How to Get the Most Out of Your Sephora Shopping Trip

This article originally appeared on InStyle.

A Wonkaland of beauty, Sephora’s got a different delight—iPad stations! Makeover booths!—waiting in every aisle. The only tricky part? Knowing which perks will best suit your needs. So, we talked to Sephora employees for the inside scoop on how to make the most of your shopping trip, no matter your mission.

If you’re in the market for something new…
Zone in on the “endcaps,” which are the displays that flank each aisle. That’s the number-one most overlooked area in the store, Sephora pros say, but they actually hold the biggest gems. “It’s where we showcase all the top-sellers,” says Hector Espinal, a cast member—that’s what the store calls its assocaites—at a Sephora in New York. The same goes for displays labeled “Hot Now,” which showcase new products; since they’re located at the front of the store, visitors ofter speed right by them.

If you’re dying for a makeover…
Yep, it’s possible to pick up a few tricks from Sephora pros with no strings attached. Just ask a cast member for a “Mini Makeover.” “We ask clients to choose one feature, and then a pro will spend about fifteen minutes making over that feature, offering instructions along the way,” says Shawn Lumaban, a staffer at a Sephora in New Jersey. Dropping $60 on a new face moisturizer? You’re entitled to a full-face makeup application, called a “Custom Makeover,” which comes free when you spend $50 or more (just let a cast member know you’re planning to purchase).

If you’re still searching for the perfect foundation…
If you’re still on the hunt for a matching shade, and a formula that refreshes (rather than cakes over) your skin, head to the store’s SEPHORA + PANTONE Color IQ station, advises Dina Nikocevic, a cast member in San Francisco. Take a seat at the counter, and a staff member will scan your skin with a hand-held device that’ll read your skin tone and—after sorting through a database of over 2,000 products—then suggest the best in-store foundation and concealer matches, says Nikocevic.  

If you’re a seasoned shopper on a mission…
Though Sephora pros are always happy to answer questions IRL, if you like to prefer to peruse at leisure, keep your Sephora app open for easy in-store shopping. “Within the app, you can filter products—sort skincare by age, for example—or use tools like Sephora Virtual Artist to try on products like lipstick and lashes virtually,” says Davila. “Using your app in store helps you stay focused on what you came in for.”