I hope that was a thanks for the compliment,and not a thanks that she’d finally shut up 
It depends. At a makeup counter, they’re “free.” You have to sit through a hard sell for them (at some places, very hard) but you don’t have to buy anything - you’re there to see what’s available, get advice on what to do, and try out the products on your skin.
If you’re just looking for skin care, go to Biotherm (love their skin care, not too crazy about their makeup, they’ve got a good men’s line, and I know they’re in Canada).
Dung Beetle, good luck. My mom just wasn’t interested in makeup. Skin care, yes, (from when I was very young on, from time to time we’d have home facials - cleansers & exfoliators, mask, toner, moisturizer, the works.) but makeup, not really. She knew how to apply it though - so I did pick up the right way to put the stuff on (which I wasn’t allowed to do because my dad had flat out forbidden makeup at all).
But she never really used any (still doesn’t). I also stuck out like a sore thumb - she was fashion clueless, and didn’t care (and still doesn’t). I could figure out that I didn’t dress like everyone else and it bothered me, but I didn’t know enough about how to fix it or care enough to actively pursue fixing it.
I know a lot of people are raving about Clinique, but in 2005 they still have no foundation shades that even come close to being anywhere near acceptable for me. Still. In 2005! And nothing good in any of the lipsticks or blushes (no where near as bad as the foundations, but not good.) And I have never been treated more rudely in a store than I was once by a Clinique counterperson in Boston. Bobbi Brown does nice, subtle neutrals, and MAC is great for bright, intense color.
If you live near a Sephora, you can take her to one of those. They give make-overs for free, and while many of the people who work there look overly made-up (they are required to wear a certain number of the store’s products to work), I’ve never seen anyone come out looking that way. They have pretty much everything found in department stores (no MAC, but a lot of other great stuff), so they can mix and match different brands rather than trying to get a look out of just one.
[mom hat]
If you haven’t already, get her to start wearing a good sunblock every day now and she can preserve her youthful beauty. Make sure it’s a full-spectrum sunblock:
[/mom hat]
I think what you’re doing is great, as long as you give her freedom of choice in matters of taste, as others have noted.
Upfront, I will say that I am a Mary Kay Consultant, and I will plug the products and services here:
You can check the company’s website, marykay dot com, and use the consultant locator to find someone in your area (to find multiple people, re-visit the page and type in your zip code again - it will show you different consultants’ websites). Your experience will depend on the person, but I personally don’t do a hard sell. Plus, we can we cover skin care, color cosmetics, body care (scented and non-scented), perfumes, and sunblock/sunless tanner. The biggest difference is that she will come to your house to do the facial. The company website shows you all of the products that are available so you can get a good idea of what we offer before you contact a consultant.
My mom didn’t show me any of this stuff, either. The first time I ever shaved, I shaved my arms using my dad’s razor and sliced off a strip of skin 1/4" x 1 1/2". Still got that scar! I used to love to play in her make-up set and use the pink and yellow eyeshadows together to get a nice stripey rainbow effect.