8 reasons to be excited Sephora is opening in Australia.

It’s been rumoured for years that cosmetic giant Sephora is coming to Australia, and now it seems that it’s FINALLY happening.

The Financial Review is reporting that Sephora will open its first Australian store next year. There’s no firm date yet but it’s believed it will open in the first half of 2015.

Let the countdown begin, folks.

The first store is set to be in Sydney, followed by stores in other capital cities. Locations such as Pitt St and George St in Sydney (where Zara and Tophop have successfully set up shop) are being considered, and the beauty mega store is also reportedly in talks with Westfield.

Citigroup reckons with our beauty spending habits – Myer and David Jones’ estimated sales in the beauty and fragrance market is rumoured to be worth more than $1.8 billion a year – there’s scope for about 25 stores Australia wide.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of beauty haul shopping at Sephora, you’re going to need some reasons to be excited about this – here goes.

1. We can get it all in one place.  

Say you’ve read a beauty story and suddenly decided you need to buy a dark lipstick, navy blue nail polish, CC cream, purple eyeliner and dry shampoo (hey, you’ll get no judgment from me). You don’t have to trek to two or three different stores to find it all. Sephora is the cats pyjamas of beauty retailers – and you don’t need a black Amex to shop there.

2. The free samples.

There’s an unwritten rule that you can’t walk out of a Sephora store empty handed, and anyone who’s been to one will know that you are handsomely rewarded at the counter. Sephora gives out three samples with every beauty purchase, and because they know we’re helpless in the hands of beauty freebies they’ll often give you more.

3. No more trying to track down Naked palettes…  

Urban Decay’s Naked palettes have reached cult status, and when they announced a third palette was being released late last year, beauty forums were buzzing with talk about where us Aussies could get our mitts on them. So no longer will you have to beg your travelling friends or buy (potentially) dubious ones off eBay.

 4. You’ll never buy the wrong shade of foundation again.

I’ve maybe kinda sorta made it a life goal to visit a Sephora in every country I’ve been to (hey, it’s good to have goals, right?) and one thing that stands out is the uber-helpful and friendly staff.

Unlike a department store makeup counter, the staff isn’t held to promoting any one brand. So rather than pushing the wrong shade of foundation to make a sale, they’re focused on getting the right solution for your skin type.

 5. Free makeovers.

Since there’s somewhere around 100 brands and 7,000 products in a typical Sephora store, the staff have daily demonstrations on everything from new hair curlers to CC creams. So if you’ve got time, you can be treated to a FREE makeover and you won’t be held to buying anything at the end of it.

6. Rollerball perfumes.

Tell me I’m not the only one obsessed with the rollerball perfumes? For only 20 clams, you can wear the latest perfumes, without committing to a whole bottle. They’re also a great option if you never get through a bottle of perfume before it goes off.

7. The prices.

The Financial Review reports that Sephora is unlikely to create a price war within the market, as global beauty brands do not like to discount products. But it will be interesting to see if the recommend retail prices are in line with what we currently pay or will be much cheaper as it is in US stores.

You may have noticed that some of your favourite beauty products have come down in price over the last 18 months, this “cost price harmonisation” exercise was to bring the Australian market in line with what the rest of the world pays. It protects department stores and brands from threats such as online shopping and global giants like Sephora. So watch this space.

8. Sephora’s line.

Sephora stocks all the big beauty brands you love, Clinique, Clarins, Stila, Urban Decay, but their own line of make-up and tools is also worth getting excited about. From the collaborations, like the Divergent for Sephora collection (pictured above) to reasonably priced (and GOOD!) brushes and tools it’s a very extensive range. So if you’ve been trying to track down a blackhead extractor for years, this is very good news for you.
Want more? Click through all the things you’ll be able to shop at Sephora:

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