A Favourite Thing: Girlie Heaven (Sephora.com)

Member Name: gollygumdrops

Product:	Sephora.com
Date:	18/07/02 (1429 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Head rush

Disadvantages: Credit Card statement

I'm walking along, the weathers depressing, my job's depressing - hell - today everything in mylife is depressing. I catch a glimpse of a store front. It's black. I recognise it immediately. I've been to places like this before, but previously only in the less well known areas of big American cities. I thought being back in England I'd be safe, but temptation is never far away. I'd done it on the internet before, and they'd sent me stuff, but it's not the same as really being there.

I look around. There's no one I know, anyway, nobody's looking at me, they're all too busy whistling 'The Happy Wanderer' and enjoying life to worry about what I'm doing.

The combination of excitement and guilt causes a knot of nausea in my stomach and a rush of blood to my head leaves me feeling giddy. I'm going in. I deserve it. It'll make me feel better. It's my life, I make your own choices, earn my own money. It's clean, it's safe, and nobody needs to know unless I tell them.

I walk through the door, onto the thick, deep red carpet. The walls are black. The smells, the colours - the aura of pure hedonism is almost overwhelming. I know I'm about to blow a sizeable chunk of my paycheck but I don't care, the sheer pleasure of the moment makes it all worthwhile. Deep in my heart I know I'm going to feel guilty in the morning, but right now I'm living for the moment.

Welcome to Sephora!

Here it is, the answer to all my problems.

Sephora sells 365 shades of lipstick in just its' basic own brand. There's plenty of other choices in their 'Artist' range, and that's before you even start looking at the branded goods. There's BeneFit, Bourjois, Versace, Givenchy, Nars, Stila, Tony & Tina, and an array of others. Urban Decay and Hard Candy are available - yes this place stocks Class A cosmetics.

The
re's eye shadow, foundation, blusher, mascara all in an array of colours and a capitalist frenzy of brands and we're only half way through the store.

You don't have to go mad and spend £10 on the most gorgeous Hard Candy nail polish (perfectly good value when you consider the ring you get with the packaging), you can buy a teensy tiny 3ml pot of Sephora's own for around £2.50. Just about the right amount when you know there's around 50 shades to choose from. I don't think I've ever left a store with less than three shades on each hand.

Let me take you by the hand and lead you to the fragrance wall. Every perfume, cologne, eau de toilet and aftershave you could sneeze at can be found here. Allow the heady scents to fill your mind, let your mind wander to happy hours spent in the bath, perhaps with Fresh, or Moulton Brown or Philosophy. Still dazzled by the colours? Try one of Sephora brands bath gels in 20 or so colours.

Oooh that clean feeling. Build on it with skincare from Ahava, Aromapharmacy, Decleor and Dior, and I'm only four letters into the alphabet.

Sephora are part of the Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group, so they know a thing or two about luxury, and several things about making money as they own many of the fragrance and cosmetic brands they sell.

I could go on, and indeed on and on, but then I'd have to stop for one of the dinky little sweets, again in a range of colours that you can scoff while shopping. Not shopping? Don't worry, you can simply go in and make yourself look fabulous with all the trial products. Not good at that kind of thing? No cause for alarm, a Sephora staffer will give you a free makeover, after all they know you'll be back, and back with cash!

I've been back - to BlueWater, Milton Keynes, West Quays, Merry Hill and Touchwood, as well as the place that I first got high, the Somerset Collection in Troy. Sephora is not f
or the weak willed or the financially committed, but when you need a quick, instant hit, it's the place to go.

OK so I'm shallow. I thought about my favourite things and by and large they aren't products. News bulletins that contain no deaths, sunny afternoons in the park, rain bouncing of the tent roof, the smell of freshly mown grass and exhaust fumes, none of these things appeared as DooYoo categories so here it is, my favourite thing opinion. Go ahead and paddle in my personality while I cheer myself up with retail therapy, and the best favourite thing of all - good news.

"Jill Murphy asked me to write about one of my favourite things to help her celebrate her fourth anniversary of cancer-free living and to remind ourselves of all the nice things in the world. It takes more muscles to make a frown than a smile you know. If you'd like to join in, whether you've only just joined dooyoo, or you've been here ages, you're more than welcome. Just write about one of YOUR favourite things, make your title "A Favourite Thing: [your choice]" and include this paragraph at the foot of your opinion. And post before Friday, 9th August."

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