Sephora

Situated on the second floor of the Anchorage 5^th Avenue Mall, Sephora had its humble beginnings as a «pop up shop» in the Anchorage JC Penney location. And several years later that shop still exists, as does a brick and mortar store for Sephora itself. And while they carry the same name, there are differences between the two. Namely JCP Sephora employees are employees hired by JC Penney itself while the Sephora store employees, or «Cast Members» as they are known, are hired directly by Sephora corporate. The two stores do carry some of the same products but the Sephora brick and mortar, for which this review is being written, carries quite a larger variety of product.
While Ulta carries both high end and «drugstore» product, Sephora namely carries what is to be considered high end products such as Too Faced, Becca, Kat Von D, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Makeup Forever, Yves Saint Laurent and even its own line. The store carries both makeup products as well as skincare, hair care and even perfumes. Additionally, the store does offer some minor beauty services such as makeovers and even classes for those that want to learn the world of beauty. One such example would be «How to make a smoky eye». These classes do fill quickly so if you were interested in such classes be sure to register early.
And much like Ulta, Sephora has a rewards program for its customers. Known as the Beauty Insider program, it is free to sign up for to work your way towards rewards. As a Beauty Insider you are offered a free birthday gift and access to those beauty classes I mentioned above. There are two additional levels of the Beauty Insider program. The VIB which you reach when you spend over $ 350.00 a year on purchases. You are offered the same benefits as the Beauty Insider program with additional perks such as seasonal savings, gifts and one free custom makeover a year.
Their highest level is known as VIB Rouge which is reached by spending $ 1000 with them per calendar year. You are offered the same perks in addition to having a private customer service hotline and invitations to exclusive and private events which are usually held in the spring and fall. Being a complete beauty junky I will be the first to admit to being a VIB Rouge. But what you won’t get out of me is how soon I reached that level. Lets just say my wallet and bank account are constantly with war with me as a result.
I have always found the Anchorage location to be one of the better locations I have visited. They are often well stocked and the cast members have always been willing to answer questions and are quite friendly. Plus they do employ some very good Makeup Artists that offer those makeovers as mentioned earlier. I decided to try one a few weeks ago and other than having an allergic reaction to some product and breaking out in hives the next day (no fault of the MUA), I was very happy with the outcome and would certainly sign up to get another makeover in the future.
Sephora was launched in 1999 and has over 1900 stores in over 29 countries worldwide. They are a definite asset to the Anchorage 5^th Avenue Mall and as a result it is a location you can find me in often. How do you think I reached that VIB Rouge level after all?

I don’t really like going into this Sephora. I avoid it unless the other doesn’t have what I need, but my first choice is always ordering online. It’s impossible to get help even on a slow day and the few times someone actually does help you, you can explain what you want and what your budget is and they’ll try to talk you into the second or third most expensive item, even if it doesn’t fit your needs at all. They don’t even bother to see if you want it or if it’s good for you, they’ll just bring you over and go «this is what i/​my friend/​my daughter/​whoever else uses and it’s a favorite!» Ignoring the fact it’s well over what you said. You can look around on your own and find good items in your budget but they try to talk you out of it. I HATE going to this Sephora.

Very nice Sephora. Spacious enough. Very easily and neatly laid out (one of the best I’ve seen). Very pleasant and helpful staff. All the standard selections you expect from Sephora.

This is a very limited Sephora, even for a JC Penney’s location, with too much focus on fragrance. The staff are friendly enough, and they will ask you if you need help approximately 29 times while you are there, but I do not find most of them very familiar with their product lines. They also are perpetually out of point perks gifts. Nowadays I go to
or Nordstroms if I am in need if something quickly.

Nice spacious location. They recently opened up but the employees know their stuff. I was visiting from California and wanted to pick up some things. Every employee is ready and available to help. In the short time I was in the store, I was asked if I needed help at least twice by two different associates. Talk about great service!
Emily is awesome! Very knowledgeable and super sweet. Got to know her a little better while waiting for my friend to be color matched.
Went back in for a second time to get color matched for Kat von D concealer and Make Up For Ever foundation.
Andrea is super helpful. She matched me perfectly and was ready and willing to give me samples of each! Definitely an amazing staff.

I love Sephora. One of my favorite brands is Make Up Forever. I use their eye shadow, make up remover and today I found an awesome red lipstick #21 Rogue Artist Intense. Every woman needs at least 1 red lipstick :) I went there today looking for a birthday gift for my boyfriends mom then inquired about my search for red stick and Colleen sat me down and spent some time with me and provided excellent customer service. After ringing me up for my items she made my day even more wonderful by wrapping my boyfriends mom’s birthday gift. I never leave Sephora disappointed or discouraged. I am so glad we have one here now. Ive been to the one in Hawaii and in Las Vegas and the service at those locations are also excellent. :)

So glad I happened to be reading some other reviews that mentioned a Sephora had opened up recently. It is located at the 5^th Avenue Mall, inside the JC Penney store. And what a fabulous addition to Anchorage, I’ve been shopping there for years in the lower 48. Personally, I cannot live without their makeup line called Benefit, as well as the skincare line from Olé Hendriksen. The ladies who work here are extremely knowledgable and friendly. Go ahead and get a makeover, you’ll discover some awesome products!
Check out their website,
. They list every single product on the site, and many customers have written reviews, so you can be sure what you’re getting is quality.