I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t know if I belong to Sephora anymore.
Last Saturday I went to buy some essentials (mascara, eyeliner, eyebrow pencil). I didn’t want to walk in the rain to Ulta, so I’ve done most of my beauty shopping there for the past few years.
Anyway, I went in, found a few things at Rare Beauty, and then took a few laps around the store looking for something, anything, that would impress me. And that’s when I realized that a lot of what I was used to seeing wasn’t there.
For example, the Clinique makeup display, always a pleasant sight, is gone. I mean, I know Clinique isn’t cutting edge or anything, but I love that no matter my age, I can always find something to satisfy my makeup urges. The products in all colors are very easy to use and do not feel thick. However, there were some skin care products, but they were tucked away in the back.
Then I noticed that in the skincare aisle, the items most prominently displayed seemed to be aimed at tweens and teens. Brands that seemed to be very popular with children on social media were front and center, including Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, Sol de Janeiro, and the Ordinary.
That’s when I realized that I felt somehow out of place.
It’s very different now compared to what it felt like to walk into a store in the late 90s and early 2000s.
I had an experience with Sephora when I was relatively new to shopping in the US. There was nothing quite like it. She remembers walking around the store, finding interesting things here and there, and falling in love with brands that were no longer there, like Stila, Vincent Long, Paul & Joe, Duwop, and Neal’s Yard.
Oh, and the makeup is on display too! They were all very tidy and clean.
I used to walk into a store feeling like it was a magical, special, chic place where I could find all my beauty treasures, but now I’m stuck on a shelf, between countless neutral palettes from influencer brands. There are bottles of bottled perfume, and guards are standing on either side. The front door, and the chaotic state of the samples (which look so shabby and poorly managed that I don’t want to have them on the back of my hand now), doesn’t seem like a fun place to shop.
Anyway, I might change my mind again in the future, or just pop in there from time to time out of pure curiosity, but for now, I think I might have gotten past it.
Have you shopped at Sephora recently? How was it?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
