Help! Who should I work for? Estee Lauder, Sephora or Bare Escentuals?

[Sass E]

Hi all,
This website and it's members are a collective gold mine when it comes to opinions and experiences and I'd like "yours".
I have three potential job offers with the following companies Estee Lauder, Sephora and Bare Escentuals in Nordstroms and I'm not sure which offer to accept. If you've worked for any of these companies, would you be so kind as to give me your view point on the company, working environment and overall experience there? Is there room for advancement, training, supportive management etc?
Thanks in advance!!!!

[TISH1124]

I have worked at Nordstroms in the Beauty Dept...But not for one of the companies listed. I worked for Billy Jealousy...But I loved working in Nordstroms...Great exposure and there were many opportunities for advancement. I now work on the back side of the industry..The company I work for now manufactures the health & beauty products for BE, Victoria Secrets, Jack Black, Sally's and many other private label companies .

[baybehbekah]

working for nordstrom is nice. i liked it there alot and they are all about promoting from with in, so if you're looking to move up then they are good company to work for. as far as which line, i would choose bare essentials over estee lauder because there is always a client for the brand, and i think its a nice product. i don't like to make phone calls so estee lauder would never work for me because they call people for gift time. also i think sephora would be nice because you get to work with alot of different brands and meet alot of different people, which you can grow through networking. i don't know for sephora but nordstrom cosmetic dept, you are paid a base salary and plus a 3% commission, which doesn't seem like alot but trust me it adds up! and you can make a decent buck working there. you get more if you are a counter manager as well

i am sure how much they offer in pay, and where they are located will play a factor. i hope this helps, of course this is just my opinion, again i hope it helps!

[aleksis210]

Oh, wow, if you have an opportunity to work for Sephora DO NOT pass that up, they spoiled the shit out of me! They made me not want to work anywhere else...It was SO easy(easiest job EVERRRR). You don't have to call anyone for gifts(which seriously SUCKS). You basically get to play with makeup all day, not to mention you get a 20% off every line in the store PLUS you get 40% off Sephora brand (they have great products!). The people that I worked for/with were the nicest people
I've ever met,(this was in michigan, though) but everywhere is different! Easiest money I've ever made. Opening was a joke we just stood around drinking our coffee and closing was just washing our brushes at night. As for BE you will get sick of buffing people's faces all day. And as far as nordstrom I am about to work there, so I hope it's great! (it's impossible to work @ sephora down here ...)

[YSLGuy]

I feel with Sephora you will learn more about products. They are great at product knowlege and you will have MANY brands to learn about and play around with.

I feel at Nordstroms working at a counter you will learn more about the business side of the Industry.

Make sense??

[Sass E]

Thanks for the responses. The BE counter in my Nordstroms is actually independently run so the Nordstroms rules, pay scale, etc do not apply to this counter. There are a few other nuances that I am considering so I will most definitely take all of your comments into consideration when making my decision. THANKS AGAIN!!!

[xStarryEyedX]

Well, I work for BE...But I know people who work for/have worked for those other companies. Former Estee Lauder emp. hated it. Hate hate hated it. I know there's the discount thing on MAC etc- but really...Unless that's the demographic you want (older women, mom's) I wouldn't go with them..GWP time is a pain in the ass...And I don't know it just doesn't seem like fun. I know a few sephora employees who hate it, but I think it would depend on where you are located...What state are you in if you don't mind my asking? I know here, it's looked at as a joke to work at Sephora. In my mall the girls there are not at all looked at as makeup artists. I'm really not trying to offend anyone who works at Sephora on here...I'm just saying in my mall people look at Sephora girls (well, they're all older) as biatches who know nothing about what they sell..again- not trying to be mean at all that's just how it is in my mall. Well, and all of them around me..Must have one BADDD DM. . As for BE, we have some crazy customers. And since it's such a different concept, a lot of people are coming in who have no idea how to use the products. I like it though, the makeup itself is great. You get a lot of different types of people...All age groups.. It's cool because a lot of people who never wore makeup or never could because of skin conditions can have you putting makeup on them for the 1st time& it's a life changing experience...It's a warm+fuzzy feeling, hah.

I like working for BE...But let me know what state you're in, that actually makes a pretty big difference as to what kind of people you'll run into.

[YSLGuy]

The Sephora at the mall that is near where I live (one of the many malls) has a bad reputation.

People complain that it is always loud, overwhelming, dirty, unorganized etc. Plus most of the employees dont look like they would know anything about skincare or makeup as most of them are kind of dumpy.

Its not EVERY Sephora in the area, but that one in paticular is not liked very well by shoppers

[aleksis210]

^I'd like to add that I 100% agree with most of the things you both are saying, I don't take it in offense because I think I'm great at what I do, BUT yes, most of the people at Sephora have little to no experience with skincare or makeup. ALSO...just today I went into a certain Sephora and while I was looking to hand in my app. I overheard my cousin asking a lady that worked there about the two different BE kits and what the difference was and she didn't even know... I had to walk over there and tell her the diff. (and all I friggin did was look at the back of the box!!!) It most certainly depends on which Sephora it is. The one I worked at in Michigan was pretty messy, but definitely the most professional one I've been in...Another Sephora here in fla. is extremely clean BUT the people that work there are completely incompetent. I've also heard MANY stories of bad customer service. So it depends I guess on what you really want to do, Sephora is easy going, but like you two were saying the workers lack skill and knowledge. Being a freelance artist you get to do what you love, and working at a counter you get a great discount but it's harder work. I guess all of them have their pros and cons! Good luck anyway!

[YSLGuy]

^That's too bad really though.

Sounds like you would be a great assest to the store though. Did you get the job?

[aleksis210]

^The lady said she would call me next week, I'm hoping I'll get the job.. I have plenty of experience, I just hate it when everyone at sephora acts soooo stressed out and exasperated,(like I'm bugging them with my app.)especially when no one is really doing anything. lol.

[Sass E]

The Sephora where I live is VERY well kept,(AZ) its been open for maybe 6 months so it still very new to the scene. It's in a up scale mall that just opened so I think they are very conscientious of the appearance and staffing as well.
I've had a few experiences at BE counters and I actually went into a BE Botique today to get a "make under" and the gal who helped me really didn't know much. When I would ask her questions about the products, usage etc..she'd just say..uh..um I don't know why? So that was a bit discouraging. I also went into Ulta to look at products and the rep there was also very vague about the brand and really didn't know enough about it. She even told me BE doesn't sell lip liners, any lipgloss other than Buxoms and that all of their natural hair brushes were made of Boar hair. YES, boar hair. Needless to say they are made of goat and pony. I guess you all can see why I am asking for you opinions since one apple shouldn't ruin the barrel and I'd like to stay as objective as possible, if possible. I have my model demo on Monday with BE so we'll see how that goes. I just want to work with a company that has high standards, is a challenge and can utilize my talent. I'm not sure either one of these is it but I'll play it out till the end and see where that leads.
Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it.

[aleksis210]

^let us know how everything works out....good luck!

[YSLGuy]

Good luck!!

[xStarryEyedX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sass E

The Sephora where I live is VERY well kept,(AZ) its been open for maybe 6 months so it still very new to the scene. It's in a up scale mall that just opened so I think they are very conscientious of the appearance and staffing as well.
I've had a few experiences at BE counters and I actually went into a BE Botique today to get a "make under" and the gal who helped me really didn't know much. When I would ask her questions about the products, usage etc..she'd just say..uh..um I don't know why? So that was a bit discouraging. I also went into Ulta to look at products and the rep there was also very vague about the brand and really didn't know enough about it. She even told me BE doesn't sell lip liners, any lipgloss other than Buxoms and that all of their natural hair brushes were made of Boar hair. YES, boar hair. Needless to say they are made of goat and pony. I guess you all can see why I am asking for you opinions since one apple shouldn't ruin the barrel and I'd like to stay as objective as possible, if possible. I have my model demo on Monday with BE so we'll see how that goes. I just want to work with a company that has high standards, is a challenge and can utilize my talent. I'm not sure either one of these is it but I'll play it out till the end and see where that leads.
Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it.

Well, if your sephora is new and well run then that's an entirely different story. Maybe that would be a good opportunity. And as far as the lip liners& glosses we are discontinuing them and once we run out we just have to stick it out till they put the new ones out...So maybe they were out of whatever they had and she didn't know this so she thought they just didn't make any . Oh, and they're goat, pony, squirrel, and a few synthetic....Boar? Hmm.
And I'm a little confused, they're having you do a model demo? Or are you just going in to pretend to sell something?... BE doesn't do the model demo, so that's really weird. I'm sure you'll do fine if you know how to use the product, it's just weird. Again I'm totally not doubting your ability to use the product (it's really easy), it's just that the manager really shouldn't be doing that...It's not BE's hiring process.

[Sass E]

Hey all,
I did my model demo today and I nailed it..lol Because it was a short demo, I was asked to choose what portion of her face I wanted to focus on and I chose her eyes. The counter manager was my model and she had great lid space and I had my choice of colors after asking what her color preferences were. I felt really good about my explanation of the products, brushes and application techniques I was using on her. I can't remember what I used except queen phyliss and coffee bean eyeliner, wet. I was told I would be getting a call by the end of the week at the latest because there were a few more people scheduled to do their demo so I"ll post when I get the call. Thanks for you help you guys I really appreciate it.

[YSLGuy]

Sounds like it well. Good luck

[Sass E]

UPDATE: I received my call back from BE and I got the job! The offer was very generous and my training will be next week. I'm very excited and look forward to diving into this new part of my career . Thanks!! You guys are awesome for contributing to my thread and helping me out.

[SallyPal]

So how is it going at the Bare Escentuals counter at Nordstrom's? Hope it's going great for you!

SallyPal

[mslips]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aleksis210

Oh, wow, if you have an opportunity to work for Sephora DO NOT pass that up, they spoiled the shit out of me! They made me not want to work anywhere else...It was SO easy(easiest job EVERRRR). You don't have to call anyone for gifts(which seriously SUCKS). You basically get to play with makeup all day, not to mention you get a 20% off every line in the store PLUS you get 40% off Sephora brand (they have great products!). The people that I worked for/with were the nicest people
I've ever met,(this was in michigan, though) but everywhere is different! Easiest money I've ever made. Opening was a joke we just stood around drinking our coffee and closing was just washing our brushes at night. As for BE you will get sick of buffing people's faces all day. And as far as nordstrom I am about to work there, so I hope it's great! (it's impossible to work @ sephora down here ...)

20% off that's it? Ulta gives 25%, a little more but i know Sephora gives gratis a lot more! But i agree with you, its like that with Ulta...morning coffee and talking, but still doing our jobs with customers. I totally agree with the buffing of ppl's faces...omg BE this, BE that! But I love BE =D

[mslips]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sass E

The Sephora where I live is VERY well kept,(AZ) its been open for maybe 6 months so it still very new to the scene. It's in a up scale mall that just opened so I think they are very conscientious of the appearance and staffing as well.
I've had a few experiences at BE counters and I actually went into a BE Botique today to get a "make under" and the gal who helped me really didn't know much. When I would ask her questions about the products, usage etc..she'd just say..uh..um I don't know why? So that was a bit discouraging. I also went into Ulta to look at products and the rep there was also very vague about the brand and really didn't know enough about it. She even told me BE doesn't sell lip liners, any lipgloss other than Buxoms and that all of their natural hair brushes were made of Boar hair. YES, boar hair. Needless to say they are made of goat and pony. I guess you all can see why I am asking for you opinions since one apple shouldn't ruin the barrel and I'd like to stay as objective as possible, if possible. I have my model demo on Monday with BE so we'll see how that goes. I just want to work with a company that has high standards, is a challenge and can utilize my talent. I'm not sure either one of these is it but I'll play it out till the end and see where that leads.
Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it.

Good luck with the job! I know some BE reps and yes they do have high standards and they work very hard!

Omg at our Ulta we HAVE to know everything about BE..we get so many trainings...mainly those who work in prestige have the have BE instilled on our minds so, too bad that happened to you. You probably got a girl who didn't work in prestige or was new. I have so much knowledge on BE, it's the most popular makeup brand at Ulta.

[Sass E]

SallyPal, I actually left BE, today was my last day. The most I'll say about the experience is that is just was not for me. I L-O-V-E BE products and did learn a lot but I am disappointed it was not the experience or environment I was looking for.

MsLips, The girl at our ULTA isn't well trained in BE and that's disappointing because the product is fantastic and I think she could sell a lot more if her training was more thourough. She's a sweet girl and I go and see her anytime I'm in there but I know she's only limited by what she's been taught so that's really an issue for BE to work on with her so she's equipped with the correct information. I think the management at ULTA limits her training so that might be an issue as well.

Thanks for the advice and the great energy in this thread, it's much appreciated.... I'm currently interviewing with another line, I'll post about it when it's finalized.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

[xcutiepie331x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sass E

SallyPal, I actually left BE, today was my last day. The most I'll say about the experience is that is just was not for me. I L-O-V-E BE products and did learn a lot but I am disappointed it was not the experience or environment I was looking for.

MsLips, The girl at our ULTA isn't well trained in BE and that's disappointing because the product is fantastic and I think she could sell a lot more if her training was more thourough. She's a sweet girl and I go and see her anytime I'm in there but I know she's only limited by what she's been taught so that's really an issue for BE to work on with her so she's equipped with the correct information. I think the management at ULTA limits her training so that might be an issue as well.

Thanks for the advice and the great energy in this thread, it's much appreciated.... I'm currently interviewing with another line, I'll post about it when it's finalized.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

If you don't mind me asking, what was it that you didnt like about working for BE? I'm just curious because I applied at Macys, and it is possible that I can be sent to work at that counter if I am hired.

[SallyPal]

I'm curious as well as to what you didn't like about it. It sounds like the training might not have been very thorough for you. My question is how well can BE do at the Nordstrom counter with all the competing brands around plus the Ulta/Sephora boutiques. At any rate I'm sure you'll do well at your next line. You're obviously very passionate and knowledgeable about makeup!

[Sass E]

Cutiepie331....the chances of you being placed at the BE counter is 50/50..generally those counters are independently managed by BE not Macys. When I was with them we were BE employees not Nordstrom employees, I had to apply and interview with BE. We hired on our own, Nordstrom was not involved at all, I'm not sure if that is the case where you are but generally thats how counters are run in the department stores.

SallyPal, yes, clients would bring that up all the time..how we were oversaturated in the market and what were we doing in Nordstrom since we did have a BE boutique in the same mall as our Nordstrom counters. Actually Nordstrom asked BE to come in because the clientelle was asking for the brand... at least that's what I was told. We don't have any "exclusives" like we should at the Nordstrom BE counters so basically it's the people that make the difference. Thanks for the positive energy, I'm job hunting now and have an interview with a really phenomenal line.. I'm very excited.