Harrods; Beauty Hall Event
I recently attended the Harrods Beauty Hall Event which gave attendees an opportunity to shop during store close hours and receive a luxurious goodie bag. The ticket itself wasn’t cheap at £250 however, with the promise of a goodie bag worth £1500, I was eager to sign up! I wasn’t sure what to expect, although would have been slightly disappointed if the goodie bag amounted to just three La Mer products…that was a real possibility!
On the day of the event, I joined the queue at 9.30am where there was already a healthy queue forming. We only waited a short while and we were excited to see what Harrods had planned for us. Being a beauty junkie myself, I was über excited to see the eagerly awaited new beauty hall. Let’s just say that the renovation was much needed. Prior to the refurbishment, the beauty brands were scattered in three different confusing rooms. In order to find anything, it was like you were a game contestant on The Crystal Maze, which amounted to a stressful shopping experience.
As I drew nearer to the front of the queue, I was greeted by probably what I what deemed to be the friendliest security guards in the world! They were full ‘Cheshire Cat’ smiling, and gave the best welcome. After that, we were greeted by a row of tall, model-looking men who were holding trays of drinks, and canapés - nice touch! As we entered the beauty hall, it’s like the heavenly choir came down and sang ‘ahhhhhh’. There was so much to take in and lots of staff at all the counters greeting everyone.
Every counter I went into, straight away a member of staff approached with the biggest smile and welcomed me to the brand (very well-trained)! The only counter that was a bit lacklustre, was the Tom Ford counter, where I had to approach someone in order to ask a question. Fail!
Though I wanted to purchase straight away, due to the strict Sunday trading laws, we weren’t allowed to purchase until 12pm, therefore browsed to our hearts content. Almost every counter had an event going on and offered complimentary samples of products. Whilst waiting for 12pm to come, I was quickly grabbed by a BYTerry consultant who whisked me to her counter. Before I had time to catch my breath, she was applying highlighter to my cheekbones, selling the serum CC cream to me, and recommended I get my illustration done by their guest illustrator.
I normally avoid activities like this, but I thought I would throw myself into the spirit of the event and get my picture drawn. I couldn’t see what the illustrator was doing but did my best to maintain a neutral expression and not blink. Soon enough, a small crowd gathered to watch the illustrator’s work and engage in an invisible tennis match, by looking at her drawing and my face, and back to the drawing. I had my doubts about how I would be “interpreted”, especially when one onlooker stated breathily “…she’s really managed to capture the essence of your eyes…” It was at that moment, I knew I was fucked.
The end result was interesting to say the least. Everyone prior to, had been depicted as Gigi Hadid, whereas I looked like an overweight rich bitch. Plus, the ink was still wet around my lips and ended up smearing down my fake chin. Needless to say, I won’t be keeping it as something to display on my mantlepiece or pass down to my grandchildren! Let me just say at this point, the illustrator was very lovely, and (to be fair) I felt she experienced pressure due to lots of people observing and (literally) breathing down her neck.
Other activities included talks on the lower ground floor and they even had a DJ playing a set on her Harrods turntable (as you do!)
The goodie bag was one of the main reasons I attended and was it worth it? Hell to the bloody yes!
Contents included:
Givenchy - Lipstick (x5) and nail polish (x5) set, £?
MAC - Eyeshadow palette (x15 shades), £49.50
Rodial - Pink Diamond Cleansing Balm, £55
Lancome - Genifique Yeux Eye & Lash Concentrate, £49
ByTerry - Lip Care, £26
Chanel - Sublimage x3 candles (cannot buy this)
Suquu - Eye cream, £90
Guerlain - Lipstick and case, £44
Bobbi Brown - Luxe Lip Colour £28
Seda Patagonia - Fragrance £?
Anastasia Beverley Hills - Shimmer Body Oil £43
Huda - Tantour set x5 and brush, £154
Glamglow Mask - Gravitymud, £42
Jo Malone - Hair Mist, £44
Riki - Cutie Mirror, £55
Augustinus Bader - The Cream, £125
Hermes - Twilly d’Hermes fragrance, £77
Giorgio Armani - Rouge d’Armani Matte, £31
Aesop - Parsley Seed & In Two Minds facial cleanser, £50
Diptique - Body perfume oils, £120
Final Thoughts:
The goodie bag was really excellent with quality products I either wanted to keep and use, keep and display or gift for friends/ family for future birthday gifts.
I thought the event was too long, especially if Harrods wanted us to shop afterwards. I think instead of a 9.30am start, 10/10.30am would have been sufficient time to browse.
There was a good amount of activity going on without feeling too full on, and they allowed space for those wanting to get involved, and those who wanted to be left alone to continue browsing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the event and though I did go on my lonesome, shopping isn’t a lonely event. I especially loved getting stuck into the different makeup brands, swatching and testing everything.
The customer service of staff were excellent and it truly makes me feel that Harrods know how to treat their customers.
I would go back to a similar event in the future if the opportunity arose again.
Until next time xo
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All pictures on this post are my own.
