J: Wait, she actually threw up on herself?

A: Yeah, on her shirt, and it was very hot...and she said 'I need help,' and another woman working with me told her, 'Well, why don't you clean up first and we'll help you when you get back?' But the lady shook her head and said, 'But if I do that, I'm going to lose my place in line for the gift!'

J: Gosh, people are really interesting aren't they?

A: They really are.

J: Would you say that the results your customers seek to achieve are realistic?

A: Again, it depends on the customer's personality. For example, one woman came in with a picture of a model. She looked nothing like the model; her skin tone was very dark, and the model's skin (Andi McDowell's) was very light. She said wanted to look like her. So I did the best I could, but I could tell she was disappointed afterwards. She wanted to look like the photograph. I'm sure hairdressers must go through this all the time, too.

Many times, an older lady will come up to the counter and ask 'What do you have to get rid of my wrinkles?' It's so funny because if we had something and it only cost $30...I mean can you imagine? We couldn't keep it on the shelves! People expect [the fountain of youth].

Sometimes you're like a bartender, I've had people tell me about their sex lives! Some are so confident. This lady came in and was so confident with herself and how she didn't need to use any products and told me how old she was, and I could tell she was just waiting for me [to confirm her statements]. She obviously hears that a lot. It seemed as if she came up to the counter so that I could admire her. Other times women are so ashamed, especially when they're writing checks to pay for products, and we have to see their driver's license to verify the check. They'll hand me their license but cover up their date of birth. I had one lady once who told me, 'Please, Allison, don't tell anyone how old I am!' And I said, 'Well, of course I won't!' I mean, what did she think I was going to do? Blab to all my co-workers? Fortunately, I find that [behavior] rarer these days. More and more I hear women say, 'I'm 90 years old!' They're really proud of it, which I think is really neat.

J: I hope that attitude continues. So, what gives you the greatest satisfaction in your work?

A: The people I've met. Also, when you make someone feel good about themselves, that's a good feeling. Maybe someone comes in and they're not happy with themselves or their life and they just want a little lift. Like I said, being a make-up artist is kind of like being a bartender. They talk to you, you show them some things and they feel better about themselves. It can also be really satisfying to help someone with really specific problems. Once I had a guy come in who had a horrible rash on his forehead. I helped him find the right [product] and we covered it up. It looked natural. I showed him how to do it, and he left feeling really good about himself.

J: Which is the most important thing, right?

A: Absolutely!