Personal Beauty Shopper Consultation At Selfridges, Birmingham

Hi Everyone!

Birmingham Selfridges have recently opened up their new beauty hall & I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a complimentary Personal Beauty Shopper Consultation* at Birmingham Selfridges - the first of its kind in the city! So I thought I'd talk you through my experience!

I met with the very lovely Rose at the Illamasqua counter, which is where we began the consultation. She talked to me about the brand, one that I have yet to experience, though I like the look of the products! Rose explained that, as a brand, Illamasqua are a good all round brand that often get overlooked because some of the brighter coloured products can overwhelm the neutral, every day shades. Rose asked me if I had any areas of my makeup or skincare routine that I was unhappy or unsure about. For me, finding a product in a shade to suit my eyebrows has been particularly difficult as I find many choices pull too auburn. She showed me the Eyebrow Cake in 'Motto' (£15.50), which looks perfect & is described by Illamasqua as a Warm Taupe. Once I have used up a few more of my eyebrow products (I've accumulated quite a few in the search for 'the one'!) I will definitely be returning to see what it looks like on.

Next we moved on to MAC. I had expressed my difficulty in finding a blusher to compliment the looks I've been creating with my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. Rose first showed me MAC's new 'Look In A Box' products. Whilst these products aren't something I would buy as each box contains a lipstick & I'm allergic to one of the ingredients in these, I so think they are a very good idea - particularly for those new to makeup or unsure about how to pare products together. We then moved over to the blusher section - Rose gave me some great suggestions here.

From MAC, we moved over to Bobbi Brown as Rose wanted to show me the Extra Balm Rinse which smells a-ma-zing!!!!!! It has a citrus scent which, even though I'm allergic to citrus fruits, I really liked! Throughout the appointment, Rose was great about my allergies & took really great care of me throughout the consultation. As I was allergic to the Bobbi Brown balm, Rose took me over to RMK - another brand that I've not dipped my toe into yet.

Here Rose showed me the RMK Cleansing Balm. I was kindly given a sample of this but am yet to try it as there wasn't an ingredients list available for me to read. Rose is emailing them to me once she has located them. Rose wanted me to experience brands I'm new to so we went next to Khiel's. Here I was given an overview of the brand & showed me the products she loves, one of which being their Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

When Rose found out that I'd not tried any Giorgio Armani products she rushed me straight over there! Here I was introduced to the counter assistant. Rose spoke really passionately about the foundations & of cause I then couldn't turn down the opportunity to be colour matched to the Luminous Silk Foundation & try it out myself as I've heard so many rave reviews! Whilst we were there, Rose showed me the Maestro Mediterranean Fusion Blushers - they look fantastic!

From here we visited the YSL counter. I have 3 lipsticks from the brand, but thats where my experience ends. I was shown the new Fusion Link Foundation. I had my shade matched to the Armani foundation & kindly given a 7 day sample so I can try it out at home.

Next came Suqqu, another new brand for me! we checked out their foundation (we were looking at foundations as this the area I have the least experience in as it only sees my face when I'm filming or for weddings & christenings!). Their Foundation is so soft & smooth! We moved on to swoon over the Charlotte Tilbury counter - her eyeshadow palettes are phenomenal! I love that Charlotte Tilbury's collection is sectioned into different looks, allowing you to recreate the look using those specific products or mix & match to taylor to your own preferred style.

From here we hit The Beauty Workshop - I love it! There are loads of products to choose from here, spanning haircare, makeup bags & brushes, skincare, nail care & more! This is the place you'll find all sorts of bits that aren't covered on one of the standard counters. I found these Louise Young brushes - definitely on my wish list, though I need to find out where the brush hair is sourced from.

When Rose found out I had yet to experience Jo Malone, she decided (& I concurred) that this needed to be changed! My first experience of the brand was amazing! The ladies on counter asked me about the scents I currently wear to get an idea of my preferences & then showed me the new scent - Wood, Sage & Sea Salt, along with Peony & Blush Suede. I got to experience each of these individually, then together - I really like how the scents can be layered to make something individual & tailored to your own preferences. I was able to test this combination & discussed whether it mattered which way round they are applied. It does, as one lightens the other & if they are put the opposite way round the other will mask one of the notes. I hope that made sense! I would suggest speaking to the very knowledgable consultants &, if you're like me, writing down which to apply first! They were kind enough to provide me with a sample of the new scent.

I would definitely recommend this service - Rose has such amazing energy & knowledge of the beauty hall. She is able to use this to advise on products throughout the hall, whereas consultants on specific counters are only able to advise on their own brand. Rose made me feel like I was shopping with a friend & took great care of me, keeping my allergies in mind with all the products she showed me.

Personal Beauty Shopper Consultations with Rose cost £30 and are redeemable on products purchased.

To make the best out of the consultation, I would go with something specific in mind that Rose can help with. Personally, I would also go with a rough idea of products that you want, totalling £30, as I have a tendency to feel overwhelmed easily. You don't necessarily then have to buy those items, but it means you have the option to go away from your consultation & think about Rose's recommendations & try any samples you may receive before committing to a purchase.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rose for having me, this was such an enjoyable experience & I will definitely be doing it again. 

Is this service something you would be interested in? 

Tania Xx