Counter Culture: Beauty Base at Westfield, London

This weekend, I took a trip to Westfield with a few friends.  Towards the end of our trip, we stopped off in Beauty Base, a self service fragrance and beauty store in Westfield which claims that your shopping experience will entail "no pushy sales assistants, no waiting at a counter to get served".  Given some of the brands on offer, I found it weird to say the least.

Guerlain and Shiseido nestle either side of a Barry M display.  Nail polishes by LA Girl sit in an aisle just across from a massive display of La Prairie creams, one of which is proudly labelled £425.

There's a Milani stand, which I excitedly examine for Luminous blush, the infamous Orgasm dupe, but unfortunately they don't have it.  This is the first time I've spotted this US drug store brand on our shores, and it's within a few metres of a row of skincare products by Darphin, REN and Dr Hauschka.  A massive range of fragrances for women, men and even children is available, including the full gamut of "celebrity" fragrance.


The prices at Beauty Base are pretty much the RRP that you'd expect to pay on counter or via the web, so this isn't a discount shopping experience.  You are paying full price for high end products, but without the counters.

And you know what?  As I stood, perusing these high end cosmetics in a setting that felt much more like a branch of Superdrug or Boots, I felt distinctly weird.  Personally, the act of shopping for high end makeup demands a more personal service from counter staff.  For all that I dislike pushy SAs who are unwilling to allow you to browse, I like having a be-uniformed staff member, trained in the brand, there to answer questions, help me try on different colours, and recommend things I'd never considered.

What do you think?  Should high end cosmetics be as easy to pick up and purchase as low end ones, or do you like the extra attention you get on counter?