This New Beauty Experience Store In Mumbai Has Flash Makeovers, A Lipstick Bar, Luxe Brands And Lots More!

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE makeovers. And though we all became DIY damsels this past year because salons were shut in the lockdown, and that was a great makeover for our wallets and bank accounts if you ask me, there really is something ultra-relaxing, luxurious, and pampering about having someone else do it for you. But if you’re going to be spending, wouldn’t you want the best bang for your buck and make it a worthwhile experience? I mean, why just a salon, why not mix it with some fun shopping and even, say, a little bit of learning too? Especially since the festive and shaadi season is here. Well, I found all that and more at this new beauty experience store by Enrich in Mumbai’s Powai area.

I’m not exactly a salon loyalist (I keep switching), which means I’ve “my” salons in multiple localities—close to my home, my office, or even near a friend’s home that I was staying at for a while. But to drive all the way to Powai’s Haiko Mall to go to one… I’d need a pretty good reason. And this store offered several potential ones. They touted it as a first of its kind in India, a one-stop experiential beauty products and services store.

So while there were the usual salon services that Enrich offers, this was also a store with beauty brands ranging from high-end to drugstore, as well as offering experiences like mini flash makeovers, a customise-your-own lipstick bar, and an express nail art bar. Basically, it’s just 3000 square feet of everything from salon services to makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance.

I walked in to be instantly greeted by a sight that warmed my shopaholic’s heart (but not before I got my temperature checked and hands sanitised!). The store indeed has a nice mix of local and international brands, from Givenchy, Dermalogica, Olaplex, and Kerastasé to Mamaearth, mCaffeine, Maybelline. L’Oreal and NYX. If you’ve been to an Enrich salon before, you’d know that they have some great in-house brands too, as well as brands like BE (Born Ethical), Thalgo, de fabulous, Amazon, and so on. You’ll find all those favourites and more here on display, along with a massive section dedicated to fragrances and perfumes alone, from international brands like Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Hugo Boss, and more. 

As you know, brown lip shades are making quite a comeback, and I was desperately looking for one, having thrown away much of my expired makeup during the lockdown (RIP). I found a nice shade for myself, thanks to the experts who graciously (and patiently, because I took my own sweet time) helped me out with the correct one that would complement my skin tone. 

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While the front is where the fun happens, the back of the store is where the magic happens—a familiar Enrich salon experience. What I liked is just how spaced out it was in terms of different designated areas for specific services, so that you can properly relax and not feel cramped. Don’t know about you, but one year of staying distanced from people has spoilt me for choice, and I value space so much more now. They had a separate room for Kerastasé therapies and even a nail bar, and I was rather tempted to try it all right away. But time was a-crunching and something else had caught my fancy….

The Beauty Bar, I anticipate, is going to be one of the prime attractions at this store, because it offers these 15-minute flash makeovers. But what makes this a more enriching (pun intended) experience is that this can pretty much be a tutorial where the MUA can share a trick or two on how to get, say, the perfect smokey eye, or that dewy makeup look, while they are working it on your face. That’s the best, right? They’ve got a list of quick looks that you can choose from. I went for a winged-liner look that was heavy on the eyes because masks. And the MUA, Dimple, did a fantastic job, even while I badgered her with questions about how to use a concealer properly around the corners of my lips or how to apply my mascara for maximum effect.

The Beauty Bar isn’t the only prime attraction at this store, though. While I was on my visit, they were setting up a customise-your-own-lipstick shade bar, which has me super excited and rather tempted to visit again. From what I’ve been told, end of this month, customers can actually get a shade that caters to their outfits and suits their skin tone, which if you ask me, is perfect if you, like me, are in dire need of fresh makeup for the upcoming social season.

Look here, beauty ain’t cheap. As someone who really likes to try products before I spend my hard-earned salary on them, I like this idea of getting to try these products properly (not just swatches) at a beauty bar, really ‘experience’ them, and then buy them. And if they can be customised to my needs, well, that’s just the cherry on the cake, right? These days, when I step out of my house, I like making the most of it. And having a store like this one from Enrich really does give me a varied experience, all in one place. What’s not to like?

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