The state's first Sephora inside of a JCPenney store (and Lafayette's first Sephora) is opening Friday, Aug. 1, in the new Stirling Lafayette Shopping Center on Louisiana Avenue. The wildly popular beauty retailer sells top name-brand makeup, fragrances, bath and body, and haircare products.
Featuring the signature Sephora look, the 1,500-square-foot store is located prominently in the center of JCPenney. Sephora was the first beauty retailer to employ the unique open-sell philosophy, allowing clients to shop a myriad of brands while encouraging them to touch, play, and try everything from lip glosses to blushes and fragrances. Shoppers can choose between self-service or the advice of Sephora’s product consultants.
The store will offer about 50 beauty brands, including hard-to-find cult makeup lines such as Bare Escentuals, Stila and Smashbox; innovative skincare lines including Cosmedicine, Philosophy and Dr. Brandt; and fragrance offerings from Dior, DKNY, Aquolina and Sean John. Sephora also has its own collection of makeup, skincare, bath and body products, and tools and accessories.
Just as with other Sephora stores, product consultants are rigorously trained in an intense Sephora educational program focused on skincare and general beauty, offering clients a non-biased approach when recommending products.
In addition to its retail stores, Sephora is the largest online retailer of prestige beauty products. The company was founded in France in 1969 and acquired by Paris-based LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury products group, in 1997. Sephora America operates more than 210 stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Sephora.com. Sephora Europe has more than 500 stores in 12 countries and has established 30 locations in China. Sephora recently broadened its accessibility by partnering with HSN, a global multi-channel retailing giant, and the department store chain JCPenney.