February 4, 2010

Beauty Confessions: I Go To Sephora And Just Hang Out

Beauty confession time….

I was thinking about my many a trip and adventure through Sephora this morning. I noticed that every single time I hit up the mall or I walk past Time Square or 34th, I can’t pass a Sephora without walking in for a little lookiee. I wonder if this means I need some sort of intervention or worst therapy?

Picture the Muse laying on some shrink’s couch telling them, “Well it’s like this Doc, I can’t seem to pass by a Sephora without walking inside, it’s a compulsion of mine!”

Worst yet…I think I’m one of those people that hangs out at Sephora! GASP!

Jump!

Yesterday was a super long day at my office and completely stressful! I passed by Sephora on my way home and of course, as always, I had to compulsively go inside to have a peek.

Much to my horror I realized I was being all creepy and just hanging out at Sephora. Swatching, looking, playing..but NOT buying! Gasp! Nothing really tickled me and I think the MA’s got the disturbing vibe from me as they started following me around like I was going to snatch a used lipstick at any moment and make a mad run for it.

The funny thing is I didn’t even mind them following me around and I was just in my own little world, de-stressing. I casually glanced down at my watch and realized I spent near 90 minutes walking around Sephora.

OMG!

Does this mean I hang out at Sephora?!

How many times had I done this in the past….

Total Beauty Confession but it’s happened more times than I like to admit.

Eep!

Go on, confess, how long have you hung out at your local Sephora without really buying anything…?

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • jackieg02

    Yep, I can totally picture this topic being on the next episode of Intervention on A&E. I also can’t leave the mall with out stopping in at Sephora. I can walk around and around the displays and look at everything in the store and I am totally content without buying anything. Just being in the store is good enough for me. =) I am also like this in Lush stores.

    • the Muse

      LOL Jackie me too! I spent near 90 minutes just looking and not buying a single thing…after I left I felt so much better! It was like having a massage LOL!!

  • jonnie

    Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it) for me, I don’t have a Sephora nearby… I do spend a lot of time browsing the website though.

      • jonnie

        So I was getting coffee this morning and the lady in line behind me was carrying a little Sephora shopping bag… I got all excited and asked her if there was one in the area now. Sadly no, she just carries the bag to hold stuff in. But she agreed that it would be all kinds of awesome to have one in the SW Michigan area!

  • kelly

    I do it all of the time. The embarrassing part is that they all recognize me and chat. I really just want to go in and check out the new sparkly stuff without having to talk about it. In Baltimore, we only have 1 Sephora (there is one is a town about 25 miles away also), so it’s not like I can switch up which store to visit. My husband refuses to go to the mall with me because he knows we will end up in Sephora for no less than 45 minutes each time we walk by.

    • the Muse

      hey kelly lol same here. I HATE when they recognize me. I feel really diseased when that happens. Worst yet…I got to several different stores and EVERYONE in EVERY STORE recongizes me LOL!

      haha your poor hub!

  • Winnie

    eek – i think we have the same problem?! everytime i pass by a sephora i tell myself i don’t NEED anything but once i pass the door handles i find myself reaching to open the door. tell myself – “OH let’s just see what’s new” we might have to go the same Doc …..

      • Winnie

        follow up – I WENT INTO SEPHORA TODAY DURING MY LUNCH BREAK … spotted $5 OPI nail polishes by the counter and seriously muttered to myself over and over again to WALK AWAY ….

  • Michelle (Lipstick Rules)

    Love this post. I can totally relate. People recognize me too at various makeup aisles. It’s funny yet sometimes a little embarassing when I’m with other people. An intervention is clearly needed on my end too.

    • the Muse

      michelle isn’t it weird when people recognize you? I totally feel strange when I get that smile that says “I know you, you were here last night and the night before!” Sometimes I also feel people staring at me and I’m horrified to think maybe just maybe they know me from the Internetz! LOL

  • sonia

    Wow…I love to stop in beauty stores like sephora and look everything, try the stuffs without worry about time…its an awsome therapy…I think we can get great ideas…and sometimes I break my concentration with other people passing around me with “that” make that I already tried! Its funny too that sometimes we know so much more then the people that works there….I think I’m crazy…but I like these stuffs…rsrsrs…

    Btw…I’d love to find you at sephora!!!lol….lots to talk…lol….LOV MUSE!!

    • the Muse

      LOL Sonia I agree. It’s a great place to get ideas and just meditate a bit 😀 LOL!!!!!!! I’d totally chat you up at Sephora Sonia 😀 We can have them set up a table so we can have coffee amidst the makeup! hehe!

  • aretha

    haha hun you are the cutest! if i had sephora here i would have done the same. once on a trip to paris with my boyfriend i spent more than an hour at sephora! i loved it though! just swatching and looking around. i agree i hated the MAs that followed me around! :p

    • the Muse

      LOL aretha 😀 glad I’m not alone in my hour long expeditions at Sephora 😀 I hate MA’s following me about 🙁 but I try to ignore them 😛

  • suz

    sephora-holic!!! tsk tsk tsk. I am the total opposite….I am addicted to online shops even though I hate window shopping but I do it online :/…and once my paycheck is in my hand then I get to shopping. It’s really a terrible habit and I think majority if not all woman have this habit…it’s bad for our wallets…but we just want to look pretty, feel pretty, be pretty…and find cosmetics, products…and other goodies…to help us with. But who says I need a doc…:D

    • the Muse

      haha suz!

      I admit I do lots of my shopping online too! absolutely! Not only fee pretty/look pretty but also OWN lots of pretty things LOL!

  • Nia

    Oh good, sounds like I am normal 😀

    I do not have a Sephora, but for a while I did this hanging out at MAC and just was browsing around, chatting with the MAs.
    My theory is that a total change of scenery helps you de-stress

    Dunno, but it really is calming, especially the not buying part 😉

    • the Muse

      LOL Nia 😀 Oh thankfully I don’t do that at MAC the MA’s scare me too much to attempt it LOL! 😀

      it really is. it’s kinda like meditation! LOL or medication maybe LOL!

  • Hailee

    Psh I don’t even deny it! I know if I’m going to a mall I’ll be gong to a sephora haha! And I can’t help but spend 90 mjns before I buy something, there’s so many choices and so many things to look at thanks to the muse!

    • the Muse

      LOL Hailee I’m sometimes in denial 😀

      hehe awww shucks thanks 😀 I feel so honored I cause your woes 😀 ha!

  • K

    Hahaha! Hilarious!! But I must admit, I do the same thing!! I swatch around and play and later on realize that quite “some” time have passed and I haven’t really decided if I wanted to get anything. This happens when I just wanna see if there’s something new. And funny part is, people start to recognize you! Hahaha. Like at my local nordies, counter managers already know me by name and even have my number on their list and call me whenever they have something new..They know my addic…eek…passion 😛 hahah But sometimes it feels weird though when I go to the stores and start saying hi almost to everyone. LOL

    • the Muse

      LOL K metoo 😀 SAME here for Nordie’s so scary 😀 I used to have a girl, Susan, who called me from Saks whenever the new Givenchy stuff was out LOL! I feel the same way…it’s both weird and nice!!!!!!!

  • Kate

    I would totally do that if I lived near a Sephora. It probably isn’t as creepy logging into their website just to look at all the new products available. I also wander around bookstores, looking at books and journals, and wondering if I should buy anything. Most of the time I buy something, whether I need it or not. (I can always justify buying a new lipstick/lipgloss or hand lotion.)

    Don’t the MAs at the Sephora you stopped by recognize you? I’m assume you do wander into Sephora on your way home and buy gobs of things every once in awhile.

    • the Muse

      OMG kate me and you both! I have a kindle but I still love the smell of books so I always go to the book store to unwind, have a cup of tea, and just read (on my kindle LOL they must hate me!)! MA’s dont always recognize me as I do alot of online ordering not so much in store 😀 Counter girls def know me as I spend a heap at counters but Sephora I end up buying online most of the time dunno why?!

  • Ceriene

    Oh god, I think I do this too, but not for as long as 90 minutes! xD You beat me there, muse. I go there with my friends sometimes, and we walk around, talk and swatch things. It’s a great destresser!

    And… I don’t mind when the MAs follow me about. But when they rearrange everything I’ve just touched, it’s very irritating. Though I can’t help but wonder how many people actually walk in there to snag a tester?!

    • the Muse

      LOL Ceriene bet you did 90 mins and never realized it! LOL! I go with my best friend Jai and we can stay for hours swatching, talking, etc…he’s probably one of my only friends that is as into makeup as I am 🙂

      God…ya…I feel like I have a disease that they have to wipe stuff down and rearrange it and stuff after I touched it. GRRR!

  • kerstin

    I would love to just hang out at Sephora (closest one 1000 km away in another country) after ar stressfull day at work! It sounds perfectly sane to me =) It’s like some kind of meditiation, or like going to ones church or temple =)

  • Marcy

    We don’t have sephora in NZ, but I compulsively look at the cosmetics department of department stores / pharmacies, I cannot pass one without going in. So every time we walk past one, the SO has to tug my arm a few stores ahead to make sure I don’t go in. But I browse online often enough which he can’t stop me lol.

    • the Muse

      omg me too marcy same here. If can’t go into a department store without stopping into the beauty section 😀 LOL you can stick your tongue out and say nanner, nanner!

  • Norlyn

    Some therapist is going to stumble onto this post and get dollar signs in their eyes!! I’m horrible – I have to AVOID going to the mall because if I go, I HAVE to go to sephora. And unlike some of you, I can’t just browse. I always find something that I absolutely positively am convinced I need. Plus the time I spend on their website… I try not to think about it. I switch up which Sephoras I go to, because I don’t want to be harassed by the salesgirls. I only want their brushes so I can play.

  • Marianne

    The MAs at Sephora give me the used car salesman vibe. I know that they are supposed to greet you and “help” you find things, but they just creep me out and I usually just bolt out the door without buying anything. I want to shop when the store is empty that way I can really look at a product, but their hovering bothers me so much that I try to go when it is obnoxiously busy so they leave me alone. How do you lovelies navigate the store?

  • Kirstie

    Yes, I do it, too… it does not matter how in a rush I am there is always time for Sephora!!! Even when I am with my husband, I point to the benches and make him wait a few minutes while I check out the products. I noticed that there are ALWAYS benches outside of Sephora’s so I must not be the only wife who makes her poor husband wait! I also always try out a new scent while I am there! =)

  • Liz

    Me TOOOO!!!!! I does this ALL the times…….. Sephora, Ulta, Bluemercury….you mane it. I can stay there all day… what a creeper am I

  • Reza in StL

    Is that a bad thing? I totally hang out at my Sephora and have made some friends there. One of the benefits to our friendship/acquantance-ship is that I know they will always be honest with me and never tell me anything looks good on me that actually makes me look ridiculous. They always share brand-new product info with me, or industry gossip even, and they make me feel important even though I don’t technically spend much in their store. It’s been great, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Good for you, Muse! Hang out at Sephora, and make some friends while you’re at it.

  • Emily

    I do the same thing! I call it getting my fix, even if I don’t buy anything I just soak it all in, touch , feel, smell.

  • Marilyn

    Of course you don’t have a problem – the poor little SA’s at Sephora who were following you do!

    Don’t they know that you could have gone to the nearest bar? Become a jewel thief? *gasp* Gone….wait for it…SHOE browsing?

    No – you are doing the healthiest thing in the world for a makeup addict – you are facing your demons, confronting them, and even letting them comfort you a little, while still knowing that you DIDN’T HAVE TO BUY to get your fix!

    Feel better?

    And yes, I too LOVE browsing at any Sephora (Stanford) I happen to be around – or happen to drive miles to get to, even if I don’t intend to buy. It makes me happy, it makes me comfortable, and it stops me from doing even worse things…what they might be, I don’t know, but I’m sure they are out there!

    Happy shopping!

  • Kathy

    I totally do this too! I even waste way too much time browsing the website. Everytime I go to the Sephora store and I buy something the sales clerks are always shocked on how many points I have saved! It is like they can’t believe I have spent so much or that I haven’t redeemed my points yet. I am just waiting for the free gift I can’t live without. lol

  • Gia

    Don’t worry i’m like this at the Victoria’s Secret stores close to where I live! The sales people know me by heart! In fact the one time the saleswomen dragged me into the store to see if I knew one of the models name, I did.

    But I do wander around my Sephora’s and MAC stores without buying anything! In my defense it is NOT my fault. *Isn’t that what addicts say?* It’s my work and schools fault. Both are close to two different malls so after a stressful day I go wonder around and relax while drinking some starbucks. it’s detoxing!

  • Liz

    OMG….so I’m not alone in this world. I totally do that all the time. I also hate when the MA recognize me and follow me around like every steps… It’s surprising that I can spent 2 hours in the beauty department/store without loosing my concentration, I only last about 15 minutes in class LOL…. love muse… you’re the cutest..

    • the Muse

      god liz hate when they follow me 🙁 LOL I’m the same! Totally break concentration during work but can concentrate for hours on makeup!

      hehe aw thanks *hugs*

  • Hana

    I would totally do that if we had a Sephora nearby. All my friends dread when we go to San Jose because they have to spend at least an hour in Valley Fair while I go to Sephora and wander around. I also browse the website for hours on end. And since I’m rather broke most of the time I don’t even buy from Sephora very often! I’m actually about to make an order for a few gift sets and things I’ve been wanting and I’m super excited. <3 Gonna try the Korres lip glosses finally!

  • kurisu

    Haha sometimes I do this as well, when I see a Sephora at the mall! The downside is that I’m practically ALWAYS with my boyfriend, so I can’t stay for long, and I feel like he’s pressuring me to either buy something or leave. lol a feeling WORSE than what any SA would give you at Sephora XD

    I tend to do this when I get sidetracked at the beauty sections at Japanese Grocery stores as well… =_= And I end up being there for like 30+ minutes – and we all know how SMALL those beauty sections are!