Thread: Sephora?

Hi- I'm not much of a make up buff- but my daughter is about to turn 13 and I saw this cool thing from Sephora

and am wondering what the opinion is on Sephora products. Is it a good make up line? If not, what do you recommend for a makeup experimenting young lass? I am more inclined to give her the real deal than tons of potentially icky cheap stuff.

thanks!

Sephora carries many different brands, it's sort of like a department store for beauty products. I have spent more money than I care to admit there! That said, I've only tried one thing from Too Faced and it was an eyeliner. It was nice and soft but smudged a lot...if you have a store anywhere near you I'd recommend going in and checking out the palette (everything is out so you can swatch it on your hand to see what the texture and color is like on you). Also check product reviews at Makeupalley - Street Smart Beauty - Homepage (I know it's getting a good review on sephora.com but for some reason I trust the mua girls more).

I have the adult $48 palette that's like that. It's nice, however I find their eyeshadows and such hard to apply and "work with" in a stage makeup sense. Their mineral makeups however are awesome. I would suggest the bare minerals starter kit for her. Less preservatives and chemicals to affect her teenage face. I couldn't use any regular makeup when I was a teen as it made me breakout and they didn't have much mineral makeup out there yet!

Sephora is a reputable store, and a reputable website. They sell mostly top-end (read: expensive) products and you can, theoretically, find less expensive alternatives in drugstores -- not on the same brands, but on similar products.

You can generally trust their merchandise, including their own store-brand (Sephora brand) stuff. Service is excellent, they even offer free gift packaging and a couple of samples with every order.

So, with the caveat that you're not going to be getting the greatest bargains in the industry, I give them a resounding thumbs-up for service and quality.

Sephora also had their own line of products, which I love and are cheaper than some of the expensive drugstore brands (like L'Oreal).

Loloup,
If you go on the sephora website , and type in sale as a keyword, you will get a few pages of clearance items. They have several listed from Sugar Cosmetics that seem to be packaged for the teen girl in mind. And they are waaay cheap.
If you order from Sephora, they send you a prepaid return label if you wish to return anything, so its pretty risk-free.

thanks gals! very helpful info-

My daughter loves the Benefit make-up line. You can get it at Sephora or order online.

Tarte is my absolute favorite brand at Sephora...I bought an eyeshadow palette 2 years ago, and it barely has a dent in it, despite wearing something from it every day. The colors stay on amazingly (Even for dance), and there's plenty of glitter/fun colors. I just bought their holiday limited edition kit that has lip glosses, eye colors, blushes, etc---so fun!!!

Sephora: Tarte The Vanity Limited Edition Palette ($494 Value): Combination Sets

I <3 Sephora.

They carry the Makeup Forever line which I adore. (It is fashion runway makeup... it stays where you put it and I swear you cannot sweat it off... perfect for performing... but maybe not a 13 year old. Heh)

When recommending products for clients I find out their intentions for the makeup...

For what purposes would your daughter wear the makeup? Everday? General experimenting? Does she need to cover troubled skin or her skin is fine?
Is she a girly girl? Does she play sports? Does she go out to clubs (I started when I was 13)? Act in school plays? What is her usual color palette as far as clothing or preferences? What is her eye, hair, and general skin color?

Since many brands vary in their pigments and textures, this might help determine which brand(s) to choose to build her a kit.

You're a cool mom!

When I was a teen I loooooooved Urban Decay (still do!) They're cool, unique colors and many have glitter in them. If she likes that sort of thing, I'd highly recommend that brand. There's a big palette out now called the Book of Shadows that has a nice mix of neutral and fun colors; actually any of their palettes are great. If you apply the more bold colors dry, they're nice for a wash but if you use a wet brush the colors will really pop! I liked to use bold shadows as eyeliner since it was a subtle way to wear louder colors.

I absolutely adore Sephora - more as a concept than as a brand of makeup, mostly because I don't buy a lot of makeup nor do I use it outside of dance.

But I love that you can go in and try everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! They have makeup remover and cotton pads and mascara applicators all over the store that you can use to try all the samples. I tend to leave my hubby in the mall and just go frolic in Sephora.

It really does depend on what your daughter will use the makeup for. Two-Faced's eyeshadow colours aren't the most highly-pigmented (I've found NARS to be more vibrant), so if she's looking for a really striking look, this might be a little sudued.

A great site for discounted makeup ( Stila, Too Faced, etc)
beautycrunch

cosmetic house like shu ueruma and chanel in hong kong offers one on one make up lesson from about 70USD for about an hour.and after the lesson you can get products for the amount you paid for lesson. maybe there is similar service in the states?