Everything You Need To Know About Sephora’s Free Classes, The Beauty World’s Best Kept Secret

I’ve been reading up on Sephora‘s free beauty classes, and I didn’t realize I needed more of a reason to sell my soul to the devil in exchange for more time to spend there. I was initially a bit skeptical of these classes and figured they might just be an opportunity to shill Sephora products without actually teaching much because I am naturally distrustful when people tell me things are free. Nothing is free (especially not those people giving out free hugs). But apparently, I couldn’t have been more wrong–the reviews of the classes are uniformly fantastic, and people who have taken them report that they came out with actual skills that they learned for free. Did I mention the classes are free? Seriously, how did I not know about this?

It looks like Sephora offers seven different classes available in 13 states and Puerto Rico, which all look awesome. Here’s a rundown of the classes, which seem to run the gamut of the most tutorial beauty trends of all time: Contouring & Highlighting, where you’ll learn to “shade, blend, and highlight for natural-looking definition,” Colorful Eye Makeup With Radiant Orchid for going for a more exciting twist, Day-To-Night Smoky Eye so you can actually master the most coveted eye of all time, Flawless Foundation to avoid being caked on, Skincare Basics to help you cut through the noise of BB creams, astringent, toner, moisturizers, and sunscreen, Party-Ready Smoky Eye if you want to up your eyeballs, and False Lashes, so you can finally learn how to put those on without taking an eye out.

These are all things you could probably just ask a Sephora employee, but I personally have found most Sephoras to be pretty overwhelming, despite how much I like makeup. I get stressed out trying to navigate the hoards of teeny boppers and get distracted by all the shiny packaging, like a cat or a baby. This seems like a nice opportunity to focus, ask questions, and not get elbowed on the way to the nail polish section.

So what can you expect from a Sephora class? This review of a contouring class breaks it down and raved about how awesome it was. In addition to taking place before the store opened so it was nice and quiet, the reviewer mentioned individualized attention, free coffee and snacks, actual skills, and a marked lack of pressure to make any purchases. The reviewer also mentioned the fact that she got to practice on herself, which is significantly different than zoning out while a makeup artist puts makeup on your face. She left feeling confident with her contouring skills and with some impressive free gifts.

Apparently, these classes have been happening for months, but for some reason have remained pretty quiet. Here’s the bottom line: these classes seem like a great way to try out some products, learn a beauty skill with personalized attention, score some free gifts, and get some quiet time in a Sephora without having to wait in Disneyland-like lines (I go to a store in Midtown Manhattan–it’s a zoo). I seriously can’t believe that they’re free and that more people don’t know about them. So what are you doing next weekend?

Photos: Imgur