I went to Sephora's for a make-up application as basically I know very little about make-up, more of a nature gal mostly.

I have very dark hair and eyes and pale skin. I know enough about colors to know that yellow, orange, gold, brown, pastels and earth tones are def not best for my dark hair/eyes and light skin.

The gal at Sephora's was very patient and sweet, I have nothing against her personally, but .......................... she put PEACH EYESHADOW on me. Did not work.

Went back to the office and asked people what they thought. Attitude was basically ' meh', boring, too conservative and just not me. One person said I was more a punk rock kind of chick and the look she created was just all wrong.

So go figure............

I'm all for the MAC counter! I've been using their makeup since I was 13 and absolutely love it. They are great at finding the perfect color for each skin tone and have a lot of options to choose from. I've never had my skin break out from using their products. Their eyeshadow, blush, and eyeliner come in so many gorgeous bright colors and are great quality. It's not the cheapest thing around but relatively affordable. They have a spray called Fix + that keeps my makeup fresh all day too, which is great.

Sephora!
I love MAC, but they are very much a "younger" brand (i.e., bright colors, high intensity pigments, I am 17 and love it, but its not for everyone!) except for their powders/concealers. Those are amazing!

Oh I love Sephora!

I'm a huge fan of Sephora. Everything I need, they have. I love stocking up when they have the big 20% discounts over the holidays or the big generous samples.

For me it depends on your skin-tone. I am very very pale and I have NEVER been able to find any make-up light enough in any of the department stores. I actually can never find make-up light enough period. I however, do not have any sephoras anywhere near me and have never been to one so I can't say anything about them. Just my 2 cents

Sephora is amazing, like the poster before me I have a problem finding foundation light enough with the right undertone. I find the staff is more helpful then department stores as well and its easier to get samples.

Another Sephora junkie.

I like MAC as well, but have only found myself repurchasing lip gloss and brushes. LOVE their brushes!

MAC

.... That is all. :]

Ha ha no - but I am a MAC slut.
Seriously, best stuff out there.
I would say your either an NC15 or NW20 - depending on your undertones.

I LOVE MAC!!! They have shades appropriate for all age groups in everything. I do tend to use a lot of their brighter and bolder stuff even though I am almost 40. I also have really sensitive skin and MAC doesn't cause me issues at all.

I love MAC for eye makeup but have broken out horribly from their concealer and their cream blushes.

I never was into foundation and stuff but I'm curious to what color I wear in Mac. Never tried Sephora or Mac before.

Talk about cheap, that would be... me! But if you live by a beauty college, you can volunteer to have a student make you over as a before/after for their portfolio. They usually do a really good job because they get graded and if they don't.....just wash your face and start over, LOL!

Also they are not trying to sell you anything. You can get a wash & blowdry at those places for like $6.

I absolutely love Sephora. It can be a bit more expensive, but I`m comfortable with the make-up (well, I pretty much only buy Smashbox).