SEPHORA STILL SURPRISE? MONDAYS WITH MEG!

Target is supposed to start carrying Bourjous, which is technically a drugstore line outside of the U.S. Also, Target will be carrying a new lower end line of Jemma Kidd make-up (JK by Jemma Kidd), surprisingly it's around MAC pricing. P.S. Can we have a Target column... I spend hours in there finding all kinds of great stuff (have you seen their work-out gear? Or their awesome deals on Ritter Sport marzipan?). Getting back on topic, I don't understand why Sephora bothers carrying some of the dept. store lines (esp. the ones that have GWPs) I would prefer more hard to find European & Asian brands & artisan created perfumes. Oh and they need to beef up the beauty insider program, I practically pay rent at Sephy (like the rest of you I would imagine) getting a dinky "deluxe" sample every time I spend $100 (like once a month & I'm a "poor" college student!) is kind of insulting.

It bums me out too that it's getting harder and harder for smaller companies to get a piece of the action. I think, in a purely logistical and economical sense, as Sephora has grown larger and more widespread in the U.S. they've been forced to move towards brands that are able to produce and distribute on a widespread level and had to part ways with those that couldn't. I also think (know) that the insides of Sephora have changed with some key departures and the newer entourage is perhaps not as loyal to the fundamentals with which Sephora was estabalished in the U.S. And as for that picture, Miss Mega, YOWZA!

Meg- could you be any more stunning? Seriously? I'm not kidding, that picture lit up my whole day when I saw it- not easy to do at 6:30 AM when you're not a morning person! I often look to Meg's whenever I'm trying a new product that I'm not sure about; and I can't tell you how many brands I've been introduced to simply through Meg's: Cat Cosmetics, Boscia, Caudalie, TheBalm... and don't even get me started on the perfumes I've gotten the chance to try as a reviewer! it's even helped me find a few of my HG products, like my beloved Mint Julep Face Masque! I do agree that Sephora seems to be phasing out little guys like Bourjois and Napoleon Perdis, but they're also bringing in newer but still lesser-known brands: Tricia Sawyer, Nude Skincare, nvey eco... even though Kevyn Aucoin is a big name in cosmetics, I still hadn't heard of him until he showed up on Sephora.com. Still, I hope they don't phase out all the current smaller brands: I like TheBalm, on10, Pop Beauty, Sugar, Hard Candy... the list goes on.

Meg, you are absolutely stunning in this photo, wowza! I love the discovery of great indie beauty brands, and have discovered many of my favorites (Alison Raffaele, The Balm, Suki) right here at Megs. Many, many thanks to all of you who contribute here.

I agree with both, I love to find the new smaller lines, and after being a tester here I have fallen in love with so many..smashbox, cat, tarte, Nars, HardCandy....and I am sure there are more, so I hope they will keep these and be open to new ones too. I feel like I can go to Macys or Nordstorms if I want Mac or Clinique...And the other thing I agree with is Meg looks HOT! I always loved you in red!! Beautiful pic lady!!

Certainly, this is exactly the reason why I count on MEGSMAKEUP.com and the beauty reviews of the community on this site. How else would I discover new products or learn their merits.Nowadays (is that actually a word? - crap, I sound like my mother), we are all so "marketed to" that its hard to really tell what is real, what really works and what is just another neatly packaged bottle of snake oil.Sephora is just another distribution channel that is equally susceptible to the ebbs and flows of the marketplace (ie, supply and demand) as any other business. They are doing what they have to do to make a buck just like anyone else. As consumers, we have to use whatever outlet we can to be heard -- which is why I am hanging out here and taking a few minutes to add my two cents (and enjoying a nice glass of Penfold's Shiraz Cabernet btw). MEGSMAKEUP.com is the perfect platform for people who care about products to share their opinions and be influential. Hopefully a marketing executive over there at Sephora is paying attention and reading this RIGHT NOW!!!Love you Meg... you are rad and thank you for creating this place for lovers of lipstick (all shades, even coral).

first of all stop looking so hot meg!!!!!!!!!!!!just kidding-you look awesome-you are our fearless leader! if you were homely i guess we would be scared to take your advice! lol! i practically pay rent at sephora also. i hate their little "prizes" it seems like they should have a better loyalty program.i do appreciate being able to "play" without pesky salespeople.i am so sad about losing some of the cool indie brands to clinique of all things!!! i am not 16 i don't want to look at clinique! i am going to new york in a few weeks and there is a 2 story sephora down the street from the hotel. i will check everything out! i will visit space nk again-i see they have a new location in the city. and i am googling looking for new places in manhattan to find obscure cosmetics. any ideas girls? i need to go there in person and pay cash so the hubster doesn't realize that i have an addiction! my fellow ariline crewmembers go to plays or something cultural and they look at me like i am crazy when i say i am shopping for obscure makeup! they just don't understand!carol b

I agree with everything you say Meg. But I still have to give them some credit because, some of the tried and true brands are still maintaining the ability to make me think (exclamation points included) COOL!!!!!!