Indulge beauty
As I was walking through Westfield something caught my eye… a NEW MAKEUP SHOP!!
Of course, I went in, it would have been rude not to…. Walking in, I couldn’t help but think, is this the UK version of Sephora, I really hope so.
The first thing I noticed when I walked in were the staff. Every member seemed to be busy, stocking the shelves or rearranging the products. I did notice one member of staff doing her make up, but this didn’t bother me as I understand working in a makeup store, you would be tempted to touch up and, in my opinion, it does make a huge difference when a staff member selling you make up, has nice makeup themselves (plus it gives me makeup inspiration!)
I really appreciated that the minute I stepped foot into the store I didn’t get jumped on by all the staff. They allow you to get your bearings before offering assistance, unlike most retail stores, where you have someone lingering around you the whole time you’re trying to find the perfect lipstick shade. I don’t know about you, but I find this rather uncomfortable.
I started looking around the store and was surprised to see the vast number of brands Indulge Beauty stock. From the Ordinary to Perricone MD and Buxom to Marc Jacobs, you can really find it all. One thing I will mention is I found the layout of the store, overall slightly confusing and a little overwhelming. I think this may be due to the height of the stands the products are stocked on. They don’t allow you to see the whole shop floor, meaning spotting a brand you want to look at, may prove a little more difficult than expected. Although the products are all stocked neat and tidy, it just seemed to be a bit mix matched.
As you walk into the store, there is a stand containing Urban Decay products which is well presented, however as you continue to progress further down the store, there are more stands of Urban Decay, which seemed to be scattered in various places around the store. I found this with several brands. Although this isn’t to my taste, I can see the positives in arranging the store like this. It does seem a nice idea to be able to walk into a busy store and have the option to look at a product without tons of people standing behind you…all looking at the same product!
I do love the way they had products covering both walls either side of the store, I found this was a great way to save space on the shop floor and showcase their fabulous amount of stock! The mini products by the checkout didn’t go a miss either, it’s so simple yet effective when shops put all the minis together. Although, it does make it extremely easy for my mind to trick me into thinking ‘it’s only £5, its fine’ until I get to the check out and realise the majority of my total are the ‘only £5’ products!
The staff were very knowledgeable, I didn’t feel like they were reciting a script they had just remembered when asking for information about a particular product. I picked up one of the Erborian Green Tea Konjac Sponges as I have seen them floating about for a while, but I didn’t really know much about it. I asked a member of staff how I was meant to use the sponge and although she didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about the product she did tell me the relevant information I needed without hesitation, e.g. directions for use and how many times I can use it.
My friend was on the hunt for a new cool tone foundation. The Ordinary foundation caught her eye. If you’re like me, navigating your way around an unfamiliar shade range is very daunting. Lucky, one of the staff must have sensed our confusion and came over to offer advice. She was able to pick out the perfect shade, first go and advised she should go with the Serum foundation rather than the full coverage one due to her skin type.
Once we got to the checkout, they put free sample in our bags which I thought was a nice touch.
If you are wondering around Westfield Stratford, I would definitely recommend you popping into Indulge, who knows, you might just find your new favourite product in there you never even knew existed!