Sephora • SEPHORA - Whole Store • Misc Beauty Tools

Where To Buy?

Piggie8 on 4/12/2013 10:27:00 PM more reviews by Piggie8

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I have personally an interesting relationship with Sephora. I was so scared to walk in, how nice it looks with expensive makeup and the associates. One day I walked in wanting something badly and try it out, and I like it sooo much more than Ulta. I'm personally a tall, big girl and I know people judge me everywhere I go and walking into a beauty or clothing store is like the shark tank for me. When I go to Ulta, I can tell I'm being heavily judged and the people there are fake. People at Sephora, I know they are trying to get me buy from them, but I feel like they do want the best product for me. I've found excellent solutions and they are sweet and kind to me, I don't feel a fake put off from them. And when I say I don't have enough money, it's understood. I actually feel pretty for once and confident from them. I also like the brushes they sell themselves. It is a lot of money, but they have the same prices at Ulta and I don't have to pay shipping and handling. I do feel like they help me get the bang for my buck. I also love their rewards program. I wish they had coupons or something, but either way, I feel so much more comfortable here and I've NEVER been at ease at anywhere that's more high end. I wish the sales associates weren't as pushy, but hey, it's retail and sales.

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*TOP REVIEWER* SorceressOfTheDark on 4/11/2013 9:03:00 AM more reviews by SorceressOfTheDark

Age: Unknown   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Sephora-The American woman's equivalent of an American man's Home Depot. For those of you that don't know what a Home Depot is, it's a huge warehouse type do-it-yourself hardware store that carries just about everything that makes American men feel like attempting week-end projects for their home. They spend literal hours on end in the store looking at nuts and bolts and tools and wood. It's where they suddenly have a surge of testosterone. It's where they go to feel "manly". It's a guy type of store. The atmosphere is a cacophony of noises that make you want to wear ear plugs.
Now switch that around to a make-up store with all the cosmetics, skin care, fragrances and makeup tools you could ever desire The lighting is soft. Music is playing gently in the background. The SA's are wearing all black with red on their shoulders. The counters are exceedingly clean and spotless. They smile at you. You can play with all the testers you want. You are in your Nirvana now. If you'd like a sample of something, just ask. They'd be happy to provide. Yes, delighted to provide you with some. Information about products? Of course. No commission on any, so they can talk about each and every one without bias. How refreshing.
Returns? Delighted to take that back. So sorry it didn't work out for you.
It's your birthday? We have a gift for you, just because it's your birthday, and you don't have to buy anything to get it, either. That's right, absolutely right.
Sephora really is a dream store for those of us that are makeup/skincare/fragrance junkies. If we need our fix, just head on down to our local one and it's almost as if the dealer supplies us with our stash. They put it in those blue and white striped bags that we hold so proudly, too. We are Sephora junkies.
I guess I'm lucky because I'm within a 60 mile radius of 3 Sephora's . Two of them are in a JCPenney and one is a free-standing. Of course, the free-standing is the furthest, but whenever I'm in that area, you can be sure I make it a point to visit it.
I've built a relationship with my local ladies at the closest one (it's only 15 minutes away)-how wonderful is that? The mature SA's are warm, informative and know their products. It's the younger ones that are the difficult ones, I admit. They stand there looking pretty (which they are) but don't have the knowledge,but simply have attitude because they work for Sephora. Ask them a question and you'll wind up giving them the answer yourself. I pretty much avoid them like the plaque and look for the ladies that have more experience under their belt. Other than that, Sephora has their stuff together, and it's a win-win for everybody. You buy, you earn points towards a free gift. You can combine your online purchases towards your in-store purchases too for the free gift. This year on Black Friday I dared to hit my Sephora and came home with the best stuff. I couldn't believe the bargains they put out. The only negative I'll say is I'd like them to carry more cruelty-free lines than they do but that's the buyers decision. And I'd like them to actually have a sales rack that was a real sales rack. That's just wishful thinking I guess.
I always walk away feeling empowered with that little blue and white bag. Yeah, I'm a Sephora junkie.

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Blueyedchic on 2/19/2013 12:35:00 PM more reviews by Blueyedchic

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Tan   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I love Sephora! I have shopped here for years it is honesty the only place I go to buy makeup! The only complaint I have is the way the sales associates usually treat the customers.

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*TOP REVIEWER* 3110hello on 2/18/2013 8:11:00 PM more reviews by 3110hello

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

Like a fellow reviewer, I, too, feel like Sephora is MY Disneyland. I love make up and they have wonderful high end brands and pretty much allow a customer to play around with the product with abandon such that she knows what she is buying.

My Sephora has very nice Sales Associates who are generally knowledgeable and friendly and they are always willing to provide me with samples of foundations, etc. so that when I buy I don't buy blind.The few products I have had to return have been accepted - no problem at all.

My complaint regarding Sephora would be that I never leave without spending too much money (more my fault than theirs) because they do not provide many "sales" promotions, which I am sure they could give up some of those profits to manage.

Since an Ulta has come to town I admit to liking a mix of low end w/ high end products at one location and Ulta does often have coupons and allows one to accumulate "points" toward purchases. Sephora might want to consider a marketing modification to compete with Ulta. Money I spend now at Ulta used to go exclusively to Sephora.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dolcefan on 2/18/2013 6:53:00 PM more reviews by dolcefan

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

What to say....I used to LOVE Sephora...I'd go to the original Flagship in NYC (long since folded in favor of various smaller versions throughout the city) every month. Over the years I have become increasingly annoyed with their "new" style of pushing the consumer and, frankly, being all up in our grills. Sephora was born and designed to be a "hands off" shop. A store wherein women (and men) could play, experiment, and never have to be hassled by an SA as you would find in ANY department store. Evidently they have changed to a more aggressive tactic and I hate it. Some stores seem to have way too many employees (Paris, Champs Elysee, looking at YOU) where it seems 2 SA's to a customer. I loathe to be followed, handed perfume cards, be bombarded with "facts" I could care less about, asked repeatedly if I want to try products, colors etc....I just want to browse and when I choose to ask a question, I'll ask. So, 90% of the time I shop online anymore. It's too annoying and stressful to deal with SA's, especially when they obviously know MUCH less about the brands than I do, and I could easily inform them about the history of the brand and each collection, lol. Please, Sephora, stop the guerrilla type tactics!

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Galaxydreamz on 2/18/2013 1:22:00 AM more reviews by Galaxydreamz

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Definition of a love hate relationship for me. Sephora carries so many brands and amazing products and I love being in there and trying make-up, and the samples and return policies are fantastic, and they give you a birthday gift! However, it is a bit pricey (no surprise since these are high end brands) but mainly I HATE the sales associates so so so much. It's as if they're payed to act rude and snobby. Maybe it's just where I live since there's so many amazing reviews but every time I go there, I feel overly judged and uncomfortable. They just look down at you with disgusted bitchy looks and unless you buy $500 worth or stuff they treat you like crap. I really don't understand why they can't get the concept of being nice to their customers. Like, you do know that you're just SALES ASSOCIATES at a MAKE-UP store. In fact, I hate my local sephora associates so much that I've found myself buying products online more and more often even though I've got a store just minutes away. Really hope they hire nicer people or something.

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*TOP REVIEWER* chayaNY on 9/5/2012 1:46:00 PM more reviews by chayaNY

Age: Unknown   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Sephora truly fills a niche. 99% of the high end makeup I've purchased has been due to first trying a sample at Sephora. Its a place where they get how wanting/needing to try before you buy is seen as legit, valid. Whereas in some department stores you have to promise them your first born son and buy their products before getting a sample. Its very counter-intuitive and I don't mean to make puns, I have to buy something from a line to get to try perhaps the one item in the line I'm truly interested in? Going to Sephora has also helped me to not buy certain items I wanted badly simply because they are wildly popular and beautiful on others. I get to swatch things and again try them out, often finding out that an item won't suit me, saving me a lot of money. Its a little chaotic in some stores and you may wait a while for help/samples. You may encounter a sales associate who begrudgingly helps you out but oveerall I've not encountered that. They allow you to return nakeup too, that's another big plus. Yes the lighting is nuts but I've got greater problems in life. My advice is when going to Sephora, if you want to try things, ask for sampled of the top 3 things you'd like to try. If you go back to purchase an item, tell them the sample they gave you before, prompted your purchase, it helps to build a rapport this way.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mariella99 on 9/5/2012 1:26:00 PM more reviews by mariella99

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Forget Disney...to me, Sephora is the happiest place on earth. The Sephora near me isn't one of the largest but I don't care. The staff there are as nice, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and non-pushy as you could ever want. They are generous in offering samples (not making you feel like a slug or a moocher because you've asked for a sample of a product). I really cannot think of anything to complain about or find fault with except, maybe, the lighting (but the mall has an atrium so if I'm unsure about a colour, I just take a walk out the door and I can check there...they even let me take a mirror out on those occasions when I haven't had one!)

I do wish Sephora as a company offered a few more VIB 20% or even 10% off days (here in Canada, at least, they are pretty few and far between) and that they'd put items on sale in store (this is also pretty rare). I wish they hadn't discontinued their wonderful body butter. But as for the store nearest me, it's somewhere I love to shop and even if I'm just browsing, the gals there are no less friendly or helpful.

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hesperia on 1/6/2012 4:59:00 PM more reviews by hesperia

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I know Sephora backwards. First, because I shopped in it ever since I remember. Second, because I worked there for some time. Before I go on, I want to make it perfectly clear that this last reason is NOT why I praise the store (I could give you a review of some other companies I worked for that would make murder sound kind by comparison). So please keep that in mind if you read this review.


I shopped at Sephora in Boston, Boise, and a few cities in the south of France. And I always had positive experiences. I particularly like my local store. I get excellent service always. I love the fact that you can ask for 10 samples and they will give them to you, no questions asked (saves SO much trouble and money). The return policy is almost absurd it's so good. As an employee I had to accept some returns that were almost comically dishonest and fraudulent (no receipt, prod obviously bought somewhere else, ages before the local store opened, or totally consumed and returned as "gave me allergy" - what, after a whole year of usage?) but I had to accept the con with a smile.


Having said all that, I do agree with the reviewer who said that the variety is not what is used to be. My local store, for example, has been introducing stuff that can easily be found anywhere else in the mall (The Body Shop comes to mind). What the point of that is I cannot understand at all.


Maybe I've been lucky - although my luck does not usually run that consistently, or for such a long time - but I've always had a good experience shopping at Sephora.


Oh, and just to prove that sh** happens on both sides of the counter, let me tell you that as an employee I had to put up with some pretty insufferable clients: rude, whiney, nasty, petulant, inconsiderate, abusive of facilities, serial returners - an easy way to try everything w/o really buying anything - etc. And don't even start me on the petty thievery that we had to deal with! Believe me, SAs don't have the monopoly on the term 'b****.'

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*TOP REVIEWER* luloo on 1/6/2012 10:55:00 AM more reviews by luloo

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Other, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Other    

I love Sephora for the variety of brands in one place, the return policy, the fact that their people don't work on commission and the products are not hidden behind a counter, the testers (although they could keep them cleaner), and the fact that you can get a sample of anything. I only wish Sephora were bigger and sold even more brands, pretty much.

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*TOP REVIEWER* spaflam on 1/4/2012 8:51:00 AM more reviews by spaflam

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Sephora - especially when the flagship store in NYC first opened was like a candy store for me. They had tons of brands and a vast selection.



In recent years, Sephora has (had to) pared down the number of brands and products they carry. I still love to browse here. And when they have coupons and promo codes, I will sometimes buy certain things here.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Marianthoula on 1/4/2012 8:45:00 AM more reviews by Marianthoula

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

The only Sephora I have available is in the city of Thessaloniki, on Tsimiski Str.

It is clean and well organized. I can find good testers and the most amazing thing! I found testers for past season HE brands that were on 50% sales. On other stores it is usually a jumble of half-tested products in a forgotten corner, you can never find a good (aka unused) one to purchase. I was amazed!

I prefer not being greeted/approached or whatever when I walk in a store. I also hate pushy or stalking SAs. I am usually greeted in Sephora, but other than that I am usually left alone. And if a SA rarely asks if I need help and I do not, they withdraw politely.

I must insist on their politeness, I sample it in every visit but it was amazing these holidays. The work-hours were crazy (I could hear them talking among themselves and I was scared!), the people were a flood, and yet they were running to help me in any question I had, always smiling! I left them about 500 Euro in products in various visits these 2 weeks alone. I just wish I could somehow transfer the money to the girls, not just the store!

I see from other reviews that Sephora has a good return and sample policy. I have never thought to ask, because these are alien words in Greek cosmetic shops (I fear I may get flogged if I ask!) but perhaps I should. I will update on the matter as soon as I do.

Oh, and I must mention that certain brands that you all take for granted abroad, are only available to Greece through Sephora. UD, TooFaced, MUFE, Yes To ... and such.

My rating is:
Overall 4, because I keep 5 for God's store
Price 4, because everything is pricier in Greece, but at lest they make good clearance sales on older products
Packaging 4, because I rated their stock quality and also their testers' quality which is good.
And I will continue visiting.

EDIT 19/01/2013: I discovered that Greek Sephoras:
- Are extremely tight-handed with samples. I mean, lady, I am buying 250 Euro Guerlain stuff, do I have to beg for a foundation sample?
- Have no serious member discounts. 15% when they are already 30% marked up? Ooh yeah, thrilling...
- Have no birthday gift
- Have no return policy

Aw guys, this sucks.... but not enough to knock off a lippie. Sephora, your polite staff saved your ranking, do you hear?

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chimama on 1/4/2012 1:51:00 AM more reviews by chimama

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

This comment is regarding a visit to the Sephora Store at South Center Mall in Seattle. I stopped in to look at their eyelash curlers. The sales lady that led me to them said nothing to me but deposited me in the right place. After looking at a few I had a couple of questions that weren't particularly technical. Finding help took a bit of time. When a sales lady showed up she said "Hi guys". I asksed her if she thought there was more curve on one brand of curler from another. She opened the drawer and had one loose one which she tried to compare to one that was packaged. It didn't really help. I thanked her for her time and she tossed the eyelash curler in the drawer, shut the drawer a little forcefully and walked off. The store wasn't overly crowded. I won't waste my time going back there. They don't have anything I can't buy online and I won't be treated with indifference.

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makeupforeverandever13 on 12/4/2011 7:21:00 PM more reviews by makeupforeverandever13

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

How can anyone not like Sephora? These must be the same people who say they don't like chocolate...Sephora is my favorite store ever!
I love how you can try everything on in the store, the pretty packaging and gorgeous colors of everything...shopping here is just too much fun! I always find something I want/need here, whether it's a mascara, mositurizer, whatever! The salespeople do go up to me a lot whenever i go there, but hey, they're just trying to help. They do a good job of it, too, and seem to know their stuff. The truth is, I would probably like to own a Sephora if I could.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Shadow_Witch on 8/21/2011 6:34:00 PM more reviews by Shadow_Witch

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I have been to many Sephora stores and I have always been disappointed to underwhelmed with the customer service, cleanliness, availability of product I wanted to buy, etc. Today I shopped dared venture into Sephora downtown Vancouver, expecting much more of the same and instead was completely WOWED. Store was impeccably clean. SA's were helpful and friendly. Everything I wanted to buy was in stock. The tester products were clean and in great shape. I was floored. Even though I missed my birthday window for my free vanilla birthday cake shower gel, they gave it to me anyway! Last year I as in two days after the two weeks following my birthday and they said "sorry, you missed the 'window'" <- (Sephora Metrotown). I will definitely drop into Sephora downtown Vancouver then next time I'm in town.

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*TOP REVIEWER* euroasian on 6/3/2011 10:39:00 AM more reviews by euroasian

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Other    

I've only been to Sephora's in Toronto, and of all of them I've only had SA problems in two stores, and it wasn't too bad (bored, apathetic SA's). The really could use an overhaul with their testers and cleanliness though; in some smaller stores it can get pretty gross. Sephora has always been my number one store for cosmetics (Holt's is number two and Murale number three), so I can't really complain. They definitely need more stores in the west end though; most of them are situated in the east end of Toronto. All in all, it's a great concept and store.

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tiff1211 on 6/3/2011 10:26:00 AM more reviews by tiff1211

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Tan, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Kinky, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love this store.... I have money saved up just to spend here. I like the points program although I like Ulta's program slightly better. It's fairly easy to spend 500 here because I adore HE lipsticks. The return policy is awesome and love being able to freely test products for as long or as much as I like. They have anything beauty related that you can ask for. They don't carry all HE brands but they have some and at least you get rewards for shopping with them!!!!

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Jackie7354 on 6/3/2011 10:04:00 AM more reviews by Jackie7354

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I only go into Sephora purely out of convenience, I can buy my favorite foundation, lipstick and whatever else I want in the same location. My major complaint is not with the products, but with the store itself. The lightening is awful, making foundation testing nearly impossible. My store in eastern MA is always filthy and the testers look like they have been out since the store opened. The SA's are plain awful, either they ignore you, or stalk you because they think you are going to steal. They have little to no makeup knowledge and you are better off doing the research before you go in.

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*TOP REVIEWER* felgoj on 6/3/2011 9:44:00 AM more reviews by felgoj

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have come to absolutely loathe (not love) shopping in a Sephora store. I live in NYC where there are dozens if not hundreds of locations & I've been to many of them, but the quality of Sephora as I knew it in years past has changed for the worse. Perhaps it's the popularity or influx of ppl to New York that's overloaded every Sephora store I go into. Crowded! Such chaos. No elbow room, & finding a mirror with somewhat decent lighting can be a challenge. It's no longer like the attractive high-end fantasyland it used to be in 2001. It appears fairly the same on the surface but the atmosphere has changed. I understand that things change in 10 yrs, but this wasn't good change.


I used to love the variety of designer brands Sephora carried in the past. I mean, the sheer range of brands they carried would blow me away...I loved that I never again had to step foot in a dept store for my big-name makeup (I really hate going to those perfume-dousing places). Over the years I noticed many brands have been dropped. They still have some of the well-known staples but other new brands to me are very *meh.* I rarely ever go to Sephora anymore now, whereas in the past I was regularly dropping bucketloads of $ on overpriced makeup like a giddy kid in a candy store. I used to be an addict. Well at least now I can save money by barely shopping there anymore, lol.


One thing I love is the testers, so you can try out items before buying. Their return policy I think is straightforward no-questions-asked but I never return stuff for refund or exchange. Their locations are abundant & convenient and they're usually well-stocked with SA's & makeup applicators (though yesterday I was at a major location that was long on customers & very short on supplies & mirrors - frustrating!).


Oh yeah, they do have a rewards program that's gotten me several little mini freebies over time & although I get to choose between 3 items (or otherwise keep acruing points) I never like anything that I pick. They're all *meh* items to me. But in any case the program is a nice touch.


WORST part about Sephora is terrible lighting! My #1 gripe. Thank goodness I can try on the makeup in the store & walk outside to see how it looks. Sometimes I sample an undecided item several times before I go back some other time to buy it. I have never gotten a makeover at Sephora but it is offered & I see a lot of ladies getting their makeup done for free.


I've never shopped via their website but I love checking out the options there & visit frequently. It's nice that you can order online, get free samples & return unwanted items. It bugs me when some items are available online only but not in the store (such as HerCut styling products).


I'll give Sephora a mid-rating b/c they're a good place to shop high-end makeup, they're a tremendous success, but they've gone downhill for me personally. I don't love them anymore & I cringe when I contemplate walking in for something. I miss Sephora the way I used to know it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dreanicoley on 4/26/2011 9:15:00 PM more reviews by dreanicoley

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

My hubby despises sephora.... Bc half of our money goes to them! I love the store but its always packed and I really love the online store. I love the samples, awesome sales and overall customer service.

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