Terrible. I went today to return a gift I received. The return went smoothly enough, but when I walked around the store to find an item that I wanted, I noticed they are out of everything. Everything! The store was a disaster, prices weren't marked, salespeople standing around talking to one another. I decided to just purchase the item that I wanted on Sephora.com instead of spending another minute in the store. And then I realized that the cashier gave me a receipt for store credit, which cannot be used online. Why wasn't I given my return in the form of a gift card? Ugh. read more

Always love a Sephora. This one was huge and all the staff was super helpful. No complaints. read more

SEPHORA - Ahhhhh sephora - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I must be the outlier here on Yelp because all the other Sephora makeup lovers are pleased with Tyson's and not-as-much with Pentagon's Sephora. I am the opposite.I can never find anyone to help me at the Sephora in Tyson's Corner! But I enjoy coming to this location and always get very helpful, very friendly advice. I've gone through the trouble of doing the online survey for two employees who went above and beyond in helping me, and another yesterday I should have done the same with but she was a rep (so I don't think they can be put on the official Sephora survey). Love this Sephoa. It is my happy place. read more

Oh, Sephora! Why must you follow me around the store in hot pursuit when I need something as basic as one cover stick?! I enter the store and take a moment to pause and breathe in the aroma of brand new cosmetics when.. May I help you? MAY I HELP YOU?! (This is what you sound like when you approach me in those tacky sales uniforms. Tres annoying!) I select the proper shade of cover stick. God forbid I decide to wander over to a different section of the store to browse before I check out. Oh no! What's this? I've wandered into someone else's sales territory? Do you idiots work on commission? Or are you just jaded from 13-year-olds shoplifting? In any case, I pick up a bottle of bubble bath to examine it and it all happens again. May I help you? MAY I HELP YOU?! (Do you realize how frustrating you are? If I wanted your help, I sure as hell would have asked for it by now.) Annoyed, I set the bubble bath down. I'm not paying 30+ dollars for it. Ridic. But, oh yes.. I forgot I needed an extra lipstick. I saunter over to the front of the store and look for Tobago, my favorite shade. Suddenly.. May I help you? MAY I HELP YOU?! (You have *got* to be kidding me.) May I buy my lipstick in peace? Must I have the makeup gestapo following me all over the store? I'm a grown woman and am pretty well set in my mind on what products I like. So long, Sephora in Pentagon City Mall. You guys are just a wee bit too intense for me. I doubt I'll ever be back. read more

Do I review chains?? Not really. But sometimes the only thing that gets my through a bad experience is pre-writing my Yelp review in my head. So there I was- with no space to breath or move.. thinking- I will have to write something about this, albeit a chain. CRAMPED! WOW. uncomfortable. the aisles are 1 way.. and there are too many twists and turns to make it navigable. The employees are friendly and will help you. I can see the store is trying to put some order in there with signs like "hello beautiful, the register line doesn't start here". The signage is somewhat helpful in the chaos. Won't visit again-- this was on a Sunday evening, so I'd hate to be there on a Saturday. read more

I do love this place, haven't been to the Georgetown one for fear my bank account might go negative since there's more stuff there. I'm the kind of person that when having a bad day i go shopping, but not for shoes for make up! Went in yesterday, looking for new eyeshadows and started wondering around looking at lipstick and while looking at the Kat Von D line one of the sephora girls came up to me and suggested I try a red, or perhaps a hot pink like the one she was wearing. She suggested the hellbent and Im in love with it. damn it, i should of gotten her name, she was wonderful and so was the cashier with the big flower ring ;] read more

Listen I totally totally totally UNDERSTAND how it is to work in cosmetics, I understand how it is being a woman of COLOR in cosmetics you deal with all types of bias and nasty ppl. Or you just maybe having a bad day. Well Ms.Imani please do not take that out on me. This young lady was so nasty to me it was just sad. Such a pretty girl but the way she comes off is nuts. Just cause you have a smile on your face doesn't mean that your nice, it's about how you sound and the tone you respond to ppl. read more

I love sephora in general, but this store is terrible. Majority of the staff don't know crap about make-up. Last time I booked an appointment to find a new foundation and it was a waste of time. I seriously just wanted to get out of there. The girl completely ignored what i told her and pushed "HER FAVORITE PRODUCTS". She told me the foundation was amazing and blah blah blah. So no consideration for the client. Also she sucks at foundation matching, even with the Color IQ. I got the foundation because I was in desperate need, but as the day went my face felt so sticky and the foundation was moving/cracking & it wasn't my color. I looked so Orange. Its so annoying, and I think this store needs to do a better job and hiring make up artists. I returned the foundation the next day. I was looking around the store and I asked questions about foundations and none of the people I asked helped me at all. Everything was "i'll be with you" or "okay hold on". Thats very rude. I will never trust anyone there with my make-up. read more

I am a frequent shopper here and have received generally good service. That's until I met PAVEA today, who is A-MAZING and blew all other visits out of the water. PAVEA listened to what I was looking for (a new look) and gave me a makeover that completely surpassed my expectations. She was honest, frank, very knowledgeable, and overall a very fun person to work with. She shared different methods that work for my features and recommended great products. This is by far the best makeover I've had and urge you to go see her. She will not disappoint! read more

Best experience EVER. So this is my first time ever stepping into a Sephora. I've never really been big on makeup, never had a Mac anything. I'm more of a CVS or RiteAid lipgloss, eyeliner and mascara IF its on sale chic. Anywho, I'm getting older, my skin and texture is changing and gravity is setting in and I almost ripped my eye lid off this morning trying to apply eyeliner on with one I've had that hardened after probably 6 years of sitting in my drawer. I happen to be at Pentagon City Mall and walked in just for foundation. I met Sean who is UHHHMAZING. Man does he know his shit!! Didn't waste my time, didn't oversell me, gave me tips and educated me soo much. Yes I did spend more then I would have at CVS, but you get what you pay for. He knows his products and hooked us up with samples!! Sean, I will gladly travel from Germantown anytime to see you again thank you!!!!! read more

Update: IDK What happened, but I must say, the customer service has definitely stepped their game up. Everyone has been very helpful...now if they could just get some of those customers to get control of their children, I would be a very happy girl. Some little girl (one who was old enough to know better) was running around the store with eyeliner and lipstick. I had to move remove her from my presence before she stained my clothes. Mom was no where to be found. read more

2 words: Customer Service Something this store does not have! What the heck?? How can you be in pentagon city mall and have such rude and worthless employees working in this Sephora??! No one helps you or greets you, if you go to Tyson's Sephora there is literally a door greeter there with a welcoming smile to assist people. Like come on now, get it together! Last time I was in, I literally had no one ask me if I needed help, I had to go find someone and she just pointed out where to go and offered no knowledge on the products because she wasn't "familiar" with those brands. Ummm, but you work here.... So I helped myself and even assisted a woman who needed help deciding on a setting powder. I mean who else was gonna help her! Not to worry, I'll be expecting my paycheck from Sephora to be arriving soon. Needless to say, I'll avoid this store at all costs, too much attitude from wanna be makeup artists who can't even do a correct shade match. Over it. read more

Used to be excited about Sephora- this location in Pentagon is terrible- always out of stock in every line!!!!! Staff doesn't know much- always doing someone's makeup- why don't they purchase enough stock???? Went to Sephora at Mohegan sun in Connecticut and you wouldn't believe they were the same chain- beautiful and CLEAN products- newest colors and lines- my sister and I spent a small fortune- even after losing at the tables- Clean this store, get more stock, hire nicer staff and don't always be out of everything- have ceased coming here . read more

The customer service is horrible. Stood looking at makeup and none of the staff members asked if I need assistance. I asked someone for help and she said one minute. The minute came and went so I left read more

Rudest employees I've ever met (especially the manager) after trying to exchange an item they claimed that I could not return it while Sephora's policy clearly states otherwise. If I could give this store zero stars I would, the manager gave me the worst attitude and refused to provide me with a bag to put the items I wanted to return. Beyond horrible service !! read more

I think I may have been to about 15 Sephora's in the US....The one in Las Vegas and in Burlingame, CA being my top two choices! The Pentagon City Mall is called the "Fashion Center at Pentagon City" so my expectations are just a little higher for this location. This store is small and does not carry the full line that Sephora sells. Often things have been damaged by other customers but are still up for sale. The store is busy and seems a little overwhelmed. A little more space might help this location live up to the Sephora name. Check out my blog on some free tools you could get at Sephora! http://copycatcosmetics.blogspot.com/2010/06/free-tools.html read more

So as I was dragging my tired son back from the National Mall to the Pentagon City Mall where I had parked, I realized that I could probably get the Tend Skin I had run out of at Sephora. It turns out that they no longer carry it. When I asked if they knew somewhere that did have it, one of the sales persons suggested I try something else they carried. It was Jack Black brand, about which I have heard good things, but I was still skeptical. I told her that I had been using Tend Skin for the past decade, so I was wondering if the had a money back guarantee. The sales person then got defensive and obnoxious and told me that she would make a personal guarantee, I should just try it for a week. Later she told me I have 30 days. So I really don't know if is a personal or Sephora guarantee, but I do know I really don't need to be treated like that. read more

Went in this afternoon with hopes of finding my shade for Fenty Beauty. I did however, everything was SOLD OUT... even online. I was able to get my shade number via Color IQ and set up an alert for whenever a new stock became available, all in the store. Also, they were giving out free facials. I had a one-on-one consult with Portia. She personally hand picked out facial products to use and explained what everything did in detail. I've done my research on those suggested products. All good reviews and she knows skin of color. If you ever need a good mini-facial, make sure you go see her. read more

Wow...I normally love Sephora and spend a good amount of money there per month....not this time though. I was up near DC, so I figured I'd stop in here and peruse. I was greeted by a lovely young lady at the door and then went back to go find the specific thing I was looking for. The store was utter chaos. Women, children and associates running around like chickens with their heads cut off...which is to be expected I suppose as it was a Saturday. I waited to flag an associate down in front of the Urban Decay display as they were out of the item I had come for. An associate said she would be back to help me, but after 10 minutes it seemed like that was not going to happen. I then flagged down another associate and asked her if they had the item I wanted in stock or if she could recommend another one (which, you know...is HER JOB.) She looked me up and down, said an exasperated "NO!" and then walked away....What the heck is that?!!??! I then ran over to the Too Faced section, and again they were out of the product from that brand I wanted. So I left and I don't think I'll ever return to this location. Wasn't even worth the $2 I had to pay to park in the garage. They need to overhaul their associates here and get either more in there or bring in new people who actually care about their job and the services they provide. P.S. I promptly left Arlington and on my way home went to the Sephora in Potomac Mills' JC Penney. I got everything I needed and of course had an awesome experience. read more

This location was kind of small and shaped a bit awkward. Since it was during the holiday rush, it was really a nightmare to get in and out of. I don't have anything bad to say about the sales people as they tried to help. However it was a bit unpleasant of an experience getting what I needed and getting out of there. If I had a choice I would prefer to go to the one in Tysons Corner instead. read more

I have visiting this store for about a year now, and about a year ago I would have agreed with the negative reviews about the customer service as this location. However, the past few months the customer service has greatly improved, when I enter the store someone always greets me or asks if I need any help. Even when I brought my Aunt to look at skincare products, a sales associate helped her decide between products from multiple brands (and even made her some samples). During my most recent visit I misplaced my Iphone on one of the displays in the store. One of the associates was kind enough to not just contact management, but also lend me her phone so that I could use "Find my Iphone" to locate it. While this location is a little more cramped, I definitely enjoy shopping at this Sephora. I also don't think it is completely deserving of some of the hate it has gotten due to its size or what it is like during peak hours when teenagers roam the mall. All in all, I will continue to shop here unless I move out of the area. read more

I scheduled an appointment to get my makeup done at Sephora. It is a 45 minute one on one session and is free with a purchase of $50. Emerald did my makeup and I was beyond thrilled with the results. She took her time, explained things, and didn't try to push products on me to purchase. My suggestion is anytime you're going to Sephora and you know you're going to spend $50, why not get your makeup done at the same time? read more

First off I would like to think the awesome Emarld for helping me out today I normally go to Mac for all my cosmetics but I wanted to try something different today I went in on a schedule appointment I did not have to wait she was very friendly and extremely helpful and now I must say that I'm down at Sephora girl I will also like to give a shout out to Brittany for setting my appointment she was very helpful read more

I don't wear makeup so I'm as clueless as a straight dude (thanks Thomas S for the clarification :) walking into this store. I came in today on a mission to find the Bathina Shower Cap by Benefit. I have a redonkolous amount of hair that I (a) probably shouldn't wash daily or (b) don't always have the time to wash and blowdry daily. When I was visiting my NYCBFF back in Feb, she let me use her Benefit shower cap and it was incredible. Plenty of room to cover all of my hair when it's twisted up into a large wad on the top of my head and the band is tight but comfortable. It doesn't "ride up" - ladies, you know what I'm talking about. Nary a wet strand on my head after the shower. Finding the shower cap at Sephora made my morning. read more

I usually go to Ulta but decided to try Sephora. The first time I went in I asked an employee if they carry NYX products. She LAUGHED at me and told me to try a drug store. That was a few months ago. Today I decided to give it another try. There were two employees standing by the door not doing anything. When I approached one of them to ask for help she acted as if I had interrupted something she was doing (please note- if I had interrupted something I would understand, but I definitely did not, she was standing by the door to help customers) and when I asked for her advice about a product she pointed to the other side of the store, told me the name of a brand, and walked away. So, after two extremely disappointing visits, I will not be returning to Sephora. Maybe the drug store where I can get NYX will have better customer service. read more

I love this Sephora. This location had the best customer service in the DC area. When I go here, I always find what I want and need. Their displays are neat and they have almost every brand that your heart desires. I simply love this place and they are great at suggesting alternatives to things you may be looking for but are out of stock. read more

Bad experience with a makeup artist. I asked for help to find a foundation to use on my sensitive skin. She suggested a brand I'd never used but was willing to try. After she painted a mask on me ( in the wrong shade) I asked if she would recommend a different brand. Them she ARGUED with me about my request! I was willing to try any price point for a good match but she insisted this was the only option in the entire store for me. I'm not planning to return to this location again. read more

You're better off shopping online or at least at a different location. This one is a mess. The inventory is often low, if not totally depleted, the staff is thin and when you do find someone to help, they generally seem distracted and aren't particularly knowledgeable. I went in today to purchase my regular moisturizer (which I had purchased several times at the very same store). When I didn't see it, I asked the manager, who was clueless and asked another associate to help. That alone took 6 minutes. When the other associate finally showed up, she insisted that they'd never carried the product I was looking for, despite the fact that I told her that I'd purchased it there in the past. It wasn't until I spied a much smaller container of it in a combo pack that the manager opened the drawer and found an old tester. And then they said they didn't have any more and suggested that i look online. WTF??? Who works here? Me or you? I got a similar response when I inquired about both a body oil and an eyebrow pencil I'd wanted. If they are just going to send you to sephora.com, why bother opening the store? My experience at the register was equally unpleasant. The woman was extremely curt and appeared to be more focused on moving the line along than on providing good customer service. I love Sephora. Just not this one. I'll be making my purchases online from now on. read more

Okay, so Sephora has pretty much any makeup known to man...or should I say woman?.... It is a little overwhelming when you first walk in, but once you figure out the layout it is GREAT! I would definently recommend them for your one stop makeup shopping needs. read more

I am a loyal sephora fan I have accumulated 10,000 points Which means I buy ALOT Now, moving to Alexandria VA, my easiest choice is to get Sephora products online Or to go to Pentagon City Mall ( which is a depressing mall in my opinion) Now back to my review of the store, the first time I went into Sephora I was asked if I need help right at the perfume section to a woman who was actually grumpy I said no thanks I am browsing in a friendly tone ( because after all and regardless of the sales attitude, I am in my favourite place choosing to buy my favourite items) - I kept browsing to find later that this grumpy was surrounded by three other sales associates and they were all looking at me! Kind of laughing Well, I chose to ignore it And walked to the long line of check out and payed a hefty $700 for my purchases without trying any of if- because no one was available at the makeup sections ( probably all chatting with this grumpy red headed employee with frizzy hair) Yesterday I was back to return some of the things I bought ( a total of $130 with two items tried and three completely untouched) When I reached the point in line to talk to a check out clerk it was the same grumpy woman, and despite her being so nice to the woman before me, she totally switched to grumpy mode when she saw me approaching her ( I promise you I am not paranoid or suffer of prosecution mania)- without asking me a thing, she started nervously opening the packs of makeup I put POLITELY in front of her and asked to return them- to save her time as she was struggling to open packages, I told her these two items were tried and the others were not opened ! She snapped and in an authoritative tone told me that she has to check everything No problem , I started checking my emails for 7 minutes while she inspected the items I was returning in a manner that can only be suitable for security officers at airports ( searching a terrorist suitcase- that is how I felt) Based on the two visits to Sephora pentagon City and the lovely attitude I got from the same Sales Help, I hardly see myself going back On top of the that, the store itself is poorly stocked with a lot of missing unorganised merchandise In total, it is a waste of money and a not friendly help Maybe younger well trained staff will be acting happy and willing to help customers more than the older generation ( just a thought) As I have frequented Sephora stores in so many countries, and was always delighted to find sales very enthusiastic about what they are selling - except for Sephora in Pentagon City read more

I truly wish it were possible to give 0 stars. The customer service that I received at this store yesterday (or lack of) was appalling. The store is beautiful but the employees were rude and seemed intentionally evasive. I asked several employees for assistance with finding a concealer and they just kept standing around talking to each other or pointed me in the direction of the concealer with no further assistance. The cashier Imani was especially rude. She didn't even greet me when I walked up to the counter, just grabbed my items and started ringing them up while she proceeded to gossip with the cashier next to her. At that point I asked for a manager. The manager was apologetic and professional. However, I wasted 45 minutes of my life in this store and ended up leaving without any concealer. read more

ARG why is this location so horrible?! I'm a huge Sephora fan and have been for years, so at this point, I've visited a lot of their stores. The Pentagon City location is by far the worst. I called to ask about their express service makeovers (have been thinking about a new eye routine). I make an appt and go to the store. I walked up to the checkout area (where I was told to go over the phone) and the women look at me like I'm crazy...they have no clue why I'm there. Once I get it across to them that I made an appt for an express makeover, the lady tries to make me buy a $50 gift card. Umm no...that is for the full makeover. I almost bought it just because I wanted to get on with it, but out of principal, I didn't. So through this whole process, she's completely rude and incompetent. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT THE MAKEOVERS?! Anyways...it just proceeded to go downhill from there. The woman who did my eyes didn't listen at all (I wanted an every day, work look...I got a standing on the street corner at night look instead). The way the express makeover works is that they do one eye, you do the other. As I start, she starts huffing that I'm doing it all wrong. She was so rude and you could totally tell that she didn't want to be there. At that point I just wanted to leave, so I made it pretty clear that we were done and promptly headed off to Macy's to wash my face. read more

I had a great experience here with my friend looking for under eye concealer. I don't know the name of the girl who assisted us but she had a tattoo on her foot. She was very knowledgeable and took the time to help us find the right product. read more

If your Latin or black, the staff in the Sephora at the Pentagon City location will fallow you around. I can't wait for the Old Town Alexandria's location will open soon and hope it is different there. It is not cool to have the three same people follow you around and try to peep in the basket see the item still in the basket. Also, it also pretty obvious I can hear what they saying since the mic is loud. I'm a long-time customer and a Vib Rouge so that means I spend a lot of money. The Pentagon city location needs customer service training. read more

Sephora is pretty awesome particularly for the clueless (like me) who have trouble keeping track of the latest girly stuff.... I got some great help trying to find organic skin-care lines. The fact that they have a money-back gurantee helps a lot because it allows me to buy things that I otherwise would not have (for fear of wasting a hundred bucks on some skincare line that didn't work). I am in early 20s so I can only recommend the organic clear skin kits. Boscia: is gentle and probably better for those whose skin needs a gentle, low strength formula. After a month of using it and having okay results, my skin seemed to get used to it and it stopped working well... Juice Beauty - I just bought Juice Beauty's line....the clear skin kit is pretty awesome. Within a day of using it, my skin looked all glowly (and not oily like it usually looks during the humid summers here). The moisturizer is a little unncessary because the blemish serum is enough. I only wish that it had spf. Haven't tried the peel but everyone raves about it so I can't wait to! Minus one star for the saleswoman not knowing very much about hair straighteners, but I bought the one that she recommended and even though it doesn't have as many features as the other $200+ ones, it is still pretty good. But this location might not be the best for enochlophobics or anyone who hates tourists because the mall is rather crowded. Skilled evasive maneuvering is required to get around the tourist/school kids in their matching t-shirts! read more

Not coming back to this location. I love Sephora but this location in particular. The staff are so unfriendly. After I had my Beauty IQ done, I asked the salesman to help me pick out a setting powder. He then told another staffer, and she said he didn't have to and that everything I needed was in my Beauty IQ. Umm, okay then. I didn't know of any and wanted one recommended to me -_-. The salesman also seemed pretty clueless and awkward. Everything felt rushed. Sephora really needs to pick better people to represent their company. read more

I love this branch of Sephora in Pentagon City Mall. The customer service from the ladies and gentlemen are great!! Excellent products and always you can get free samples!! I will recommend to shop there, I love all their products!!! read more

This Sephora has a nice selection, but the service is very MEH. I have been a VIB for a year now and just 'renewed' my membership - I love Sephora as a whole, but this location is not up to par. I'll attempt to explain. One of the things I appreciate about Sephora (well, most Sephoras) is the willingness of the employees to listen to what you need, make suggestions, help you test various products, etc. Sephora is semi-pricy and if I'm spending that much money, I'd rather have some help/try multiple brands instead of grabbing whatever off the shelf and hoping for the best. That being said, I'd only recommend this Sephora if you know exactly what you want, aka you've been using the same foundation for ten years and need a refill. I have never gotten decent help from anyone here, ever. They rush you to the max IF you are lucky to find an employee to help you at all. They don't listen to what you're looking for (I literally explained to an employee exactly what I did/didn't like in a certain type of product looking for a suggestion, and she vaguely pointed off in some section saying 'well maybe try that one' and walked away). Rudeness and attitude seem to be the norm at this location. I enjoy browsing here, but if I actually need help to purchase something, I'll go to Tysons instead. read more

Okay, if this were a review of Sephora in general, I would give it 5+ stars. Since it's a review of this particular store, I have to knock off at least one. It is small and cramped, carrying only a fraction of the products available on their website, and maneuvering through the aisles can be a real hassle on weekends or during high traffic times. I don't know what you call those little stations at the end of the aisles with the makeup remover and alcohol and applicators, but they are usually a mess and half the time need to be refilled. Besides that, the products are well presented, staff are mostly friendly, and of course, being Sephora, it simply rocks. (I could go on ad nauseam on this point...) read more

If every sephora was like the one at this location, they would be out of business. The place is small, cramped, and poorly laid out. Which makes looking for products unenjoyable. This is the type of store you want to get in and out of as fast as possible. Also, they were way overstaffed so at the end of every end cap was an employee making it even harder to navigate around the store and not be bothered every 20 seconds with the same question. It was also kinda messy. It seemed like there was a lot of khaos. Lastly, the product selection was not nearly as good as other locations. It was a lot smaller and seemed even a little outdated. That is the main reason I am giving this location a bad rating. I love sephora (I'm V.I.B.), but go to a different location or better yet, buy it online. read more