Sephora
Category: Cosmetics & Beauty Supply [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Near North Side, Magnificent Mile, Streeterville845 N Michigan Ave
(between Chestnut St & Pearson St)
Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 335-9391
- Nearest Transit:
Chicago (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Garage
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: No
15 reviews
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
"You know how you think that the stylist that's been doing your hair for a while knows what they are doing and is doing an OK job? And then…" read more »
25 Reviews for Sephora
I try to avoid Water Tower at all costs, especially on the weekends, when there are herds just wandering aimlessly around. I make it a point to have a plan of action of what I need and get the hell outta there in 30 minutes or less. Seriously. It can happen. Anyhoooooo....
I like this Sephora because the staff seems much more welcoming, and they are willing to help or suggest other similar products you may need. There also seems to be more walking room at this store than say the other downtown location. I feel like I can weave in and out between aisles without bumping into someone or vice versa. So .... that's my review.
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C'est Magnifique !
I remember when I could only go to Sephora when I went to France.
See ALAN - he is absolutely the best for luxury skin care and fine fragrance, and he's just adorable.
Also, see Marcus, who is excellent with fine fragrance.
Merci Mille Fois pour avoir ouvrir a Chicago !
This Sephora is the most comprehensive one in the city. It is the biggest, and carries a plethora of makeup lines. The skincare section is also incredible.
Obviously, it is easy to spend hundreds of dollars in Sephora in a matter of minutes...but being able to try the makeup on and play around with it is priceless.
The salespeople in this store are knowledgeable and friendly. Also try the Sephora in the Nordstrom building...as it is a great store as well.
I consider myself lucky to have won the gene pool when it comes to my complexion. I wear the least amount of make-up possible; and, truth be told, I'm a huge tightwad when it comes to spending money on cosmetics. But, I'm a sucker for good perfume.
When my atomizer started spraying nothing but air, it was time for something new. The sheer number of perfumes they have is enough to boggle the mind. Combine that with smelling each and every one that catches your fancy, and well, you get the picture. It's a bit overwhelming. A saleswoman saw my befuddlement and offered some assistance. She asked me a few brief questions and the proceeded to read my aura. No joke! It was the strangest thing. Even though I don't believe in all that new age mumbo jumbo, she was on point! Hell, she described my personality as though she'd known me for years. I kid you not, and I've got one hell of a poker face. She also showed me a fragrance that was right up my alley.
I'll have to go back so she can read my tarot cards and tell me which eye cream to use.
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Ridiculously expensive? Undeniably.
Stuff you can live without? Arguably.
But when I wake up in the morning, and miraculously have time to actually put myself together to the point where I look GOOD: Every single dollar looks, smells, feels extraordinarily spent.
My All-time Favorites: Benefit Benetint, Dr. Feelgood lip balm, Dr. Feelgood face balm, Get Even Powder... Sephora oil-free makeup remover... Bourjois eyeshadows... Dior Black Out Mascara... Dr. Brandt eye cream... DKNY Delicious perfume and lip balm (try the red)... Bliss Fat Girl Slim... Whooops... Maxxed-out the card? Here's another, or five... I can keep going...
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The staff here is knowledgeable. So knowledgeable, in fact, that when I asked the woman with whom I was speaking about make-up, about skin care products of the vegan variety, she walked me over to the gentleman who apparently knew about every line of skin care products they carry. He was able to help.
Color me shocked. I'm in a make up store in a mall at Christmas time and people are friendly and competent.
Most of the stuff they have is absurdly expensive in my opinion, except for certain product lines based solely on the quality (e.g., Anthony, Make Up Forever). Some L'Occitane products were somehow being sold for less than what the L'Occitane store was charging. I don't buy many fragrances, but there quite a broad selection of women's fragrances at prices slightly higher than what you'd find at ULTA. The men's fragrance section was noticeably lacking in shelf space.
I have a really hard time shelling out for cosmetics, but it's a tight ship here if you're not a tight wad.
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I had this dream as a teenager (I think it stems from a Saved by the Bell episode) where I would spend the night in the mall and wake up in the morning and be able to pick out my clothes from any store I wanted before going to school. Well, if I could alter that dream to my reality, I would change it so I woke up in Sephora every morning surrounded by beauty products galore. I would pamper myself with some Philosphy scented heaven, dust my cheeks with some Cargo blush, find the perfect color eye-shadow for the day from Nars, and finish it off with some Sephora lip gloss (a great $10 find!).
Simply put...I love this store and all it offers. I love the end caps with different lines of mascaras, concealer, lipgloss...all in one spot so you can compare products without having to walk around the store (genius!!).
I just avoid this location during the holidays when it can get a little too busy for browsing with out of towners.
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I'm a product whore.
My heart actually starts to race a bit as I enter this shop.
When the catalog comes in the mail I treat it the same way a 6 year old treats the Toys R Us catalog. I slowly go through it, marking all the items I'm coveting. I love every line they carry.
And it's in the Nordstrom building!
All that's missing is someone serving me a cocktail and I'd move in.
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I love Sephora! I have never had a problem at this location with customer service. Even the 1 time I bought some makeup, got home and opened the box....to find out the stick foundation had been stolen. I brought the box back to the store and the product was replaced, no questions asked. If I walk into the place looking for a certain product or with a certain question, I usually ask the person manning the door.
Whenever I've asked for product recommendations I usually receive genuinely helpful suggestions. It doesn't seem to me that the sales people work on commission, which is nice. If you'd like a completely new makeup look, I'd advise calling and making an appointment first.
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I love Sephora. They have all the latest parfums and colors in eyeliners, This would be the place I would want a shopping spree for real.
I don't know why I don't come here more often.
I do love anything skincare/cosmetic related, and Sephora has everything under one roof. They don't have a lot of the luxury brands that make my mouth water, but it's a great place for supplies such as tweezers, brushes, better than drug store makeup sponges, etc.
Sephora can be dangerous for a girl like me. I will walk in, innocently just to browse, not really needing anything. I will then walk out $250 later with items that I absolutely need because the fabulous sales person told me that the products will make my face flawless. It's sickening.
Sephora is a great place to buy gifts for your friends or family members... I often use multiple lines, and will put together a package of L'Occitane hand cream, Fredric Fekkai hair products and Fresh bath gels... a big time saver!
The one thing I do request from Sephora is consistency across all stores.
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Dear Sephora,
Let's be best friends. You'll provide me with all sorts of fun products and smells and colors that will leave my skin feeling like a baby's ass, and my hair smelling like fruit cup and my brows perfectly tweezed. In return, I will fork over the cash and jump around in a giddy fashion and run up and down your aisles yelling something about how wonderful you are and how good you smell.
Sounds like a fair trade, no?
But seriously, Sephora. I have a minor spending problem when it comes to makeup and hair shit and skin products and you are one HELL of an enabler. Plus, you have all these fun samples of EVERYTHING that are all sorts of fun to try. And your salespeople? Holy crap, they know their shit. And they will most certainly help you to spend your dollars.
But really, thanks for making me pretty. Let's get coffee and talk about this best friends thing.
Love,
Stacey
PS: Lower your prices a smidge? Kthnx.
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Definitely one of my favorite places to shop, not as expensive as some may think seeing the location, everything from my shampoo (I get a special one for conditioning) makeup and more I get here ..love the place! AND the customer service is cool.
I'll have to agree with Kelly M.'s review. I went in there the other day ready to drop a pretty penny on some pore minimizer crap (when will I ever learn). I actually went in looking for a specific product, which they didn't carry at this particular location. I must have wandered around the store for 20 minutes, without anyone bothering to ask if I needed any help, and when I finally did ask one sales person, she gave me major attitude - talk about CRANKY. Perhaps she just wasn't interested in helping out my haggard-looking self. So I still love me some Sephora, but probably won't be going back to this location anytime soon.
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I absolutely freakin' adore Bare Escentuals mineral makeup. It's awesome and makes your face look absolutely flawless and doesn't clog your pores like liquid makeup can. And nobody carries more of their products than Sephora -- I mean it has its own kiosk!
They also have great hair products like Frederic Fekkai and other trendy cosmetics like Urban Decay, and a pretty awesome array of male shaving products and moisturizers--Jack Black makes my boy's face so soft and smooth.
And their sales staff goes above and beyond to help me find the right products. I mean, I know it's their job to sell me all this overly-priced stuff, but they really seem to want to help you with all your needs.
And I could keep going on about all the great stuff they have, but I won't. So, over-priced or not, I love this store and will continue to frequent it for all my worldly beauty needs. Check it out for yourself!
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I think the whole concept of Sephora is great. It's like a product junkie's version of Heaven, Ahhhhhhh. Customer service is great and I love that I can play with everything. Plus they always give me a sample or 2 with my purchase. I really don't go to department stores anymore because most of them have caked on makeup and are not so friendly but not here. I would love to work here one day a week just for a discount!
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While this location is bigger than Northbridge Sephora, I also have to agree with the poor service here. Even when I've gone in here when they're not busy, it's extremely hard to find help. Another time, I went in with a friend and they bent over backwards trying to help her even though she hasn't worn makeup a day in her life nor was interested in buying anything. After I got color matched with a loose powder, the sales associate gave my friend a couple of perfume samples for bringing her the sale. I only got one even though I was "the sale". I much prefer the Northbridge location when it comes to customer service.
As an esthetician, I think the people that work at Sephora can be spot on way beyond the department store hawkers. Had a friend who used to work there and she was really pretty up on the products. I find them to be way more results-orientated than any of the department stores. They get a lot of training from the various manufacturers there and also aren't swayed by commission. Whenever I don't have the right product for a clients skin I don't hesitate to send them here. Great return policy plus a fun place for any female (or male) product junkie to play.
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Sephora is in Oakbrook & Downtown. I heard this store takes the JC penny's card online. Everybody loves JC Penney's and anyone can get THAT card. I of course love the one-stop shopping for rare brands. I love the Sephora sampler perfume boxes. I feel richer even though I'm not. The back has lovely items like metal eyelash combs, retractable makeup-brushes, blotting papers, lipstick palettes. Check that out. Ask for samples at the counter. They have Bliss products too. I thought I'd be in that store everyday but am not. I take my bi-polar meds and wear less makeup now .
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I don't love this location, although I generally love Sephora, its like girl heaven! This one is on the small side and doesn't carry the one thing I usually bother with a Sephora store for (a dior waterproof mascara, for some reason they just don't carry the waterproof version)! I think the North Bridge location has a better selection. The few times I've been in there the staff also seems cranky (I guess being stuck in Water Tower with the tourists dragging hyperactive kids around will do that though! not that I have a problem with tourists in general!)
Unless you're already at Water Tower for something else, don't bother with this location, head south to the bigger, better Sephora with the enthusiastic staff and larger selection)
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I go to Sephora to get Nars eyeshadow, it is my favorite. The last time I went I was not sure what color to buy and one of the associates asked me what occasion I was looking for, then sat me down and did the makeup for me. It looked great and easy to replicate. If you haven't tried Nars do so, one of my favorite things about the brand is that you can put it on wet and it will look like you just put it on just about forever.
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To date, I've never had a bad experience in Sephora. Although I don't shop there all that often, I have no problems finding what I need or receiving a good level of service from a salesperson. The stores are well-organized and have a great selection of beauty products. If it's hot, they have it. If it's tried-and-true, they have it.
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I only come here if I forgot to put makeup on or need a touch up because I buy my makeup elsewhere but this is an enormous place to get all sorts of makeup products and they let you play with it all for free!
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Of course who doesn't enjoy having multiple brands of beauty products to chose from although when no sales people offer to help you that can be a little over whelming. I was in Sephora at Water tower place just today wandering around for about 10 min. and passed no more than I am sure 5 or 6 sales people who didn't even bother to ask me if they could help me find something. In fact, the sales person, whom I ended up approaching, got more than one questioning look from me and still never asked me if I needed help. I guess maybe I was not beautiful enough for them to want me to use their products. Also-when I asked the sales person which eye makeup remover she would suggest and she told me she uses to remove waterproof mascara and it doesn't hurt her eyes-I bought it....It still didn't remove my waterproof mascara and stung my eyes. I am returning it tomorrow. I seriously think that when I asked her for a recommendation she just picked out the most expensive eye makeup remover they had.
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They have everything-from NARS to urban decay. Very helpful sales people and they give good samples away at checkout.
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