I had an appointment in the area and spotted this store nearby. My interest is piqued anytime I see a store carrying sparkly, pretty beauty stuffs so I stopped in to browse. This place is primarily luxury beauty products, Chantecaille, Trish McEvoy, Caudalie, etc. They also carry a few lines of hair care, like Phytologie and Bumble & Bumble. There are a few floor displays of makeup lines but I didn't look at those. I also spotted some perfumes, as well as a nice selection of Lafco candles (I always wash and save the glass containers, as they make gorgeous containers for flowers or odd and ends).
The store interior is bright and modern. No registers or checkout counters, transactions are handled much like they are at Apple stores. There is also a spa in the back where an esthetician performs facials, microderm and glycolic peels, among other add ons. Needing some TLC for my badly neglected skin due to personal difficulties, I made an appointment for a facial and began browsing their product shelves. The associate on the floor was polite, asked if I needed help and booked my appointment. Afterward, I began slowly making my way around the perimeter of the store to look at all the lines they carry. All was fine until I began to feel like I was being "watched".
There was only 1 other customer in the store. After she finished what she was doing, I suddenly noticed that two more associates had appeared out of nowhere. Ok, maybe they're anticipating more customer traffic. A little while later, after looking over the shelves and deciding on a bottle of perfume, I turned around to see 5 associates just standing there, huddled together in a group in the middle of the store. Normally I'd think nothing of it but I was the only one in the store. Holding the perfume, I walked toward the woman that had greeted me when I arrived and said they carried some nice product lines. She just stood there, smiling but didn't say anything. Uh, okay. So feeling a bit awkward, I said, "um, I'd like to buy this perfume". The rest of the transaction went as usual, we thanked each other and I said, "I'll see you again Friday!" She just said, "uh huh" and I left, feeling even more awkward than before. I ended up canceling the appointment.
Bottom line: nice store, really nice product lines if you use luxury beauty products but such a strange vibe from associates I can't really explain. I was dressed nicely, purchased a $200 bottle of perfume but I guess for whatever reason, they needed a whole crew of associates to monitor me. My recommendation would be to save the gas and order from Neimans or Sephora any products you already use. If you're looking for something new and fit their desired demographic, you'll probably have a nice time there. But I know I wont be returning. Besides, I'm finding Korean beauty lines to be far superior to any of the luxury brands bluemercury carries. read more
