Avoid this store like the plague. The manager just cares about money and is even willing to lie to you in order to make a sale. I was looking for a foundation and I told the manager that I only buy cruelty free products. She took me to the Laura Mercier counter. The girl at the counter told me that their product was cruelty free.To double check, I asked her if the brand was told in China and she told me it is. I am so thankful that I asked this. Cosmetics sold in China are required by law to be unnecessarily tested on animals. She flat out lied to me. The manager continued to support her by saying that the brand is required to test on animals in order to keep its profits and that I should by the product instead of educating the girl on the Laura Mercier counter by saying that the brand is not cruelty free. You all can not count on this store to be trustworthy. Please don't vote for greed and people who cheat by spending your money here. You are better off spending money on ethical companies as listed in http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/. P.S. if you need budget friendly cruelty free items, wet n wild and ELF found in Target and Walmart are good ones to go to. read more

Thanks went there specifically to get a sample of something I was curious. This was the same day sephora sent out and email campaign saying literally to come in and try samples. They were out of sample containers haha read more

Now I love Sephora so don't get me wrong. This review is uniquely based on this store in fair oaks. In one sentence, the people who work here are so mean, rude, discourteous and impolite. Last time I went was two weeks ago to one of their mascara events. I usually minimize my requirement of help, but this lady acted as if I was asking her for gold. She was rude while training a new associate, she raised her voice answered back in a rude manner and became very skeptic of an advertisement on sephora website that applied to all the stores. I might love Sephora but so far the associates in Fair Oaks and Tysons Corner are constantly and endlessly rude and snobby sometimes. What I did was not purchase anything there and go to their competition a few steps always, Mac that actually had nice, helpful and friendly people. And like many customers that appreciate customer service, I don't mind spending more money if that means that not only I get a great product but also great treatment. I wonder if Sephora's owner would agree that a loyal customer must accept being treated poorly in exchange for their offered products. Not a price I want to pay since there are always places like Mac and Ulta. read more

ALL the employees here are rude and never want to help. They NEVER have what I need in stock- only the tester. I came in on Memorial Day and just wanted simple help with skincare and was looking around to see if anybody was willing to help me. I was standing around to see if any of the girls would come ask if I need help and NOBODY did. Each one of them saw me but avoided me at all costs. Instead, they rather help other people who "look" like they have more money. I asked one lady (tall, white in her 30's with light brown/blonde colored hair, neck to shoulder length) who seems to be the manger because she had a clipboard in her hand. I figured I'll ask her and she totally threw me off by telling me "sorry sweetie all employees are helping other customers right now in a very aggressive way" while she herself wasn't busy and one other girl in the back section was just standing. A minute later I see this manager happily helping someone else right after throwing me off. They offer to help well dressed women that have makeup on but not me. First off, it was Memorial Day and I enjoy actually dressing down and not wearing makeup when I go to the mall. But this should not give a reason for these associates to assume that I am not going to buy anything. They must have assumed that I have no money or intentions buying from there which is automatically discrimination based on looks. I bought top line skincare and spent over $130 so comes to show no matter how a person looks, don't assume they don't have the money to buy your products!!! Also, a Latina at the register was very aggressive with me and had no patience to even be there. It was a holiday so she probably did not want to work that day which is understandable but she didn't have to take out on me or other customers. The place is filthy and dusty, and unorganized. They need to clean/maintain it better. They need to get on their game with having their products in stock like the other Sephora's. Maybe it's the crappy management that makes this place so run down and crappy customer service. I was disgusted by everything when I walked out. They made me feel like $130 in skincare products was not worth buying from this location due to filth and horrible attitude. On another day before Memorial Day, one petite girl with darker hair and brows was very helpful when I asked. I wish I asked her name... She is too good to team up with this location. Maybe Reston Towne Center or Tysons would be a better fit for her because she was very professional. read more

This Sephora, in Fair Oaks Mall, is fairly small and doesn't carry a lot of the brands available at larger Sephora shops. For the brands they do carry, selection is limited. Also, I couldn't find a staff member to help me when I needed assistance. I'll save my Sephora trips for Georgetown from now on! read more

The service here is absolutely terrible. I tried to find someone to ask a simple question about something in stock, two girls literally looked at me and looked away and after I said excuse me nicely, they decided to tell me they were on their break. How about don't pretend like you don't see a customer in front of you...then I finally asked someone and her response was oh check around the check out counter for samples. This store has terrible people working for it. I'd put down negative stars if I could. read more

So I went back today after the first time in a while and I guess I figured I'd give this store another try and I wanted to see it after it had been remodeled anyways.. but sadly nothing has changed at all with the staff. I went in to get my skin matched for a foundation because my skin lately has been really bad and I wanted something to help cover, but as she was applying foundation to my whole face that was WAAAY way WAY too light in color, she kept telling me to buy all these skin care products at Sephora that were EXTREMELY expensive despite how many times I told her I have a good skin care routine and even work for a skin care company and that it's just been stress making me break out lately.. it's as if she wasn't even listening to me and I could even tell she wasn't. She even kept telling me that she never breaks out and has perfect skin and it's like c'mon really..? Here I am feeling less than confident looking for SOMETHING to cover up my acne and you're telling me about how perfect your skin is? Just rude and unnecessary. I even walked past an employee and smiled at her and she actually looked away from me and rolled her eyes at me and kept walking... I want to say her name tag said Nora on it. The behavior of the employees in this store is not only confusing and strange, but extremely rude and unnecessary. This location needs to 1) get their attitudes checked 2) hire girls who ACTUALLY know what they're doing 3) stop being so "I'm better than you" with they way they treat their customers. I personally work in customer service and deal with people ALL day long and I understand that you can have a bad day and deal with TONS of annoying and frustrating customers, but there should never be any reason to constantly mistreat people. If you can't handle dealing with people, than find a different job that doesn't require you to constantly be talking and dealing with people. Common sense. Anyways, I still don't recommend this store at all. Skip it and drive the extra 10 minutes to Tysons Corner and go to that Sephora. It's a busier store but the girls are amazing and always treat me like an actual human being. They even offer samples and will have actual conversations with you making the experience far better. After all, you are spending tons of money in Sephora, why not actually enjoy your experience there and feel good about the money you're spending. read more

So a girlfriend asks me if I want to go to the mall, do some shopping, hit the food court and get in some quality people watching. I agree and we are off. While in the mall my friend sees Sephora and like a little kid she goes sprinting inside. I reluctantly follow having never been in a Sephora I didn't even know what they sold. I see her off in her little world all excited about make-up and being helped by a team of highly trained specialists. Then an employee wearing a smock from the star ship enterprise asks me if I needed any help and at first I said no thank you, but realizing that I may be stuck in here for a while I asked if they had anything a guy might be interested in. She asked me if I like wearing cologne. My reply was one of ignorance, I always just figured if it smells nice wear it, Mom got it for me on my birthday about five years ago. Wow I must say my eyes were opened to this whole new world of smelling amazing. I strolled up to the counter with my new cologne and was so excited I told the cashier about how nice the cologne smelled and how I can't wait to put it on. Also that the employee that helped me was so nice and informative. The cashier said that was actually one of their managers. I was then amazed again, normally when you see a manager it means something has gone wrong or an employee is in trouble but not Sephora I guess. I never did get the managers name so I can't give a personal plug but I'm sure I'll be back. As my friend and I left she asked what smelled so good and I told her it was my new cologne. Then in the food court I had another women ask me what fragrance I was wearing because it was "bewitching" she said. I think I just got hit on in the food court so another first. So kudos Sephora, two firsts in my life. read more

Solid two stars. The store is clean and I like their set up better than the one at Tyson's. They also seemed to have a lot more in stock. However, I was really put off by a couple of the employees working the floor. I approached one of them with the customary "Excuse me", and she turned around and simply stared at me. "Can I ask for your help?" No answer. She continued to look at me. I guess that's a yes?? I told her I was looking for an under eye color corrector and she said, "OK, I don't do that--" to the employee near her "How long?" "Five minutes." To me, "Ok, you're next in line" and turned around. SMH. Fine. I acknowledge and go over to the Beauty Bar to try on a quick lip color while I wait. With my hands full of gloss and tissue, I had happened to drop one of the tissues on the floor as I was throwing them into the trash can. I promptly throw it back in once my hands are clear but notice the lady that was supposed to help me next throw a look at me. What the heck? As I return to my waiting spot and continue to browse the nearby products, I hear a voice ask a customer if she's doing ok.... Only to look up and find its the lady that was tasked to help me!! I guess she decided she didn't want to help me out anyway. Since I only went in to exchange a foundation, I went straight to the counter for my exchange. Had I not wanted it so badly I would turned around and walked straight out of that store! I definitely would rather drive to Tyson's to deal with a crowded store then employees with bad sense for customer service! read more

Long and short of it if you don't feel like reading the thorough review: Sephora products are great but this location is questionable. In my experience, I've noticed more mean staff, than those willing to help you. They seem to care more about the money than a returning customer there. if that's a concern for you. Considering their consultants.. Id figure they'd be willing to help you? Guess not. Let me start by explaining the breakdown of the review; The reason I give 4 stars is because Sephora as a company is great! I buy all of my makeup there usually, and the products are just life changing. ( makeup life that is!) urban decay, Kat Von D, Nars, their skin care products, all wonderful! Love them as a company! Literally the only reason I give it 4 stars is the company is great, and the products are amazing. Why I take off a star; Although the products are wonderful, upon coming to this particular store I explained to one of the staff members how the foundation I've been using just isn't working anymore and considering the price and the fact I was almost due to buy more, I wanted to try something else and get an opinion on what was popular to try based on what I like and what would look nice on me. Well, unfortunately, the woman who helped me was very mean, very " snotty" if you will, as if I was beneath her or a bother when asking for help. I asked to try samples of the foundation to compare in-store and how it would look In natural lighting. I have had color match issues where it looks fine there but not outside. She absolutely treated not just me, but also my friend as if we were peasants in her presence. Left a very bad taste in my mouth with this location and will probably avoid ever going back. Very very unhappy with the visit over all, seeing it was almost a fight to get her to help me. I immediately went to Mac where the staff was much nicer to me, and more thoroughly listened to me and helped to figure out what I was looking for. Altogether, Very shocking considering I shop at Sephora quite often and spend quite a lot of my money there! read more

The customer service at this location is horrible. Everything is all over the place and if you try to make a suggestion, the manager jumps down your throat. This place is a horrible example for sephora.. I can't even be bothered to shop there again. I was treated so horrible that I may never shop at a sephora again. Abort this location. read more

Messy, makeup disorganized, missing, switched up out of place- I mean show more respect for Nars products! The only way you can get an associate to acknowledge you is when you're forced to open the stock drawer to look for a missing product. I went in ready to spend nearly $100 on lip and eye products but couldn't even track down a simple brown nars eyeliner, there were a few of what I wanted in the drawer but the associate just said, "those are samples." ummmm and why exactly can't I just buy one of those? Fine, no eye liner today, but the lip liners were even more disorganized, not to mention dirty, caps missing and looking like someone had chewed the ends. The products were all dried out so I couldn't even test them on my hand and ugh, I was so disappointed. I couldn't even consider a matte lip pencil because nothing was in its designated place! Seriously expected so much more out of Sephora. I'll take the narrow cramped version over this one with poor stock and associates who don't even seem qualified to park my car. Not wasting my time at this sorry location again. read more

After reading the reviews, I was not excited about my trip to this Sephora. I was expecting to be treated just as bad as some reviewers had been, so to be honest, I went in here with a "bad bitch" attitude ready to for war. As soon as I entered, I went straight for what I came to get, a very nice, older sales lady made eye contact with me and smiled, I smiled back and felt comfortable enough to ask her a few questions. She was very helpful and helped me out with whatever she could. When it came time to match my skin to the correct Smashbox concealer she excused herself and told me she could get someone with better knowledge of color matching. She asked the girl who was at the checkout to come help me, a very nice girl named "Moon" (I believe) came to my aid. She was helpful, very sweet. The only complaint I have is that there were low on what I was looking for. I love the Smashbox high-definition concealer and I was lucky enough to buy the LAST one in stock. I would have bought two more but they were OUT. Not cool. My visit here was pleasant. I will definitely be returning for future purchases. read more

The store should change location in the mall, you have to hold your breath before walking in because it is so narrow and cramped. I have yet to make a purchase because it is way too tiny with way too many sales people. It feels like people threw makeup in a basement. The layout is often messy, which it makes it even less appealing. Sorry Sephora, if you get a bigger store I will try you out again. If you are going to charge those prices, make it so your customers can shop and breathe at the same time. read more

As mentioned in other reviews, this store is always crowded and even if there were no other customers, the layout of this store is terrible, and there are always too many associates working. I like to take my time and swatch things, look up reviews on my phone, etc., and there have been times when I have been approached by six different associates-- some of them twice. That being said, the one time I did need some help finding skincare, the associate was extremely knowledgeable and gave me tons of samples. Be prepared to be bombarded with help, but if you need it, the associates I've dealt with know their stuff. read more

The customer service at the Sephora inside JCpenneys is horrible. I was there the other day waiting around for the someone to help me, but the girl working there was too busy chatting on the phone making plans for the night with a friend. read more

Staff always seems friendly and helpful. I rarely have to wait for assistance. I wish the location was larger however, it is very hard to move around. read more

I'm a huge beauty product lover but sometimes its just not worth the trouble. I can't go to this store anymore without a headache. A few years ago their was a really pretty blonde that worked here (Maggie? Marlene? can't remember now..) And she was the only one who would actually help me when I would come in. Her manager had the nerve to tell her to "go take your break now" while she was in the middle of talking to me! The other staff would just stand around and gossip or look at you like you were an idiot. Get some better help Sephora! Otherwise I'd rather just shop on-line. read more

I've probably never seen such bad costumer service. It's not just a one time thing, every time i take the time to go into this Sephora something goes wrong. Last time I returned something and the workers were so distracted that they gave me back my money for the purchase by giving me store credit and a gift card. All I wanted was my money back. Not only that, but when I asked a lady for her help she wasn't helpful at all and definitely had attitude. I go into places with a smile but if I see terrible costumer service like that then I am gone. I'd recommend going into another sephora in the mall that is located in JCpenny. The workers there are helpful and polite. read more

Customer service here is horrible...every time I actually need help no one is to be found or gives you an annoyed look if you ask for help. Went today to ask for a sample and stood and waited for the only salesgirl on the floor to give me one. I would of done it myself if they left the little containers out. She kept giving me this look as if I'm trying to steal something. She finally gets done with the customer and I ask for a sample for a mask. She stares at me as if I had 3 heads. She then says that she cant just give me a sample and go. And why not? isnt that the purpose of a sample? to sample the product before I buy??? She then hesistantly gives me a sample of a cream and moves on to help someone else. I didnt know the instructions to use it so I walked back to read the directions on the package. She had the nerve to leave the customer and peer around the corner at me to see if I was still trying to steal something! I could not believe the nerve of this chick, wish I culda smacked some sense into her ignorant head...horrible service,....go to Sephora at Tysons if you want to be treated as a valuable customer and not a thief. read more

It's hit or miss with the employees here :) for the most part I found to be Amazing, engaging, and very helpful. Twice I ran into psychos and one with nO name tag inspired this review, this pretty Ethiopian/Somalian who gave me the name "Sydney" (right). Idk what makes some workers think that it's OK to redirect the conversation back to combat but that's what she does LOL! Hey I'm sorry if she hates her job or is forced to work here by life circumstances but how is that MY problem (hint: it's not). After BELLIGERENCE AND COMBAT I asked if I can maybe should be helped by someone else? but then gave her another chance, after which she stormed away and got this GOOD, nice, helpful Sephora-employee to help me, and he caught on in 2 seconds and we were done in 2 minutes. I THINK THIS PLACE ATTRACTS PSYCHOS and you either bring it out of them or you don't o;-). Oh that employee was in mY way as I walked out I told her thanks for your help bye to which she ignored (they do that sometimes lol) sO I insisted BYE! hello? bye! like salespeople do to us LMAO she snapped "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" :-) Lovely, huh? Of course this review is for this one Sephora-employee the ONLY horrid experience at this location that I've eve had - all the rest were wonderful 100s%. read more

I HATE this location of Sephora. I am a big, big Sephora fan and spender but this place makes me wanna run away. The layout of the store is so terrible. On days like Saturday, you just cannot get past people. I've gone in to the front of the store and just literally ran out horrified cos there's just no way I could reach the skincare section, which is all the way at the back of the store. People are constantly pushing each other to get from product to another. Customer service is terrible. It's hard to get any help since they're so "busy", and the ones that help out are not that nice or pushy. There was a time I listened to an employee's advice and bought the wrong color. I went back an hour later and she argued it was the right color. After I shopped around other stores, I finally went back to return it for real this time and they gave me attitude saying "oh you're back again? you wanna return this? I'm telling you this is the right one". I HATE THIS SEPHORA. NEVER GOING BACK. read more

I know racism is still alive but dang! Yesterday, I walked into this Sephora with my one year old daughter (who was in her stroller) and my boyfriend. Before we even got to the door we noticed that one of the associates were already eye balling us. Mind you, myself, my boyfriend, and my daughter were the ONLY people of color in the whole entire store. I went to an associate who was a little heavy set, very tall, and had long dark hair. I had asked her about where I could find a certain product and then as soon as I went to that section I noticed that she kept peeping around the corner acting like she busy doing something just so that she could keep her eyes on me. There were only a few other people in the store and it was close to closing but NOT ONCE did I notice that any of Sephora associates were following them around the store trying to be sneaky making sure that they weren't stealing anything. I ended up making a purchase and did not steal or cause any trouble like how I'm sure the woman thought that I was going to. I have been a beauty insider customer for years and I have shopped at multiple Sephora's in the area and I am disgusted!! I will not be going back to this Sephora ever again! I almost forgot how hateful people can be and try to be slick about it. read more