Just Because She Works There Doesn't Make Her an Expert!

Happy Friday!

So I guess about three years ago, I was wandering around Sephora, which is a great resource for CF products, and they're now carrying a good chunk of all natural and organic brands too. For the money, I've actually done better and cheaper at the healthfood stores, but I'm never one to knock a place that has a buttload of CF/all natural/organic products.

Anyhoo. I was checking out some of the pretty stuff over at the Makeup Forever section (do they test, you ask? I have no idea. Three years of banging around the Internet, plus emailing both the company and Sephora, have yielded no answer, nor has their website, nor random Google searches. Till I can find an answer for you - I'd stay away). I asked a nearby sales associate if she knew MUFE's testing policy. She cheerfully burbled at me, "None of the brands carried at Sephora are tested on animals at all!" I said, "Oh yes, some of them are. You're carrying Shiseido, Lancome and NARS*, all three of which still test on animals." Aaaand, her face kinda fell a little, as she not-quite-as-chirpily replied, "Really?" I didn't mean to pee in her pool, honestly. She was really young, really excited, and I remember that feeling. The sheer excitement of that first job when you're 18, the job that doesn't involve making sure the toddler you were watching didn't stick his finger in a light socket while you were wrapping up your algebra homework. I've been there.

But my point is not to knock younger folks, because they're awesome. My point is: never take the word of a store salesperson as gospel if you're not sure to begin with. Odds are, that salesgirl really did think everything there wasn't tested on animals. Plus, since she didn't look a day over 18, you also have to keep in mind that she probably hasn't been alive long enough to remember a time when PETA's "Still Tests" list was longer than their "Does Not Test" list. I'd say 95% of the stuff at Sephora isn't animal tested, so she wasn't too far off the mark. But do your own homework as a back-up, because a well-meaning salesperson could be wrong.

Or they could be lying to get you to buy - I don't think that was the case at Sephora with that particular girl. I do think it was the case at Macy's around 12 years ago, when I wandered up to the Elizabeth Arden counter, knowing full well they still tested. I just wanted to see if they'd be honest with me (which was dumb of me, I know), so I asked the saleswoman. She smiled brightly at me, a little too brightly and replied, "No, we don't test." I thanked her nicely and walked away. There was just a difference, you know? You can tell the difference between a well-meaning but uninformed teenager and a 40 year old woman who already knows the answer you're looking for, why you're asking it, and is going to tell you what you want to hear. I was testing her, she was testing me, so there was no need for me to go online and look it up. I just wanted to see what would happen.

At any rate, the point for today's post is - make sure you're double-checking your facts, and not just going on the word of a sales associate who may have the wrong info.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

*UPDATE: As of Jan. 13, 2010's blog, NARS has updated their website to state that they do NOT test on animals! Yaaay!