I have been to many Sephora locations. I am a VIB Rouge member. I spend A LOT of money shopping at Sephora. They are my #1 go-to for makeup, perfume, and face products. I love the benefits of being a Rouge member. With that said... ...The Costa Mesa Sephora caters to the people who appear to be wealthy and well dressed. I have conducted multiple experiments on the quality of their customer service on many different occasions. --- Scenario A: I dressed down. I wore Jeans, a casual T-shirt, no makeup, flats, my hair up in a pony, and carried my phone/wallet. Every time I dressed and presented myself this way the customer service was absolutely horrendous. They barely say hi, or ask me if I need any help. If they do ask and I get help it is for an extremely limited amount of time. ---However--- Scenario B: When I wore a dress (or blouse and nice pants), heels, a handbag, and full makeup with my hair done I was treated like royalty. It was like a red carpet had been rolled out for me. --- After experiencing this on accident a few times I decided to conduct my own little experiment. Go to Sephora looking like plane Jane (scenario A) and you will be looked over. Go to Sephora looking like you just stepped off the runway (scenario B) and you will be treated like the Hollywood elite. It never failed. A few times while conducting experiment 'A' I decided to tell them that I was VIB Rouge. Their eyes widened and they perked right up and said "Really?!?!" As if they were in total shock and disbelief. This never failed. They never asked me if I was VIB Rouge. I always had to tell them. When I conducted experiment 'B' I was at least asked if I was VIB and a few times I was asked if I was VIB Rouge. When I responded to both with "yes, I'm VIB Rouge," they were not at all surprised. They simply said that was good and seemed pleased to hear it. --- So my message to Sephora is... You need to clean up your customer service!!! You never know who may be avoiding your stores or conducting experiments or who may even be a secret shopper (rating your performance)!!! Be kind to all of your customers, or you just might start losing them!!!!! --- Two stars seems generous after I leave without my make up and in my casual attire (scenario A). I must say for a beauty store you sure know how to make someone feel un-pretty. After leaving Sephora (scenario B) I feel a whole lot better, but my makeup-less scenario A self reminds the currently made-up scenario B self how awful she felt when she was 'A'. So I'm slightly torn and give only a mere 2 stars. --- Bottom line: If you want to be treated well... Then dress up and wear makeup and heels. If you don't care how poorly you're treated then wear whatever casual attire you want. read more

5 Stars for Friends and Family time...the best time of the year to get your makeup goodies or even fragrance etc. at 20% off!! Not even the high end department stores, with the exception of Saks Fifth Avenue @ 10% off during their FnF offer this. Sephora is awesome and plus I love how everything is displayed outside so you can try the product before you purchase it. If you order online, you get free samples and free shipping over $50. How awesome is that! read more

I asked to get matched to a foundation to wear on my wedding day, I usually am really good at buying the correct color without help but this was going to be for my wedding so I wanted it to be perfect. Well my skin tone is tan/olive with a warm/ yellow undertone but was matched to a pink and cool tone foundation, seriously?!I had to return it and was told I couldn't get my $$ back since I was matched and needed to spend over $50 so I could only exchange, yet no one told me about this $50 minimum for getting matched to a foundation. read more

I love Sephora. I have always had the best experience at a Sephora store. They are so knowledgeable on the products. I don't really wear makeup but focus more on skincare. Cova and Ana had an answer to all of my skincare questions and were able to relate them in a way that I would understand. Cova even gave me specific instructions on the best way to apply the cream and why this way was better. I was every happy to find out that they price match. I was able to get an eye cream from Lancome for the black Friday price. That really made my day. At checkout An was wearing an avocado pin. I complemented her pin and asked where she got it. She said that it was given to her at work. I told her that me and my boyfriend LOVE Avocado. She asked if I would like her pin. I told her that I didn't want to her pin, but she insisted. So I said yes. I got AMAZING SERVICE, GREAT PRODUCTS AT GOOD PRICES. Shout out to Ana, Cova, An and Karina the coordinator. You guys are the best. I will definitely be back back and will recommend to friends and family. read more

I like going out of my way to come to this location. Largest selection (in my opinion) out of the OC locations. Other locations tend to be dirtier and less stocked. Employees are extremely helpful. I went in yesterday, and Courtney (I believe that's what her name was) helped my friend and I find the best skincare products for our skin. Already seeing incredible results. She was super friendly and checked in on us multiple times. Definitely making this my go to store. read more

This was my go to store. I still think the staff is friendly and helpful. If you are lucky enough to get Ramsey you scored . I would give this store rating, now, 2 and a half stars. ___________ However, over the last couple months I feel this store has lost it's way. I think they hired a lot of new staff ,and it seems like it is their first time working in a huge makeup store. They seem overwhelmed. I know Sephora has had 2 major events, VIB and this extra points on perfume so one would think they would have better organization. They have too much staff at the registers and not enough floor people. The floor cast members seem to be running around like Chickens with their head's cut off, trying to help the over abundance of people. The wait time is way too long to get a simple color match , so make an appt. There was a manager or assistant manager,named Will, he was really on it! He knew when every new brand was releasing new products, LE etc.. My understanding is that he is not there anymore. They really need him back or more employees like him. No one knows anything about releases anymore. They sold the LE Natasha Denona Sunlit ,palette too early. Now they do not know if they will get it back. These kind of instances have made me want to stay away from the store. In conclusion, buy online or go to a Sephora store with less traffic. Hopefully this store will get it together soon. read more

I came here looking to check out that mineral makeup I'd heard so much about (yeah, I know I'm a little behind on that, but makeup isn't really my thing). I'd been wearing MAC studio fix but wanted something a little lighter and less complexion-damaging, so into Sephora I went. I was expecting a makeup wonderland where some friendly salesperson would take me under her wing and show me how makeup works and why I've been doing it wrong all these years, and why I needed to spend tons of money there to fix up my face (which I was totally prepared to do - I know I'm bad at makeup and appreciate any help I can get). Unfortunately, that was not the case. The store was remarkably un-crowded and appeared to be well staffed, but even so, nobody was helping anybody. There was one person working the makeup counter, helping another lady with her makeup, and a line of about four or five sullen-looking women standing around the same counter hoping for similar treatment. Alas, nobody else working there seemed to care. I asked one employee if she could show me the mineral makeup and she halfheartedly pointed to it, nothing else. Wouldn't answer any questions regarding how the makeup would look vis a vis my face, and obviously didn't want to be bothered. I kind of hovered around the makeup display for a while, briefly joined the grouping of increasingly annoyed-looking women standing around the counter, but then decided it was a waste of my time and left, empty-handed. The mineral makeup was kind of expensive but I probably would have spent the money if only somebody would have deigned to help me out a bit. Oh well. I was inspired to write this by Amy K.'s review of the Sephora at the Los Cerritos mall, where she had a surprisingly similar experience being ignored. Sephora really needs to work on training their employees. read more

Sales lady is friendly and helpful but the make up artist is very rude. My teenage daughter just spent $ 120 for lip gloss and she wanted ro put it on right away. We were standing by the make up station so we can use the mirror. This "make up artist" asscused my daughter for the trash on the floor. I told her those are not her trash, she has her trash in her bag" Her attitude was rude and condescending toward us. We are customers who pay your salary and we have better class than you. We wont shop there because of you and I am sure we can buy lip gloss elsewhere. read more

My candyland! I could be in this store for hours!! The employees are always willing to help and u don't get judged or eyeballed like u do at other cosmetic stands. No one tries to up sell or give fake complements. Love this place! As long as the check out line can be sometimes, it always goes fast. read more

I'm super angry with their make up application rules. I called and asked how much is the minimum charge to get make up done- she tells me $50. So I decided to go with it and then find out that the $50 has to be with the products they use on you. I think that's stupid- of course they're not going to use their cheaper Sephora line, they want to make a buck. I cancelled my appointment, I think that is totally wrong. read more

Tonight I had a very weird experience. I stood by the counter and asked help from two sales girls passing by. They looked at each other and then left, zero response. What kind of customer service did you train your team? read more

I know it seems silly to write a review for a place as well known as Sephora, but it really is a great store. The selection here is amazing and I'm constantly learning about new brands thanks to the helpful girls who work here. Not only is everything on display to try on, but they also offer samples so you can take products home and see if they work for you before you buy. And if they don't, Sephora has a wonderful return policy. If you are having any skin concerns, talk to Julie. She really knows her stuff and she won't try to sell you on anything you don't really need. Being the crazy girl that I am, I literally scour the store until I find her because I trust her opinion that much. read more

Beware of your beauty insider and VIB account. Human error may be the cause of your purchases being applied to someone's account. This is what I was told. So I closed my account today with their customer service dept. They don't seem to care to escalate my issue back to corporate or even at the store level. Lost me as a very long time customer. read more

I was shocked to hear the employees don't make commission. The quality of service and knowledge of fragrance these people have are off the charts! I was helped by Christine N and she definitely knew her stuff. read more

This location was great! I'm used to going to mission Viejo because it's closer but the level of service has declined greatly. I always have a pleasant experience here, and they almost always have things in stock that I need. I can't fault mission Viejo for that because I'm not sure how sephora stocks their retail, but it's just nice to be able to test and buy in person rather than get the "we'll ship it to you?" A while back I was desperately calling for the too faced sweet peach palette and other stores had it in stock but refused to hold it for me because "it's popular". So I called south coast and the girl said "lemme check and see if I can." She came back to me and said "the longest I can hold it is about two hours is that okay?" And it was fine, because I was going there immediately, and I walked right in and picked it up! Customer service is so great at this location! FYI it is a really busy location so be patient while shopping read more

Wow it was mayhem in the store today with the holiday 20% off event. Despite the craziness, the staff was on point! Everyone was so helpful and ready to help. Cindy was awesome. She was so knowledgable in skincare and super sweet and patient. This is the best Sephora I've been to. As busy as it was, the store was clean and the makeup, especially lipsticks were consistently wiped. Great store!!! read more

I have never had a more rude and wholly disgusting experience inside a Sephora. I came into the store to get color matched for several different foundations, and to pick up samples, and the girl at the front told me it would be a few minutes. No problem. However, the woman who took me was incredibly cold and rude. She appeared to be a manager, as she was older and not dressed in the typical "Sephora uniform".She didn't say hello or introduce herself, she just said "follow me" and walked away to the color match machine. She asked what brands I wanted to try, and then proceeded to tell me that Sephora doesn't carry Dermablend, and with the nastiest tone, insisted that "you probably mean Ulta". Know your store miss, you VERY CLEARLY sell the whole Dermablend range online, a simple explanation that you don't carry them in store would have sufficed. She proceeded to wipe my foundation off extremely roughly. It was VERY clear I was bothering her with my existence. At this point I just wanted to get my colors and leave. The machine did not tell her what shade I was in Kat Von D, so she had to color match me the old fashioned way. She proceeded to attack my face again, this time with her makeup brush. Not once did she mention the benefits of the product, how it would work with my skin type, nothing. She then proceeded to roughly hand me the box of foundation in my shade and walk away. Not one word spoken beyond that, and she did not even once move to get me a sample, which I had told her and the front girl I wanted. I was so disgusted with the service that I did not buy one single product in the store, and left as quickly as possible. I will give my money to Bloomingdales and Nordstroms from now on. Never again, Sephora. read more

I personally think makeup is the dumbest thing on the planet. The difference in shades don't make any sense, the prices are astronomical in comparison to what is inside them (a few petroleum products and some coloring) and the marketing and packaging behind is just ridiculous. I do understand there is a markup for things to make you look better...but I generally think this place charges about 5x too much for it. Just use the stuff at a drug store...i'd be willing to bet you'd get similar results (at least the shade) and you'd save a grip of money. -Josh read more

I hate their customer service. NO ONE is nice enough to help you. I went there today and no one would help me with the bare minerals stuff. However, I went there a few weeks ago and one of the girls helped me with some hair product so that's why I gave two stars. I love Sephora and their products, but I can't stand the fact their customer service sucks. read more

Is it just me or does anyone else hear a choir of angels when they walk into Sephora?? I have been a devotee ever since they opened, and I am trying to figure out what I ever did without them. I love how you can sample anything and everything, from the $15 lip gloss to the $250 face cream (Fresh Face cream from a 2nd Century AD recipe still handmade by monks in Italy...how cool is that?!). My favorite aspect of this store is I that can buy up to 5 different brands in one spot and they have as good a selection as what you would find at the counter of the department store without pressuring sales people, plus international brands that you can't get anywhere else, like Paul and Joe, Korres, or Bourjois. I personally have never had any problem with the sales associates, but perhaps I just hit them at the right time. I have always found them very friendly and really enthusiastic about what they sell, without trying to get you to buy 5 additional somethings that you don't really need. Sometimes it has been hard to get their attention, but with a little effort I can usually snag someone without too much difficulty. I didn't give them a 5 star though because they seriously need to expand the amount of people on the registers. Other than the hella long wait, this place is well-worth a visit. read more

I stopped into Sephora tonight to check out some new hair products and wasn't really wowed by the selection. It's very pricey, but what do you expect from lines like Oscar Blandi and Frederick Fekkai? I was really pleased when I met Danny (I think it was Danny, or maybe Dave?) and Mary Lou, the on-staff esthetician. Their customer service was on-point and I spent almost a half hour talking to them about about random stuff. While I didn't purchase anything, I was really pleased with how down to earth they were and Mary Lou even sent me off with a ton of samples. After reading some of the earlier reviews, I'm hoping this encounter wasn't just a fluke and that Sephora is upping their game. read more

Love this location great service and honest employees. I was informed what will work for my skincare routine now and other items I should look into the cashiers was great and kept my attention. read more

I'm a regular customer here! I think I have most of the store at my house. I have over 1,000 Beauty Insider points! EEEK how is that possible!! lol You can't help but buy whenever you come in here!! Employee's service is either a hit or miss. They are either SUPER NICE or super rude, but most of the time they are very friendly. I love sephora & their Great return policy ( if it doesn't work out for you, you can return it ). Free Samples. Lots of varieties of make up. free gifts if your a VIB Member :) Yeahh yeah read more

This review is for Alex the manager at this location. I purchased a few items 3 nights ago and the salesperson that charged me accidentally left one item out of my bag. I noticed when I got home and called the store right away. Alex was amazing. She apologized, said she would leave the item waiting for me whenever I could go back into the store. I picked it up the next day with no problem and got a follow up call from Alex to make sure I had picked it up and that everything had gone ok. GREAT customer service!! read more

1st let me start off, i am a sales manager and I know customer service. I really do appreciate good customer service especially around the holidays. I understand it gets super busy and not every sales rep is calm and helpful. 1 sales rep in particular was super knowledgeable and friendly. It was like hanging with a old friend. My girlfriend had so many questions and the sales rep Ann went above and beyond to help us. She even shared with us what she bought for her Christmas gifts. We even closed out the store. I closed out many bars and restaurants but this is the 1st makeup store I ever stayed til they closed. Ann open my eyes with all the skincare options for the whole family. If you're ever at the Sephora in south coast Ann is the 1 rep I would recommend and any customer would be lucky to have her help. Thank you Ann for all your help and patience. Hope you have a very safe and joyful holiday. If I can give 10 stars then Ann deserves all. read more

I LOVE Sephora but what horrible customer service!!! Most of the women that work there are friendly & helpful but wannabe "women" are so rude & nasty! I would rather shop online!!! read more

I'm a VIB rouge member, came to this location and the employees have much too much attitude. It seem as if they were not even employees. I approached 3 different employees and they were so rude, it seemed as if I was an inconvenience to them . I asked a simple question about a product and they just brushed me off.. Three different employees!!! SO I STROLLED OUT AND WENT TO BLOOMINGDALES NEXT DOOR. They have a beauty program superior to Sephora , triple points if you open credit with them, always free shipping , the salespeople are more than eager to help and because they specialize in their beauty brand their knowledge is by far better than Sephora! If the product you ask about is not recommend to address your concerns, they walk you over to the product that would best suit your need. Now that's service !! I will continue shopping at Sephora BUT if ever at the South Coast Plaza location Bloomingdales is far superior read more

SEPHORA - Worse customer service EVER! Bloomingdales next door has superior knowledge, beauty buyer program and customer service - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Very unprofessional service! Nobody should walk out of a Sephora upset. What is the point in hiring people that aren't passionate about helping others with makeup. read more

I really love this Sephora. I've been to at least 5 different Sephoras but the girls here are by far the nicest. I found myself spending an hour here once just because one of the girls sat their and walked me through every question I asked. I absolutely think this place is expensive but you know what you are walking into. When you check out high end makeup its obviously not going to be at drugstore prices. But the best thing about Sephora is that you don't have to jump around makeup counters, everything is in the same store. Fragrances. Skin Care. Makeup. Its super convenient. Oh and a little tip, if you're scared of investing in a product, you can get a sample of most products...just ask! =) read more

What's not to love! This place is a must for me every time I'm at the mall ;0) I love that there are plenty of peeps to help you out but I'm pretty self sufficient when I'm here and I love just looking around and they always give you samples of anything you want to try out! read more

This is my heaven - how can a girly-girl not LOVE a store like this. Great staff and great inventory/prices. Specifically the Make-Up Forever girls are the best...it's like the Costco of make-up and beauty - I just can't seem to get out of there without a bag full of goodies! The quality of the products is outstanding and the the knowledge of the staff matches it! read more

Chelsea was the freaking best!!! She directed me to exactly what I was looking for and was so friendly and honest with her recommendations. Would come back just for her! read more

this place is every beauty addicts wonderland. They carry every brand band known! No you will not find any drugstore brand here! Its sephora, the company itself is just amazing but im giving 5 stars to their fabulous their staff!! Sal, One of their amazing make up artists that catered to me, gave me a mini make over from my foundation to my brows and to my winged eyeliner!! I cant get over how beautiful he made me look! I just came in for matte eyeline and walked out with a new set! He is so knowledgeable about all of the products! He and the south coast staff are one of the biggest reasons I shop at sephora. Products are great but their customer service completes it. read more

This review is for one employee in particular. I've never been so upset with someone at a work place, especially at a Sephora! If you look through my reviews, I only have 2 bad ones that were dated 3 years ago. So this upset me so much to write a new one. My friend, her daughter and I walked in to the MUFE entrance. We planned on spending a few hundred dollars there but ended up leaving within 2 minutes of getting there. My friend handed her daughter (in a stroller) a little sponge to play with while she picks her foundation color. Her daughter barely swiped the sponge across one or two of the pro eyeshadows and the rude incompetent MUFE associate ran up aggressively with the rudest tone saying "be careful with the eyeshadows!" Not to us, but to my friends 2 year old daughter! She wasn't ruining them she barely swiped the tiny sponge across it. Then the associate grabbed the entire tray of shadows and took them away. We asked for 2 foundations and she handed them to friend very rudely. We then headed straight for checkout which I tried to convince my friend to put them back and walk out. Well when we were leaving that same associate said with a smug tone "have a nice day" I turned to her and said "you really need to learn how to talk to people" and she rolled her eyes and said "ok" as if giving me the finger. This behavior is completely unacceptable. Hundreds of people swatch products every single day. It's not like my friends daughter was digging her hands, she just barley swiped a sponge across. Even if she was making a mess or ruining the product you shouldn't yell at her. For one, she is not your child and you are too young to be scolding other people's children. Two, we are grown adults, advise us that she shouldn't touch anything and for three some people don't have husbands to leave their child with, so yes children will be with us in Sephora! Get used to it! I'm so disgusted, I will be making a call until I see that this issue is addressed. We wouldn't be upset if she didn't scold my friends 2 year old daughter! read more

This Sephora branch has bad customer service. My mom doesn't know English well. She went and bought foundation. They gave her some color and said it was good. They sold her the make up forever set. She didn't know better so she brought home. Then when we got back the color was too white. I brought back and asked to exchange. They wouldn't. They wanted the whole set back but we left it at home cause my mom place is too far. She refused to change the color. My mom needs the foundation asap. Now we have to go home and exchange. The manager wasn't nice at all. She is not a nice person. read more

As many reviewers here have commented, this location has terrible customer service, and I wonder how many more 1 star reviews Sephora's corporate office needs before realizing they need to clean house here. By far, the worst employee I have had experience with there is ROSA. Horrifically rude, no customer service skills of any kind, and wholly unprofessional. ROSA is not meant for any line of work that requires interacting with civilized people in an upscale environment like South Coast Plaza. ROSA needs to be fired. ROSA is the perfect example of why this place has such terrible reviews and customer service. Sephora, save your business and please fire ROSA. I will never set foot in any Sephora due to my experience with ROSA. read more

Stopped by after work on a Friday around 7ish to return a Benefits value pack that I wasn't satisfied with and the cashier was RUDE. When I tried to explain why I was returning it she cut me off, had massive attitude stating that items were missing and I showed her the back side of the black bag where the items were and she didn't apologize or anything. Gr !!!!! It was as if I stole something from her. Bye Felicia !!!!!! Never coming to this location ever ever ever again. read more

So, I really felt bad leaving 1 star for my fav store after having such a helpful visit for my last two visits. The store manager was really nice to get me someone actually helped me to pick-up the right products. Maria and Tiya(or Toya)- I am really sorry if I mis-spelled her name, were great. They showed me all the options and explained the difference of ingredients. Thank you for your great help and I will always be loyal customer. read more

Love love love sephora. They have almost every make up brand in here!! Workers are nice always so helpful. If you're ever around in south coast plaza, stop by here for make up. My favorite foundations so far here are the Givenchy, YSL, Dior Air, Giorgio Armani, and Laura Mercier. You can ask for samples and try them out because they work really well. Make up is expensive in general so its gotta be worth the price you pay for. Kat Von D Shade Light highlighter and contour is my favorite so far. I usually use the balm highlighter and contour but I fell in love with the Kat Von D one. If you're looking for blush, Becca, Nars, and Benefit have really pigmented colors. Their packaging is different and cute in many ways. For concealer I would recommend the Nars concealer or the Urban Decay Naked concealer. So so awesome. For brows I recommend Anastasia BH Dip brow pomade and their brow wiz pencil. I usually get my perfume here too because they have most of the scents here. Chloe Love story is one of my favorites, Versace Crystal is my favorite right now, and Marc Jacobs Spring limited edition is another one I use. Ask for Naheed, she's so nice and helpful!!! She knows everything about make up. If you ever need help, ask for her! read more

Oh horrid customer service @ this Sephora. I came in here tonight shopping for a birthday gift. I simply asked if there are gift sets for brushes and the lady "helping" me said "Let check on this for you". After waiting around, I saw the same person walk around the store and back to front to greet customers. Wtf! A simple no would of been nice. Just walked out! read more