This Grandma just could not understand Sephora and Ulta. My youngest daughter, in her late thirties, loves Ulta. She asks for gift cards to Ulta for holiday presents. I have gone there with her. I do not get it. I have gone to Sephora myself looking for my favorite beauty products. Neither store carries the entire lines of what I consider the top four beauty products that keep me looking young and fabulous (in addition to Botox and Restylane, as needed, of course).
Then I saw a Washington Post article reprinted in the Sun Sentinel, Saturday, March 14, 2015, “Touch-up in beauty experience: Cosmetics retailers Sephora, Ulta appealing to Millennials,” by Sarah Halzack, in which she writes:
“The beauty industry has had something of a makeover recently as cosmetics retailers learn an important lesson about selling their goods to millennials: They don’t want to buy makeup the same way their moms did.”
“The clearest evidence of the shift has been the explosive growth of Sephora and Ulta, specialty beauty retailers that have gained traction with shoppers by offering an in-store experience that is distinct in the beauty marketplace.”
“Sephora and Ulta have tapped into every little girl’s dream of being able to open up their mom’s makeup bag and just play,” said Stephanie Wissink, a senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray.”
“Before these stores began popping up at malls across the country, beauty shoppers largely had two choices: buy their makeup at a no-frills drugstore or go to a fancy department store counter and let a white-lab-coat-wearing specialist spend an hour dabbing their faces with pricey anti-aging creams.”
“Experts say that Sephora and Ulta have filled the chasm between those experiences. They have an assortment of upscale brands and trendy store designs that give them a more exclusive luster than a drugstore. And yet they feel more accessible than a department store because shoppers can test out the products for themselves.”
Now, I get it. But why would anyone put make-up on themselves that other people have used. This Grandma worries about the germs. At the department stores, they are careful to clean everything. At Ulta and Sephora, it is an on your own experience. Now, I read that Ulta has opened about 765 stores, and 50 of them at the end of 2014, with amazing earnings and Sephora has 360 stores in the U.S. and 1,800 worldwide, also with amazing earnings.
There is no official age range for millennials but the generation generally is defined as being born between the early 1980s and early 2000s. So why do Millenials prefer these stores for their beauty items?
“Experts say millennials have flocked to these stores because their setups and merchandise assortments are particularly aligned with what research shows this generation of shoppers prefers.”
“Today’s cosmetics customer is not particularly loyal to any one brand, says Kurt Jetta, chief executive of Tabs Group, a consumer analytics firm that studies beauty shoppers.”
“Instead, customers approach buying beauty products as more of a treasure hunt, and the mission is that much easier in a place where you can test virtually any product. Sephora and Ulta carry a selection of niche, under-the-radar brands, which can be appealing to millennial shoppers who gravitate toward items that give them a sense of individuality.”
“Karen Grant, a beauty industry analyst with NPD Group, said these specialty stores have created an environment that is well-suited for customers who don’t need much help in making their purchases.”
“With the explosion of the Web, (shoppers have) more access, and the consumer can do much more research,” Grant said. “They don’t have to go to a counter to get that education.” . . . . “Sephora has been the fundamental change agent in the industry,” Grant said. “It shifted the dynamic from the traditional brands to kind of becoming a laboratory.”
The young ones are not the only ones who experiment and are not particularly loyal to one brand. We Boomer grandmas have experimented and found the best beauty products in each brand. We have learned that we can get many free samples and many free make up sessions at the supposed high priced beauty counters in the supposed high priced brands. And, as we must remind millennials, and those beauty industry analysts who cater to them, it is we Boomer grandmas with the shopping power in this decade.
Most importantly, over the years, we have practiced and made perfect. We also are open to new products and experiment. This Grandma has honed perfect secrets I have shared with my grandma friends and they with me. We do not want to spend our time in the mall playing with makeup. We are well beyond that stage, and millennials could learn from us.
These are this Grandma’s favorite beauty products:
1. La Mer. The Moisturizing soft cream is expensive at $160 per ounce, but the product keeps my face looking younger. I put it on the tops of my hands and chest too. You can tell age by looking at hands and chest too. The best eye cream is from La Mer as well. The Eye Concentrate at $190 is the only product that truly visibly diminishes dark circles. The trick is to watch for Friends and Family specials at the department stores and get 10% off and lots of samples of La Mer products that bring the cost down. Also, sign up at La Mer on line and get emails with special offers. La Mer lasts longer than other products and this Grandma would rather buy one product that really works that try three or four that add up to $200 and are a waste of money.
2. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch Concealer. This is the most amazing beauty product on the market, that now comes in different shades. It is a light reflector that takes away dark circles under the eye, creases on the side of the nose and laugh line, and even on the nose to make it look thinner and smaller. This Grandma has used it to cover blemishes. It makes everything you don’t want to show minimized and almost disappear. Okay, Sephora carries it. They are wise in this product line. And the price is around $30-35. Who says we have to spend a lot on beauty secrets!
3. Bobbie Brown brow shaper. As we age, our eyebrows thin and get wild. That is something millennials don’t think about yet but should as Bobbie Brown brow shaper helps brows look neater. The product comes clear for those who do not need to color their brows and in colored shades which is wonderful when brows gray, and they do gray before our hair needs coloring again. It is advertised as a hair color touch up too, but I have not found that I like the brush for that. Again, the price is $24, not too high end.
4. Lancome CLS booster. This is my new favorite product. This is a mascara enhancing booster. Yes, I was introduced to it when I went to the expensive department store to replenish my Lancome mascara. I have always found the different varieties of Lancome mascara to be the best, and again ask for samples of the newest varieties. The booster makes the mascara glide on and thickens lashes. Yes, as we age, the lashes thin also and this booster works wonders.
For all other makeup this Grandma likes the quality of Laura Mercier. So, like millennials, we Boomer Grandmas like variety and search among the best products of each line. But, we have learned from experience that we don’t need to spend time at the mall to experiment. At our “expensive” department stores, we get free samples, free makeup demonstrations and introduction to new products that are of the highest quality. I replenish and experiment when the department stores have beauty special weeks in the fall and spring and offer so many free samples and free makeup sessions. In the meantime, I ask for samples after samples upon any purchase. We grandmas can play in the privacy of our homes with
Joy,
Mema