Aspiring Beauty Insider

I've always been a beauty outsider. Or, as it sometimes comes out in a very non-PC way, I'm makeup retarded. I'm the person who can stand in the beauty aisle at Target for half an hour staring at all the options and come away with nothing because I don't know what colors look good on me. Does this happen to you? I've mostly defaulted to what I like to call the "Makeup for Dummies" approach, where you just buy the eyeshadow palette that they say works best for your eye color. In the case of green eyes, mostly purples and greens that promise to make your peepers "pop." Lipstick is a particularly fearful creature because you can't try it on beforehand and you don't know if it will look hideous or fabulous when you get it home. Therefore, I don't buy any and just stick to fairly neutral lip glosses. When I was growing up my mom had a drawerful of lipsticks that she didn't wear because in her search for the perfect red pigment, they all "turned pink" on her.

But salvation from a life of makeup woes came in the form of a gift card to Sephora from my sister-in-law Betsy. Aaah, Sephora. The beauty superstore extolled in every woman's magazine but that has been, up until now, too intimidating, and (in my mind) too expensive for little Nollie. I had fears that I'd walk in the door and they'd smell the fear on me and spot me instantly as the makeup neophyte and wannabe that I am. But on Saturday I took the plunge and headed into Sephora to get a beauty intervention. The goal: To find a flattering neutral look that works for every day, but that can also be dressed up. Here's what I came home with.

1. NARS concealer to cover dark circles (hello!) and serve as an eyeshadow primer.

The first thing I did upon entering was to ask for a guide to help me navigate the rows of perfumes, foundations, mascaras, and more. Up came my sensei, armed with a bona fide tool belt full of makeup brushes and a faceful of dramatic eye shadow and bright red lips. I don't know if that was supposed to make me feel confident that she could create such a confident look on her pupils, or scare me a bit that if I didn't take her advice with a grain of salt I'd end up with a similar over-the-top finish. She steered me straight to the NARS section, which from reading enough magazines I know is a great brand, albeit on the pricey side. After she showed me their concealer, I opted to splurge and then asked if they had anything on the less expensive side. So she steered us to the Sephora brand stuff, which was hiding in the back.

2 & 3. Two eyeshadows. No, I didn't get this color but shout out to the woman who can pull it off. The colors I bought are below.

4. Dark brown eyeliner (yes, the one pictured is green).

The eyeshadows: Peach Beige and Babydoll Nightie. Va va voom. She also recommended a coffee brown color for a smoky eye look, but I already own a similar color so I thought I'd use that up first. She showed me some lipstick options and I was sorely tempted to spring for face illuminating powder to get that "glow," but I know I can get that at Target.

All in all, the experience was great. She showed me how to apply everything and I walked around looking glamorous all yesterday afternoon. I will definitely be back for more goodies. Plus, I signed up for the Sephora Beauty Insider Club so now I have some faux street cred.

If only I had a hair stylist and makeup artist to come over routinely to help me get ready. But really, who am I kidding? I wash my hair every third day and often stay in PJs (let's call it loungewear to make it sound better) all day so such an indulgence would probably be wasted at this stage of life.

Where do you stand with makeup? Are you an insider or an outsider? Any tips for picking colors?