Us beauty bloggers, we love Boots. It’s our haven. Mecca. The ultimate destination for scooping up our weekly essentials, as well as the newest beauty launches. I’ve always seen Boots as a firm part of the British high street – can you imagine growing up without Boots?! I truly can not. From the tiny local store in my old town of Ross-On-Wye, to the vast beauty halls of the Oxford Street store, there’s something familiar and calming about Boots, perhaps it’s the familiarity – you go in knowing entirely what you’re going to find.
Well, actually, that’s all changed. And in a positive way I must hasten to add! I was completely blown away by the in-store experience during a very recent visit to a Boots flagship store – one of the stores which hosts Boots new beauty experience – the Boots Emporium.
The Emporium is a new and innovative in store experience, within a few of the Boots flagships (you can use the online store locator to find your nearest one). Having recently kicked off with Brow Week, the Emporium is an area within the store where you can experience an entirely different shopping experience to what you already know and love from Boots, and here are my top 5 reasons why you should visit a Boots Emporium, ASAP!
Number One – Personalisation!
I know!!! So cool! So many things from the store ranging from makeup brushes, palettes, perfume bottles, jars of moisturisers, mirrors, etc etc etc can be personalised right here in front of your eyes. The process is simple and affordable too. In store staff will help you to discover whether the pieces you’ve picked up are personalisable (most are – as long as there’s a hard surface big enough for engraving), you then take your pieces to the till, pay for them and let the assistant know you want them personalised, pay an additional £3 per item to be personalised and then take your items and your receipt to the Emporium.
What a fabulous idea for Christmas?! I got my Real Techniques Bold Metal makeup brush engraved with my initials, and i’ll be returning soon to get my Mum’s favourite perfume engraved with a little message. Even your boyfriend could be treated to a personalised razor or serum – then none of his rugby mates will be able to swipe it in the changing rooms (yep, talking from Charlie’s experience!).
The Test & Play Station
You know that awkward situation where you don’t know if you’re actually allowed to test something? Well, not at the Emporium! There is a glossy table in the middle of the Emporium with a pyramid of products, all lined up ready for you to test. Swatch and Swipe to your hearts content, and discover which shades are right for your skin tone.
It’s the perfect opportunity to mix and match products too – perhaps you’ve got a brown mascara and are looking for it’s perfect partner – a brown liner, well – it’s like Pick ‘n’ Mix for beauty lovers and you can test away to your heart’s content.
3. Exclusive Brands!
There are some brands that you just can’t pick up on every high street. Those illusive ones that we hear our favourite bloggers recommending, then can never seem to find. Well, the Boots Emporium stocks so many favourites including NYX, Benefit and more.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or can’t make it to an emporium, don’t panic! Just ask a member of staff, and they can order the product into your nearest store for you to pick up the very next day.
4. Build your Own Palette!
I’m fairly picky when it comes to the shades I choose, so in the past have ended up buying multiple palettes, just to ensure I’ve got all the right shades. Well, that’s a thing of the past thanks to the Makeup Obsession Build Your Own Palette station!
In the Emporium, you can pick up an 8 or 12 disk palette, and pick and choose which products you’d like to put inside. Opt for eye shadows, blushers, highlights, and even creams for strobing! Finally – a palette where every single piece is perfect for my makeup habits – no more dodgy green shades to fill up the gaps which I’m never going to touch!!
5. Build Your Own Beauty Box!
Yes! You can even also build your very own beauty box in the Boots Emporium, choosing from high end and luxurious products to put together your very own beauty selection. With brands such as Benefit and Estee Lauder offering travel sized samples, you can choose 3 pieces for £25, with their individual values being far, far higher.
Plus, the box is seriously cute! I adore the pink and grey branding that Boots have opted for in the emporium, so will definitely be using my Beauty Box for storage. The boxes can be decorated with ribbon too – even that can be personalised to make the gift even more unique.
In case you couldn’t tell, I am pretty darn excited about the Boots Emporium, and you can watch my vlog of my visit on my YouTube channel here.
Discover more online, where you’ll also find tutorials, shoppable makeup looks and much, much more.
It’s been a pleasure to work with Boots on this exciting project, and I hope you’ll try to visit an Emporium near you!
xoxo
