Reveling in the bright red “Try Me” sticker displayed on products in a beauty store has been an indulgence denied to Colorado makeup mavens.
But beauty enthusiasts can get their cotton swabs, makeup remover and pocket books ready for some serious damage.
Sephora, the ultimate beauty playground, is finally here. A victorious chorus of customer cheers heralded the opening of the first new Colorado store last week at Flatiron Crossing Mall.
“It’s about time that a little more style be brought to the West,” said Anne Ellis, 50.
Ellis said she was tired of being forced to drool over the Sephora catalog her friend Jennifer Cardarelli, 29, often brought to work. And she grew increasingly frustrated when she heard Cardarelli’s tales of visiting Sephora stores in Las Vegas or New York during layovers when Cardarelli worked as a flight attendant.
Think of Sephora as an older, worldly and sophisticated sister to Colorado’s own Ulta retailer.
With more than 120 stores, Sephora is the leading retailer of perfumes and cosmetics in the United States and the second largest in Europe.
Sephora revolutionized the global beauty industry with its customer service, selection and unique “open-sell” philosophy, which allows customers to play with and try out every item offered.
Hard-core beauty seekers got lost for hours among the creative possibilities offered at the new 4,848-square- foot Sephora store in Broomfield.
“I am so excited that I can’t wait to go up and down every aisle,” said Shelli Crews, 42, of Aurora, one of among hundreds of customers who was there for opening day.
More than 150 makeup artist brands are just a fingertip away, including exclusive collections and prestige cosmetic products from LORAC, Smashbox, Dior and Prada. Innovative lines such as the GoSMILE cosmetic dentistry products and the clinically tested skincare line Cosmedicine keep Sephora’s offerings cutting edge. Plus, Sephora has its own line of fragrance, makeup, skincare, bath and body products, tools and accessories.
Colorado isn’t usually recognized for a having a high glamour quotient. Give our low-maintenance, outdoorsy gals some SPF, lip gloss and waterproof mascara, and they are good to go.
But new makeup trends aimed at achieving natural beauty with products that improve the skin’s health feeds right into this state’s health craze.
“In the 1920s leading up to the 1950s, makeup was all about covering up and using heavy foundations to hide skin problems,” said Jane Terker, the spokesperson for Klinger Advanced Aesthetics, the creators of Cosmedicine.
“Now it’s about how to achieve healthy skin through science and regimen, religiously taking care of your skin with facials monthly and twice daily cleaning and exfoliating two to three times a week.”
Some people may think that Sephora’s move out West may signify a “beauty-full” arrival for Colorado’s entrance into the fashion and beauty world. But demand for beauty products has always been high in Colorado (especially for hydrating products to deal with our dry climate) making businesses successful here, says well-known celebrity and fashion photographer Davis Factor, who is chief creative officer for Smashbox Cosmetics and the grandson of makeup legend Max Factor.
“People should see it more as Sephora finally catching up with Denver instead of this city catching up with Sephora,” says Davis, who was on hand at the new Broomfield shop last Thursday while work crews diligently prepared the store for opening day.
Until now, Coloradans have settled with buying Sephora products via catalog or online.
But the inability to indulge in the “open sell” atmosphere other buyers got to experience in locally placed stores irked customers here. The clamoring from Coloradans plus high online sales from this region persuaded the company to open a store in state, said Laura Kenney, Sephora’s beauty writer.
A second store will open in July at the Park Meadows mall.
“It’s OK to be able to order online, but people want the chance to come into a Sephora,” Kenney said. “For me, if I saw really bright colors like this strong orange lipstick or blue eyeliner on a model, I would be afraid to buy it.
“You can take some beauty risks at Sephora and keep coming back until you eventually try everything.”
Staff writer Sheba R. Wheeler can be reached at 303-820-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
Sephora beauty experts’ hot makeup trends for spring and summer:
Bronzers aren’t just for the winter anymore. Use them throughout the warm-weather months to appear fresh and tanned without the damaging rays of the sun. Bronzers now are used in an all-over-
look, bringing out bone structure when applied to the sides of face and beneath the cheekbones.
Mascara is the new lip gloss. The trends have harkened back to the Twiggy era of the 1960s when goopy eyelashes were in.
Tints and body shimmers are hot. So are stay-put stains and radiance-enhancing products, such as face polishes, skin peels and brightening serums that mimic dermabrasion, clearing up skin pigments for a uniform glow.
Look for more pinks for the summer. Then check out plums, greens and browns for the fall. The colors will pop with metallic, almost futuristic undertones.
Beauty products will continue to multitask. For example, a tinted moisturizer also has SPF protection and antioxidants; a primer that fills out the skin has SPF 15; and a collagen booster fights wrinkles.
– Sheba R. Wheeler
