Image Credit: Zak Communications
On Thursday July 7th, because I was a Sephora VIB Rouge member, I was invited to the Sephora Yonge-Eglinton VIB Rouge Opening Party to preview the newest store located at Yonge-Eglinton Centre (2300 Yonge Street in Toronto).
The Sephora Yonge-Eglinton store opened to the public on Friday July 8th, and I highly recommend that you check it out, if you haven’t already.
Even with the crowds of people at the party, I still found it very spacious and large. Everything was set up beautifully, and if you take public transit, it’s extremely convenient.
This exclusive Opening Party allowed VIB Rouge members (and a guest) to shop for products, check out the displays and store layout, as well as enjoy appetizers, champagne, and marketing activations.
There was a professional photographer who went around the store and snapped candid photos. (The photo shown above was one I saw shared on Instagram on Friday.)
It’s so funny because, if you take this photo out of context, it looks like I just bring champagne to sip wherever I shop! 😉 Haha, I don’t. There were servers who came around and offered drinks and yummy food.
Even the champagne they offered us had raspberries in it! 🙂
On my nails: Zoya Logan (This is one of my all-time favourite green nail polishes.)
Read the rest of this post to hear more of my thoughts on the new Sephora Yonge-Eglinton store and more!
Shiny & New
It was such a unique experience to see each aisle laid out all pristine. The testers were untouched, the fragrances hadn’t been sprayed, and there were no fingerprints in sight! (Of course, that all changed during the party, as all of us VIB Rouges played with the makeup and made the cosmetics feel loved.) 😉
Scent My Way
One of the fragrance specialists helped steer me toward new scents that I have never tried before, based on my request to point me in the direction of warm and spicy notes. I told him that I really enjoyed Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black, and that I was looking for a fall fragrance that was warm, spicy, sensual, and that had a hint of masculinity to it without being a straight-up scent for men.
He let me try Tom Ford Noir de Noir, and I really enjoyed it. He also prepared a sample of it for me to take home, so that I could wear it and see how it worked with my body chemistry. (It came in its own branded bottle and box, which was a lovely and luxurious touch!)
Since I also was curious about a sweet fragrance that wasn’t necessarily young and sickly, he suggested Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolute, which I found to be a light, fresh take on a sweet scent without smelling like artificial candy. I can see this one as being an anytime, carefree scent. (He also was kind enough to provide me with a sample of this.)
Sephora Activities
As I walked around to drool over the products in each aisle, I was handed a map of the store, which showed the many marketing activations that you could participate in:
Limited-Edition Kat von D x Sephora Canvas Tote
If you spent at least $50 CAD on anything in the store, you got a limited-edition large canvas tote that featured a design sketched by Kat von D!
It opens up like a beach tote, so there’s no zipper. On one side, there’s a beautiful face with “Toronto” in gothic script, along with Kat’s signature. On the other side, it says “Sephora Loves Toronto”. It also has a convenient small pocket on one side.
The tote is very sturdy, and you can use it to carry very heavy things. It’s not flimsy or thin in the slightest. To give you an idea of how strong it is, you could carry bricks in it, and it wouldn’t fall apart. Why you would carry around bricks? No idea!
The Dent I Made
I ended up buying two items, which are pretty much staples and nothing too wild:
- NARS Orgasm Blush (the jumbo 8 g / 0.28 oz. size)
- Kat von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette
I’ve wanted both of those items since they first came out, and it’s my first time owning them. Although they’re on the pricey side, they include colours that I will easily be able to incorporate into everyday looks, so they were worth the investment.
VIB Rouge
Since I spent over $50 CAD, I got the Sephora bag, and the cashier told me that I had also renewed my VIB Rouge status for another year with this purchase. (Oh boy – I was both excited and embarrassed about that.)
As a gift for securing my VIB Rouge status until the end of 2017, I got a red box that contained an exclusive mini NARS blush (in Goulou) and a little pamphlet saying thanks and also that included a coupon that I could give to a friend to redeem for a free 45-minute Sephora makeover.
NARS Goulou Mini Blush
Freebies
When I got home, I noticed that inside the free canvas bag, they also included a bunch of deluxe-sized samples:
- Estee Lauder The Estee Edit Flash Photo Powder in 01 Blue Bright (6 g / 0.21 oz.)
- Estee Lauder The Estee Edit Pore Vanishing Stick (7 g / 0.24 oz.)
- Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi (1.55 g / 0.05 oz.)
- NEST Citrine Eau de Parfum (3 mL / 0.1 fl. oz.)
- NEST Midnight Fleur Eau de Parfum (6 mL / 0.2 fl. oz.)
- NUDE Stix Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil in Belle (2.5 g / 0.088 oz.)
- Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (7.5 mL / 0.25 fl. oz.)
- Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream ( 7.5 mL / 0.25 fl. oz.)
- Sephora Argan Hand Mask (1 pair)
I had a good time checking out the new Sephora store, and I’ll definitely be returning to this location. It’s so large – I think it’s bigger than the one at the Eaton Centre, but I’ll need to see it again during normal shopping hours to get a better feel for the store. (During the Opening Party, it was packed, yet it still felt spacious!)
What’s your favourite Sephora store location, or do you prefer to shop online?
Very cool! I’m so glad that you had the opportunity to go and took the time to share the experience with us! Thanks as always for such a great blog!!!
Hey Melissa!
It’s my pleasure! I’m super excited about this new location because it’s huge. Also, as much as I love downtown, it’s nice to see a big location in other areas, so that beauty lovers who maybe don’t travel to the downtown core can still experience this!
Wow, how fun is that, sipping champagne with raspberries whilst you play with brand new untouched virgin makeup!!! No shame in VIB status. I’ve been there once. Not any more though as on my low-buy I don’t qualify. I love the cute tote bag. That is so perfect for a beauty/polish blogger like you.
Hey Cindi!
They certainly pulled out the red carpet and gave us the royal treatment. Hehe, I ate quite a few of the desserts that the servers walked around and offered to us. Didn’t photograph any of them because I gobbled them all up in under five seconds. 😉
I think what bumps me up to VIB Rouge status is that I always buy my Shiseido skincare from Sephora. Shiseido makes my favourite skincare (and sunscreen) products. They are on the pricier side, but they feel great on the skin and I always notice them working. Worth the splurge! (I think that investing in quality skincare is always worth it, especially since my skin is sensitive.)
The bag was a lovely purchase incentive, even though I was already planning to get the blush and the palette. Great timing!
I just bought the same NARS blush–I’m really happy with it so far :). Haha, I also felt excited and embarrassed when I was told I qualified for VIB status–I’m a poor grad student, but apparently I’ve spent more at Sephora than i thought! But I preferred to save my points rather than take advantage of the various rewards, so I suppose my patience finally paid off.
Hey Jessica!
YAY – glad that you’re enjoying the NARS blush, too!
I haven’t yet cracked open my NARS Orgasm Blush. Still need to photograph it before I dip into it, in case I later want to review it. (I know that pretty much every beauty blogger out there has already reviewed it, as it reached cult status years ago, but since it’ll be my first time trying it and also because I’m very particular when it comes to blushes, I have a feeling that I’ll have a LOT to say for an in-depth review.)
Also, I wonder if they changed the formulation because years ago, I remember it containing an ingredient that I was allergic to. That’s the only reason why I never picked up this shade. But when I double-checked the jumbo package, that ingredient wasn’t listed anywhere, which made me not think twice when I put it into my basket! 😉
As far as Sephora points go, I’m also like you. I’ve been saving my points. Maybe I have redeemed just a few hundred twice or so, but other than that, I’ve been saving my points.
I worked at this Sephora! And it’s actually the biggest location in North America! And it’s currently the first Sephora of the future store in Canada! I’m glad you enjoyed the VIB Rouge night 🙂
Work*
Hey Aya!
It’s so spacious. Hope you love working there! (Hehe, how do you manage not to blow your paycheque in the store? :P)