These days, makeup stores are basically the Willy Wonka chocolate factory of the beauty world. They're huge. Have everything.

Wanna get your brows tweaked? Can do. Need your makeup done? Easy. Piercings? Say no more. Wanna get those goodies gift wrapped? Hand 'em over. 

Watch: Here's how to add a dash of colour to your makeup without looking too OTT. Post continues below.

Filled with makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrances from some of the absolute best cult beauty labels in the world, stores like Sephora and Mecca are literally heaven on earth for us beauty lovers.

And if you're anything like us, you spend approximately WAY too much time sashaying around their beauty aisles. So, it’s probably not surprising that those who work there have witnessed some pretty cringeworthy behaviour.

To suss out some of the bad habits you should definitely avoid at all costs, here's 15 things you should never do when shopping in a makeup store.

1. Try on lipstick.

"One woman would come in every day and put on red lipstick. Not say a thing, just put it on. GROSS. And I'm not kidding. Every single day she would be there. Still don't know her name..." - Charlie.

2. Open the packaging "just to see".

"I used to hate when people would open the boxes and take out the new products to look at them? Like you don't need to do that. It's not broken." - Tamara.

3. Ask for heaps of samples.

"Do not ask for twenty samples. This takes up valuable staff time and it's rude! Sample pots are terrible for the environment, so be mindful of your sampling. Most importantly, though - it is very unlikely you will use all the samples at once. If you don't lose them then by the time you open them, they won't be fresh. So many customers would come in with ancient samples saying they had congealed or given them a reaction. Use your samples within a reasonable amount of time." - Rachel.

"A sample is to test whether your skin reacts negatively to a product. It takes about two weeks for new skin to come to the surface so you cannot expect to see "results" from a sample that you use for three days. Customers would return asking for the same sample again and again because they "can't tell if it works yet" - this is not what sampling is for." - Heather.

"Also, the girls who come in and take, like, 10 eyebrow spoolies..." - Genevieve.

4. Use makeup testers when you have... golden staph.

"Please, please, PLEASE do not use mascara wands or come into store with golden staph. When I was managing in MYER I had a customer come in with golden staph LEAKING out of her nose (it was an abscess the size of a ten cent coin). She used a bunch of testers trying to cover it. I had to tell her she should probably go to emergency and then I had to throw out $2000 worth of testers." - Kira. 

5. Tell the employee they're wrong because you have a friend who is a makeup artist.

"People coming in and asking me makeup questions then telling me it’s wrong because they have a “makeup artist friend” who told them differently. Ugh." - Alyssa.

6. Ask staff to squeeze your pimples.

"Do not ask staff to pop your pimples. Ever." - Katherine.

7. Use the cotton tips in store... to clean your ears.

"Don't use the cotton tips in store to clean your ears or nose and leave them for staff to clean up. It's gross." - Maddie.

8. Be ~weird~ when you're getting your makeup done.

"Please don’t stare directly into my eyes when I’m doing your makeup. Just because I’m applying your lipstick doesn’t mean I can’t see you staring at me. It’s uncomfortable. And weird." - Alyssa.

"When they lick their lips just before you go to put lipstick/liner on them..." - Sarah.

9. Ask for a discount.

"When people ask for discounts for products when things aren't on sale. "C'mon, you can give me a better price right...?" No, lol. Just pay full price or wait for a sale." - Charlie.

"Typically, the makeup artists at Mecca work freelance outside of Mecca where they will charge $150 to $300 per person for an individual application and $800 + for photoshoots. They work at Mecca to practice their skill and retain the staff discount that helps them build their kits. When customers spend more than the $90 to $120, they will often say that it's a "rip off" or behave as if they've been tricked and treat the artist disrespectfully. Artistry services are a great deal. A one-on-one application with a freelancer costs more money and you receive no product. Respect the artists' skills and experience." - Rachel.

10. Go in to get your makeup done when you're sick.

"Don't come in to get your makeup done when you are "too unwell to do it yourself" and make the staff sick with your nasty cold or flu. Maybe you should just not go out to your event if you are that unwell." - Maddie.

11. Ask for advice... then not take it.

"If you ask for help, be prepared to receive it. Something I noticed about some older professional women is they would come in, insecure about asking a 21-year-old artist for advice, and talk down to them. Just because you are a doctor/lawyer/academic doesn't mean you need to know everything about everything. The staff don't expect you to know anything about makeup - there are different types of knowledge and cosmetics and skincare are theirs." - Rachel.

"There is no point becoming angry or defensive while taking basic advice - if you don't want to do something the consultant recommends you don't have to, but using terms like "that's stupid" or "that's ridiculous" while continuing to ask questions and demand a team member's time is bullying. Treat staff at a retail account with the respect you would expect from clients in your office." - Rachel.

"If an artist advises against a certain look (winged eyeliner, matte foundation, red lip) don't kick off! Usually it's because it just simply won't be the most flattering thing for you. It's actually a sign of a good artist. Most inexperienced artists can't be bothered to have the conversation, so will just go along with whatever you ask for even if it doesn't leave you looking your best. Obviously, you're the boss but take their advice on board, you might learn something." - Georgia.

12. Be really annoying when getting your makeup done.

"Don't keep stopping me when I'm doing your makeup and ask if I'm going to blend something. It's a work in progress. It's like stopping a chef halfway through roasting a chicken and asking if they plan on leaving the chicken raw... give it time, please." - Maddie.

"Please don’t say “I don’t mind, do what you want!” when I’ve asked you 100 times what you want, and then at the end tell me it’s not what you wanted." - Ania.

"Preferably come in after your hair appointment. So many girls would come back when you were halfway through another appointment for a touch-up because their hairdresser had washed half their forehead off during their blow-dry." - Genevieve.

13. Go in to get your makeup done... with a full face of makeup on.

"Don't come in with a full face of makeup on before we need to do your makeup." - Maddie.

"In-store artists are on an incredibly tight schedule. When I was an artist at Mecca I would do eight back-to-back appointments on a Saturday. I had to finish the actual makeup 15 minutes before the appointment was over to "close" on products and process the sale (this is extra relevant for boutiques which are run on a shoestring - artists can't hand off to hosts). I had to get all my applications done on time so I could eat and sit down for my lunch break. Removing a whole lot of makeup irritates the skin and takes a whole lot of time." - Kate.

14. Comment on the staff's bodies and skin.

"I was once doing makeup, and the client kept putting her hands around my waist and saying "you're like a ballerina", "you're so skinny" - I'd just had a terrible break up and lost a lot of weight. Clients would also touch our hair and comment on our bodies and faces all the time - it's horrible. They would say things like "I don't want to talk to her, she has bad skin". Retail workers are people!" - Olivia.

Feature image: Getty

Can you relate to any of these bad habits? Do you have any to add? Share with us in the comment section below.