to indifference - but the cause is less obvious. Simply put, you do not know how to begin to duplicate the beauty maven’s Edward Scissorhand approach to application, and even worse, are not sure that her vision of what you should look like is even right for you. You looked great when you left the store but creating this “new you” is now a blind date with your mirror.

Ladies, you have been the victim of the dreaded “makeover!” How do we know this? We are Tina Hedges and Beth Ann Catalano, co-presidents of twist and have over 40 years in developing, marketing and selling products that (we hope) you buy at cosmetic counters. And, of course, as beauty experts, we have a definite point of view on how to recover from this first date with lotions, potions, blushes, lipsticks, foundations and brushes as well as how to get the most information and service from your local beauty advisor.

reating any relationship takes effort. Creating a relationship with a beauty advisor is no different. Attraction, a good impression, chemistry, good eye contact, thoughtful questioning, and committing to see each other again is the beginning of a friendship. Perhaps, a single, casual, one nightstand is all the other party wanted and you feel taken advantage of when you open your Amex bill. In some cases, there is no other way to say it, you feel made-over, rolled-over, coifed, plucked, dusted, glazed and just plainly, wham, bam and thank you Ma’am-ed. And this feeling lingers, making you recoil slightly the next time you walk thru the aisles of the beauty department. Could this describe your feeling about the advisor at the beauty counter after your last “makeover?”

Beauty advisors are knowledgeable consultants. Connecting and finding the right fit is key. Posturing yourself with the right attitude will help you gain valuable service and information from a beauty professional. It is also necessary to become your own expert and develop the right relationship with yourself, so here are a few of our thoughts:


Remember, take control of your newfound expertise. No one is an expert, at first. If you have selected the right teacher, are committed to learning, and are open to discussing options, creating a relationship with someone that can help you look and feel more confident, sexier, and more beautiful is like, well, like finding the right love affair.

Uhmmmm, sounds like that French playboy both of us fought over the last trip to Nice?. But that’s a different lesson?.