BeautyMART: a new ‘editorial’ beauty retail concept

I have been following the BeautyMART blog, as penned by ex-Vogue beauty journalist Anna-Marie Solowij and brand creative Millie Kendall (of Ruby & Millie fame), for a little while now. With a teaser stating “BeautyMART, an exciting and unique new space to shop, in-store and online, for all your favourite beauty products”, I was keen to find out more about exactly what this new beauty retail landscape would offer.

It has now been revealed that BeautyMART is a new beauty concept store opening in Harvey Nichols in August 2012 that will offer a tightly edited selection of beauty brands, from mass to premium, niche to mainstream, all under one roof. And unlike other beauty retail concepts, BeautyMART’s founders have handpicked only the best products from each brand to stock on their shelves, rather than stocking the whole range. Anna-Marie Solowij told Vogue that she filled the store ‘as akin to doing the perfect edit for a beauty page’.

What this essentially means is that every single product in the boutique has a seal of approval from two of the beauty industry’s heavyweights; it’s not enough for them to recommend, for example, the Becca Cosmetics range – they’ll go one step further and provide you with only the best products within that range. It’s like editorial-style shopping and I love it.

This notion of ‘editorial shopping’ isn’t just limited to the product selection; it’s also an integral part of the shopping experience. As the website states: “We’re making our boutique feel like a magazine come to life, with stories to inspire you and advice that you can trust.”

Prior to the boutique’s launch, BeautyMART will install its own beauty vending machines in-store, with the view to also take them to other arenas such as airports and salons, offering beauty essentials and mini products at the click of a button. Imagine waiting for your train to arrive and impulse-buying a few beauty goodies in the meantime? I better warn my bank manager.

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