Sephora- The Chennai Chapter

After giving us enough of a teaser, international beauty brand Sephora has finally arrived in Chennai (cue sighs of relief, as we no longer have to give friends from overseas long lists of things to bring us). While it’s doors officially opened a couple of months ago, no launch would be complete without a little ‘special treatment’. I got to be part of a ladies-only evening, a couple of weeks ago, to indulge in the complete Sephora experience. Which basically meant a guided tour, with the professionals helping us to navigate the complicated world of beauty and cosmetics. Kudos to the team for taking care of the large group of excited women, doing makeovers at lightening speed, keeping us entertained as we alternated between trying lip-glosses and bite sized nibbles. From the newbies to the aficionados, everyone was welcome.

I’ll first address the latter. For the Sephora freaks, I will warn you that the Sephora in India is not the same as the ones in the US, Singapore or Dubai. From what I understand, the range of products you find at Sephora, vary from country to country. Which for India means no Anastasia Beverly Hills, Kat Von D or Blinc. But not to worry, you still have Benefit, Nyx, Stila, Make Up Forever and all the of luxury brands. Plus the entire in-house Sephora line of make up which is pretty kickass. I use a bunch of their stuff and over the years have become quite the fan-girl. I bumped into model-singer Aishvarya Khumar, who is now also a makeup artist, and it only took us a couple of seconds to start yammering on about our favourites. She was on the look out for foundation but got talked into some serious lip colour experimentation thanks to yours truly.

Now the newbies. So this is where it gets tricky right? Once we’re all done with ours ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and the initial excitement has worn off, the next feeling thats sets in is, well lets be honest, confusion. How many tinted lip balms is too many? What on earth is brow pomade? And can you really tell the difference between the maroon and burgundy lip liner? Well this is where the experts come in. Just a few moments with make up artist Ajoy Sengupta, and I didn’t just come away with some dazzling blue eyeliner but a wealth of knowledge. To make things easier I got him to pick five ‘must have’ products from Sephora India.

Sephora Smartliner– Exactly what you need for that perfect winged eyeliner look. It is long stay and the cool shape gives you a firm grip, making application almost completely mistake proof. Almost.

‘The Mascara’ by Sephora– I would rate mascara right at the top of the ‘must have’ list. It’s like a magic wand! This one is a really buildable mascara that lets you go as dramatic as you’d like, without the clumps.

Sephora Lip last Matte lipstick– One of those rare all-in-one lipsticks. Lightweight, long stay and deeply pigmented, great for achieving a full pout. Good luck restricting yourself to buying just one shade.

Sephora Masks– A fun range of products for when you need a pick-me-up. Choose from different variations based on your skin type. And they’re not just for the face.

Sephora Gum Wash– Use it to replace your soap or shower gel, or set it aside for those special spa treatment days. Yes a strange texture at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll love it.

Post my mini makeover (some bright blue eyeliner, peach blush and a flick of the brush) which took Ajoy all of 10 minutes, I was all set to take on the world. While Ajoy got back to work on the queue of ladies that were waiting their turn, I circled back to the lipsticks, just to make sure there wasn’t anything I had missed out. Not to worry, I told myself, as this was probably going to become one of my favourite stops at Express Avenue Mall. All it takes is one visit and you’ll probably be hooked too. Bottom line is, have fun with it and make sure to tell me what your favourite Sephora products are as well!