by Chrysa Smith

I sit in my comfy massage chair as a sweet, steady young girl paints the last toenail. Aah! It’s my chance to relax and catch up on some of the latest beauty news from the latest fashion mags.

Whenever I find something I think I might like, I scribble it down on a piece of scrap paper. Sometimes I forget about it and other times, I’m off to the mall. Many times, the product is from Sephora.

At first, the beauty-shy might be intimidated by the high fashion, young look of the stores. But don’t let this stop you. They have all of the products you need to keep young and beautiful–within price ranges that meet or beat the department stores.

One of the things I like about Sephora (besides their trendy black and white color scheme) is getting to sample products without being under the magnifying glass (ala department store makeovers). Now there are product specialists who roam the store looking to help you, but it’s low pressure and you actually feel that they will not only help you, but tell you the truth without hype or pressure to sell you something.

It seems like they scour the globe to bring you new, unfamiar products that may be popular in other markets, possibly thanks to their French roots. The company’s name is a meshing of two biblical words that mean beautiful—how appropos. They have brick and mortar locations in many shopping malls as well as in many a JC Penney. And if you’d rather shop online, you can do that too–plus pick up a gift card for a holiday gift. (they come beautifully packaged as well).

Now, what did I find on my recent trip that I like?

  • Sephora’s own mineral foundation—I hesitated with mineral makeups since I have pores like orange skin and I tend to go for more coverage. I must say, the coverage is great, as is the texture. I feel like it makes my skin feel smoother without being heavy.
  • Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick—It is a lip stick—a crayon-like, soft lipstick that covers well and provides a bit of a kick as it plumps lips and lasts. A nice perk-me-up.
  • Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream—from Japanese manufacturer, YuBe is soft and smooth while not greasy. It is designed for rough skin patches all over the body but I found that it sits great under my foundation to hold it into place while keeping my skin dewey and youthful

Want to know more? Head to your mall or log onto: http://www.sephora.com/. Google ‘Sephora coupons’ and save yourself a little cash as well.