When I first started at Sephora last year, I wrote up this post, giving some pointers to the men who brave their way into this makeup mecca. A year later, I still see the same type of men milling around, and have encountered more interesting.. no, awkward questions and requests from men.
So this is for all guys who are looking for the perfect gifts at Sephora:
1) Asking for the BEST foundation will not get you far. What's the best foundation for me might be the worst for the girl you're trying to please. Every woman has a specific type of foundation they like, whether it's the texture or simply the brand. Some women may only wear Dior foundation, while others swear by brands like Cover FX. If you think your girl needs new foundation or new look, why don't you book her a special events makeup session, which is free with the purchase of a $50 gift card? That'll certainly cover the foundation you think she needs to purchase, and she'll be able to update her makeup wardrobe with a help of a color consultant! PS - pale but not too pale is not descriptive enough for me to choose a foundation color for someone I've never met.
2) Please don't sniff us and tell us that you want your girl to smell likes us. That is just creepy. If anything, get those Sephora Favorite Fragprance Sets if you truly do not know what she likes, or get her something popular like Marc Jacobs Daisy/Lola, Chloe, Stella McCartney (my favorite), or D&G Light Blue. You can ask us to make a sample of whatever perfume you get, so she can try it on first without opening the bottle, and also ask for a gift receipt! For those living or visiting Los Angeles, I strongly recommend that you come in and look for THE fragrance guru, Loretta. She's amazing and will awaken your sense to perfume.
3) When it comes to individual products like lipsticks, blush, or eyeshadow, just don't get them. A bright orange lipstick is not for everyone! In fact, very few people actually wears bright orange lipstick on a daily basis. That goes with bright green eyeshadow or bright hot pink blush. Play it safe and get her a palette or lip gloss set. It's a lot less awkward gifting her a set than gifting her a lipstick she has to pretend to like. Or, refer to tip #1 - schedule a special events makeup for her that's complimentary with a $50 gift card.
4) Now you might think getting her an expensive jar of cream would be nice, but again, unless you know exactly what she uses, she will most likely be confused or underwhelmed by it. Imagine giving someone an eye cream! What is that suppose to mean? I'm getting old and I have puffy eyes? To avoid that, you can get her a nice starter set or travel size kit of the product she uses, or if you truly want to delight her, get her a Clarisonic brush. I don't know any girl that doesn't want one of her own. And a Clarisonic does not say "your face is dirty," but rather it says "I did my homework online and in magazines and everyone loves it."
Hope my new 2011 version of Guidelines for Men - Sephora! helps everyone. If you are constantly getting weird gifts from your boy, definitely forward this along to him and all of his guy friends!
Best of luck to the new year!
This is interesting, btw, I'm viewing this from my iPhone. Looks good, but could possibly maybe find out how to gain weight on some of the text to make some of the more important information more visible.