Sephora
New Nail Polish from Sephora
What: The new Sephora by OPI Matte collection features bright grape (Domestic Goddess), dark smoky purple (Metro Chic), and black (Where’s a Tire Jack?) nail polish. It’s on sale now at Sephora - they cost less than $10, which is something we always appreciate around here.
If you’ve prettied up your toe/finger nails with Sephora by OPI already, let us know what you think!
British Cosmetics Brand Coming to the US
What: Wildly popular UK cosmetics brand, Illamasqua, will make the big leap across the pond on July 31st - debuting at New York City’s Sephora store in Times Square, then to other Sephora stores this fall. Illamasqua is all about the glamorous/goth look and makes no bones about being great for women and men.
What We Say A lot of exciting stuff has been going on at Sephora lately and this news will certainly give the retailer even more momentum, as Illamasqua’s apparently been in high demand for a while.
Have you ever used Illamasqua products? If so, were you happy with the (reported) dramatic results and the price tag attached to them?
Photo by April Robin
Free Beauty Lessons from Sephora
What: We’re not sure if this just means Sephora saleswomen (sorry, people) are about to get even pushier than ever, but the store’s now offering up free beauty consultations. Without committing to a purchase, you can enjoy a tutorial on how to apply that blush just right, what shade of red lipstick to wear with your skin tone, and which brand of mascara really makes your eyes pop.
What Sephora Says: “Reservations may be required, please call the store for details. Walk-ins are welcome on a space-available basis.”
What We Say: Wait, is this really something new? Don’t all the beauty counters at top department stores offer up complimentary makeovers? We’re guessing Sephora’s making a big deal out of this because they’ve got true beauty experts on hand, but we’ll have to wait and see on this one.
If you’re planning on making a purchase to begin with, this is a great way to learn some makeup application techniques that could save you some big money later on - don’t pay for someone to do your makeup for that wedding you’re in; you already know your stuff, right? However, don’t blame us if you end up walking out of Sephora with a big bag of products you don’t need.
Sephora.com: Site Review
In the world of beauty Sephora is a trusted name, and while some of their offerings are out of our everyday beauty budget range, we find enough quality products that are either minor splurges or a deal on sale to keep us coming back. But more and more, we’d like to do our beauty shopping the same way we do much of our clothes shopping—online. So we decided to forget trekking to the mall and check out Sephora’s website instead.
Our Review: Where to begin? We’re kinda impressed with this site, so here’s the rundown—Sephora offers their own brand beauty products as well as a whole host of other quality brands (think Smashbox, Bare Escentuals, Benefit, etc.), with all kinds of incentives to buy, including free shipping over $50, free samples, free returns, weekly specials, online-only products, and a sale section that’s worth keeping in the regular rotation.
Now we’ll admit that buying make-up online isn’t always easy (as if it’s not hard enough to pick the right color under the fluorescent lights at WalMart, now we have to do it on a computer screen ...) but Sephora also features customer reviews (which are one of our favorite ways to gauge a product’s worth) and a product question and answer so you can get advice before you buy.
Need another reason to shop? If you’re environmentally conscious, Sephora.com has you covered there as well—with a really impressive selection of organic and natural beauty product brands, ranging from slightly pricey to pretty darn affordable (this Bare Escentuals Natural Lipgloss , for example, is $15.)
The Verdict: Yea. Sephora.com lets us satisfy our beauty cravings without leaving the air-conditioned comfort of the office (during our lunch hour, of course).
Glam Glitter
What: Adding standout sparkle to eyes feels fresh and fun this summer.
What the Experts Say: Arts and crafts, anyone? Backstage makeup fixture Charlotte Tilbury channeled the look of ’70s fashion icon Bianca Jagger for the Missoni Spring 2008 runway by sprinkling a load of green glitter on eyes for a disco-worthy cat’s eye look. “I did it in a contemporary way—it’s how girls would live and wear it today if they were out partying,��? she said. Also in on the sparkle trend: makeup guru Pat McGrath, who took smoky eyes to the next level backstage at Anna Sui’s Spring 2008 show by showering lids in blue glitter for a “fun, strong��? edge.
What We Say: Oh, glitter. How we want to love you, but we’ve grown up! We simply can’t bust out glam glitter eyes without look ridiculous, right? Wrong! Dousing eyes in intense sparkle for the occasional night out can be extremely eye-catching—when done correctly. The trick is to lay your foundation first—a cream primer base that will catch the flecks and make them stick, followed by the color eye shadow of your choice—and then layer on the glitter for multifaceted beauty. Hard Candy does all the work for you with its ingenious Bling Bling, which contains a standout glitter hue plus two bases: nude for a pure glitter look and black for a fierce smoky eye. What’s even better, the regularly priced $16 bling beauty is now $8—score! For the slightly more timid, keeping the sparkle strictly on the eyeliner allows you to have fun with the trend without really going disco. Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner offers knockout colors that can be layered for rock-star intensity, or worn discreetly. Still not feeling like a glitter go-getter? Try a black liquid eyeliner and, using an angled brush, layer a tiny bit of glitter over it while it’s still wet. The result is super subtle—just enough to let out your inner glitter girl.
Photos: Allure.com and Style.com
DKNY Delicious Night Lip Gloss: Product Review
What: Robin treats her lips to DKNY Delicious Night Lip Gloss, $16, part of the new DKNY Delicious Night product range.
The Lowdown: Honestly, I never saw a lip gloss that went with a fragrance line. Shower gel, yes. Body lotion, yes. A candle? For sure. But lip gloss? Eager to see what was inside the box, I found a beautiful dark purplish-currant gloss that went on sheer. I was waiting for a blackberry and vanilla fragrance to accost my olfactory senses, but what I got was a real perfume-y smell AND taste. Yuck! This was hardly something I wanted near my taste buds. Couldn’t wait to wipe it off. Couldn’t wait to rinse my mouth out with mouthwash. Couldn’t wait to toss this gloss in the garbage.
Yea or Nay: Nay. That is, unless you like the taste of perfume.
Buy It: @ Sephora.com, if you must.
Sephora FACE Exfoliator & Mask, $12
What: Sabina reviews Sephora’s Exfoliator & Mask for dry skin
The Low Down: This fruity-smelling goo can be used as a mask as well as an exfoliator, according to the label on the tube. However after trying it both ways I didn’t know what to make of the exfoliator/mask’s lack of scrubby, pumicey stuff that lets you know something has in fact been done to your skin—as in dead cells be gone. Supposedly the reason for the lack of granule texture is to make dry skin—which is what this product was intended for—especially smooth without “abrasive” exfoliation. Personally I just think it smacks of a lack of effort on Sephora’s part when creating a dual use item. To the company’s credit, my face did feel refreshed and slightly tingly (in a good way) after using the stuff, but I don’t know that it’s any better than any other scrub or mask that promises to do the same like Freeman’s Facial Masks, but cost much less.
Yea or Nay: Nay. Not sure it’s worth the price
Nicole Miller at JC Penney: The Debate Continues
Man, you guys have raked me over the coals about my distaste for the Nicole Miller line at JC Penneys. I stick to my original statement—that the Nicole Miller line at JC Penney is subpar. For all of you who don’t agree with me, head to your nearest JC Penney or visit the collection online at JCPenney.com. Then head to a local Nicole Miller Boutique or view her Spring/Summer collection online at NicoleMiller.com. In fact, take a moment to view the two lines right now.
Now you see what I’m staying . . .
I’ve shopped at Nicole Miller boutiques. I’ve spent many hours in JC Penneys. I’m all for JC Penney moving up in the retail world because it gives me another place to shop. However, I’m really tired of designers putting their names on clearly inferior products to lure celeb focused—brand obsessed consumers into spending money on subpar products. Is Nicole even involved in the designing of this line? I doubt it. If so, then she has such a low opinion of JC Penney shoppers (thus a low opinion of me) that I will stop shopping for my clients at her boutique.
As for consumers, buying a designers budget friendly line just because of the name isn’t cool either. Not only do you waste money, but it puts you only slightly higher than the people wear fake Louis Vuitton bags on the shopping food chain.
P.S. On the news of Sephora @ JC Penney’s—history shows that designer brands don’t always fare well at Penneys. In the late 1970s, Halston (the disco designer) tried a budget friendly line at the store and it failed miserably. In fact, it failed so bad that Bergdorf (or was it Barney’s?) stopped carrying the higher priced line.
JC Penneys to Open Sephora Stores
JC Penneys will open Sephora stores within their own store starting this fall. Sephora will be the exclusive seller of beauty products at JC Penney. I think this is a good move by JC Penney, maybe they read my entry JC Penney’s Creates Temp Store in Manhattan Putting ‘the City That Nevers Sleeps’ Asleep”. However, I’m not sure if this is such a good move for Sephora.
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