sephoraspy - Jezebel

posts about #sephoraspy more →
Makeup 4 Ever
How The He's Just Not That Into You Guy Actually Helped Me Get Over My (Married) (Strip Club DJ) Ex-Boyfriend
Undereye Circles Should Equal Sexy, Not Sleep Deprivation
Can Foundation Really Be Waterproof? (And Other Details About The Next Generation Of Expensive Beauty Products)
Recession Possessions
The Dumbest, Most Pore-Cloggingly Ineffective Ways To Waste Your Money At Sephora
Mineral Makeup! Lip Plumpers! Oil Cleansers! Colonics? Sephora Spy Spills All, And More!
This Week Made Us Unbeweavably Tard
How I Conquered My Cystic Acne, In (Just!) 17 Painful Steps
This Week We Binged On Ex-Lax And Tyra

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karenwog! texas to virginia jezzie
01/15/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
i agree!! please have a must-have cosmetics and skincare post!! i hadn't heard that the clinique skincare was so good, but as a 26 yr old with 14 yr old acne i will try ANYTHING! (esp. b/c proactiv didnt work for me). and must have make up-- i need to hear more! i'll add mine in there: make up for ever smokey eyes mascara-- better than diorshow and only $22. you can thank me later (its a little clumpy, but if you have no lashes like me, its a godsend)
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SylvanSylph
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
My convict-looking heterosexual male friend (6'6+, shaved head, muscular, lots of all-black tattoos and white tank tops)use to be a MANAGER at Sephora. He got fired when they realized he'd been stealing perfume to trade for drinks at bars. I don't advocate theft, but I'm kind of in love with him for that.
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zombie.nancy is a godess of fierce
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
my bestie works at Sephora & like any other job, they get their fair share of crazies. like the woman banging loudly at the door on XMAS Eve - she was irate that they were closing on the holiday n stuff
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gherkinfiend
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
@tscheese: @Flackette is a Red State Elitist: @tscheese: Most of the girls I worked make up counters with were so obsessed and in love with make up that it honestly never occurred to them that other people weren't so addicted to wearing it...

Plus as Flackette says a lot of the girls aren't trained make up artists on counters, just well trained assistants who get freaked out by things that aren't in the script.

It's bloody hard going working cosmetics and they have a high staff turnover in stores like Sephora. It's like expecting gourmet detail at McDonalds...
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hellosunshine
01/14/09

@gherkinfiend: Heh, as a former makeup artist at an Estee Lauder company, I can attest to that. I'm OBSESSED with makeup.
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Aesop's Foibles. YES.
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
There's one at King of Prussia which is somewhat near to where I live. I would love to spend excessive amounts of time in there because while I don't wear much makeup, I am a skincare addict. Alas, every single time I'm there, the whole place is stuffed with mobs of surly, overly-made up teens and their surly, impatient moms. It's very bright and noisy and scented in there, which can potentially cause a seizure for me, and add in the crush of humanity and I'm anxious in seconds and clawing my way to the door. I do love the website, though. They really don't chintz out on the samples. I am also a sample addict.
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Flackette Goes Retro
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
Sephora is funny to me because, as a makeup addict and connoisseur myself, I can guarantee that I know more about makeup, skincare and all such than 95% of the college-aged girls working there (and most of what I know is that half of their overpriced products make ridiculous claims they can't back up). I still like playing with the colors, though, so I just ignore the sales people and putter about.
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HuckleberryFriend
01/14/09

@Flackette is a Red State Elitist: Are you for hire?
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tscheese
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
Also, who honestly gets all dolled up for a day of just shopping? I mean, I've done day trips before when I needed to get multiple things at multiple places, sure, but I've never actively thought of is as an opportunity to slather on all the makeup I own IN CASE SOMEONE SEES ME OMG. Are there Sephora "cast" members really suggesting that if you're not tarted up, you're not reaching your ultimate shopping portential? Because really?
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Clare116
01/14/09

@tscheese: I usually don't bother, because I don't want to worry about smudging it on clothes if I'm trying things on.
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Dictator for Life
01/14/09

@Clare116: I put on makeup even if I'm not gonna leave the house all day. I feel naked and strange without it, and if I accidentally see myself in a mirror, it weirds me out. But one time when I was at home wearing makeup, my uncle asked me why I didn't have any on, so I must be doing it right.
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monkeydance
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
i love Sephora. i never know how to find anything though, i always have to ask for help. but the one on Lexington Avenue on like 58th street has very friendly people willing to assist.
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tscheese
01/14/09

@monkeydance: Oooh, a Sephora in Manhattan that isn't mosh-pit crowded and has nice staff? I might be tempted.
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Ramseylicious
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
God bless those bitches at Sephora. I went in determined to get a good, sophisticated, medium coverage foundation. The sales lady was so patient with me as we went through five different foundations, none of which matched my skin (including Bare Minerals...what is that about???), before I gave up. Can a bi-racial butterfly like myself can get some love in the foundation department???

I could smell everything in there all day though.
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deltabella
01/14/09

@Ramseylicious: I can not trumpet this stuff enough, and I'm not working for the company- PRESCRIPTIVES CUSTOM BLENDS. I've watched them match perfectly for an African-American albino girl if that gives you any idea how good they are. Seriously, the stuff is magic, and is just a little pricier than your usual department store foundation.
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Ramseylicious
01/14/09

@deltabella:
Aaaahhhh, I knew that a custom blend would be the best bet. I'll check this one out. Thanks!
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million.dollar.mouth.
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
Beauty.com

That is all.
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PeterAbe1ard
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
I LOVE this store. I second the idea that you can save money shopping online, especially if you live in a state like mine with outrageous sales tax. BUT if you go into the actual store, you can get generously sized samples of any perfume you want! You can even request more than one at a time! If they don't have a carded sample they will make one up for you, & they will also make you little sample pots of any skin care product you want.

At least they will at my Sephora -- the SAs there have always been perfectly nice. I live in the south.
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the dodo, the cuckoo, and the nene
01/14/09

@PeterAbe1ard: I live near Chicago, and I've noticed that the sales people are friendlier in the less-populated stores than the overcrowded mall stores. It also helps to shop there on a weekday. I was looking for an eyeliner and the salesperson spent good 15 minutes with me explaining different eyeliners and their benefits. Also, they have excellent return policies-you can return almost anything, even if it has been opened.
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Flackette Goes Retro
01/14/09

@PeterAbe1ard: Yeah, I live in Kentucky and the girls at mine are not snotty, just really young and not that informed about the products.
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Dictator for Life
01/14/09

@Flackette is a Red State Elitist: The people at the one in Durham, NC have always been nice to me, and they also replaced a Stila eyeshadow that had broken and turned into a mess for free, even though it was just about new. So they have my eternal devotion.
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Samanthrax
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
Oh, and if you guys really like bright drag queeny eyeshadows on the cheap, I suggest Medusa's Makeup based in Chicago, but they sell online now too. They are so strongly pigmented, and you can even add water to make the colors brighter... highly, highly recommend.
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EdnasEdibles
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
I used to work right by a Sephora so I'd go in there and put on make-up after work if I had plans (like a happy hour) and they'd always give me the stink-eye but I'd ignore them because I would shop enough there too. Not like I never bought anything there.

It was always crawling with tourists--especially at the Bare Essentials area. Tourists were always getting makeovers there. It got on my nerves.
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hamburgerhotdog
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
I am one of those jerks who goes into sephora after work to get ready for a night out if I forgot to grab my makeup bag that morning. And I go crazy - hey, when else will I have two hundred shades of purple eyeshadow to pick from? I think the salespeople know me know and they're like, "Oh, she's off for a date!" but I buy enough crap that they (mostly) leave me alone.
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RoseColette (fewer thorns; more coffee)
01/14/09

In reply to Makeup 4 Ever
At the mall in one or two states ago of living, the MAC store and Sephora were within sight line of each other. Sephora? Couldn't get help even when I asked and stated I wanted to purchase but couldn't find them. MAC? Minute I walk in "Be right with you" came from several different corners and sure enough, in less than five minutes the person was in the back searching for the items. MAC has had my love (and money) ever since.
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ItchykooParker
01/14/09

@rose.of.many.thorns.colette: I love Mac's powder compact foundation (forget the name), but when I ran out and was near Sephora in Union Square I bought their version.

Verdict? Shade: ok. Coverage: not as good as Mac. Texture: not as nice as Mac. Price: very slightly cheaper than Mac.

But my big beef with it is this: within a month the compact broke, and now I'm carrying it around in a ziploc in my makeup bag. What a pain in the neck. Mac NEVER did this. Plus, as you say, the staff at Mac are always fabulous (in every way); although, to be fair, the Sephora folks are always nice to me too.

I will be buying Mac from now on.
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pandorasmittens
01/14/09

@rose.of.many.thorns.colette: I like MAC. I do not, however, like the way so many customers cake that shit on. MAC has excellent products with long lasting color that doesn't require heavy application. So why do so many MAC followers look as if someone shot them in the face with Homer Simpson's makeup rifle?
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gherkinfiend
01/14/09

@rose.of.many.thorns.colette: MAC stand alone stores work on a higher level of commission...thus the staff try harder or they can't afford lunch.

Also when I worked in cosmetics as a make up artist, many of the other shop workers assumed bare faced shoppers didn't EVER wear make up and therfore weren't worth bothering with as they wouldn't buy anything. Logic wasn't as important as playing with sparkly stuff...

@EdnasEdibles: I hate Touche Eclat too!
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ItchykooParker
01/14/09

@pandorasmittens: I know! MAC is wonderful and it can be very light, which is how I wear it. I wear very little makeup anyway, and I was actually surprised with how much I like MAC's foundation, because it's very natural-looking if you don't glom it on.

I assumed from other wearers' 'looks' that it was very heavy. Wrong.
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Plum-Pie
01/14/09

@gherkinfiend: That's mad! If they didn't wear make-up ever, what are they doing in a make-up shop?

I have a modest amount of interest in make up and when it isn't make up buying time, I don't go near make up counters!
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Hana Maru
01/14/09

@rose.of.many.thorns.colette: I'm glad you had a good experience, but I think it depends on where you go. I was ignored, then treated horribly the one time I went to a MAC store, and haven't wanted to go back since.
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la.donna.pietra
01/14/09

@gherkinfiend: You are a wealth of useful information :) I have been debating buying a mess o' makeup, and I have been waffling between the MAC store or the Dillard's makeup counter. Decision made!
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