Sephora Skincare Basics Class

Last Sunday, I left my house barefaced and headed to Mayfair Mall for a 9 a.m. class at Sephora. I had always wanted to try one of their free classes before, but could never get a seat! I randomly came across the skincare basics class a couple of weeks ago and there were spots available, so I reserved one right away. Sephora Beauty Insiders have the best selection of classes available to them, but there are some classes available for non-beauty insiders.

A Sephora staff member called me the day before class and told me to come without makeup on, but I seemed to be the only person who did that. Maybe the other women were just naturally pretty and I feel self-conscious without makeup on!

Here is the class description from the Sephora site: Understand your skin type and exactly what kind of skincare it needs. Start with Skincare iQ to select the right products, then get your routine down to a science—from cleansing and removing makeup to savvy application techniques for masks, serums, moisturizers, SPF, and BB creams.

The Sephora staff were excellent, helpful and great teachers. They helped us identify our foundation colors with the Color IQ and our skincare type with the Skincare IQ. I was glad they identified my foundation color when I had no makeup on because they matched me at a 2Y05 and the last time I had it done, the color was off because I had makeup already applied.

It was a hands-on class that involved cleansing the skin with cleansing oils, applying a mask (I tried the Fresh Rose one because I need more moisture in winter), and moisturizing. You could take notes on a sheet they provided that walked students through the following steps: cleanse, treat, moisturize, protect and perfect.

I took notes throughout the presentation and thought I'd share them with you. 

• Cleansing oils are hot right now--they break down makeup really well. I've been using the Boscia Makeup Breakup oil for a couple of months and love it. Another class participant said she likes using oil with her Clarisonic and I hadn't thought of paring the two before, so I started trying that out this past week.
• If you have acne, they advise taking your makeup off and then using a cleanser especially made for breakouts. Ren is one brand they recommended.
• I see a dermatologist and the main teacher said that whatever my doctor prescribes for topical cream takes priority over other treatments I could purchase over the counter. 
• To remove your eye makeup, soak a cotton pad with the remover, put the pad on your eyes for 5-10 seconds, then wipe away very carefully. The skin under your eyes is very thin and prone to aging quickly, so be careful when cleaning that area.
• A Clarisonic can clean your skin 6 times better than traditional methods. FOREO from Scandinavia is a new sonic technology product on the market. 
• Masks: favorite brands of the Sephora staff were Glamglow, Peter Thomas Roth and Fresh. 
• People with large pores (unfortunately, me) experience a slower aging process (fortunately, me). There's always good and bad sides to everything I guess!
• Exfoliating powders are something that are new to me. I purchased a Boscia one after the class was over. They also recommended this one from Peter Thomas Roth. 

• Serums and essences: there is a new serum from Clinique out on the market that took 10 years to make. It's called the Smart Custom-Repair Serum. 
• When you apply moisturizer to your skin, pat it on instead of rubbing it in. Because I have acne prone skin, they recommended using something oil-free. I tried the Kate Somerville Oil-Free moisturizer in class.
• I heard this from my dermatologist recently and am constantly reading this fact. The majority of your aging will result from sun exposure, so make sure to use sunscreen, even in winter!

Class ended at about 10:30 a.m. so they could prep the store for opening that day. One more thing to note--the Sephora staff did not pressure us to purchase anything, nor did they favor one brand. They don't work on commission, so that's a nice aspect of shopping there. 

I felt weird walking around the mall without makeup on, but I came back for a complimentary makeover that I redeemed for being a Sephora VIB member! I enjoyed learning a few things during the application too. My eyes were really smoky and cool when we were done, but I didn't get a great photo of my makeup to show you.

Interested in attending the Sephora Skincare Basics class and have questions? Leave me a comment and I'll answer them! 

I'd highly recommend the class, even if you think you know a lot about beauty and read about it as much as I do. It would be really fun to do with a teenage daughter or female friends!