Sephora is my motherland. Seriously. I've been a VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) at Sephora for five years, and it doesn't look like I'll be stopping any time soon. Sephora has a rewards system with three tiers: first level is Beauty Insider, which everyone starts out as if they sign up for the system; second level is Very Important Beauty Insider (VIB) which Beauty Insiders can reach once they've hit 300 points; and the third level is VIB Rouge, which VIBs can reach once they've hit 1000 points. Each dollar spent (not including tax) gives you a point, so to reach VIB, you have to spend $300 in a calendar year, and for VIB Rouge, you have to spend $1000 in a calender year. This rewards system was implemented a few years ago, and before that there were only two tiers, Beauty Insider and VIB, with the cap to reach VIB set at 500 points. If it hasn't become clear already, I've spent way too much money at Sephora and I now have a collection of makeup that would rival some of the top beauty gurus you see on Youtube. Real talk -- if I was on Yelp a few years ago, my check-ins would be entirely beauty related, and if I was as crazy about makeup now as I was a few years ago, there's no doubt in my mind that I'd be at VIB Rouge status. I still LOVE makeup, and I do still spend quite a lot on makeup, but my days of waiting up until the wee hours to order a hot new item before it sells out or shelling out some serious $$$ on a single trip to a beauty store have significantly reduced since I've broadened my interests to food, fashion, and music concerts and festivals. Sephora is special to me because I've grown up with it, and in turn I've watched it grow into the billion-dollar chain industry that it is today. There isn't a single woman who doesn't know what Sephora is and hasn't at some point in her life ventured in and bought one of the high-end products that Sephora has, because when it comes to the best of the best of makeup, Sephora is the place to shop. Simply put, no other beauty store can rival it. I buy most of my makeup from Sephora, because all of my favorite brands are housed right here: Urban Decay, Nars, Make Up For Ever, Benefit Cosmetics, Tarte, YSL, Smashbox, Marc Jacobs, etc. The only makeup brands that I like that aren't in Sephora are MAC makeup, Inglot Cosmetics, and Lorac, although Sephora used to carry Lorac (Lorac is now an Ulta exclusive brand). I also shop at Sephora for all my skin, nail, and hair care needs -- I use Clinique for my skin care, I own pretty much all of the Glamglow face masks, and I have various Bumble & Bumble and Living Proof products for my hair. The only thing that could rival my makeup collection is my nail polish collection, which last time I counted, was almost at a 100 (yikes!), and I would say that about a quarter of my polishes have come from Sephora. The employees are always very helpful at recommending new items or helping me find a specific item I'm looking for so I don't get lost in all the makeup. There are tons of high-end perfumes and the best hair styling tools like GHD, and even specialty items like teeth whitening systems and laser hair removal systems. This review encompasses my feelings towards all Sephora locations I've tried (and believe me, there are a lot!), and this temporary location is no exception. read more
