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Temptalia Asks You - What's your favorite beauty retailer/store?

What’s your favorite beauty retailer/store? Share!

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I think it’s Nordstrom for me. I get points, and I love their customer service. Sephora is great, but I get SO overwhelmed!

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49 Comments

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jojoba (My Makeup Reviews) Avatar

as i don’t shop online, my favourite will be the local Clarins and Shu Boutiques. They are seriously equal for their service. I think service is the most important factor for me. Even if the quality of the products are good without good service, it’s crap for me and this happens to me quite often at a Dior counter. Yup, Dior is my least favourite, if you ask me.

Katherine Avatar

For me, it’s Neiman Marcus. Not so much because of their selections, but because of the fabulous sales associate I have had the pleasure to work with for so many years.

Bunny Avatar

Sephora, or Saks I love their selection. Sephora inches ahead because you don’t have to deal as much with sales people and they will sample anything for you.

DonnaN Avatar

I would have to say Sephora….it really depends on the store that you go to, since the brand variety is different by location. The NYC stores have the BEST variety of brands!!

BTW, I have to agree too with Nordstroms….I still have to wait another 2 years for the new Nordstroms to open here in Delaware, so until then, I’ll have to dream……

Anitacska Avatar

I’m in the UK, so for me the favourite stores are Boots (for their advantage card which just bought me the Dior pendant!) and Debenhams (again they have an advantage card and a good selection of high end make up). For drugstore make up / accessories (eg. Gosh make up and brushes, Sleek palettes, etc.) I also like Superdrug. Unfortunately neither of them sell Mac, so I need to buy my Mac stuff in Bentalls or House of Fraser, and none of them have any incentives, although there was a 10% everything day in the House of Fraser when Style Black came out, thank you very much! 🙂

Deedee Avatar

Definitely the MAC store in Georgetown(yes that specific one). Over time, I’ve grown to have a good rapport with 4 different MUAs at that store. Everytime I come they show me different things(I know I know, it’s their job), but they do it in such a way that even if I come in for no specific purpose they don’t hound me and they don’t ignore me either(like the MAC inside the Nordstrom).

Miri Avatar

I like Nordstrom as well. Bloomingdales in Downtown is ok, too. It all depends on the sales associates. I found the ones at my local Neiman Marcus very snobby and unhelpful. Macy’s is a hit and miss.

Sixx Avatar

I’d say Ulta…’cos it’s not overstaffed (like Sephora) w/sales people asking if they can help you every other minute. =) I can take my sweet time doing all my swatches yet leave the store w/no uncomfortable guilt of making no purchase.

Valerie Avatar

Murale (three locations in Canada Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto) and shopersdrug mart. What I love is the sales people let you look and they have the same redemption point card!!!

Cathy Avatar

I have to say my freestanding MAC store here where I live…I dont like the Macys counter MAC because the girls there are always so rude to me..plus i have a MUA friend at the MAC store and she is always helping me pick out the best stuff!! And she does awesome makeup on me. The people at the MAC counter at Nordstroms always ignore me 🙁

Christy Avatar

I’m in Canada. My favorite beauty retailers are The Bay, Holt Renfrew, Sephora and Shopper’s Drug Mart. The Bay offers points, double if you have their credit card. They also have bonus point events so you can rack up even more. Shopper’s Drug Mart has a similar system and they carry quite a few brands that aren’t available else where. eg. Gosh. Previously, they were one of the few places in Canada to get Benefit. Since Sephora has opened up, I’ve been going there a lot. Holt Renfrew carries a lot of higher end items. eg. Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani and Bobbi Brown. I don’t get much there, but it’s always nice to go wander through it. They’re a lot like Saks and Neiman’s. London Drugs is another notable mention. They often have great sales on beauty products. Of course I have to mention the MAC PRO store! It’s a little playland of all things MAC. 🙂

Alix Avatar

Absolutely Sephora. I like Nordstrom, but it’s a pain being asked every 10 seconds whether I need help with something. At Sephora, they leave you alone!

BeckBeck Avatar

It depends on where I am and what I’m looking for. My mom and I are practically BFF with the Lancome counter ladies at the Macy’s in my hometown, so if I’m there that’s where I go. Where I live now, the Sephora is well-stocked and the salesgirls aren’t too aggressive; however, if they have a brand rep from a specific line in the store, THOSE ones are annoying.

If I want something Sephora doesn’t carry, I don’t really have a favorite among the department stores. I’ll go wherever has a GWP for Lancome; if I want Bobbi Brown I’ll hit Lord & Taylor; if I’m feeling brave and spendy I’ll go to Nordies. 🙂

Jenny Avatar

Sephora (although there are no Nordstroms in Canada). Occasionally during up times it’s hard to find an SA but that’s true of anywhere. And you get free samples!

daphne Avatar

I wish it could be Nordstrom, because I do love them when I go, but I live in the city without a car and the nearest one is 10 miles away (off public transit), so it’s not easy to get to! Instead I tend to prefer the MAC freestanding store, and anyway, I can get a better selection of MAC stuff there 😉 I also like the bigger Sephora near me, which has more high-end stuff to browse, but I’m not really a Sephora fanatic. I mean, they don’t have MAC, and that’s a problem 😉

shontay Avatar

Sephora all day every day! I could live in there. They don’t sell mac, obviously, but it has mufe and that’s all I need. It has so many brands, so you can just play all day and not get bored.

amy Avatar

MAC PRO store the staff is very nice there and a few of them know me by name already. I like The Bay DT Vancouver, the customer service there is excellent, The Bay Oakridge is nice too; but any other Bay is pretty subpar to me. Sephora is nice but it is always so busy and I usually only go there when I know exactly what I want or it i an item that I could only get there.

Ruth Avatar

Sephora in Metrotown, Shoppers Drugmart in Metrotown, The Bay in Metrotown, Murale in Oakridge Centre, Holt Renfrew in Vancouver & London Drugs in Burnaby

Marilyn Avatar

I have had really good experiences at Sephora inside JC Penney’s (they also have sale/clearance stuff there!), and at Nordstrom’s (but not the MAC counter there). I like the selection at Sephora, Ulta, and MAC freestanding stores the best, but their customer service is just terrible.

Sheila Avatar

I like Sephora when I am looking for something more specific, they have so much variety!

But my favourite would be Holt Renfrew (its like Nordstrom/Saks in Canada). They have mostly high end brands, but their service, especially for some brands, is just AMAZING. They hire specifically trained makeup artists at their counters which really help when I want real advice or something. Not like the other department stores when they hire older middle-aged ladies who have no idea what they’re talking about >___>

cmferrets Avatar

ULTA, sephora and mac stores- i always go to for stuff whenever something new comes out (its embaressing when some of the employees know u b/c u go in so often =)
. i dont have a nordstroms here in tucson, az.
i go to CVS or walgreens store to see if theyhave a BOGO sale, mostley for mascaras though.
i go to walmart to get some stuff from their new hard candy line.

Torie Avatar

It was Ulta first then came Sephora so now it’s my favorite. I just now discovered that one of our malls has a Mac store in a Dillards here. I’ve been there once. I would like to use or try more of their products but for some reason I don’t feel as comfortable there as I do at the other stores.

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