‘I visited Sephora’s new Liverpool store and I finally get the hype’

As a reporter, I was intrigued to visit the latest store of a beloved retailer whose openings always see the public turn up in their thousands. 

Fellow beauty retailers also can’t help but admire and envy their competitor. Former Boots boss Seb James admitted at a Retail Week Live event in 2023 that his team aimed to make Sephora’s UK launch a “disaster”, while Space NK invested in a billboard near Westfield on the night of Sephora’s London launch.

However, as a consumer, I never bought into the hype around Sephora and wasn’t really bothered about trekking nearly three hours up north to visit one of its stores.

These initial feelings probably stemmed from the fact that I never really understood the fascination with beauty. Even as a teenager when bushy eyebrows, ombre hair and the smokey eye look was all the rage.

Part of French luxury powerhouse LVMH, which also owns the likes of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Tiffany & Co, Sephora has easily been the standout in that portfolio

So, what is so great about Sephora? Isn’t it just another international beauty store?

“No!” My sister exclaimed when I asked her the above questions. “It’s got so many brands to choose from that you probably can’t get in other shops,” she explained.

“It’s just a fun place to be and you end up buying more products that you came in for because there is so much to look at. You can never spend just five minutes there.”

Sephora’s popularity is reflected in its financial results. Part of French luxury powerhouse LVMH, which also owns the likes of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Tiffany & Co, Sephora has easily been the standout in that portfolio.

In the first quarter of 2025, LVMH recorded a 2% revenue decline driven by a “disrupted geopolitical and economic environment,” but Sephora is one of the only brands that consistently continues to grow, achieving double-digit growth in 2024.

Its newly found success in the UK has no doubt added to its commercial growth, and Sephora chief executive Guillaume Motte plans to expand to have at least 20 UK stores in the next two years.

So when it opened its eighth UK store this week, it was about time I went to see what all the fuss was about.

Upon arrival, I was greeted with a glass of champagne and friendly staff who guided me into the impressive 6,727 sq ft store, adorned in its signature black and white colour scheme.

The store was already bustling with local celebrities, journalists, influencers and key figures in the UK beauty industry. 

I immediately felt out of place, as I was one of the only people not dressed to the nines. Not to mention everyone else was ecstatic to be there, dancing to the DJ and having pictures taken with local drag queen legend and Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard (who I was too shy to speak to).

All feelings of discomfort quickly abated as, when browsing through the store, Sephora UK managing director Sarah Boyd approached me and told me the product I was looking at “does wonders for the skin” and that I should check out the Tower 28 collection.

I took that advice and found myself on a journey of discovery. The Tower 28 collection spoke to me as a person who doesn’t wear much make-up, but is finally starting to get into skincare – especially now I’m 26 and should probably start using anti-aging creams ASAP.

This collection focuses on sensitive skin and basic make-up needs such as concealer and mascara. I was impressed that Boyd managed to point me towards products that I would likely use everyday, just by having the quickest of conversations.

Venturing into the rest of the store, I felt silly for not realising that Sephora not only sells make-up, but fragrances, face masks, Dyson products, hair serums and make-up brushes too.

Brands such as Fenty by Rihanna, Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, Drunk Elephant, The Inkey List, Gucci, Armani, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Elemis and many, many more can be discovered, along with displays titled “hot on social media” and “the next big thing”.

As people were queuing for the “Benefit Brow Bar,” I realised I was walking through a more polished, sophisticated, cooler, version of a Debenhams beauty hall.

I don’t think we have many beauty playgrounds in the UK where you can spend half a day exploring and discovering brands that are suited to you personally. 

I could have easily spent all night chatting to staff, getting my eyebrows threaded and trying on make-up from brands I’d never seen in shops before.

In the words of the ever funny and eloquent Danny Beard: “It’s about time we had something better than Boots.”