SEPHORA — Local services in Honolulu

TLDNR: Quinn is a 15/10 Beauty Advisor and I have so much appreciation and respect for their dedication and artistry in using makeup and skincare products. I do not use makeup, but now I'm the caretaker for my aunty and I want to help her look and feel confident. Quinn helped me learn a lot about how to help do makeup and my Aunty learned about new products that she now loves. Def will re-book again in the future! =)

So...what had happened was....I was helping my aunty get some advice on different beauty products and we decided to get an appointment for the 75 minute Beauty Lesson. I was a little apprehensive because past experiences when we asked for advice at other retailers and department stores had been rushed, and the employee would be a little impatient, or unnecessarily pushy with selling products or would not take my aunty's feedback into consideration when talkin about makeup. It was my 1st time at Sephora, so I wasn't quire sure what to expect.

BUT then we got to our 11AM appointment and the world's kindest soul showed up with smile and a cheerful greeting to my aunty and me. Quinn was patient with Aunty who was a little shy at first, but quickly warmed up to Quinn's sincerity and enthusiasm.

We got to go over all of Aunty's questions and talked about techniques on how to use new products that were introduced and sampled right then and there. It's over 5 hours later and Aunty's makeup still looks picture perfect and she says she feels "so pampered and taken care of". Seeing my aunty get the kind and respectful help she hoped for, having the quality products be available for us to purchase, and having Aunty be stoked for the rest of the day is completely worth it. Mahalo piha to Quinn for all your help and aloha. Anyone considering getting useful tips and techniques can feel confident that Sephora's Beauty Lessons are...

The best part of my experience at Sephora on Monday October 25, 2021 was the help I received from Michaela. It's not always easy getting help for issues with your face from a beautiful young woman like her. The sales associate has to have a special knack for making you comfortable or you can end up feeling like an unattractive toad. Michaela was great bc she didn't make me feel self conscious when I called attention to what I always try to hide. She acknowledged my issue when I pointed it out and we moved right into finding the solution in the choice of products. Michaela was knowledgeable and honest about what I could use and what I could do without. She did not push the most expensive products. I never felt like I was being pressured. I never felt like I was spending more than I planned to spend. I spent more than I had planned to spend--and I was ok with it bc I had been given choices among the products that met my requirements--full coverage and long staying power. Michaela's own makeup was a work of art. Daring, and skillfully applied. The bold colors were not too much, but perfect way to apply her beauty to benefit the retailer. The unspoken possibility is that if you use these products you too could look like this young woman. Ok, realistically I may have to settle for not looking like a toad. LoL. I may sound overly dramatic but for those of us with skin issues, the proper application of good make up can be life changing. Michaela made me feel like she understood the lifelong difficulty I have had bc of skin issues. She helped me choose the correct products and demonstrated how to best use them so I can face people without feeling self...

Staff is hit or miss usually; product selection is good. Today, however, I had the unfortunate experience of beginning the PERK treatment. Where shall I begin?

I saw the machine and it looked simple enough, however the cup was nasty like it hadn't been cleaned before me and I figured she would change it out before she set it up for me; nope. Also, nothing was set up for my appointment. The bowls in which she put water and cleanser in we're not clean (found this out later from friend). There were no gloves on my "specialist" and she had at least 3 bandaids on her hands with what looked like day old cuts still hanging out. I had a lot of anxiety over how things were being handled and my licensed esthetician friend was with me and similarly disgusted. When the specialist "cleansed" my face it wasn't with gloves and didn't seem in the least sanitary and I felt like there wasn't enough care to try to be sanitary. I ended up cancelling it after the cleanse and before she set into working the Perk machine because I couldn't imagine what else hadn't been sanitized or cleaned properly. Also, when asked about licensing or training, the response was "I've worked at Sephora for 10 years and receive training from the brands." Umm, sorry, I don't recommend doing a Perk...