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Someone on AIM was bragging to me the other night that he got a very good phone number (ending in 5550 or something equally good) in a “very desirable” area code that would impress corporate bigwigs. Can area codes really be used as status symbols, and if so, which area codes are the most impressive from a business perspective?
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I tried Googling for this, but the results are so busy… ads and more ads. How the heck do I learn how to use makeup? I don’t mean your everyday “blend your jawline” tips, but the trickier stuff like how to pick out & put on eyeshadow, how far to go with lipstick colors, blush, etc.
Most department stores have people at the cosmetic counters that will help you put on make-up and teach you some tricks. Also if there’s a Merle Norman store near you they will give you free facials and show you make-up. I happen to think their products are great - but not cheap…but since I am allergic to many things I find their products are reliably hypoallergenic and worth the price. I have learned a lot about make-up from the clerks in the Merle Norman store too – not least was that I was using the wrong colors! Helps to be able to try things on without having to pay…
I live in Manhattan, and there is a bit of a desirable factor to the 212 area code. I would assume that there is a similar factor in other cities that area code divisions and overlays.
All of New York City was originally in the 212 area code, which was subsequently divided so that the outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx) got 718 with Manhattan retaining 212. The 917 area code was added as an overlay for in Manhattan, used primarily for cellular phones, though I’ve seen some land lines with that area code.
More recently, when 212 numbers were running out, the 646 area code was added as an overlay for land lines in Manhattan. Because 212 is so well established and connected with New York, people prefer 212 numbers to 646 numbers. As a business, having a 646 number may be seen as the mark of a newcomer, and may not be recognizable to some as belonging to a New York business.
The easiest is to just find a cosmetician, spend some time with him/her, and get an idea about colors.
- Find a Mary Kay[sup]tm[/sup] consultant.
Telcom geek expansion:
917 was originally an overlay in all five boroughs intended for wireless (cell phones and pagers) only. The FCC subsequently ruled that technology-specific NPAs were anticompetitive and refused to allow them thereafter, but 917 was grandfathered.
State regulators screwed that up by dragging their feet on code relief when 212 approached exhaust, and they had to open 917 to landline use in Manhattan because they couldn’t get 646 turned up in time.
347 was overlaid on the outer boroughs (718) at the same time as 646 was overlaid on Manhattan (212), and FCC rules governing overlaid codes require mandatory 10-digit dialing everywhere in NYC now, whether or not the person you’re calling is in the same area code as you.
If you have a Sephora store nearby, I was very impressed when I went in and said “fix me!” Because they sell all sorts of makeup brands, it’s not like just going to Merle Norman or Mary Kay or Clinique - they pick what they think is the best for you regardless of brand. In my experience, they don’t at all do the hard sell, either - the girl spent two hours trying out different things on my face, then, get this, took off the things we decided against so I didn’t look funny on the way home, and then said “So did you want to get any of these today?” Some of what she’d picked for me was expensive and some was cheap, but she sat down and explained why she’d, say, spend more money on the Doir mascara, but if I wanted she could find something similar in a lower price bracket. And then she gave me her card and said if I had any questions about how to use anything to call or come back and they’d go over it again, and they’d take back anything I didn’t like.
I hadn’t worn makeup in three years and was sort of dreading the experience, but the Sephora people were very good and listened to me about the kind of look I wanted. Highly reccomended. Plus, you get neat samples!
I’m not a moderator, but:
Could we please refrain from starting threads containing two totally different subjects? You’re making people sift through all the responses, trying to follow the subject they’re interested in.
How hard is it, to start a second thread?
808 is an extremely desirable area code, business or personal… 
I recommend getting help from a female friend whose make-up you like the look of. You can also try out her stuff.
Always go for a look as subtle and natural as possible, except for evening when stronger colours can be acceptable.
If you are young, and have good skin, then you probably don’t need a lot of foundation and powder. You can maybe just even up a few blotches and blemishes and dark circles with a product like Touche Eclat (Radiant Touch) made by Yves St Laurent - expensive, but worth its weight in gold. There are probably cheaper imitations around too.
The Sephora info sounds interesting, but do be warned that many staff working in beauty stores are absolutely clueless about make-up (just check out how they plaster it on themselves) and will just try to sell you as much as possible. I’ve even had them trying to sell me totally the wrong colour concealer because they had run out of the one that was a perfect match with my skin.
Advice in women’s magazines is often helpful. You would want to buy the magazine that best suits your age group for the most appropriate advice.
With colours: the critical thing is finding out whether you are a “warm” or “cool” person. If you suit cool tones, then you must be very careful about avoiding orangey-lipstick and bronzey-eyeshadows. A lot of lipsticks contain orange and yellow pigments that don’t suit a lot of paler, anglo/celtic skins. By contrast, if you are more Mediterranean/darker skinned ethnicity, brighter, warmer colours will work wonders. I make this point because I see an awful lot of women wearing very bad-coloured lipstick for their skin tones.
Also bear in mind: the colours will look totally different outside the harshly artificial shop lighting. I always smear some lip/eye colours on the side of my hand/ball of thumb part - it matches my face better than the back of the hand - and go outside the shop and try and find some natural light to look at them.
There are “undesirable” phone numbers. When I was getting a new cell number, my friend offered me a list of available numbers to choose from. Several were highlighted as “bad” numbers. One was a number with “666” as the final 3 digits. Naturally I grabbed that one and have had it ever since.
My wife gets her makeup in the 404 area code, but there are some 687 folks there too. Good luck. Don’t even want to mention the 770 people.