We are there, Sydney.
Sephora in Pitt St Mall officially opened it’s doors TODAY at 12pm. Huzzah!
If you’re not in Sydney, or your boss very inconveniently won’t let you take the morning off to queue up, fear not. We’ve got a sneak peek inside Australia’s first ever Sephora store.
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Inside Sephora Sydney
The Glow team were at the media preview last night, and while our beauty cupboard is heaving we STILL couldn’t resist buying a few things while we were there. Yep, that’s just the power of Sephora. It makes you buy shiny, pretty things you never knew you needed.
Sephora is open! Here’s what you need to buy first.
Like for example…
1. Sephora My Cosmic Sneaker Nail Patch Art, $15.
I think we can all agree that these are ridiculously awesome, and I definitely NEEDED them.
2. Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Th(ink), $30.
I have a thing for Marc Jacobs and if I wasn’t married... kidding. This eyeliner is a fantastical shade of metallic navy. It’s also waterproof, but I don’t mind because I never want to take it off. (US price $25.)
3. Formula X nail colour in Provactive $20.
So this is the perfect shade of not-too-baby-blue for summer (top left). Right, guys? (US price $10.50.)
4. Sephora Lotus Face Mask, $4.
Not even the thought of putting a $4 mask on my hypersensitive skin could stop me from buying this. One of the uber-helpful staff members of a similar age (this never happens) and skin type recommend the Hydrating & Soothing Lotus mask. But they also come in 9 other flavours including nourishing avocado and hydrating honey. (US price $6.)
5. Balenciaga Florabotanica rollerball perfume, $25.
I’m a sucker for a rollerball perfume, and always buy one or two when I’m overseas. This baby is exactly the same price as Balenciaga’s Florabotanica rollerball sold in the US. Winning. (US price $25.)
All your affordable makeup dreams are about to come true.
Are they price matching?
Good question. The answer is complicated.
The Australian Financial Review has just reported that Sephora Australia is indeed price matching to the US.
There is a catch though - the global cosmetics retailer will only be price matching brands that are exclusive to Sephora.
“If a brand is already in the market we don’t tell them to give us a cheaper price (and) we don’t want to compete with department stores and other players based on lower pricing,” Ravi Thakran, Asia and Middle East president for global luxury goods group LVMH Moët Hennessy told AFR. “But any brand we bring in we’ll bring that in with pricing equality (with the US).”
That means items that you can already buy at David Jones and Myers (So brands like Lancome, Estee Lauder, Jurlique and Benefit) will NOT be cheaper at Sephora. Sad face, cry face.
The brands that will match prices from abroad are Marc Jacobs Beauty, Tarte, Skin Inc and Formula X and Sephora's private label range Sephora Collection.
“That’s a big promise and we will certainly keep that – that’s a real bone of contention to Aussie consumers,” Mr Thakran also said.
“Many brands have done a disservice and many retail players have also done a disservice to the retail consumer, I believe the Australian consumer does deserve to be treated exactly the same [as US consumers].”