New York woman disgusted after Sephora staff made her feel self-conscious. Then they tried to sell her moisturizer: ‘I was so caught off guard’

A New York woman says a recent trip to Sephora left her feeling embarrassed after she alleges an employee commented on the appearance of her under-eye area before attempting to recommend skincare products. TikTok creator Abbythebadassmom (@abbythebadassmom) described the encounter in a viral video. According to Abby, an employee approached her in the store and said, “Your under-eyes need a lot of help. Can I show you something for that?”

Abby said the comment caught her completely off guard. “Are you freaking serious? No. No, you can’t,” she recalled thinking. She later explained that she did not confront the employee in the moment because she was stunned by the interaction.

“I told my dad about the situation. He goes, ‘Did you rip her a new one?’ I said no. I was so caught off guard, all I said was, ‘I know what’s underneath my eyes, but no thank you.'”

The woman then suggested some moisturizer

According to Abby, the conversation did not end there. She said the employee followed up by asking, “Oh, can I show you a moisturizer then?” Abby said she declined again, adding, “I am not interested in anything else that’s going to come out of your freaking mouth.”

She argued that a better approach would have been to ask whether she needed help finding a product instead of pointing out a feature of her appearance. “What you should have said to me was, ‘Hey, are you looking for anything? Can I help you find something?'” Abby said.

Abby then compared the experience to approaching someone with acne and immediately commenting on their skin before offering a product. “Don’t you think we already know what is going on on our faces?” she asked.

She urged beauty retail workers to “think twice before you walk up to someone and call out what you think doesn’t look good on their face.” The video generated thousands of reactions, with many commenters saying they found the alleged interaction inappropriate.

One viewer who identified themselves as an Ulta employee wrote, “im an ulta employee and WE WOULD NEVER DO THIS TO YOU QUEEN.” Another commenter, who said they previously worked at both Ulta and Sephora, suggested the person Abby encountered may not have been a Sephora employee.

They claimed, “As an ex Ulta and Sephora employee: it was a brand partner. They are notorious for being so rude regarding people’s appearances. I had a brand rep insult me one time not realizing I worked there.”

A third commenter shared a personal experience, writing, “This happened to me once, an employee told me my hair looked really thin and flat so I should try volumizing products. I was like…yeah… I have alopecia. a sales pitch shouldn’t involve insults fr.”

Sephora’s website says the company aims to create a welcoming shopping experience and encourages beauty advisors to help customers discover products that fit their needs.