If you love beauty and you live in the UK, you are well aware of the fact that there's a Sephora-size hole in our country. Sure, we've got some really great beauty retailers, but none that seem to offer the same vast amount of products and beauty services as Sephora does. But there's a new store that's just arrived in London that aims to fill that void in our beauty-loving lives, and it's called After Beauty.
Just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus, After Beauty's three floors are full of over 5,000 beauty products across makeup, hair care, skin care, bath and body, fragrance, nails, wellness, and men's grooming. And while the store was made for beauty-lovers, it was also very much made with Instagram in mind. Imagine neon lights on the walls, lifts covered in teddy bears, an area to show off your new manicure, and a selfie-ready vanity area where you try out products before making the commitment and spending a month's wages on a lipstick you end up hating.
Now that we've got your attention, let's break down what else the store has to offer.
The After Beauty Spa and Meditation Zone
Image Source: AfterBeauty store
As you enter the store, a set of disco stairs leads you down to the After Beauty spa as well as a meditation zone for when it all gets too much and you need a time out on the lower ground floor.
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The After Beauty Spa and Meditation Zone
Image Source: AfterBeauty store
When it comes to the spa, you can book appointments through the Treatwell app, but walk-ins are also welcome. The treatments utilise products from brands that are sold in the store; for example, you can stop in for a flash facial from Skin Inc (£65 for 30 minutes), an Elemental Herbology Five Elements Aroma Facial (starting at £17), peels from 001 London (£45), or a massage from Guam (£45). And while Skin Inc, Juice Beauty, Guam, and The Better Skin Co products are exclusively stocked in After Beauty, they also have brands like Dermalogica, Oh K, Skinceuticals, and Tony Moly.
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The Makeup Playground
Image Source: AfterBeauty store
The ground floor houses those aforementioned vanity stations. After Beauty is home to cosmetic brands like Ardell Lashes, Lord and Berry, The Brow Gal, Ciaté, Stila, and Winky Lux, and when it comes to the latter, After Beauty is the only place in the UK where you can give the brand a try before you buy.
Similar to Sephora, the beauty experts that work at After Beauty have been trained to give you honest recommendations across all brands, which differs from your classic "beauty hall" and department store-counter approach. One of the more unique offerings in the After Beauty makeup wing is the Makeup Bag Refresh. For £10, a makeup artist will explain how to make use of the products you already own, pulling out products and colours that suit you best. And no, there's no catch. You don't have to buy any new products (although they may suggest products that would help round out your makeup bag).
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Image Source: AfterBeauty store
The ground floor is also where you can sample After Beauty's range of perfumes, which include Kierin NYC, Solinotes, Bon Parfumuer, and Anna Sui, to name a few.
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The First Floor Nail Bar
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When you reach the first floor, it's time to get your nails done with polishes from either Butter London, Duri Nails, Kure Bazaar, Leighton Denny, CND Shellac and Vinylux, or Yumi Nails — all of which are stocked on the After Beauty shelves. A speedy polish for your hands will cost from £27, a full set of gel nail extensions are priced from £54, and a gel mani and pedi starts at £72. However, it's also worth checking out Treatwell's website to see if you can find any deals.
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Image Source: AfterBeauty store
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Image Source: AfterBeauty store
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The Bath and Body Section
Image Source: AfterBeauty store
The first floor is also home to bath and body products — you'll find brands like Dr Bronners, Sunday Rain, and Yobe — and the male grooming section, which offers products for the lads from Anthony, Apothecary 87, Archipelago, Baxter Of California, Blind Barber, Izola, Jack Black, Men's Society, MMUK, Mo Bros, and Salt and Stone.
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The Hair Touch-Up Station
Image Source: AfterBeauty store
Have you even been caught in the rain before a date? Or looked a bit frazzled after being on the tube before a job interview? Or you just want to look glam for walking around London? On the first floor, you'll also find hair tools that you can use to tame frizz or touch up waves.
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Image Source: AfterBeauty store
If you're in London this weekend, at a loose end or fancy checking out the UK's calling to Sephora, then we'll see you there! And if not, you can shop online 24/7 at afterbeauty.com.
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Image Source: AfterBeauty store
After Beauty is located at 189, St James's, Piccadilly, London, W1J 9ES and is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and on Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
