Merle Norman

I’ve worn Merle Norman since I started wearing makeup. It keeps away the makeup related breakouts and I found my perfect shade. Which is actually quite the struggle! The store doesn’t seem very busy most of the time but the customers are loyal. The women that work here are nice and they’ll answer your questions. Additionally, now you can get a quick facial in the store and it is a nice quick way to feel refreshed. It’s a different kind of store than say, MAC or something but it’s good quality and reasonably priced for the products comparatively. I’ve tried other products for my foundation but I’ve never found anything as good as what I wear from MN.

If I could give no stars I would. And I think I’m a pretty fair reviewer, so this is the story:
I’ve been looking for a new foundation for like 2 weeks. Its been hell lemme tell you! I ran out of the Mica Bella (which wasn’t very good but I couldn’t get a refund so I was stuck with $ 120 worth of makeup and decided since I’m not rich that I better just suck it up and use it) and decided to go back to Aveda Dual Foundation. Well I guess my memory sucks because Aveda just didn’t work for me. No coverage and the color just wasn’t right. So I got a refund. They were very nice as usual.
I had been reading reviews of just about everything out there for about a week and decided to try Merle Norman (it was voted #1 on a few sites and got a really positive reviews, most people stating that it was their HG (Holy Grail, I had to look it up. Damn, I feel dumb)).
I walked in and the lady at the counter (no one else was in there AT ALL — hint #1), and was chowing down on her lunch/​dinner (?) (hint #2) and sort of greeted me with a mouth full of food. Nice. But, I can over look that — maybe she’s starving and doesn’t have any other time to eat? I told her what I was looking for (Luxiva Mineral Foundation) and she invited me to take a seat and remove my make up with some smelly alcohol based toner type product and those cotton wipe thingies. Okay, so my face is semi-​clean and she starts picking «my color».
This is where it gets bad. First of all the brush she used on me was like steel wool I swear to God! Secondly, she is pounding this stuff into my skin in a circular motion, which she said is the right way to do it. I’m thinking, «I’m not a dead person! I can feel that!». But I figure, maybe I’m being a baby so I just grin and bear it. She’s finally done and I look at my now muddy brown face. I tell her I Don’t think its my color and she proceeds to say that my tone has a lot of red in it… UM REALLY? I don’t think so, so I meekly say «I thought I had yellow undertones but okay?».
So I asked her to try the lighter shade and she says its «way to light, you’re REALLYdark». So not knowing what to say I just nod and then she asks if I want to try a different formula. I said sure because I knew they had other powder foundations. But what does she bring out??? Liquid! I have oily skin, this is a no no for me. I told her I didn’t like liquids but she said I would like this one. She began to slather this thick liquid foundation on my skin with a brush. WTF? AM I A CLOWN? AM I STARRING ON BRAODWAY ALL OF THE SUDDEN? AM I SO HIDEOUS THAT I NEED A POUND OF MAKEUP TO COVER IT UP? Omg… LOL… at least I can laugh about it.
Let me mention that by this time she’s applied make up 2 times and this is my 3^rd time removing it so my skin is really red and and beyond irritated and honestly my face hurts and is burning. She tells me again how dark I am and how my color is really red based… UM YEAH — Its irritated! I kindly said «well i think its a little red because of all the rubbing I’ve just done?» She says nothing.
I took it off for the last time and she suggests trying one shade darker from the first one I tried (the first one was too dark to begin with!!!), but applying it very very sparingly. Um whatever lady, I just want to get out of here and I have no makeup on and am not about to walk around in public with a beet red face, so I let her apply it. Already starting to gather my things… «I don’t think its what I’m looking for but thanks for your time» She is noticably peeved at this point. Sorry to keep you from all your other customers — Oh wait, there’s no one else here!
So she very kindly offers to finish the other half of my face before I go. Gee, thanks lady.
This was THE WORST makeup experience I’ve ever had. That includes my horrific prom makeup (at least they were nice and gentle and even complimentary).
Merle Norman, you need to hire people with customer service skills and some knowledge/​experience in the cosmetics field. This lady didn’t smile at me ONE TIME! She didn’t know how to apply makeup or match colors. She was unhappy to help me and even seemed annoyed.
Merle Norman MIGHT have had something for me if there was a knowledgable person there to help me. Their loss. I headed to Sephora… (sigh)…