Credit: best beauty shopping london
6 min read
There’s no better place to go on a beauty shopping spree than in London. Here are the must visit stores to add to your list.
Most of us do a lot of our beauty shopping online these days: whether it’s purchasing your go-to shampoo and conditioner during a flash sale, picking up a new bottle of your favourite foundation as part of a bigger Boots order or throwing a cleanser into a virtual shopping basket while you do your weekly shop.
It’s something that we’re guilty of doing, but there’s so much forgotten joy that can be found in the time spent slowly browsing independent beauty shops with friends, going from counter to counter in various department stores or visiting the standalone boutiques and temporary pop-ups that are home to your favourite brands, each one offering an entirely different shopping experience.
Being able to wander aimlessly, swatching, spritzing and sniffing as you go, speaking to sales advisors and learning about the products that are so beautifully displayed all around you – especially in the lead-up to Christmas – is something that shouldn’t be underestimated.
So, if you’re in the mood to refresh your make-up bag or treat somebody else, here’s our round-up of the best places to shop, enjoy and experience beauty in London.
Glossier Realms of You
Separate to Glossier’s standalone store in Covent Garden, Realms of You is an immersive pop-up experience that celebrates the brand’s bestselling fragrance, You. Designed by the brand’s in-house team, it features a series of rooms allowing visitors to experience the scent through each of the five senses. Open from 18 November though to 14 January 2024, there is, of course, exclusive merch available to buy, including a pepper grinder (inspired by the perfume’s notes of pink pepper) and a mini microphone to ‘amplify the sounds of you’.
Nearest tube station: Oxford Circus
Glossier Realms of You, 173 Regent Street, London, W1B 4JQ
Sculpted by Aimee
A brand that keeps going from strength to strength, Sculpted by Aimee is opening the doors to its first London boutique this week, and we couldn’t be more excited. The brainchild of make-up artist Aimee Connolly, the brand launched in 2016 and has seen exponential growth ever since. There are already two boutiques in its home country of Ireland, but this is the first in the UK. Here, you’ll be able to shop customer favourites, like Cream Luxe Blush and Second Skin Dewy Foundation, as well as booking in for make-up application ahead of big events.
Nearest Tube station: Oxford Circus
Sculpted by Aimee, 20 Fouberts Place, London, W1F 7PL
Earl of East
A new addition to Quadrant Arcade, situated just off Regent Street, is Earl of East’s first beauty-focussed store. Known for its collection of home fragrance, bathing and self-care products, the shop also stocks a number of other carefully curated brands that align with its ethos, including AKT London, Guy Morgan and Mirror Water. Plus, you’ll find a selection of chic homeware, and you can even book in for a candle making workshop.
Nearest tube station: Piccadilly Circus
Earl of East, Unit 2, Quadrant Arcade, 80 Regent St., London, W1B 5RL
Sephora
As of this week there are now two Sephora stores in London, the original in Westfield White City, but the newest addition is in Westfield Stratford City. Both offer a similar range of brands, including some that are new to the UK, like Patrick Starr’s One Size, Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs and Makeup by Mario, as well as Sephora Collection, but you’ll find others, like Salt and Stone, Naked Sundays, Adowah Beauty and Straand exclusively in Stratford so if that’s not a reason to hop on the Central line and visit both shops, we don’t know what is.
Nearest tube station: Stratford International
Sephora, Westfield Stratford City, 157 Montfichet Rd, Stratford, E20 1EJ
Jo Malone London
As well as having a number of idyllic stores dotted around the city, Jo Malone London is calling Glide at Battersea Power Station home for the festive season. As well as a riverside ice rink (open from 10 November through to 7 January), a 30ft tree adorned with classic cream boxes, there’s also an immersive Gingerbread Land experience where you can browse and shop the brand’s festive fragrances, as well as being able to customise bottles and boxes with bespoke personalisation.
Nearest Tube station: Battersea Power Station
Jo Malone London, Battersea Power Station Turbine Hall, Circus Road, London, SW11 8BU
PureSeoul Soho
If you want to shop K-beauty in real life, then PureSeoul is one of the places to visit. Jam-packed with so many innovative, exciting and must-try brands that aren’t readily available in many other brick-and-mortar stores. Plus, the friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to help you navigate the shelves.
Nearest Tube station: Leicester Square
PureSeoul, 70 Charing Cross Rd, London, WC2H 0BJ
Malin + Goetz
What was only supposed to be a pop-up location for a few months, this store has been open for almost a year. On the ground floor you’ll find a selection of Malin + Goetz favourites, from candles to shower gel and hand cream, while upstairs is often transformed into experiential spaces. Formerly the rum room – to celebrate the brand’s much-loved Dark Rum range – it’s now been turned into the strawberry bar in honour of the newest fragrance franchise.
Nearest Tube station: Piccadilly Circus
Malin + Goetz Quadrant Arcade, Unit 1 80 Regent Street, London W1B 5RL
Liberty London
One of the city’s most iconic department stores, Liberty London is a treasure trove of beauty brands, both big and small. The smell when you walk in is enough to make you want to stay there for hours on end, just browsing and taking it all in. The Diptyque fragrance space is a candle lover’s dream and it’s worth stopping by just to experience that.
Nearest Tube station: Oxford Circus
Liberty London, Regent Street, London, W1B 5AH
Les Senteurs
Home to a seriously impressive range of niche fragrance brands, Les Senteurs is one of the city’s hidden perfume gems that’s well worth a visit if you’re in town. You can browse, smell and explore in your own time, and the warm, seriously knowledgeable team will be on hand to help you out if needed. So if you’re looking for a new signature scent or for another fragrance to add to your collection, this is the place to go for something truly unique and special.
Nearest Tube station: Sloane Square, Victoria
Les Senteurs, 71 Elizabeth Street, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9PJ
Omorovicza London Institute
Taking inspiration from the brand’s institute in Budapest, Omorovicza has opened its doors to the first London boutique. Combining the centuries-old wellness traditions that the brand is renowned for, there’s a menu of six Skin Therapy sessions based around traditional Hungarian massage – with one of them being exclusive to the London Institute – as well as a retail space to browse and purchase products recommended by your skin therapist.
Nearest Tube station: Bond Street
Omorovicza London Institute, 60 South Audley Street, London, W1K 2QW
Glossier
Following the success of its temporary pop-up, a couple of years ago Glossier opened a permanent flagship location in Covent Garden in what is said to be its oldest surviving building in the piazza – if you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out. Even if you don’t buy anything (but can we recommend checking out the exclusive merch or treating yourself to a Balm Dotcom), the store alone is an experience: decked out like a chic showroom, you can play with and discover products to your heart’s content, plus the huge mirrored entrance makes for the perfect Instagram-worthy photo opportunity.
Nearest Tube station: Covent Garden
Glossier, 43 King St, London, WC2E 8JY
Images: Getty; courtesy of brands
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