“Can we go to Ulta or Sephora?” asks my 11-year-old daughter, Aria, anytime we’re running errands near either store, which is often, since both have outposts across the street from each other not far from where we live. Aria has an encyclopedic knowledge of beauty brands, including which are worth their price tag and whose dupes are the better deal, and she loves to peruse and compare products. But still, my answer was usually “no” because the moment I walked in, my head began to hurt — the combination of industrial lighting, blaring music, and intense fragrance was an assault on my senses. “We can order what you want online,” I would insist.
But about a year ago, a former colleague from my days in magazines called me up and asked if Aria and a couple of her friends would like to participate in a focus group on how tweens shop for beauty products. In preparation for the discussion, I would have to take them to Sephora and Ulta, trail them from a distance, and then interview them on video about the products they purchased. I said “yes” because I was curious about why certain brands were so appealing to my daughter and her friends. Plus, I suspected the experience would be pure joy for them, and I was the right. They were ecstatic to show me all of their favorite finds as they kept a tally of how much they could purchase with the $50 gift cards they each received for participating. Since then, we’ve been back to these stores many times voluntarily, and instead of trailing in the distance, I have joined the group. Aria and her friends have introduced me to several tween-adored products that work shockingly well on my own nearing-50 skin. When she gets my buy-in, she knows it means I’ll pick up the tab when we check out, so she’s motivated to select products that suit us both. Here are some of our (mostly mutual) favorites.
