On Sunday I attended my first Sephora event for VIB Rouge members. Receptions were hosted across the US at select Sephora locations for 4x points on purchases, gifts, samples and access to brand experts and specialists. I brought a friend with me to the reception at South Coast Plaza we showed up bright and early at 9 AM.
We spent nearly the full two hours of the event browsing all the aisles. I was really happy Sephora had brand experts from different vendors on site. There were reps from a number of brands, we chatted with some super friendly reps from Hourglass, SK-II, Glam Glow and Nude. My friend works in the beauty industry and we’ve both been long time beauty addicts (she’s my go-to for recs on hair care and skincare and perfume, so pretty much everything). I really liked that there was no pressure from anyone to buy anything which made our shopping experience very enjoyable. Some shots of the Sephora store, some are a bit blurry, but we were really excited so in the rush, I didn’t get the best photos.
The South Coast Plaza store we went to had a Lip Bar, Brow Bar and Foundation Bar where you could get tips on application or color suggestions. We had too much distracting us to sit at any of the beauty booth areas.
There was a small gift bag with samples offered with any $35 purchase. VIB Rouge Members also received a red tote. Our bag included minis of Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, Dr. Jart Beauty Balm, Benefit Watt’s Up, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5 in 1 Cream, Buxom Mascara, Algenist Eye Renewal Balm, Escada Born in Paradise Perfume.
As we walked around the store several reps handed out a few extra samples if we purchased an item or two from their line. Here’s the loot by the end of our shopping trip for me. We both had so many things on our wish list and literally had to say to each other “we need to go now” before we did more damage to our wallets.
- VIB Rouge Gift Bag with $35 Purchase (contents shown in above detail photo)
- Amore Pacific Natural Protector SPF 30 – sample 1 ml packet
- Sephora Age Defy Moisture Cream SPF15 – sample 2 ml packet
- Glam Glow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment – sample 3 g packet
- Glam Glow Brightmud Eye Treatment – sample 1 g packet, we were told this is supposed to be the best for reducing puffy eyes and brightening the under eye area with 6 different caffeines
- Glam Glow Powermud Dual Cleanse Treatment – sample 3 g packet – I tried this last night and it stung for 1 minute, afterwards the stinging went away and it seemed to by gentle yet effective, will report more on these after testing more
- Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – 5 ml sample
- Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment – deluxe 10 g tube
- Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Cream – 10 ml sample packets
- Make Up For Ever HD Powder – Beauty Insider 100 point perk
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner in Ro(coco) – Beauty Insider 100 point perk
- The Original Beautyblender (purchase)
- YSL Volupte Sheer Candy 15 and Gloss Volupte 10 (purchase)
- Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment (purchase)
- SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser (purchase)
- Living Proof No Frizz Smoothing & Frizz Fighting Travel Kit (purchase)
SK-II also had a few minis available, I gave them to my friend since she had never tried the line before. This was my first Sephora event so I did not really know what to expect. I found it to be a fun and relaxing/laid back shopping experience. I liked that they let us bring a guest that didn’t necessarily have to be a Sephora Beauty Insider. The staff was really patient and friendly. The reps were so helpful in answering questions. The store was very busy but not over-packed so there was plenty of room to wander without having others bump into you or try to knock you over. The only things I would have liked to have would have been to include a map where the brand reps were and their special stations, the Sephora at South Coast Plaza is the largest I’ve ever seen and it was easy to get lost. I also think it would have been great if there were step up gifts available although everyone was very generous with samples and the 4x points is (in my mind) huge.
If you missed out, Sephora is still offering the tiered points on purchases through August 10 online and in stores.
Have you ever been to a Sephora event? Did you go to the VIB Rouge Event on Sunday at your local Sephora stores? What did you end up splurging on? Did you learn anything new?
