Finally, I have seen these brands in person!
If you're like me, a working student on a budget (a.k.a. broke) who loves makeup, then you can relate to the feeling of seeing items on social media that you can just dream of having. Y'know, these beauty products that seem to take on the world by storm but are never available here in the Philippines except for resellers? Or online shops with exorbitant shipping fees? Or not being sure if the items are legit enough?
Well, worry not.
SM Aura just opened LOOK, a beauty store that carries renowned brands like Fenty, Kylie Cosmetics, The Ordinary, and CeraVe yesterday, October 30.
Lucky me, our errand day is Saturday so I not-so-forcefully dragged my partner to SM Aura to take my pictures. Hehe.
So, here's what's inside the beauty store + prices and a few observations.
First, the obligatory "I was here" photos. Rest assured we practiced all appropriate safety measures! (Fun fact: I was wearing a full face of makeup lol)
What I noticed was that there were no testers, samplers, or even opened products that can show you what's inside or what it looks like. Considering the pandemic, I think that's fair, but damn, I miss makeup testers. Those used to satisfy my "need to buy this now" craving but now all I can do is either research extensively to see if it's worth the buy or take the risk of buying it and not liking it.
Okay, now to the products!
1. Fenty Beauty
I am not exactly sure what the regular price point of Fenty Beauty is, but is still too steep for me.
I was specifically looking for the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer and the Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter but unfortunately those weren't available.
The available items as of October 31st are:
1. Match Stix Matte Skinstick
2. Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick
3. Match Stix Matte Skinstick Trios (pictured below)
If there would be more items available, ie the ones I am looking for, then maybe, justttt maybe I will buy one or two. Just to try it out. :)
2. Kylie Cosmetics
Kylie Cosmetics also made a beautiful appearance here, but none of her latest collections, I think.
Here are the ones I saw on display:
Prices are not really a surprise for me, as this was the usual price that I have seen from resellers and at this moment, I really am not that ready to splurge 3000 on a lippie that may not even wear everyday... and also because I have a huge lippie collection that I need to show some love. :D
3. Glossier
Now, on to dear darling Glossier. I badly wanted to see these in person because of the EB Advance Power Paint issue... but yeah.. hmm. Let's just say the issue is not unfounded hehe.
Can't wait to try this makeup line! Most products are available but the area was a bit too crowded for my liking so I just sneaked in these teeny pictures. :D
4.
CeraVe
The skincare line we have grown to crave, thanks to those skincare guys
Hyram and
James, also makes an appearance here although it was quite hard to find! The moisturizers were near the LOOK Ballon and under it were the cleansers. I didn't understand the placement, but hey, they are here! And they are HUGE!! I'd say out of all the skincare items I have seen, this looks worth every damn centavo!! Just make sure to use it before the expiration dates, okay? :D
5. Summer Fridays
This is a brand that I have just kinda heard about, but it still kind of resonated in my head so I took a photo, might come useful to you guys!
6. The Ordinary
And okay, alright!!! Here's the skincare line everyone is RAVING about that I actually got one (Not here, but from
Hermosa Beauty***)!
Here's the price range, and honestly, it's not that bad. Most of the products in the skincare line is available as well.
The items are just kinda all over the place, so make sure you check every nook and cranny of the place before you say quits. ;)
But aside from all these international brands, they also carry pretty accessible brands at LOOK such as COSRX, VT Cosmetics, Innisfree, Ellana Minerals Cosmetics, Leaders, Farm Kosmetics, Phillips, Maybelline, L'Oreal, and others.
For me, this is a great way to bring today's generation's skincare and makeup faves.
Have you dropped by LOOK SM Aura? What are your thoughts? Share in the comments! :)
P.S. Sorry for the raw and weird angled photos, I was trying to get pics as fast as I can because it was already getting late. :)
*Hermosa Beauty referral link, get P100 off when you purchase from that link.
