Have you ever wondered what it's like to be *behind* the cosmetic counter? This week, I am pleased to share with you my experience as a freelance makeup artist working a Bobbi Brown Essentials makeup event. Enjoy!

I have always been interested in makeup and skin care. I remember when I was in high school going shopping with my mom on weekends to our local Clinique counter and wondering what it would be like to have a job in cosmetics.

Over the years, after realizing that it's makeup that I enjoy, not selling, I decided that if I was going to work with makeup, I would rather become a makeup artist rather than get a sales job behind the counter. Friends in the industry had told me I didn't need to go to cosmetology school to do makeup, so instead I read every book I could get my hands on. I took makeup classes in college, I bought tons of makeup and brushes, and I practiced every chance I got with new techniques, colors, and designs.

I got my first break with Bobbi Brown Essentials. A friend of a friend knew the counter manager (the person responsible for hiring freelance artists), so I called and asked if she needed people for any upcoming events. Before I knew it, I was booked for a Saturday event on summer colors and bronzers. I was so excited! I spent several days practicing different looks, including what I would wear for my own makeup that day. When the big day arrived, I was so excited and nervous I could hardly contain myself!

I arrived at the counter right on time, noon sharp, ready to get started on the day's appointments. What I never expected was being told to stand out in the aisle of the department store for two hours to put bronzing powder on women as they walked by! Even though I was scheduled to take appointments at noon, no one was booked until 2pm! The counter manager informed me in a matter-of-fact tone that we just needed to get people over to the counter, put some makeup on them, and hope they buy something. I needed to stand in the aisle to try to bring people in, to sell products. It was all about selling products.

As if standing in the aisle for two hours wasn't unexpected enough, I was told just minutes before the first scheduled person arrived that we weren't doing new summer looks at all - I was going to spend an entire afternoon doing makeup for high school girls who were going to their prom that night! Talk about pressure!

Thankfully, the best part of the day was talking to the girls about their dresses, their dates, and just chatting about life, school, whatever. I was amazed at how easily my instincts about color just took over, and the makeup really looked good! The rich Bobbi Brown colors were great for the evening looks the girls wanted, and I was thrilled when they would leave with bigger smiles than they came with. I really felt a sense of accomplishment.

It would have been my ideal makeup artistry experience if the pressure to sell wasn't so completely overwhelming. It seemed like even a line like Bobbi Brown that is getting so much attention from every fashion and women's magazine around still thinks about the money first and the customer later. This particular counter manager wanted the makeup done very quickly without regard to what the customer asked for (she commented several times that I was giving the girls too much personal attention), and she wanted the customers to spend, spend, spend. To expect a 16 or 17 year old girl to spend almost $200 on this one set of makeup, not even including the brushes, was practically criminal.

While the whole experience as an artist at Bobbi Brown was ultimately fun and rewarding, it was a peek at what goes on behind the counter that made me wish I didn't know how it really is.