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Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

The year was 1998. The place: San Francisco. I had just graduated from high school and was doing some shopping during a visit to the city before heading off to college. That's when I saw it: (cue heavens parting) My very first Sephora. It was magical, and my life would never be the same (quite literally, since I now work here :)).

 

For today's beauty challenge, let's reminisce. Do you remember your first Sephora visit? Where was it? How old were you? What did you buy? (Did you pass out from excitement?) Show & Tell!

 

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Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

It was in Portland, at the same store I still go to. I was 11 or 12, and my mom must have spent $150 on my first makeup ever. I had so much fun and didn't realize how valuable the makeup actually was until I was about 15 or 16 and really got into it. I remember getting this brown little smashbox box thing, and it had a little drawer with blush and a flip top with eyeshadows. I still have it I think, and the blush is gone because it was SO perfect on me.

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I don't remember my first visit to an actual store but I think my very first purchase was the urban decay eyeshadow in blunt-- that is still one of my favorites today! 

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

In HS when I was around 14/15. I fell absolutely in love. I didn't make my first purchase until a couple years later. Kat Von D's brush set plus her palettes in Ludwig and Beethoven (still one of my favorites, sadly I only have 4 shades left).

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

My first sephora visit I was at a mall with my best friend a couple hours from home. We had went to a concert the night before and planned a shopping day for the day after before going home. She told me we HAD to go to sephora.. and I was like what is sephora?!

I was so overwhelmed with my first experience that I only bought an eyeshadow from the sephora collection. I used it SO much and I ran out, so I repurchased it. I still have it now. It's number 52 Hawaiian Beach. I don't reach for it much anymore since my collection has grown so much, but stepping into sephora definitely made me a makeup junkie. I barely used makeup before sephora. I just had a little tiny makeup bag with foundation that for sure did not suit my skin type from the drugstore, probably almay, a powder that looked cakey on top of the foundation, and an eyeshadow palette that I didn't know how to use, and a mascara tube.

I seriously didn't know anything about makeup before sephora.. thank god I discovered it in high school!! 😛

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

@kalex - If order history went back longer than two years I'd be soooo traumatized. Do I need to know quite how much of my paycheck I've give back? lol 🙂

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

@Kalex, I remember those boxes! I think I still have one or two, they were so sturdy!

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

Darn.  Order history only goes back 2 years. 

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I don't remember my first in-store visit other than that it was just a few years ago when we got our first Sephora inside JCP. 

I do remember my first online order though!  It would've been about 8 years ago I think.  That was back when free shipping was on $75 and the black and white striped gift box came free with every order.  I ordered a NARS Orgasm gift set with the blush and gloss and I can't recall what else. Now that's going to bug me.  I'm going to check my order history to see if it goes back that far. 

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I must have been in the earlier part of high school, my friend worked for Sephora and raved about it the place because he knew I loved art and said how it was like an art haven, but for the face! My first time there I can't really recall, but I did walk out with Urban Decay's eye shadow in Vert (sadly discontinued now, but I stocked up before it went bye bye) and Stila's Major Lash mascara (the original was about $10 and it was my first "high end" mascara).

 

From there I branched into Bourjois' products and Laura Mercier lipsticks, Sparkling Pink (formly Pink Champagne) is still my staple color to this day!

Anonymous Insider

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I am ashamed to admit that I don't really remember my first Sephora visit :(. I do remember my first purchase though! A Too Faced palette and a rosebud salve using a gift card that I got when I was around 14 or 15 :).

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

Great stories ladies! 

@celery96 - your first Sephora visit was 3 days ago?? Aww...I love newbies! *sniff* 🙂

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I Remember it like it was yesterday I was 17 & well actually my first Sephora visit was two days ago, On 6/15/13 My sister got me a $50 gift card for my birthday so I went online to Sephora and went crazy reading Kat Von D Lock it Tattoo foundation reviews even searched up YouTube videos 😛 finally I convince my mom to take me to the mall and this very nice young lady helped me find my perfect shade and I got Microsmooth Foundation Face Powder and when they are combined together it's magical and they gave me this cute little mascara and creme bronzer for free as a birthday gift both sample size but will definitely last and all great products!

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

i haven't been to any Sephora store since i live here in the Philippines. but i am checking the sephora website daily. one of my ultimate dream is to go to the US and stay all day in a Sephora store. i'd literally swatch everything if given the chance.

Anonymous Insider

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

 

My first trip to Sephora was about 15 years ago when I was....15 years younger. 🙂

 

I was on a "Sister's Weekend" in Chicago and we were walking past the store on Michigan Avenue. I had been reading in Oprah magazine about the Shu Uemura eyelash curler and thought it looked like the perfect place to buy one (and i did!). After that, we have worked in a visit to Sephora on every semi-yearly trip to this day. Memphis, Louisville, Kansas City, St. Louis and Cleveland! I also got lucky and one was opened at a Mall a mile or so from my house!

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I was 13, I was actually on a school trip in Portugal. I had never heard of Sephora but some other girls wanted to go into the store, I ended up getting a Sephora Collection shimmery peach eye shadow. A couple months later a Sephora opened nearby me, and I've been obsessed since!

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I remember very clearly! I was about 14/15 and I went in to buy the UDPP. Which I loved then. Now not so much. But I do remember being so happy with my first purchase at Sephora! And that was when the makeup addiction began 🙂

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I was only 18 a high school senior when I first walked into a Sephora store with my bestie... We were both like kids in a candy store we spent over an hour checking everything and playing with all the makeup....My first purchase was the Aqualino Pink Sugar Deodorant. ..omg that is still to date my fav deodorant too bad Sephora stopped carrying it... but since that day Ive been a Sephora girl 🙂

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

My first Sephora experience was about three years ago when it opened in a local mall.  I had never heard of Sephora before that.  In fact, one of my co-workers told me about it; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have even gone in.  I wore make-up, but wasn't really into it.  Now that I know about Sephora, I really enjoy make-up a lot more.  I don't remember what I bought; and no, I'm not sharing my age!

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

I can't remember when it was- but it was early high school for me (96-98).  My mother and I went in and she was immediately turned off by the prices (what can I say, she buys CoverGirl. With a coupon. Yes, I buy her Chanel. 😄 ), but I was completely overwhelmed.  If I remember correctly, the store was silver and black- not white and black! That store no longer is there *sniff*.

Re: Weekly Beauty Challenge: Your First Sephora Visit

Oh my goodness!! Loving this!! I was 16!!! I had never heard of Sephora and as soon as i saw the sign up in my local JCP i was just like what is that and my sister told me it was a makeup store i was intrigued!! So on the grand opening i skipped school that morning! Lol, with my moms permission cause i just had to check out the grand opening!!! I got a little sample bag and was so excited!! I think i purchased an eyeliner!! I don't remember if it was Kat Von D or Urban Decay! But i was just completely blown away because i had just gotten into makeup. And ever since then the only place i ever buy skincare or makeup from is Sephora!! I was a huge awesome experience for me!!

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