We went to Birmingham Sephora early and spotted one hidden detail Brummies will love
It's been a long time coming for beauty and cosmetics fans: Sephora finally opens in the Bullring on Wednesday, November 13. Packed full of brands that make-up fans have only read about or watched videos of online, items are finally laid out to poke, swatch, swipe and sniff.
When I arrived at the Bullring for a preview on the morning of Tuesday, November 12, the large hoardings had come down from the front of the building to be replaced with a giant black curtain like the ones that drop to show incredible stage designs at the theatre. I snuck behind it, revealing the largest Sephora shop frontage in Europe; a gleaming, wide window showing colourful displays and a huge video screen wall behind the tills.
I'd imagined, from the size of the hoarding, that it'd be set over a couple of floors but it's all on a level, laid out with loads of gondolas with 360 degree displays. It's a bit 'blink and you'll miss it', the kind of place I could easily lose myself in. For lovers of slap such as I, it's like every one of my Christmases has come at once. You need eyes in the back of your head to take it all in.
Read more: Birmingham Bullring says safety and welfare is 'paramount' as it prepares for crowds
Read more: Sephora is the shop Birmingham definitely doesn't need but we really really want
All along the front of the store are gift sets that I imagine will sell like hot cakes. Gone are the times that off-brand make-up sets will do for teenagers, now Santa needs to consider bundles of Sol De Janeiro fragrances and Laneige skincare. No pressure, St Nick.
It was ace to see Sephora exclusive brands that I'd never seen before with my own two peepers, like Lady Gaga's Haus Labs and Patrick Starrr's One/Size. Beauty legend Danessa Myricks has a make-up range which I was particularly chuffed to see in real life; I've always wanted to buy something but felt I needed to see her magical, shifting multichromes in the flesh before committing.
READ MORE: First pictures inside Bullring Sephora as the beauty giant prepares to open in Birmingham
The Sephora Collection, the shop's own brand, has a huge presence that I think will go down with Brummies who want to have that experience of buying something in the shop without breaking the bank. So too will skincare lines like The Ordinary which, while not exclusive to Sephora, can be picked up from as little as a fiver if you've only got pocket money to spend.
Better still, as I tinkered with the little colourful, fruity bottles of serum at the Glow Recipe stand, I noticed tiny little sample jars and scoops hidden away behind a mirror. It can be intimidating sometimes, in the posh beauty halls of sophisticated shops, to ask for samples without feeling honour-bound to buy (or explain why you can't right now) so that casual little addition was a happy discovery in the laid-back shop.
Sephora straddles well that line between experience and store. Sure, you can splash the cash at the self-service tills or after running the gauntlet of tempting tiny travel size goodies in the regular till queue, but if you just want to go in and try, explore, be inspired, get ideas, sniff new fragrances and build your Christmas list, you can. I imagine gangs of girls planning their shopping trip with friends now and it makes me feel chuffed to think about. Me and my pals are among them.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the city welcomes Sephora. Staff mentioned how they're going to be taking Brummies into consideration when planning masterclasses and sessions, thinking of our South Asian community when it comes to wedding make-up and special occasions and stocking black-owned brands and businesses that create products for different hair types and textures.
It's nice to imagine that everyone, regardless of the amount of money in their pocket or their background, will find something to suit them in the new shop. Will you be heading in to mooch around? What are you hoping to snag while you're there? Let me know in the comments section below!