My experience at the Bobbi Brown counter... (plus a mini haul)!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to get my makeup done at the Bobbi Brown counter in Attica department store. One of Bobbi Brown's international makeup artists, Eliano Bou Assi, was there to offer his expertise to the counter MUA'S, and along with them, he was also offering personalised makeup lessons to the lucky ladies that had booked an appointment.

Now, unfortunately, the day that Eliano Bou Assi was there, the appointments were falling extremely behind schedule, to the point were they sent many girls home, including myself, despite waiting patiently in line for nearly an hour (though I never really understood why some appointments were favoured over others that were already in queue). Long story short and organisational issues aside, I booked a lesson for the following day, sadly without the renowned Eliano present.

Still, the lovely Maria created a personalised look for me, that suited my colours and politely answered every question I had. I'll have to admit, that this lesson couldn't have come at a better time, since I'm not overly familiar with Bobbi Brown products and I was extremely curious about the whole "corrector and concealer" concept. From what I gathered and witnessed in action, the corrector is meant to even out or counteract the darkness of the undereye circles, whereas the concealer is the one that actually brightens the area.

Here's a glimpse of the products used on me:

What particularly impressed me was the Skin Foundation SPF15, for the lightweight feel, the even finish and the shade selection (I was perfectly matched to Alabaster, the lightest one, and finding that close a match to my pale skin is almost impossible), as well as the Creamy Lip Color in Pink Ballet, which added amazing shine to the lips.

And a rough idea of what my face looked like:

Naturally, when the products are good, a haul is to be expected, though I didn't pick any of the products used on me: I went for the prettiest lipgloss I've come across in a long time, Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in 08 Black Ruby, which makes for an ideal holiday lip shade! The mini Extreme Party Mascara was a gwp and I'll be saving it for when I run out of my current one.

In case you needed any more convincing, I've included a quick swatch of the lipgloss below: a pigmented deep cherry red shade, shot with fuchsia/red shimmer. A hundred times prettier than Givenchy Acoustic Wild Rose (my other contender), and one that I'll definitely enjoy!

All in all, a worthwhile experience!

Over to you:

Do you like getting your makeup done at makeup counters? Do they match your skin and style or do you rush home to take it off?
What's your holiday lip shade of choice?