Thursday, March 29, 2007

What? We have a Sephora?

I've been wanting to start a blog for quite some time, and just never had the sense of urgency to get it going. Somehow today was different! Finally, a sense of urgency! I know that for many people, writing about my obsession with clothes, accessories, cosmetics and other trivial topics is a waste of time. I don't really care what they think. By day I am a working mother of two. By night I am, yep, still a working mother of two. I have a great job with a great company and I work with really cool people. They are flexible about my nutty schedule and they seem really happy with my work. But if I could have any job, it would be to write for a fashion magazine. I always knew that was what I wanted to do, but I also knew that the money was elsewhere, so after college I worked for a PR firm that specialized in technology. I learned a lot and I had a very nice salary, but it wasn't my dream job. Since college a lot has changed. I am married to the greatest guy ever! I have my MBA! I have two gorgeous kids! Seriously, they are the most beautiful children you've ever seen! So, now I can just write about all this frivolous stuff that I love. Who knows. Maybe one day Anna Wintour will stumble across my blog. And if not, I hope my friends enjoy reading it.

So here was the moment that got me to finally write this blog:
A Sephora store has finally opened here in Omaha. Ok, not an actual Sephora. It's a new concept by JC Penney, whereby a mini Sephora store is located within a JC Penney store. Every time I tell someone about it they can't believe their ears. I am shocked, but virtually none of my girlfriends even knew that the store was opening here in Omaha. I don't think much PR was done to announce the store opening. Plus, I don't think many people pay much attention to a new JC Penney store.

The store within a store is actually a very interesting concept. For Sephora, they have the opportunity to open in a smaller market without incurring the expense of opening a large store. For JC Penney, it's the opportunity to bring new customers into their stores. Take me for example. I really cannot remember another time in my life where I have shopped in a JC Penney store. I have, however, spent many quality hours inside Sephora stores across the country. My Sephora experience was great. The sales consultant, Shar, spent time walking the floor with me and showed me several new products. I walked away with a cheek tint by Tarte, an eyeshadow by Bourjois, a Sephora brand concealer as well as a cleanser, toner and moisturizers by DDF.

Living with Omaha, people always comment that it's hard to find cutting-edge fashion and accessories (including cosmetics) locally. I have to say, I disagree. If you look hard enough and know where to shop, you can find most items. When we first moved here from Boston I was worried that I would never find the facial cleanser I was using at the time - Darphin. Of course, on my first trip to Von Mauer I wandered through the cosmetics counters and there was a Darphin counter. Over the past two years, I have noticed that while we still lack a really nice department store (Bloomies, Nordstrom, Neimans or Saks would be a welcome addition), our malls and shopping centers have pretty much the same stores as malls in larger cities. Sure, there are lots of stores I would love to have here, but the Internet is a wonderful tool. I have so much fun creating my own style by mixing bargains with higher priced items, and I love it when I find something really special that is completely different that anything else in my closet. My clothes compulsion is a great hobby. I am sure my husband would prefer that I take up something a little less expensive, but I am who I am!