the knack

Ah, Sephora. I love it just as much as any other girl. Sephora tempted me back into the malls. Sephora upgraded me from a beauty routine that hadn't evolved since high school. It's genius, really, something that wasn't available to our mothers: department store beauty brands without the high pressure sales, the magnifying mirror scrutiny of the overly-made up salesgirls. I know all stores are working on me psychologically, but ever since I learned how department stores are meant to be confusing so you get lost and buy things, I avoid them. Plus as an asthmatic, I don't like the heady cloud that hangs over the perfume counter, and the overzealous spritz-mongers. So Sephora and I were a hit from the beginning.
I have dropped a pretty chunk of change at Sephora over the past year or so. In doing this, I have learned a few things, and I hope that I can pass that on. I've come up with four cardinal rules for shopping at Sephora on a drugstore beauty budget. I've also noticed that prices in drugstores have gone up dramatically over the past five years or so, so Sephora might not be that much of an upgrade, depending on what you're buying.

1. Know what your priorities are

Be savvy, don't be sucked into looking at funky evening eyeshadow and dramatic dark lipstick when what you want is a fresh everyday look for work or school. I bet you know yourself better than you think, even if you haven't been wearing make up for that long.

Here's what I think about when I got to Sephora-
Skincare: I am happy with my lush moisturizer, but am always on the look out for a good super moisturizing lipbalm and hand cream.
Bath products: I prefer Lush to anything else, so I'm safe.
face: I don't wear foundation, and I'm extremely happy with Benefit's boi-iong concealor. I don't think I need fancy powder, so I still used Almay pressed powder to set it, and if I really want something better I still have Bare Minerals Mineral Veil.
eyes: Mascara is taken care of. I am not much of an eyeshadow person, I have some only for special occasions. I can always use a new or interesting take on eyeliner.
lips: Lipstick is a no go. I am interested in long wearing glosses and anything with a hint of color.

So there I have a list of four items I'll consider: lipbalm, hand cream, eyeliner, lipgloss
I can browse through anything I want, but I have pinpointed the areas where I could use improvement in my routine or a few more options.

And yes, you will slip up, you will experiment. I was so curious about mineral make up that I ended up buying a ton of it for my wedding. It looked lovely, but I soon realized that it was way too messy for me to use everyday, and not at all portable.

2. Know what you don't need

There's got to be some products that you're using right now that you love and are happy with. Until you have a solid recommendation, why try to fix something that isn't broken?
I remember going shopping at a department store make up counter in college with my roommate, in the B.S. (before Sephora) era, and telling her to absolutely not let them sell me any mascara, because I loved my mascara. Guess what? I still use that mascara, Max Factor 2000 calorie waterproof. Mascara is a great thing to go thrifty on because it should be replaced so often. I also remember a granola-y girl from my dorm telling me that mascara was gross and contained bat shit. Ahh, dorm life.

3. Read up

Internet product reviews are your best friend. Sign up for an account at Make-up Alley and use it well. You can also try Epinions, or just google the product name plus the word "review." I wish I would've taken my own advice before I had that ill-fated meeting with the Benefit mascara.

4. Stay away from the tools

I am so guilty here. There are certain specialized tools that you can't find easily anywhere else, like the blackhead extractor or the french manicure pen, both of which I adore. But I have also bought hair bands, foot files, make up brushes: things I know I could get for less elsewhere with no significant drop in quality. I do love my big Sephora bronzer brush for applying mineral make up or some Georgia.

I hope this will be the first in a series, so please leave some feedback and share your own experiences!