Sephora or Department Store?
 

Heya girlies!

As a belated Christmas present, my mom is taking me out to get some customized makeup--you know, foundation, concealer, and other makeups that are tailored to my skin tone and coloring.

I'm just debating where I want to go, and waffling between a department store (with the bajillion counters) or Sephora.

What do y'all recommend?

The best make up "make over" I got was at Mac, but I love Sephora, too. I've never found Department stores to be incredibly helpful in directing me towards great products- just what they want me to buy. I only buy from dept. store counters when I know exactly what I need- usually Lancome.

Pick the one the has the brightest light. Everytime I go to a dept. store the light is always very dim so when I go outside the color doesn't even match my face. So then I end up going back inside and returning the stuff for a different color. It's very annoying. At the mall in my city the Sephora seems to be pretty bright though.

What an awesome gift!!! I am a makeup junkie...I have found that the sales people at Sephora are really knowledgeable and helpful, but aren't pushy--unlike sales people are dept stores who may be knowledgable and helpful, but are really pushy. Have fun!!!

I don't buy a lot of make-up. When I do, I go to Sephora. They give great hands-on instructions, there's no sales pressure and it's just a nice place to be.

Another vote for Sephora's. I like that they have a wide variety of products, great prices, nice salespeople and yes it is bright in there. I've never found the ladies at the Macy's etc kinds of make up counters to be helpful in my finding the right product for me. They always want to push the brightest, cakiest and most expensive products on me... um, no thank you.

Go to sephora they are awesome and KNOW what they are talking about.

Do not buy MAC concealor or any face type of powder- it's so thick eventually your skin starts breaking out- I only recommend their eyemakeup- I LOVE their Smokey eye kits :D

I use bare escentuals from Sephora it's AWESOME STUFF!

I'd have to say go with Sephora. Like others, I don't find department store counters very helpful, and even then, if you go to one brand counter, they'll try to pressure you to buy from there and it might not give you the chance to try the other brands. I also don't like MAC much... I dunno, whenever I try something from there I just end up throwing it out! But yeah Sephora staff is always helpful, and it gives you so many options to choose from!

i LOVE Sephora. their salespeople don't work on commission, so they don't try to force you to buy stuff.

SEPHORA!!!!! I could live in that place. The sales people are very helpful and very nice. It's very bright in there..they have an awesome selection of makeup. I'm not allowed in there, cuz my hubby says I spend way too much money on makeup..lol.

I must go to the wrong Sephoras. I never find enough direct light to match colors for foundations or concealers.

Sephora! I love that place! Once you know what you need you can order online and get free shipping on orders over 50$

sephora definitely. always been treated well there.

Well, I walked thru the entire Sephora store, and not ONE employee offered to help or even say hello. So....I wont be back!

I love love love the MAC counter at Macy's. I use the studio fx for my foundation concealer and it's amazing. I have a very dark chin (pcos) and this stuff keeps it hidden for hours!!! All the makeup folks are trained and know their stuff. I have never had one that tried to sell me stuff I didnt want.

I know it's not what you asked for but I have recently fallen in love with Merle Norman. My favorite product is their tinted SPF called Luxiva. That stuff rocks! I have several skincare items too and absolutely love them all.

Sephora
 

I went to Sephora's for a make-up application as basically I know very little about make-up, more of a nature gal mostly.

I have very dark hair and eyes and pale skin. I know enough about colors to know that yellow, orange, gold, brown, pastels and earth tones are def not best for my dark hair/eyes and light skin.

The gal at Sephora's was very patient and sweet, I have nothing against her personally, but .......................... she put PEACH EYESHADOW on me. Did not work.

Went back to the office and asked people what they thought. Attitude was basically ' meh', boring, too conservative and just not me. One person said I was more a punk rock kind of chick and the look she created was just all wrong.

So go figure............

:hug:

I'm all for the MAC counter! I've been using their makeup since I was 13 and absolutely love it. They are great at finding the perfect color for each skin tone and have a lot of options to choose from. I've never had my skin break out from using their products. Their eyeshadow, blush, and eyeliner come in so many gorgeous bright colors and are great quality. It's not the cheapest thing around but relatively affordable. They have a spray called Fix + that keeps my makeup fresh all day too, which is great.

Sephora!
I love MAC, but they are very much a "younger" brand (i.e., bright colors, high intensity pigments, I am 17 and love it, but its not for everyone!) except for their powders/concealers. Those are amazing!

Oh I love Sephora!

I'm a huge fan of Sephora. Everything I need, they have. I love stocking up when they have the big 20% discounts over the holidays or the big generous samples. http://www.imageuploader1.info/image/BF/BF.gif

For me it depends on your skin-tone. I am very very pale and I have NEVER been able to find any make-up light enough in any of the department stores. I actually can never find make-up light enough period. I however, do not have any sephoras anywhere near me and have never been to one so I can't say anything about them. Just my 2 cents

Sephora is amazing, like the poster before me I have a problem finding foundation light enough with the right undertone. I find the staff is more helpful then department stores as well and its easier to get samples.

Another Sephora junkie.

I like MAC as well, but have only found myself repurchasing lip gloss and brushes. LOVE their brushes!

MAC

.... That is all. :]

Ha ha no - but I am a MAC slut.
Seriously, best stuff out there.
I would say your either an NC15 or NW20 - depending on your undertones.

I LOVE MAC!!! They have shades appropriate for all age groups in everything. I do tend to use a lot of their brighter and bolder stuff even though I am almost 40. I also have really sensitive skin and MAC doesn't cause me issues at all.

I love MAC for eye makeup but have broken out horribly from their concealer and their cream blushes.

I never was into foundation and stuff but I'm curious to what color I wear in Mac. Never tried Sephora or Mac before.

Talk about cheap, that would be... me! But if you live by a beauty college, you can volunteer to have a student make you over as a before/after for their portfolio. They usually do a really good job because they get graded and if they don't.....just wash your face and start over, LOL!

Also they are not trying to sell you anything. You can get a wash & blowdry at those places for like $6.

I absolutely love Sephora. It can be a bit more expensive, but I`m comfortable with the make-up (well, I pretty much only buy Smashbox).

I'm a Sephora fan as well! But, at times when I get my hands on MAC foundation, it's one of my faves!

I'm going to have to go with MAC here! My fav make up - have been using it for years and have had no problems. PLUS, their recycling program is a bonus - gotta love free stuff

I would urge you not to discount drugstore brands. I am all for high end makeup... I just got a $190 Sephora shipment the other day... but there are items to splurge on and items to save on. Do you have an Ulta? They carry some high end stuff as well as tons of drugstore brand. They are open samples of everything so you can test out coloring and such. I've found great lower end eyebrow pencils, eyeshadow, eyeliners, and mascara. I however use LORAC foundation, Stila blush, MAC eyeshadow primer, and then I've accumulated lots of MAC eyeshadows. But my daily eyeshadow set is a range of $7 Ulta brand shadows. I get compliments all the time. I think eyeshadow has much more to do with application technique than high end product(granted you don't want clumping, creasing mess but lots of lower priced eye shadows can achieve this)...and what the makeup artist does to you at the counter may not be the way it should be done for you. Experiment yourself. It's the best way.

I love MaC and sephora. I agree that OTC eyeshadows can work. I have found some great color palets for $7 in cvs. Just be sure to use good applications brushes and blend blend blend. Max factor is pretty decent as well.

please for the love of all that is holy in make up do NOT use mac face products. especially studio fix. they settle into the pores more and cause horrible breakouts. plus, a lot of people use the sponge that comes with it instead of a brush and you just keep contaminating yourself! i used to be a mac junkie until i went to makeup school. now, other than eyeshadows i run for the hills. also, the drugstore brand MILANI is manufactured in the same plant that makes MAC. they are the same product!!

Yup - and doesn't Estee Lauder own Loreal? Much the same product for much cheaper.

estee lauder is the parent company for most of them, mac included