I am a Cosmetic Junkie
and Sephora is my Supplier
Sephora
I never even heard of Sephora a few years ago. I must have been living under a rock. I still have not been inside a Sephora store. But I sure have been inside the Sephora online store!
Like a kid in a virtual candy store, I love browsing around Sephora and finding stuff I just gotta have and stuff I didn't even know was out there. I am at ease shopping at Sephora online because returns are free and shipping is very reasonable or free. And the little perks are so much fun for a skin care and cosmetic junkie like me.
What the Site Sells
Sephora sells a line of their own cosmetics and bath and body products as well as many, many brand name cosmetics, skin care, bath, and body products. The list of brand names is awe inspiring. Some names are very familiar, others — to me — are completely new. Sephora often has exclusive special products from different brands sold only online or at their stores. They also sell gift cards in various denominations.
Navigation
The site is very classy and enticing. If you love cosmetics and skin care as much as I do, you will be totally enticed by the photos on the homepage as well as the many categories you can browse.
Across the top of the page are the main categories: Makeup, Skin Care, Fragrance, Bath & Body, Hair, Tools, Men, Smile, and Gifts.
There are plenty of other links to choose from as well. Want to know what is selling best on the site? Click a link. Want to know what's new and hot? Click a link. How about Sephora exclusives? Link. These are all very neat and clean and don't clutter the page at all.
If you know what you want, you can perform a keyword search. You can also search by brand name.
Clicking on a category to takes you to a mouth-watering page of many different products in subcategories. You can spend days browsing through all the products so I suggest either choosing by brand or by keyword to hone down the choices. I have, on occasion, browsed around aimlessly and ended up with a cart full of goodies I didn't need.
Photos are clear and descriptions are adequate. Some items have an ingredients list and some don't. I think Sephora is trying to add them to as many products as they can because I never saw ingredients listed before and now they pop up often.
When you see something you want, choose the shade/size/scent/whatever and add it to your cart.
Continue until you max out your credit card. Oh, wait, that is probably just me.
You can check your cart at any time by clicking on the shopping cart icon.
If you have an online account which takes a few minutes of filling out a form with your personal info and supplying a password, you can sign in and see your favorites list (which is not easy to get to, a very slight negative in the navigation area) and previous orders.
If not, you will continue along until you are ready to pay for your order.
When you are finished shopping, you will go to the checkout. You always have your choice of three samples from a nice sized list of various products. Pick the three you want and, if you have a coupon or promotional code (Always do a search or Sephora coupon codes because they usually have a freebie or a special going on that you can benefit from.) enter it and move along.
You also will have a choice of a black nylon drawstring satchel or a black fancy box with ribbons for your order. I always get the bags. They are great for storing all kinds of stuff and or gift giving. You can also get a gift card and gift-wrapping if you choose.
Shipping is free for orders over $75.00 and a flat $5.95 for ground shipping.
You will need to fill out your personal details and give your email address before proceeding.
Use your major credit card to pay and ka-ching! You will get an order confirmation number on the screen and in your inbox immediately.
You will get a shipment confirmation email with tracking when the order ships.
Orders arrive boxed with the items inside the satchel or box you chose. There is a return label for any returns you may have. Returns are free. Gotta love that!
My Experience
I have shopped at Sephora for quite a while now and never had a bad experience. I get what I want, always find good coupon codes for great freebies, and rarely have to return anything. When I have had to, I had no problem sending items back. I used the enclosed shipping label and was credited promptly. I never had to pay to return anything. In fact, a couple of times I called Sephora to inquire about a bad shade choice on my part, they sent me the right shade and told me to keep the wrong one and "pass it on to a friend".
I love the favorites list (wish list) but can never find it. I have now realized that the link is at the very bottom of the page and can be accessed after I sign in. I use it liberally, tossing things I want "someday" into my favorites area to be kept until that day. I also add items I love and buy a lot so I can go right to my list and click on the item rather than searching for it.
Prices are fine. They are no higher than other similar stores and the freebies and low to no shipping help to offset higher end product costs. The sheer quantity of items that are being sold on the site overwhelms me. Not in a bad way but in an "If I ever walked into a store, no one would get me out" way.
Sephora is dangerous for real cosmetic and skin care junkies like me because there is never a time when there isn't something I want from the site. When the Sephora urge strikes, I try to find the best coupon code and go straight to the sales or limited quantities area. I also have a number of clearance items in my favorites that I can choose from.
At any rate, I have had dozens of experiences on the site and all have been positive. Either everything was perfect or I was able to return items at no cost to me. Customer Service has been friendly and accommodating and I just have nothing negative to say about this site except that my husband may divorce me if he sees another black satchel bulging with goodies in it. I will miss him. Ha!
Shipping and Returns
Shipping is free for orders over $75.00 and $5.95 for orders under that amount. You can also opt for several types of expedited shipping for a fee.
Sales tax is charged, at least in my state, which kind of stinks since we don't have a physical store nearby.
You can return anything on their dime for a refund within 60 days of purchase. After 60 days, you will receive store credit. They do not do exchanges. You have to return the items and reorder.
For faster credit, you can call customer service and they will issue you a RMA number. They will also help you find the right shade or style and you can order it with no shipping cost by phone in exchange for the item you are returning.
Contact Info
You can contact customer service via an onsite email form or at CustomerService@cs.sephora.com
You can call them at 1-877-SEPHORA or (1-877-737-4672).
Sephora USA, Inc.
First Market Tower
525 Market Street, 11th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105-2708
Conclusion
I love Sephora! I can find all the major and not so major brands I like and they have an enormous selection of products to keep even hardcore shopping junkies like me happy. I like the samples, the cute gift bags, and the free returns.
I have not had any negative experiences with the site and I plan to return and return and return.
If it is beauty related, they probably carry it! 5 stars for the superstore that is Sephora.
Recommended:
Yes
