If you've never ventured into a Sephora or shopped their products online — or, you're
a VIB looking for some hot tips — we've got you covered.
And you don't need to be a beauty vlogger to totally score at this makeup mecca.
This is everything you need to know before you shop at Sephora.
Sephora.com launched in the U.S. in 1999, giving both consumers and beauty industry
insiders a platform to communicate and share information.
Today, Sephora's site — and now its app — has grown into something much more, and
is nearly the digital equivalent of a standalone store.
Sephora Executive VP and Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Julie Bornstein, said the
company's current website is constantly evolving to provide its customers with the best possible
experience.
She told Harvard Business Review,
"Sephora has moved to make digital as important as the physical product in our stores.
There will always be a new Pinterest, a new Instagram, a new desire from your customers
to connect.
[…] We're constantly evaluating new technologies and platforms."
Possibly the worst thing about buying a brand new concealer or foundation is realizing once
it's on your face that it's the completely wrong color.
Regardless of even the most generous return policy, the hassle of having to go back and
swap it out for something else can be incredibly frustrating.
According to Bridget Dolan, Sephora's VP of Interactive Media, the average woman typically
goes through seven shades of foundation before she lands on the right color.
It's a big reason why the company created its Color IQ system to find your exact shade.
"Our IQ works for any skin tone, whether you have pink undertones, yellow undertones, no
matter how deep or light."
Dolan told Forbes,
"Sephora figured out early on that if we were to get the basics right, we should ask the
questions as if we were standing in the store.
[…] That's where we're heading: 'How do we help guide and navigate you to the right
products that are the most relevant for you?'"
"Here is to Color IQ and you."
If virtual foundation matching isn't your thing, you'll be happy to know that Sephora
staff are more than capable of handling any questions you may have.
Senior Artist and Class Facilitator Kim Carpluk told Mental Floss,
"Sephora is amazing about education.
I've grown so much as an artist in just three years with the company."
"Coming to Sephora, it's people of all different backgrounds, of all different genders, of
all different sexualities, and it's just so empowering to work for such a diverse group
of people."
Ariel Sullivan, who worked with the company for two years, told Thirty On Tap how employees
are required to go through some pretty extensive ongoing training, which starts with Sephora
University.
She said,
"There are hundreds of brand videos, stories, how-to's, and guides on SU.
You also go through separate trainings in Color or Skin, depending on the area in which
you want to specialize."
Rest assured that not only do the people at Sephora know what they're talking about, they
also won't hesitate to give you their honest opinion about a product.
That's because on top of their extensive training, no one in the store works off commission.
"Sephora challenges us to be the best makeup artists that we can possibly be."
Carpluk says that a big reason a lot of people choose to work for the company is because
they won't be forced to hock particular products to customers.
She told Mental Floss,
"We just really care.
We're there to support each other and make our clients feel beautiful and happy, and
suggest what's right for them based on their particular concerns."
"We're the only global prestige beauty retailer who really understands innovation for our
clients."
But just because they don't work off commission doesn't mean there aren't incentives for high-selling
employees.
Those who meet hourly sales goals are often treated to free beauty products by their managers,
per the outlet.
And rewards are also given out to those who are rated well in customer experience surveys.
Sephora's digital experience is about more than virtual foundation matching and product
recommendations.
And it's all about the Beauty Insider life.
It's a community that's run similarly to Reddit, and some boards will have a certain familiarity
to them if you've ever spent time on the Makeup Addiction subreddit.
"For Sephora in particular, social media is kind of the natural coming to life of a community
that has always been very passionate about beauty."
While the Beauty Insider Community is a great resource for answers to questions regarding
pretty much anything Sephora-related, it's also become a place for members to share their
own Sephora product looks, participate in company-sponsored sweepstakes, or to reach
out to others for specific tips and tricks.
If a Sephora purchase doesn't live up to your expectations, the company will accept it as
a return.
The most important thing to remember, though, is to hold on to the receipt.
Sephora has a pretty easygoing return policy — which does, in fact, include used or opened
items — but employees are going to be less inclined to take something back if there isn't
proof of purchase.
As Redditor Lucky1289 pointed out, Sephora will issue a return for the price difference
on a purchased item that's since gone on sale, as long as it was bought within two weeks.
Sephora does, however, keep track of those product returns.
According to the website, if you're flagged for abuse of the policy, it will limit your
ability to make returns or exchanges in the future.
So what happens to all those returned items?
Don't worry.
They're not repurposed as in-store samples.
Instead, all of those opened mascaras, concealers, and lip glosses get sent back to their respective
manufacturers.
Former Sephora employee and Community user dianabt said,
"When I worked in a Sephora store we would always set aside all returns in a separate
bin that would later be sorted, damaged out, and returned to the brands.
Rest assured no used, damaged or open items are returned to the sales floor!"
The experience inside a Sephora store isn't meant to end at makeup recommendations and
purchases.
Many locations offer in-store services and classes that you can sign up for, which range
anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.
The class selection, made up mostly of quick tutorials and a few longer how-tos, covers
pretty much anything, from how to achieve the perfect winged liner to how to rebuild
brows and lashes after cancer treatment.
"The fight is on, and I'm here to fight."
The best part about a lot of the services that Sephora offers is that they're available
at little to no cost.
The Makeup Mini services are all free, and are limited to one per customer, per day.
Even the more extensive services, like the Skincare Deluxe: Revitalizing Facial, are
complementary with a $75 purchase.
"Don't touch your face…your hands are dirty.
I was like I wanna feel the smoothness."
Sephora prides itself on its continuously growing product availability, and the company
wants their customers to take part in that.
So, naturally, the best way to gain new holy grail fans — especially when it comes to
some pretty pricey beauty brands — is to allow customers to try them out for free.
Sephora is more than willing to give away samples of its products — and all you have
to do is ask!
According to Beauty Insider Community member oliviabt, there are three ways to get free
samples when you're checking out online.
The first is to simply choose three freebies from a list of 12.
Beauty Insiders can also use at least 100 of their points toward the addition of one
deluxe sample, and if you're spending over $25, Sephora's "beauty offers" page has a
list of promo codes for even more free stuff to score.
In store, all you have to do is ask an employee, and, according to Insider, they'll be happy
to give you up to three samples, with the exception of mascara and eyeliner.
"Boo…it's one of my new favorite products."
Every week, Sephora puts together a list of discounted items and beauty offers.
While the discount products — which can be around 50% off high end brands — can
be found both on the app and in-store, the best deals are going to be found online.
Sephora's beauty offers page is a virtual treasure trove of add-ons, from free-with-purchase
trial size foundations to clutches and face masks.
The company also has two big sales per year, during the Spring and the Fall.
According to the Beauty Insider Community, Rouge and VIB members can get an extra 15%
off their purchases during the Spring sale, and an extra 20% off during the Fall.
For regular Beauty Insiders, it's 10% for Spring and 15% in the Fall.
Sephora has gotten in on the beauty box trend and put together its own version called Play!
by Sephora, which is comprised of trial-sized samples that can be found in its stores and
online.
So if you happen to find something you totally love, it's easy to upgrade to the full size.
The box can be completely tailored as well, just by answering a few questions about your
beauty preferences once you've signed up.
"No joke, these are things we use every day…that's why we put them all together in a box for
you to enjoy."
As far as cost goes, Play! lands on the lower end of the subscription box spectrum with
a $10 per month price tag.
And it isn't limited to just beauty samples, either.
In addition to skincare, makeup, and hair products, Play! subscribers also get extra
Beauty Insider points, tutorials, and how-to's for their new samples.
The best way to take advantage of Sephora's deals is by signing up to be a Beauty Insider.
It's completely free and essentially works on a points system.
The more you spend, the more points you earn, which can be used for anything in the company's
Rewards Bazaar.
Individual sample sizes start at 100 points, but if you're disciplined enough to save them,
you can eventually score something pretty spectacular, like a Benefit Cosmetics Beauty
Party for you and eight of your closest friends.
But beyond being just a rewards system, Sephora's Beauty Insider program allows for a completely
customizable shopping experience.
Dolan told Forbes it's about learning who Sephora's customer is and then making recommendations
tailored specifically for them.
"I am Sephora.
I am Sephora.
Dolan says,
"If [our customer] tells us that she has dry skin then the product that she's going to
receive in an email will have that attribute.
It's not like we just want to know things about our customer and there's nothing in
it for her.
[…] Providing some information will actually help you as a client to get to that product
faster."
There's nothing worse than walking into a store with a particular product in mind, only
to find that it's out of stock.
While Sephora's website is updated on a daily basis, its brick and mortar locations are
not.
So there's a chance that your local Sephora might be out of what you want.
According to Community member dianabt, new items arrive in stores on Fridays, which means
that if there's a specific item you're dying to get your hands on, the best time to snap
it up, is over the weekend.
In a 2018 interview with Forbes, Sephora Senior VP of Marketing and Brand, Deborah Yeh, discussed
the company's tagline change to, quote, "Let's beauty together," saying,
"Beauty is diverse and has many voices and faces.
We believe it's for our clients to define and for us to celebrate."
"I wish the world would recognize beauty that doesn't fit into binary ideals."
Sephora's dedication to reaching out to all kinds of beauty fans can be seen across their
social channels, each of which Yeh says aims to quote, "[serve] a different communal purpose."
Yet, while the company seemed to be celebrating diversity, a racial incident in early 2019
involving R&B star SZA had Sephora re-examining its in-store approach to inclusivity.
In June 2019, Sephora closed the doors to all of its retail locations for an hour for
a staff "inclusivity workshop."
The company has said the training didn't come about as a result of the SZA incident, but
did admit that it quote, "does reinforce why belonging is now more important than ever."
"Makeup is transformative.
And in transforming, it grants you the permission to do what you wanna do."
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