A walk through Sephora India

Last evening the Indian beauty industry took the first step towards a monumental change with the inauguration of Sephora in Select CityWalk, Saket, New Delhi. Shopping for makeup and grooming will now be a whole new experience and that was clearly announced by the subtle yet confident opening of the first store of Sephora India. From early evening curious, enthusiastic and almost hungry shoppers and beauty enthusiasts knocked at the store's shutters and waited till 7:30pm for the doors to open. And open it did, in style, with energy, warmth, and fun overflowing out of the store and it's staff. Those who witnessed the opening will tell you that just when shoppers outside were getting restless, from within the store (at the ground floor, central atrium of the mall) notes of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance floated out and the Sephora team dressed in their trade mark black danced to the tune as the shutters rolled up.
To say it in short, it was electrifying and the wait for The Beauty Authority to finally make it's appearance was worth the while. It was an experience that we, the ones who witnessed it, will not forget in a hurry.
So that was the opening, now let me walk you through it and tell you a little about what you should look out for.
As you step in, you will see two showcases, displaying "Hot Now" products, take a good look at them and remember them to test them when you reach the brands' counters. Then when you turn to your left you will find your favourite ayurvedic brand Forest Essentials. You may have already tried their products but do take a couple of minutes to once again linger over their Date and Litchi Cream and the Soundarya Serum. Since last evening, I have fallen in love with them all over again. Next as you move ahead you can't but miss the "propah" English grooming brand, Crabtree&Evelyn. You can't leave this counter without indulging on their fabulous pomegranate handscrub and those men, who are sulking and "just" hanging around, may want to check out the Nomad and Sienna ranges.
From here also starts the rows of grooming  brands that you will only see in Sephora India and they are Soap&Glory, Burt's Bees and The Face Shop. From this area you must also check out Sephora own bath and body range available in several variants. My favourite is of course their Chocolate and their Cotton Flower range. My advice: Please spend quality and quantity time exploring this area. The staffers are just right there to help you when you need, but you can is to explore the beautiful brands on your own as well for as long as you want. Pick up the black baskets kept close by and fill them in with what you like. Keep them with you and think over your choices as you walk through the rest of the store.
Once done with this area, move over to the fragrances segment. And, and here we have Tom Ford fragrances that are again now available in India exclusively through Sephora. After perfumes hop over to makeup and Oh My God! what a variety to choose from. I can spend an entire day just exploring this place. What do they have there? Ask what they don't! Ummm yes... Urban Decay, Nars, and Smashbox are awaited but there is Sephora's entire makeup collection and there is Stila, NYX (check out their Nude on Nude eye shadow palette) and Benefit. Oh, here they also have a gondola for men's grooming products. Must take a look at Zirh. On the right wall you will find an interesting collection of haircare and skincare products. For hair check out Ouidad and Oscar Blandi and in skin my recommendation is Peter Thomas Roth and NUXE.
Walk further ahead and you shall find your favourite brands like Shiseido, Clarins, Guerlain and Dior. After you cross Dior don't miss the "Skin care Wall". This smart wall display helps you choose skincare products as per your skin needs. All you need to do is look at the column head for the type of product you need (cleanser, scrub, moisturiser, serum, mask) and the row for you skin need (whitening, anti-ageing, acne etc). You know these are the little smart and thoughtful things of Sephora that makes you fall in love with the brand. It is organised, it's easy to navigate and it's not imposing. It offers you choices but never takes over your decision. In short it gives you the freedom to explore and make a choice.
I'll sign off with that today and with the hope that your Sephora experience is as good as mine.