We Aren’t Being Left Out Anymore… Sephora is in the UK!

The incredibly well-known French company Sephora has finally made its way back to the UK! After closing their stores 17 years ago, the popular store for makeup and beauty is now open to browse in Westfield White City, West London. The store opened on the 8th of March and is still rising in popularity as queues form even over a month later! Fortunately, when I visited the store, in the early afternoon, I didn’t need to wait in a line, however, when strolling past it later, a large queue had assembled!

In the dreamy makeup and beauty paradise, there are roughly 135 brands to experiment with and explore, such as the Sephora own collection, Kat Von D, Elemis, Sunday Riley, Benefit, Tarte, Two Faced and Huda Beauty. Nevertheless, even though the range and variety of products was fantastic, and clearly something for everyone, I did feel it was very overwhelming to distinguish every product and discover all the items, as there was just an immense amount of choice. The staff were lovely though, so if you did need support around the shop, they would happily inform you and guide you through to your end purchase! Personally, I gravitated towards the brands I already knew, like Ariana Grande’s R.E.M, M.A.C, Makeup By Mario and Drunk Elephant.

I noticed the Sephora own brand was very popular by customers as I suppose this was new for us, and something we had not had a chance to delve into yet. If you are a student like me, and money is not so free flowing, I felt that the Sephora own brand was just as pricey as the high-end brands, and I kept feeling like I wanted to see what similar products I could purchase for a cheaper price at the Boots store downstairs, and most of the brands in this store were already on sale in Boots too. Is Sephora a tad too late to enter back into the UK?

I do suppose that when you want to treat yourself and have a luxurious splurge, this is the place to visit. In some cases, if you treat yourself to the more luxury brands, you can physically see a healthy, glowy difference to your skin. I recently added the Elemis Superglow Cleansing balm into my night-time skincare routine and have drastically seen a difference (you can purchase most Elemis products at Sephora).

As I grew up watching my favourite influencers on YouTube discuss their experiences with Sephora, it was really exciting to visit for myself and finally see what the hype was all about and have a chance to access brands most EU and American customers were always able to access.

I think next time, I will definitely enter Sephora being well prepared with specific items I am looking to purchase and what various brands may be suited for my own personal makeup bag. However, I did love the luxurious, sleek and modern feel to the store and the huge range on offer, because there will be at least a product or two for everyone to try out. Just if you are like me, and still not aware of every skincare product you should be using, being aware of what brands you already love or want to try, it’s best to consider before visiting!

Images/Edit/Words By Alice Abel