"research"

[amalnahurriyeh]

Where would one go to buy nice makeup in London? Somewhere like Sephora, with salesclerks to help you pick the colors that suit you and high quality supplies. And, in addition, what's a likely place you might go to find make-up that's less high-end, but more ubiquitous? (In the US, this would likely be a pharmacy, or a large grocery store in the suburbs.)

Look, it's all amyhit's fault, OK?

Comments

[amalnahurriyeh]

Helpful! Are there any meaningful subcultural distinctions among the places you mentioned? For instance, I'd assume someone younger (& urban) would be more likely to go to Sephora than Macy's.

[naraht]

No doubt there are (and probably finer ones than I've observed, being neither a native nor a makeup wearer). What sort of shopper are you envisioning?

[amalnahurriyeh]

(Yeah, I'm not a makeup wearer either, except on occasions of high formality, which makes an entire story revolving around cosmetics a smidge difficult to write...)

Has money, youngish, not a regular make-up wearer, acquiring supplies for a specific purpose. I'm trying to decide between "trends young and hip" vs "would go to a place that older female relatives used because knows of its existence."

[thinking_lotus]

I don't know anything about Sherlock, but as the American daughter-in-law of an English family I do know a bit about makeup purchasing.

English women aren't in general makeup wearers the way American women are, ie they aren't into a full face with foundation, blush, contouring etc. They are more like the French in that way (without the emphasis on skin care and facials). But they all do generally like to wear mascara, because most of them have blonde lashes, and they wear lipstick because they are pale. For this reason, they also like to get tans (though this may be changing). This will of course vary if you are in fact talking about English women of non-European origin.