I never thought I’d say this, ever, but I’m not sure if I belong at Sephora anymore.
I went in last Saturday for a few staples (mascara, eyeliner and brow pencil) because I didn’t want to walk in the rain to Ulta, which is where I’ve been doing most of my beauty shopping in the last couple years.
Anywho, I walked in, found a few things at Rare Beauty, and then did a few laps around the store looking for something, anything, to move me. And that’s when I realized a lot of the things that I was used to seeing weren’t there.
The Clinique makeup display, for example, which was always a comforting sight, was gone. I mean, I know that Clinique isn’t cutting edge or anything, but I like that you can always find something there to satisfy a makeup urge, no matter what age you are. All their color products are pretty wearable and won’t leave you feeling heavily made up. They did have a handful of skin care products, though, but they were tucked away.
Then, in the skin care section, I realized the most prominently displayed items looked like they were geared toward teens and tweens. Brands that seem very popular on social media with kids, like Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, Sol de Janeiro and the Ordinary, were front and center.
That’s when I realized that I kinda sorta felt out of place.
It’s very different now compared to what it used to feel like stepping in the store in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
When Sephora was relatively new to the U.S. shopping there was an experience. There was nothing quite like it. I remember walking through and finding interesting things all over the store, and falling in love with lines that no longer live there, like Stila, Vincent Long, Paul & Joe, Du-Wop and Neil’s Yard.
Oh, and the makeup displays! They were all so neat and clean.
I used to go into the store feeling like it was a magical, special and chic place to find all my beauty treasures, but now between the countless neutral palettes across the influencer brands, the bottles of perfumed shackled to the shelves, the security officers flanking the front doors, and the chaotic state of the samples – which I don’t even want to put on the back of my hand now because they seem so gross and mismanaged – it doesn’t feel like a fun place to shop.
Anyway, maybe I’ll change my mind again in the future, and I’ll probably pop in there every once in a while out of sheer curiosity, but for now, I think I may have outgrown it.
Have you been shopped at Sephora lately? How was your experience?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I used to think Sephora was super posh too, same with Ulta – but all the stores are like that inside now, wrecked like a tornado hit and eyeing every customer like a thief. Sephora has it worse because most of the brands I actually buy from are at Ulta anyway, and online is easier, and even if Ulta doesn’t have it, it’s cheaper to just buy it off whatever the brand’s website is. And it’s less likely to have been tampered with to boot.
Where are teens getting the money to buy luxury skincare? The Ordinary, fine, but Drunk Elephant??
I resonate with the feeling and try to avoid going in person nowadays. Still not used to seeing tweens sampling contour & highlight products. Mail order Sephora is fine.
Not long ago I was also looking in Sephora for a magenta lipstick shade. No such bold lip colors existed at Sephora! I went to MAC and lo and behold I found what I was searching for. I’m glad that store is still around; talk about comforting! There’s something about the brands with longevity. And that’s brand loyalty for you! 🌸
I agree completely Karen! Most of the new brands I have no interest in trying. I have my favorites and I stick to those. I restock wherever I can find the best sale, usually Ulta or the actual brand’s website.
Yes, Sephora has definitely changed. I was in there earlier this week, and there was no more Clinique or Lancome. Sniff, sniff!! It’s Easter break, so the store was filled with teens. I was the oldest one in the store…57 year old me. LOL!! They were sold out of a lot of things. I agree that Sephora is just not the same anymore. The have a plethora of high end cosmetics now, and have gotten ridden of some of the classic brands. I did however just place an online order, because they didn’t have a particular lipstick in the store, so I ordered it online. I still like to go there, but avoid the the store, at the big mall near me. It usually gets really crowded, and loud, and I can’t handle it. In addition to that, sometimes they have loud music blasting as well. It feels like a bar sometimes. Yikes!!
Interestingly, our Sephora isn’t all that bad. I think because we have two universities and a community college in town, the tweens don’t feel that they rule the store. They’re intimidated by the older kids.
Ulta, however, is a different matter; it’s a hot mess from all the ‘little dears’, as is our new Sephora in Kohls. They don’t keep the stock up at that Sephora and I can’t even imagine how much money they’re losing to shoplifting. You can never find anyone in that part of the store.
I stick to ordering online- I have my Sephora product suggestion algorithm perfectly trained.😄
I agree with you Karen. When I go to Sephora, they never seem to have what I’m looking for so I order online (just ordered and that’s when I realized their sale is coming up, lol). Speaking of Clinique, they had at Ulta their new (or reformulated?) lipsticks displayed in the front. I’ve been noticing that brands that were at Sephora are now at Ulta so if something from that brand interests me I get it now at Ulta.
We don’t have Sephora in the UK but we do have Space NK. I was in there today but nothing sparked joy- I was more interested in the Chanel eyeshadow quads in the nearby department store…
You’re right, Sephora seems geared more to teens, or I’m just getting really old. In Chicago I’m glad we have an Art of Pure and Credo Beauty store, they’re my favorites now both in store and online. Not cheap but they have a great selection of natural products and the customer service both places has been top notch for me.
I couldn’t agree more. I just couldn’t put my finger on what exactly I’ve been feeling the last few times I was in there. You nailed it..I’ve out grown it. I would get a rush going in Sephora and talking with the sales people. It felt good to talk to others that loved something as much as I did. Now I barely get a glance. If there is something new in a line that I’m interested in, then I’ll go and check it out but otherwise I’ll stick to Nordstrom and Ulta.
Thanks Karen❤️
The problem for me is that I’m pretty sure the only ones left are in malls, and all of the “close” malls are gone now. It was stunning how one by one the malls in this area closed down (starting several years before the pandemic). The closest one with Sephora has a parking situation I don’t like; they try to force you to use valet parking. The Kohl’s about 6 miles away doesn’t have Sephora in it, though they do have some cosmetics for sale. I have so much to do now that I don’t have time to drive to a distant mall and spend the day there. I miss getting to do that at the close malls we used to have.
Karen, you summed up so clearly how I’ve been feeling lately about Sephora. Sephora feels like it’s filled with different brands that cater to a younger crowd. Something felt off, and you put it into words. As much as I love Sephora. I’m less excited about the upcoming VIB sale (although I’m sure I’ll still manage to find a few items to put in cart! lol). But I find myself curating my beauty purchases from brands that I really like that aren’t at Sephora. I’ve even tried more K-beauty!
Agree with all of the above except I would say Sephora left me. They made marketing decisions that no longer include my needs. Like many other retailers, Sephora appears to have gone for a different customer and closed the door on those who seek and can afford better skincare and makeup. What they have done is push me to buy right from the companies directly instead. Also, there are sites like Beautylish which are more like “original” Sephora – lots of selection at a finer quality level.
Carol – I couldn’t have said this better. I totally agree.
Absolutely, I’m more apt to go to the drugstore, a MAC store, or a department store nowadays. Plus the brands I used to buy from Sephora have better sales if I shop from their own websites (e.g. Inkey list, Ordinary).
I try to avoid in person shopping at a)l costs but I discovered tower 28 through Sephora and though it’s geared towards a younger audience, it has truly been a lifesaver for my sensitive skin.
Yup, they’ve pretty much dropped every skincare brand that works for my older skin or they’ve pushed it to on-line only. That’s another issue since I can’t seem to order from my on-line account and I’ve reset my password and called their hotline for help numerous times. Showed the problem to Dear Husband who works in software development and he says the issue is on their end. When I need to re-up a product I’ve been purchasing it either through the brand website or Nordstrom.
I’m just not interested in another orange/red leaning eye shadow palette. I’ve been cutting back the excess of my makeup collection to what really works for me and it’s not the new stuff. Never been interested in hightlighting, contouring, bronzing, etc.
You know, I’m not even sad about saying good-bye to the disgustingly filthy displays either. You would think they’d have learned a thing or two about hygiene during the epidemic.
…I remember when -about 13 years ago- I visited NYC and was feeling overwhelmed in a lot of sephora stores. And yes Karen I had some items, that I had seen on your blog e.g. a lipstick from becca and a lipstick in crayon from from UD and some oc lip tars….. before a friend of mine got a shopping list so she could bring me some. Also I remember traveling across the border switzerland/France because there was a sephora store. I could get a look with my own eyes at brands like stila. And I liked the shower gel bittles – they were round and see through. I live in Germany and since a few years we have a tiny corner in a bigger store. there is mostly younger girls, right. But since I work nearby I took the opportunity to check out fenty and rare beauty – even with my grays 😉 Last time I wanted to swatch a corrector from huda beauty – no experience with that brand so far but the tester was so gross I really did not want it anywhere on my skin. The salesperson asked if i wanted to have it cleaned but I was really scared. I went to a mac counter and will have the pallette someday.
So I have sweet memories of sephora…
Karen, as you can see from all the comments, we are all in agreement with you. Sephora has lost its status. My local Sephora has become a place where tweens and teens come to play, make a mess, and —unfortunately—shoplift. And, this is during the week. Why aren’t these kids in school?!?! Even at the best of times, the inventory is very low—so low that I don’t even bother shopping for color cosmetics there any more. Skincare is geared towards the oily acne prone, but I’m dry, sensitive, and mature. The brands that are stocked are overwhelmingly here today; gone tomorrow trends. I could go on, but let’s just cut to the chase. Sephora is no longer a place I like to shop.
I haven’t been in a while. The Sephora near where I live is pretty big and has some very nice selections and very clean. There are just a few things I get there now in a blue moon as I feel like the Ulta Rewards system is so much better. It’s easier to rack up points and use them again. Patrick Ta, Rare Beauty, Biossance are 3 brands I like to check out when the need arises at Sephora.
Otherwise, Ulta has been my go-to 90% of the time…
I live in a small, posh town with a small Sephora in downtown. I love this Sephora. It’s clean, well staffed and everyone is very friendly. There is a security guard at the front but he is very friendly and opens doors and greets everyone (I’m in my mid 30s so maybe that’s why he’s friendly, I’m not a teen). The brands they have skew luxury, although they have the popular brands like Rare beauty as well. There are some teens who shop at the store but they are all supervised by parents (who else is going pay for their lip balms and skin tints?) so it’s not chaos inside.
In all fairness maybe they don’t make too much money off this retail location because there’s not as much foot traffic as other locations at big malls, but I really enjoy shopping here. I just wish they carried Bobbi Brown.
I ran into my local Sephora – the same one that I cried with happiness the day it opened- and I felt lost even though I knew which aisle I was heading towards. Several things had my head spinning (definitely first world problems FOR SURE ). First, the displays were in disarray and stocked product was low. Secondly, I was definitely the oldest in the store (59) – not their fault but speaks volumes in terms of products available. Lastly, I was not on any of the SA’s list to ask if I needed assistance. Instead they seemed focused on standing in clumps together around the front of the store to ensure that I did not steal anything. I am, however, enjoying Macy’s and Nordstrom’s beauty departments for the large range of products that they carry for Dior, Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury.
Their customer service is just AWFUL. No one even offers to assist you. They act like you are in their way when you are browsing. I only go in there when i HAVE to (mainly for Juliette Has A Gun perfume which is fantastic). I’d much rather go to Lush where the staff are the complete opposite of Sephora.