The primary customer inside Sephora’s Century City location in Los Angeles, on the open-air Westfield mall, is Joe. The center-aged man walks in only as doors open, 10 a.m. on the dot.

“I’m on the lookout for Blu Atlas,” he says.

Sephora doesn’t carry the brand, he’s told by Alex, a beauty adviser who leads him to Sulwhasoo after asking about his concerns and learning Joe is on the lookout for an anti-aging moisturizer.

“It’ll really help with lines,” Alex tells him, pointing to the Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream. “It is available in two sizes.”

It’s $260 for a 2.02 fl. oz. jar and $52 for the mini 0.33 fl. oz.

“I’m doing work round the corner,” Joe says. “What time are you guys open until?”

The shop closes at 9 p.m., he’s told. “I’ll be back.”

Before he jets off, Joe emphasizes that he’s simply “on the lookout for good skincare.”

“I at all times ask them what they need to tackle,” Alex explains, asked concerning the suggestion. For a younger generation, those of their 20s and 30s, he suggests skincare brands like Tatcha and Drunk Elephant.

“He wanted something for day and night,” he continues of Joe. “He said the Kiehl’s one was too thick. This one can be easier for him. And it doesn’t have a girly smell, too.”

He was going to propose Clarins as well, however the floral scent puts off some men, he adds.

“Hi! How are you guys?” he turns to ask a pair.

They’re browsing.

“Holler in the event you need anything,” Alex says, flashing a smile.

The duo was standing in front of Murad Skincare, studying the products.

Staffers throughout are of their place. There are seven team members working when doors open, 4 of them in leader positions. A complete of 36 will clock in sooner or later within the day.

At 10:14 a.m., they’re welcoming and assisting a handful of shoppers while repeatedly stocking shelves.

“This got here out today,” says Cecilia, generally known as Ceci, the operations leader who oversees merchandising. She points to the Ilia “micro-tip” brow pencils rack. It’s empty and wishes to be stuffed with the products. “It’s certainly one of our hottest brands.”

Customers are roaming, and the primary person to get in line has a return, a watch shadow stick that’s tossed right into a “returned damages” box. But then comes the primary purchase of the day; the browsing couple who’re buying up a $49 Murad Skincare AHA/BHA exfoliating cleanser and $69 Youth To The People Vitamin C + Caffeine Energy Serum. They’re for the husband.

“I’ve radicalized him into skincare,” says the wife with fun. “We’re going home Monday.”

The 2 are visiting from Bristol, England, where there isn’t a Sephora. The wonder giant only just reopened within the U.K. in March, on the Westfield London mall after an about 17-year absence.

Heading out, the couple pass Egamaria who’s been getting her makeup done for an hour. The 25-year-old teaching assistant has an award ceremony at UCLA at 3:30 p.m.

“I desired to match my heels,” she says of her rosy eye look that completely complements her pink sandals.

Her makeup artist, Sephora staffer Mariella, is using shadows from Natasha Denona’s Love Face Palette and Fenty Beauty’s number 4 Snap Shadows.

When it’s time to ring her up, Egamaria takes home the Sephora branded Weightless False Lashes — which were applied to her eyes — Giorgio Armani’s $45 Lip Power Longwear Satin Lipstick in Selfless and Huda Beauty’s $21 matte Lip Contour 2.0 in Muted Pink.

“I actually wasn’t trying to buy any products,” she says. “I just wanted someone to do my makeup in order that I didn’t need to. She did such a tremendous job.”

The rationale she made the purchases is so she will be able to reapply the lip — a heavily lined pout with a glossy finish — before the event.

“I’m like, it’s probably going to return off,” she says.

Not distant, 20-year-old Dani was trying out Saie’s $40 Glowy Super Skin Lightweight Hydrobounce Serum Foundation. With the assistance of beauty advisor Sienna, he found his match.

“I’m going for the nine,” he says, after testing out two lighter shades. “I’m going to get the darker,” he decided, noting he’s heading to Europe that evening, first France then Monaco and Switzerland, and plans to return home with a tan. (His copper Speedo is packed.)

While Sephora offers a Color IQ shade matching technology, using a phone to take photographs of your skin, most shoppers were testing out foundations and concealers on their very own. They predominantly tried Nars Cosmetics complexion products — showcased front and center in the shop — in addition to Dior, Makeup By Mario and Haus Labs.

Walking in with a purpose, they know what they need. But not everyone seems to be shopping independently.

“Sometimes they’ll ask us for our help because it’s such an enormous store,” Jasmine, Sephora’s client experience leader, said of the Instacart visitors who’re picking up orders for subscribers of the delivery company. “They show us what they need after which scan the barcodes for his or her app.”

At 11:30 a.m. comes a buzzy, lunch-hour rush. The shop is livelier now, and among the many bunch — standing out in a brilliant orange jacket from The Frankie Shop — is Ami Colé founder Diarrha Ndiaye.

“I literally got here to say hi because I occur to be in L.A.,” Ndiaye says. The Latest Yorker flew down from San Francisco where she was visiting Sephora’s corporate U.S. team.

“I leave tomorrow back to Latest York City,” she goes on. “Each time I’m within the neighborhood, I’m like, ‘Heyyyyy.’”

She launched into 277 Sephora stores in addition to online in December of 2022. Named after her mother, Ami Colé’s products are created with melanin-rich skin in mind, with ingredients sourced from Senegal.

“This remains to be so surreal, because I used to work at Sephora,” Ndiaye says. “For 2 years, upstate in Syracuse, a brilliant quiet location. I used to be doing all of the trainings and the whole lot. I’ve geeked out about Sephora for eternally. And my older sister worked on the thirty fourth Street location for 10 years. So, it’s still so surreal.”

She was also popping in to ascertain out the scene: “The ground is at all times changing, so it’s good to see how things are mapping out, how individuals are shopping. I’m on the Next Big Thing wall.”

Her products — including her hero, the $20 Lip Treatment Oil in five shades — are featured on certainly one of 4 “Makeup’s Next Big Thing” displays (each category has one). Ami Colé tops the section, which also features Simihaze Beauty, Glamnetic and Melt Cosmetics.

“We live for the concealer,” beauty advisor Alex tells her, walking by.

“The concealer?” she responds.

“I even have it on without delay,” he says.

“Since the concealer is an underrated situation,” she adds with a smile.

The 2 chat away before she disappears into the aisles. “I’m gonna shop without delay.”

By the registers, eyes are on Spencer, who works on the Sephora Collection. He’s setting something up. “EVENT TODAY,” reads a poster he pulls out. “JOIN US TO FIND YOUR EVERYDAY EXTRAORDINARY.”

It’s a game.

“Buy any two Sephora Collection products, you get a free gift on the register,” he says. “Any three, you get to play Plinko here!”

He was also promoting the brand new Sephora Collection brow gels, priced at $12. Posters he sets promise “long-lasting formulas for a feathered or sculped look.”

“I’m wearing auburn today,” he says, raising his brows.

It’s now 12:05 p.m., and the shop is busier than ever. Some have one or two products in hand, others are filling baskets. Gabriella has all travel-sized goods in hers. There are seven: Supergoop!’s Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40; Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Fast Retouch Concealer; Nars Cosmetics’ Radiant Creamy Concealer and Laguna Bronzing Powder; Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Clear Brow Gel; Rare Beauty’s Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara, and Milk Makeup’s Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Stick.

“It’s to maintain in a bag for work,” says the 29-year-old, an worker at a children’s hospital. “I’m stocking up.”

An hour later, the check-out line is the longest it’s been, with a few dozen shoppers waiting. Saba, a 21-year-old political science student, is heading that strategy to exchange a Dior foundation for a darker shade. She’s also snagged a Supergoop! sunscreen and, with the assistance of Alex, another sunscreen samples. She’s leaving for Hawaii within the morning and needs to try a latest formula.

“They’re the one ones that give samples,” she says of Sephora. “I’m going to UCLA, and there’s an Ulta in our town. I used to be like, ‘Can I get a sunscreen sample?’ They usually’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t try this here.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, OK.’ I’m so used to coming into Sephora.”

This particular location — at 5,840 square feet — was unveiled in 2017. It’s a reopening; Sephora first got here to the Century City mall a couple of doors down in 2003. The revealing was perfectly timed with the shopping mall’s $1 billion expansion and upgrade project. A two-level, 1.3 million-square-foot outdoor space, designed by Westfield’s in-house studio in collaboration with Kelly Wearstler, includes an Eataly, a Gelson’s supermarket and AMC multiplex. It dates back to 1964, when it was generally known as the Century Square Shopping Center.

Within the afternoon, the shop is suddenly swarmed with pre-teens. School is out for summer.

“They typically are available in showing me their phone, like ‘I wanna do that,’” says Gigi, who works for Kosas. She’s certainly one of a couple of in-store staff representing brands. A young girl had just asked her for a Sol de Janeiro tanning product, showing her a picture on Pinterest.

“It’s following TikTok trends,” she continues, of their interests. “They love lip oils. That’s the ‘in’ thing without delay.” Additionally they pick up glosses and mascaras — turning predominately to brands like Kosas, Glossier and Rare Beauty, she reports — in addition to complexion products. Nars and Dior are apparent favorites amongst tweens today.

“These kids know concealers, foundations,” continues Gigi.

They ask for skincare, browsing the colourful rows of Glow Recipe and Drunk Elephant. Tantrums are common, with children as young as 9 years old begging their parents for products made for adults.

“Today was the primary day of just about every school officially being on vacation,” says beauty advisor McCall, who’s develop into acquainted with lots of the younger kids coming into the shop. They’re regulars. “What we noticed during these times is that those are the clients that we’d like to begin preparing for. And gearing up for a way we shall be selling towards them, it does look like lots of these children have perceptions that we cannot change about who they’re that has impacted their self-esteem greatly. What we might like to see change is that these brands broadcast, they’re welcome to feel beautiful but that these products are meant for an age demographic that doesn’t fit them…All we wish to see is women feel confident in themselves.”

Pausing, she adds, “I get to be Forrest Gump each day. I don’t know who I’m going to satisfy, whether it’s a Nobel Prize winner, a pop star, a porn star, a politician. I never know.”

Because it gets later, an older crowd strolls in. Inside, many meander, seemingly with time to spare. The high schoolers are searching for Rare Beauty, but in addition Too Faced, Profit, Hourglass Cosmetics and Charlotte Tilbury. The adults are in fragrance, some are in hair for Olaplex.

Cosmetics and skincare have seen probably the most motion today.

It’s 7:50 p.m. when the shop starts to clear, and an hour later, the music begins to fade. While the doors officially shut at 9 p.m., there are still shoppers inside. Two minutes later, handymen arrive to establish an installation.

“We’re going to do a Dior takeover,” one explains.

Moments later, the last customer of the day is finally able to call it an evening. It’s a young woman named Margarita, on holiday from the Philippines.

She’s leaving with Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder, Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Encourage, Glossier’s Boy Brow in brown, InnBeauty Project’s Retinol Remix 1% Treatment and two of Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion.

Why two?

“It’s cheaper here within the U.S.,” she says. “I can get it within the Philippines but it can be far more expensive.”

Her total is $180.70.

“You would like to pick your birthday gift cause it’s coming up?” she’s asked on the register.

“Really?”

“Yep!”

She goes for Glow Recipe’s mini Watermelon BHA + PHA Pore-Tight Toner and Niacinamide Dew Drops. The opposite options were hair care by Ouai and makeup by Ilia.

“Is that this my closing team?” assistant store manager Vidi asks a lineup of six employees, when all shoppers are out. A security guard is stationed on the door.

Tasks are divided, they usually get to work immediately counting the money, cleansing up, organizing products, emptying the trash.

“Once I put the alarm, and we leave around 10, 10:15 p.m., the lights do dim,” she says.

SIDEBAR: Meet the Manager

Los Angeles-native Sandra Gonzalez, 41, is an 18-year veteran of Sephora who’s currently the shop manager of the Century City location. During her time, she’s risen from beauty advisor to assistant store manager to her current role today.

How would you describe your responsibilities? I’m responsible to interact and encourage my team, in addition to oversee hiring and development. I deliver an elevated client experience by leading a team of inspired and committed individuals.  

What does a day in your life appear like? 
You will discover me starting my day by connecting with my team and asking them how their day goes. I review how we did the day before to assist me prioritize what I’m going to concentrate on for the day.  I spend time training, developing my team, meeting with my leadership team to strategize and plan to attain our goals.  And mainly [I’m] on the ground working with the team.      

What are your must-have beauty products? 

What’s your best beauty hack? 
I’m obsessive about using Tatcha Essence before makeup. It makes my skin so smooth and plump!

What’s a product you’d like to invent?  
I’m not providing you with my idea!

What do you enjoy most about working at Sephora? 
Being a part of an organization that takes motion on their values and strives on making a culture of belonging.

What’s a highlight of your day?  
Seeing others achieve their goals.

How have you ever seen Sephora evolve through the years? 
Sephora continues to raise our technology to assist us enhance the client experience. 

What has been the most important learning experience working at Sephora? 
To be optimistic and prepared for any challenges.

What’s something customers can be surprised or excited to find out about what it’s like working at Sephora? 
Sephora could be very focused on people’s development and the way you’ll be able to grow and have a profession with Sephora!