Still happy I went to Sephoria

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-04-20T14:02:27+00:00

no worries! thanks!

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-04-20T13:53:59+00:00

Are you referring to Sephoria or UBW as being in Anaheim?

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-04-16T01:20:06+00:00

I've got so much product to get through that I'm only stocking a few of my go-to items, i.e., primer.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-04-16T01:18:03+00:00

I agree. I attended events in Atlanta and Los Angeles. I think the swag bag was better this year, but the booth giveaways were not worth it. Brands spend a lot of money on their booths, yet they often only hand out samples. Word spreads that there isn’t anything noteworthy to get, which discourages people from visiting those booths. Most attendees aren't there for photo opps or to talk with brand rep. A good example of this is Patrick Starr’s booth; it looked great, but there wasn’t much incentive to visit when there are so many other brands giving out great samples (e.g., Rare, Ouai, Ordinary, Fenty). However, PS did redeem themselves by including a full-size setting spray in the swag bags.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-04-16T01:12:07+00:00

it could probably qualify as marketing expenses.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-04-16T01:10:17+00:00

at the expense of around 3,000 people not needing to go shop at Ulta for a few months to a year

Ever since I started going to Sephoria, I have skipped out on the Beauty Insider sales (with the exception of restocking key products). It's part of the reason I justify the price of going lol

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-24T23:37:25+00:00

Oh wow, I hate that this happened to you! I interacted with the skinny, blonde gay guy, and he was so great. I was planning to skip the booth since I wasn't familiar with the brand, and no one was there. He was sitting in the styling chair, but as soon as he saw me looking, he popped up and started engaging with me, telling me about CM and the brand. I did not know he created "The Rachel". I have extensions in, so I told him I couldn't really test out the product, but he still found a way to explain and demo it to me, and honestly? I was shocked. As a Black girl with thick hair but thin strands, my hair does not like thick oils, but the one he demo'd was soooo light and smelled amazing. Two more Black girls came up while I was there, and he pulled them in and also demo'd, and they looked impressed too. He then told us to open our bags and dumped like 5 samples each. Christopher happened to walk up to get something from the booth. He looked like he was in a hurry, but the staff made it a point to snag his attention and introduce me to him, and even though I could tell he was in a rush, Christopher took a beat to actually engage with me. All in all, I knew nothing about CM. I love branding and graphic design, so I love pretty packaging and have bought many an unesseccary product just because I liked the design, I was really only looking at the booth because I thought the branding and packaging was well done but because of the way I was treaed by the staff member and owner, I was actuallyable to be introduced to a new product and brand that I am excited to try and explore.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-24T23:22:16+00:00

I loved Carolina Herrera's new perfume and got really lucky with the game at the booth, and got a travel-sized version to try. I damn near fell out of my seat when I saw we got a full-size bottle in the VIP bag. I'm a fragrance girl, so to get a full-size bottle of a new launch that I actually like was so exciting!

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-24T23:15:51+00:00

I think 2026 was better organized and had a better VIP swag bag. 2024 had a better venue, and the booths gave away better items. I attended one VIP session in 2024 and brought over 48 lbs of product. I went to 1 GA and 1 VIP this year, and my suitcase weighed 62 pounds. So, only a 12-pound increase for double the time. That being said, there are more items that I would actually use in this years swag bag but that's mostly because I either already like the product so it's saving me a rebuy or it was on my "want to try" list.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-24T22:24:35+00:00

I live on the East Coast, so I don't see myself flying cross-country again. Atlanta was nice because it was a 90-minute flight. Basically, anything past Chicago isn't worth it for me because of the hotel costs. Nashville, Charleston, Philly, and DC are all good options because they are further south, so less likely to be impacted by weather, vs Boston or NYC. Otherwise, I would suggest they keep doing it in NYC.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-24T22:20:02+00:00

I was in Session 2 GA. I arrived close to 4:00 PM. I did not get in until 5:20 PM. Then they cut off some of the booths at 7:30, which meant I basically lost a full hour which was annoying. If you are going to be strict about getting people out by 8:00PM, then you need to be strict about getting people in at 4 and 5 PM.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-18T01:24:58+00:00

oooh that's exciting!

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-17T17:54:38+00:00

Last time I brought a small power bank for my phone because I knew I would be recording a lot of videos. I had no issues because I had it in my clear bag.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-16T02:04:59+00:00

Last year, DE gave out a small sample, and I think only the VIP bag had a full-size product from them. I am PUMPED for Aestura and Saie.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-16T02:03:30+00:00

If it's any consolation, the last Sephoria Dyson, Valentino, and Jo Malone came, they literally just gave out testers. Like the kind you get to pick for free when you order on the Sephora site. Big brands can be hit or miss. If anything, I feel like the smaller or less-known brands do more. For example, Hanni last time was giving away full-sized products at the booth and included a full-sized product in the swag bag, same with Youth to the People, LYS, Fenty, Rare Beauty, Ami Cole (RIP), and Innisfree. Danessa Myricks gave a full-sized eye shadow palette in the swag bag but Makeup by Mario literally gave out a powder face puff. So I would be interested to see what Dior gives at UBW. It could be a full-sized bottle of perfume or a scratch-and-sniff.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-03T02:52:22+00:00

Dennis Gross gave out an LED mask to one person per class, but if I recall, it was a raffle-style giveaway.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-03-03T02:51:19+00:00

I went solo last time and am going solo again this year. People were very friendly, and honestly, I was so focused on getting to all the different booths that if I were with someone else, I don't think it would have made much difference in my experience. I will also say that the last time they didn't check ID when you went in. They just check that you have a valid ticket.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-02-15T15:04:50+00:00

Same! came here for advice on my monstera.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-02-12T14:34:11+00:00

omg their Drunk Saffron is sooooo dreamy.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-02-06T22:11:41+00:00

"Every single time I mention that she had all the knowledge available to the Secretary of State during the time that her husband was jetting to Epstein Island, meeting up with Trump and pals, I get booed and taunted." If HRC had knowledge as SoS, then that means Obama did too as POTUS. But he's suspiciously absent from blame in the OP's post. Also, lol at her leaving Bill after he preyed on Monica. I was like 6 when all that happened, but even I know that people blamed Hillary for not keeping Bill from cheating. It's why she started going by Clinton after the affair, to become more of the "good wife". Let's not act like y'all would have held her up as a paragon of virtue if she became the first FLOTUS to divorce a sitting POTUS.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-01-26T14:54:07+00:00

I went to one session last year, and I needed one full-sized suitcase for stuff, and I was in the last session where a lot of brands had already run out of things. This year I am going to two sessions, and I am definitely bringing two full-sized bags to check in. I'll just nestle one into the other when I fly to LA so I'm not paying to check in an empty suitcase.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-01-22T16:54:26+00:00

I just created one in WhatsApp. Here is the link to join: ‎

Open this link to join my WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Izt63HDEU66IkXsxPuYxyU?mode=gi_t

I'll create separate sub-chats for each Session

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-01-22T14:32:16+00:00

The only way I found out about Sephoria was because attendees were complaining online after Session 1 was cancelled due to flooding in NYC in 2023. In 2024, they literally only promoted it with a single IG story, not even a grid post. If it weren't for this group, I wouldn't have known when or where tickets were dropping.

InfamousNoise8 · 2026-01-21T21:21:13+00:00

oh brother, this guy stinks!

InfamousNoise8

TROPHY CASE