"This is going to be a memory to remember!" - Massive queues reach 3,000 as Sephora opens at the Trafford Centre

A queue of 3,000 avid beauty fans flooded the Trafford Centre today (May 16) in the hope of being among the first customers to get their hands on the latest beauty buys in the new Sephora store.

The French multinational retailer opened the doors to its first store in the North just before 10am which was soon filled with customers - some of whom had camped outside.

First in were sisters Nailah Zeria, 22, Maliha, 19, who joined the queue at 6pm last night and were unable to get a wink of sleep due to their excitement.

READ MORE: Stars head to Sephora's Trafford Centre store ahead of official opening as shoppers queue overnight

Shouting over the music blaring from the DJ booth outside the store, Nailah said:“I didn’t think I’d make it to be first but I’m so happy that I am here…I still can't believe it.”

“We haven’t slept to be honest, we were too excited,” she added.

Describing the moment she and her sister made it to the very front of the queue she said: “We were initially waiting in the food court and then at 11.30pm we got sent in. There was a tannoy saying: ‘You can now make your way to Sephora’ and everyone ran. We made sure we got to the front.”

The sisters, who live 10 minutes from the Trafford Centre, said whenever they go on holiday to Dubai the Sephora store is one of the first places they visit.

Maliha said: “We go to Dubai and literally spend two hours just in Sephora shopping. Whenever someone is there or in America I ask them to buy me Sephora products.”

The duo were two of the first 500 customers given an exclusive wristband at 9.30am ahead of the grand opening. When traded in store the wristband secured them an exclusive goodie bag chocked full of treats. Until Sunday (May 19) the first 100 customers each day will also receive a Sephora goodie bag.

Another customer who bagged a goodie bag was Isla McNally who celebrated her 15th birthday in the queue and was given a birthday cake by the Sephora team.

Isla and her dad travelled from Rossendale in Lancashire for the opening. The 15-year-old said: “This is going to be a memory to remember. I'll be telling my kids this,” adding: “I just love Sephora every time I go away. I always look for Sephora every single time. I love Rare Beauty.”

Other customers who made the journey to Greater Manchester from further afield included friends Caitlyn Marrell, 20, and Maisy Henry, 23, joined the queue at midnight after driving from Crewe.

Caitlyn said there were 20 people ahead of them when they arrived and she managed to get an hour’s kip by using her bag as a pillow on the floor.

Fellow customer Saoirse Hephurn, 24, from Altrincham, wasn’t so lucky, explaining she had been awake since 3am when she first joined the queue.

“There were about 30 people in front of me when I got here at ten to three in the morning. I stayed awake. I just love makeup and love trying out new things,” she said.

Ellie Gee, 23, from Manchester got to the Sephora queue a couple of hours later at 5am and had already filled a basket by 10.15 am - just 15 minutes after the store’s doors opened.

Ellie said ‘the star of the show’ within her basket was the Summer Fridays lip gloss, which she bought in every colour.

Sephora decided to open the Manchester store after it emerged as the most frequently requested city for the next location by the brand's customers. The two other UK stores are both located in London.

The retailer says the Manchester store is set to 'redefine the beauty landscape in the North with an extraordinary product range that caters to the diverse needs of beauty enthusiasts’.

Jillian, 40, who was in the queue with her daughter Daisy, 15, said she thinks the new store could be transformative for the Trafford Centre and is ‘great’ for Greater Manchester.

“Manchester is up and coming. I mean the Trafford centre needed a new lease of life and I think this is really going to do it,” she added.

Katie, 27, meanwhile said having the store in Manchester will save her ‘a lot of money’ in shipping costs.

“Trying shades on is really hard when you’ve got to shop online so it’s nice to get to explore the range in person. I’m so glad the shop is in Manchester – it saves me a lot of money in shipping.”

Agreeing, Britney, 24, said: “I’m so glad I don’t have to travel to America or London now. It’s really good!”

Also in the queue was Sheila, 33, who brought her three-month-old son along and left her partner sleeping at home. The 33-year-old said she was also pleased to see the retailer choose Manchester as the home for its third store.

“I got here at 5:45am. Of course, I came for the goodie bag, but Sephora is such a huge brand and I’ve always loved everything I’ve got from them. It’s so nice to have them in Manchester.

“My son is three months old, and I feel bad for having to drag him here but since having a baby and being at home with him I just wanted to get out for a bit. His dad was still in bed, and I didn’t think it was fair to wake him up, so I brought him [the baby] along.

“It’s nice that they’re representing the north by touching down in Manchester just because of the diversity and culture they represent.”

Sephora paid homage to the store’s location by picking a mix of Northern talent to perform for guests at the store’s exclusive launch party and official opening. Performers included Liquorice Black, Sweet Female Attitude, LILL and Coco Cannell.

Sephora’s UK managing director Sarah Boyd said: “The vibrant atmosphere and long awaited anticipation for today has been outstanding.

"With it being our first expansion to the North, it is no surprise eager fans and beauty enthusiasts have been queueing since 6pm the night before and this has continued throughout the day which is a true testament to the UK’s growing appetite for Sephora.

“By 8am we were hitting nearly 2000 eager customers. I can’t wait for them to see the store and all the incredible work from the team that has gone into Manchester’s first Sephora store opening”