Shop Tour: Sephora opens in Singapore
I’m delighted to bring you the Sephora that beauty junkies have all been waiting anxiously in Singapore. The official opening to the public is 4pm this afternoon but I managed to sneak in for an earlier preview.
So after waiting for so long, we now have a bigger Sephora store. If you were griping about the small little Sephora corner at DFS, then this 3,200 square feet shop smack at B1 of Ngee Ann City with over 100 brands of beauty and cosmetic products may delight you.
I say may because of all the brands that they’re carrying, only one-third is new to Singapore and the most outstanding one is Too Faced which was the center of attraction for most of the gals because of the pretty packaging and bright colors. Besides Too Faced, the other one that attracted a fair bit of attention was Pop Beauty. Other than the two brands, other makeup brands spotted were i.d. bareMinerals under Bare Escentuals, Becca, Hourglass and organic brand NVEY ECO.
I also spotted products from Bliss, Juice Beauty, Living Nature, Ole Henriksen, Pola, John Masters Organics, Bosica, Gianna Rose Atelier, Frederic Fekkai, Smith’s Rosebud Salve and of course Sephora house brand! Sorry to disappoint you gals but there are no hot favorites like Urban Decay, Laurier Mercier, Tarte, Cargo, Smashbox, NARS, DuWop or Philosophy that many of you are expecting.
I don’t know why they cannot bring in those brands noting that they’re really trying to target the younger crowd who are Internet savvy. Because seriously, it is quite a yawn to walk into a Sephora and see most of the major brands we already see in the department stores like Lancome, Estee Lauder, Clinque, Clarins, Biotherm, Dior as well as Benefit and the usual fragrance brands. Well, let’s hope they’ll bring in those later especially in view that they are planning to open two to three more stores in Singapore next year.
And of course I couldn’t walk away without getting some stuff from Sephora. I’ve been lemming for Smith’s RoseBud Lip Balm for the longest time and finally I’ve got my hands on one of it! As for Too Faced, I only got one item because I’m not too sure of the pricing of Too Faced Cosmetics and didn’t want to find out later that I’m overpaying.
So my beauty friends from the other parts of Asia, no need to catch a flight here just to visit Sephora. Aside from the excitement, you’re not missing much at all!
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LOL at your last para – thanks for the sneak preview Sesame! I personally find it all rather boring now. Still, I’ll pop by if I’m in Singapore though ?
Paris: I wrote the last para with you in mind definitely. ? Actually I couldn’t take pictures of the house brand. They have quite a bit of the Sephora items – nail polishes, eye shadows, brushes, foundation, body & bath…I think some gals may like that range. But nah, no DuWop, no NARS. Arrgh…
Btw, you may like to know that Channel News Asia here reported that “Sephora sees Singapore as a launch pad into India and Malaysia in the future.” So there is hope for our M’sian beauty junkies!
oh wow! You got too faced there!!!! The only too faced product i want is their shadow insurance ? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it, coz we’re both in Asia, I want to hear someone who’s been using it here in Asia ?
Nikki: I looked at the items for a long time and decided to get this not knowing how much it retails online. There are quite a bit of raves…okay, I’ll try to review it soonest. ?
Hiee Sesame, can I check how much did you pay for your Too Faced Shadow Insurance?
Liz: I paid $28. Is that in line with the online pricing? I haven’t checked.
thank you for the review! i look forward to going there for a holiday then
can i ask how the prices compare?
Yumeko: Off hand, I can remember a few. For example Juice Beauty Organics to go is retailing at US$45 (without offer) and it’s S$65 here so that makes it quite comparable. For Too Faced, their eyeshadows retail at US$17, here is S$33 – 34 (about there I remember). The rest of the items from Too Faced here cost quite a bit more than the retail price stated on the Sephora US site but the Shadow Insurance I bought seems quite comparable at S$28 vs US$17. As for the other items, I didn’t really check. Sephora in Singapore also carries Benefit and the price is definitely more than what we can get online. * Oh, the prices for the Sephora house brand seems reasonable based on what I can remember.
Oooh thanks for the sneak peek, Sesame! The Sephora house brand is pretty good actually. As for Too Faced, other than the Shadow Insurance, the rest of the stuff are pretty mediocre.
Well, at least it’s finally in Singapore. Who knows, given time, they’ll bring in more brands like Smashbox, Lorac, Cargo, Duwop, etc ?
Tine: You’re right, the house brand looks nice. I was tempted to get the eyeshadow but wanted to have a look at some reviews before doing so. Too bad I wasn’t allowed to take pictures cos the PR folks said they’ll rather send me their professional shots (like I can wait). I had to secretly snap those of Too Faced! Oooh great…at least I bought the best from Too Faced. I haven’t been reading much about them but I remember the raves on this plus there were only 2 left on the counter… ?
There’s only 2 more tubes of TFSI?!
I’m really disappointed that there’s no smashbox.. was really looking forward to that!
pashfash: Don’t worry. Think they still have stock but did not bring it out. But the item is moving the fastest!
Hey. Love your review and I totally agreed! I just went to check it out yesterday and was disappointed just like you! They didnt bring in all the other famous brands! =((
They had all the brands we ALREADY have here. So much for variety. But hopefully when they open another store there’ll be the other brands we hope for!
dweam: It’s quite a disappointment to the makeup junkies. They seem to focus more on skincare products and their house brand.
Like everyone else, I was disappointed with the lack of brands and I was hoping for more organic brands as well. They only carry John Masters haircare products. I doubt many people would buy brands like Lancome, Clarins, etc from there.
De: There are a couple of other organic range like NVEY ECO and Juice Beauty as well as brands that uses natural/botanical ingredients such as Living Nature, Ole Henriksen that I remember. But I agree that the new brands are pretty limited. Unless they have special promotions, most would probably continue to buy the usual brands at their usual places especially if they’re already members of a department store that offer regular discounts.
SO excited that we can now buy Juice Beauty easily! I love their products as they really work for my blemishes and my wrinkles!! Their Green Apple antioxidant serum is the best!!
Helly: I’ve never tried their products but have read good reviews on them. Maybe I can give them a try the next time since they easily accessible now.
Hey thanks for the review.
I am really interested in Smith’s Rosebud Lip Salve, and am thinking of buying it. How much was it, and do you think it was overpriced?
Tansy: The price is okay – $14. I think that’s still okay.
I am wondering if they got any sales? I bought their compact mirror at SGD5 & a hand lotion by Olivier & Co for SGD18 (250ml)
fwy: I know they had a promotion but not heard of a sale. If I’m not wrong, it was to spend like $150 and get a Sephora tote bag or something.
OMG thank you for telling me this! Now I now I’ ll find a Sephora when I go to SG in the summer.
Nice blog btw, very useful ?
Syana: Thank you for your kind words! ?
I finally got down to writing about my experience!
http://www.makeupstash.com/2009/01/sephora-in-singapore-ngee-ann-city.html
I linked to your Brambleberry review, by the way. I think it’s prettier than the Rose, really. ?
Mag: Hey thanks! I’ll check it up! Thanks for the link.
Ooh, was there Fekkai? I didn’t notice. I’m glad you found TFSI. ?
Mag: Fekkai is at the back, where the men’s stuf are.
Thanks, Sesame! =) Will take a look next time.
ooh, so great to know they carry Fekkai products. hope i can find the hair creme that I use at the store:-)Am disappointed though that they don’t carry Armani cosmetics.
June: Not too sure of the selection. I saw a few items…hope they have what you want.
yeah, i hope so too. Thanks for the info Sesame:-) Can’t wait to check out the store when i get back to Spore.
Hey, any idea if the Sephora store sells Bare Minerals makeup? If so, any idea of what the price is? Thanks! (:
Nicole: They do! But I can’t remember the price now…I just recall it’s quite ex…
Okay, cool, thanks! (: I’ll go check it out
Nicole: ?
Hi! Sorry, not too sure if it’s still there but True Colours in Taka used to stock Philosophy and NARS. Maybe you could check it out!
Maria: Yes they did. Not sure about Philosophy but it seems they no longer carry NARS now.
Hey ! How much does the Too Faced Shadow Insurance cost ?
Chanella: I got it at S$28 during Sephora’s opening.
any idea besides benefit lip buffering cream is there other brand which have similar function??
Fiz: Are you referring to their Lipscription? Would you be keen on a DIY formula instead? I have one written here https://www.vivawoman.net/2009/01/13/diy-beauty-homemade-lip-exfoliant/ Quite easy to do and it works.
Hi sesame
Has Sephora added any new cosmetic range? sigh i was hoping they would have Urban Decay by now.
Diana
No, the only new addition is Smashbox. No Urban Decay.
how does the sephora brand collection compare to.. ugggh… their website? is it complete enough?
a good thing, now they carry Urban Decay
(they even have Alice in Wonderland book of shadow right now :))
I wish they’d carry Philosophy tho…