It’s official, Barneys New York has opened its sleek glass doors for business at Scottsdale Fashion Square! Along with high-end fashion and shoes that made us nearly faint, Barneys Scottsdale is a luxe beauty playground with a boutique and airy vibe that paints an artistic backdrop for the coveted cosmetic brands. We hit the spanking new East Wing of Fashion Square to peruse their cosmetic department and like kids in a candy store, were paralyzed by all the divine collections. After extensive sampling, sniffing and creating mile-long wish lists, here are our top five reasons you have to get your pretty self over to the mall this weekend. (Can you say sweet goody bag with purchase? Skip to final paragraph if you must!)
1. Exclusively exclusive products. Savvy Googlites might be able to dig up these elusive brands online but Barneys is the spot to cuddle up with these luxe lines in person: Dr Sebagh Advanced Anti-aging Skincare (Creme High Maintenance is an obvious must for self-proclaimed high maintenance types), T. LeClerc makeup (the Satin Lipsticks are oohlala), By Terry cosmetics (the chunky little bronzer with brush made us drool a little) and Claudio Riaz makeup brushes (we need second jobs to justify the $50 bent-neck Contour Liquid Liner Brush but if there’s a will…).
2. Ridiculously gorgeous, hard-to-find candles and gifts to die for. Make sure you visit Barneys on a day when your allergies are fed because you’ll want your sniffer in tip-top shape when rooting out the perfect gift: 17th century inspired Cire Trudon candles with rare vintage scents like that of the floorboards of Versailles, elegantly bottled Serge Lutens perfumes with such delicate notes that we had to take extra long sniffs and the exclusive Byredo Parfums collection (take in a whiff of Gypsy Water and tell us that’s not sublime).
3. Scent booths that blow away those little white testing strip thingys. Reminiscent of retro British phone booths, the scent chambers teleport perfumery connoisseurs to an out-of-nose experience. Step in or simply stick your head into a booth to test out Barneys’ extensive collection of Editions de Parfums in their true, purest form. You simply open the door, flip a switch to activate the fans and spritz away. The fans then purify the chamber for you to test the next lovely scent. Oh, and side note, the Editions de Parfums collection is featured in a very cool custom display with blurbs on the famous perfumer or “nose” who created the scent.
3. Chic and airy, escalator-free ambiance. Known for their mosaic tiled floors and stained glass artwork made from iridescent colored paper, Barneys cosmetic lounge is shaped by circular makeup counters and parted by a wooden staircase (no escalators here!). A delicious sitting area rounds out the chic, boudoir-like feel. It almost felt like we weren’t in Kansas (er, Scottsdale) anymore.
5. VIP, live-like-a-rock-star treatment room. If all their beauty swag and artfully merchandised displays weren’t enough to reel you in, in-store events featuring special guest appearances by beauty and skincare creators are already in the works for the Barneys Scottsdale location. What’s even better is a private, crisp white treatment room for featured product facials for customers during select events. We’ll keep you posted on opps to get your tushie in there!
Oh, and while supplies last, get a free Barneys exclusive makeup bag with a purchase of $100 or more! The pretty canvas bag contains samplings from favorite Barneys brands including Lippmann Collection, 3Lab, REN, Amala, Sue Devitt, By Terry, Molton Brown, Hourglass, Kai, Yosh Han and more. For more info, visit Barneys.com or flip through their latest BeautyMailer.
