Whether you’re buying a beautiful scent for your sister, lipstick for your best friend or a playful palette for your niece, there’s something rewarding about taking the time to pick the perfect beauty item for a special friend or family member at Christmas time. Particularly when it’s against a backdrop of sparkling lights and Christmas party tunes.

Not to mention that new make-up, skincare and treatments can also be quietly transformative, something that is most welcome during November and December, when we want our tired winter skin to look hydrated and glowy and our make-up and nails to look polished and glamourous. 

Earlier this month, luxury Scandinavian brand Byredo launched its new space at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, and we can confirm that it’s an excellent place to pick up a special new scent or candle ahead of Christmas. 

There are new beauty destinations at two of our most exciting and innovative retailers: Selfridges Oxford Street is home to brand new Dior Beauty counters, and Flannels’ flagship Leeds store just opened with an impressive beauty hall. Meanwhile, Grown Alchemist’s new store on Beak Street in central London is the newest destination for biological beauty in the UK, offering biotechnological innovation across retail and treatments. This week sees Beauty Pie’s new holiday pop-up open with a full schedule of on-site activities, from fragrance workshops to live podcast recordings.

The House of Dior is reinventing its fragrance and beauty boutiques, taking inspiration from the house’s signature ‘New Look’ couture heritage and Dior’s first boutique in Paris, on Avenue Montaigne, and Selfridges in London is the first destination to showcase the brand’s fragrance, make-up and skincare collections in the new elegant and inviting space.

There’s an opulent haute-parfumerie boutique where you can have a bespoke consultation with a fragrance expert, while the Dior make-up counter features a user-friendly display of six curated make-up looks by Peter Philips, the creative director for Dior Make-up, with products to create each look arranged beneath them for shopping ease. There is also a beauty play area, which is fully focused on tester products, and an immersive ‘backstage area’ featuring make-up stations and screens showing the most recent runway show, emulating the energy of a backstage experience.

A discreet consultation area is equipped with tech tools to analyse skin needs, and Le Salon is a secret room where you can book in to experience treatments using Dior’s skincare and refined facial techniques.

Melissa Mcginnis, head of beauty buying at Selfridges, says: “We have continued to build a very strong partnership with Dior and were thrilled when they shared we would be the first to launch their New Look design within the UK.  The new destination immerses our beauty customers into the world of Dior beauty with key elements reminiscent of their legendary first boutique in Paris.  Each beauty category has a precise location, allowing customers to discover and enjoy them easily. I am most excited for our customers to uncover the Le Salon room hidden off the shop floor. You can escape the bustle of Oxford Street and be spoilt with a range of skincare treatments and facial techniques.”

Visit the new Dior Beauty counters at Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB

Located just 46 minutes by train from London Marylebone, Bicester Village has been a major shopping destination for lovers of luxury brands for 30 years. There are currently more than 150 boutiques and unbeatable year-round savings – all set in a pristine, landscaped setting modelled on the villages in surrounding Oxfordshire.

Byredo, the European luxury brand founded in Stockholm, opened a dedicated boutique at Bicester Village last month. The chic, design-led space has already become a highlight of the village thanks to its cult scents, scented candles, warming home accessories, luxury bodycare and festive make-up.

Visit the Byredo store, Bicester Village, Bicester Oxfordshire OX26 6WD

Pioneering beauty brand Beauty Pie strips out the middlemen and the ridiculous retailer mark-ups to offer world-class skincare, make-up, fragrances and more without paying traditional luxury prices. This week, the brand is opening an immersive holiday pop-up space for members and non-members until Sunday 1 December. 

Across the pop-up, there will be panel discussions – including Beauty Pie founder Marcia Kilgore in conversation with Nicola Moulton; Sam Chapman giving a make-up masterclass; a fragrance workshop with Alice du Parcq; and a live Spill podcast recording with hosts Billie Bhatia and Sasha Pallari. 

Spill’s co-host Billie Bhatia says: “If you’re looking for festive immersion this season, look no further. This pop-up promises festive gifting, content moments, an opportunity to experience Beauty Pie’s bestselling products firsthand and live events and masterclasses throughout the nine day residency.”

Visit the Beauty Pie pop-up at 35 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HG

At the end of last month, John Lewis unveiled the latest phase of its multi-million-pound store makeover plans with its flagship store on Oxford Street.

New skincare brands include The Inkey List, Mac, Skin+Me, Nudestix and The Ordinary. There’s also a dedicated space for fragrance, which is home to beauty-editor favourites Loewe, Kilian and Parfums de Marly. Dyson, Shark and ghd join the likes of Wella Professional, Aveda and Larry King in the fresh new haircare world discovery area, which is home to 50% more brands as part of the transformation.

With 41 beauty counters, shop-in-shop concepts and 175 beauty brands, it’s a beauty destination to know.

Peter Ruis, executive director for John Lewis, said: “The buzz is back in John Lewis, and we’re giving our customers even more reasons to shop in our brilliant stores. We’re backing ourselves with significant investment to ensure customers get the exceptional quality, outstanding service, and competitive prices they love about our unique brand.”

Shop the new Beauty Hall at John Lewis Oxford Street, London W1

Last month Flannels opened its major new Leeds flagship, the sixth Flannels flagship (joining London, Leicester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle) and a store that the team say is redefining the next generation of luxury retail.

David Epstein, MD of premium and luxury at Frasers Group, says: “Flannels Leeds represents one of our boldest and most disruptive flagships to date, redefining the experience for the savvy luxury consumers in this region. With over six floors of experiences and innovations, consumers will find everything from luxury womenswear and menswear to home, beauty, gym and cafe concepts.”

As you walk in, you arrive at a haven for luxury accessories and beauty. The Beauty Hall boasts fragrance favourites from Guerlain, La Matiére, Creed, Bvlgari and Dior Prestige, while the Beauty Bar, which sits in the heart of the beauty hall and will host one-on-one consultations and brand takeovers, starting with the current Prada Beauty takeover. Other activations and masterclasses from brands include Charlotte Tilbury and Creed. Also in the space is a beauty changing room that allows shoppers to try a vast range of beauty products in private.

Shop beauty at Flannels Leeds, Coronation Buildings, Vicar Lane, Leeds LS1 7JH

Australian skincare brand Grown Alchemist was founded on the belief that skin health is an extension of overall wellness, and the brand’s first store outside Australia just opened in Soho, offering a 360-degree wellness service. Perfect for anyone seeking to transform skin that has been negatively impacted by modern living.

Expect bespoke skincare consultations, exclusive treatments and products with advanced plant-based formulas using biotech and biomimetic ingredients to optimise skin function.

The brand’s services include the signature regenerator facial and the use of cutting-edge tools, such as ZIIP, a device that uses both nano and microcurrents to tone and sculpt. Each treatment takes place on a specialist binaural wellness bed that utilises vibrational and acoustic technologies to train the brain to relax. 

Anna Teal, Grown Alchemist’s CEO, says: “Our Beak Street store offers a unique, first-to-market experience, bringing the best of biotechnological innovation to both retail and treatments. Our therapies offer a symbiotic mix of expert skincare applications accelerated by leading tools and technology. We have considered every detail of the store experience, including air filtration planting, a UV and pollution diagnostic tool and a holistic skin product offering. The store is the ultimate expression of our brand, and we are delighted to be able to bring this to London.”

Shop Grown Alchemist, 35 Beak Street London W1 9SX, use code LONDON15 for 15% off online + in-store including on the treatment menu.

Images: courtesy of brands