Selfridges Beauty Personal Shopping, Manchester Exchange

Selfridges is a known destination for high-end beauty and designer treats. I myself am a regular browser of their basement beauty floor in their Manchester Selfridges Exchange store, wandering wistfully through the aisles of fragrance, make-up and skincare, adding one more item to my beauty wish list every time I visit. This year, however, Selfridges have stepped it up a notch with the introduction of something I had never heard of before; personal shopping for beauty. Selfridges Beauty Personal Shopping, Manchester Exchange is something I had to try for myself.

I arrived at the Service desk in Selfridges Exchange Square in Manchester (you know the one – right inbetween Harvey Nichols and Manchester Arndale) and was greeted by the very welcoming Charlotte Ingram. Charlotte offers personal shopping appointments and recommends these are booked in advance by calling in or phoning the store, this way she gets an idea of the time that might be needed and can even start to prepare some products before you even turn up! I asked what a typical appointment might look like, and she said it was just so varied; sometimes she might help someone for half an hour to buy a new foundation, and other times she might put aside three hours to go through a whole make-up bag overhaul. It also isn’t unusual for a husband to phone up, state his budget and then ask Charlotte to do his Christmas shopping for his wife, with him only popping in to collect and pay.

I was given a taste of the experience by being welcome into the Personal Shopping room – this is in a little hideaway just at the back of Selfridges Exchange Beauty Hall and through the hairdressers in the store. It’s just big enough for a couple of people and has a couple of samples around the room of different products Charlotte has picked for different scenarios. What I really like about the room was that there was a dressing table set up on one half, where Charlotte told me she enjoyed to do her make-up alongside teaching her customers, and the other half were two comfortable armchairs – ready for a good old make-up natter! I can imagine a lot goes on in this room; taking your make-up off can be a very personal experience, and chatting over facial imperfections or concerns can be quite emotional. I think it’s nice that these personal confessions and conversations can be taken away from the hustle and bustle of the beauty floor and be talked over in private.

Charlotte tells me that she will either prepare products for her customers in advance, or take them around the Beauty Hall with her if they are confident enough. Although I enjoy browsing makeup and taking swatches, I must admit that Selfridges Beauty Hall can be a little intimidating. It’s not unusual to be pounced on by a sales assistant if you’re innocently looking at a new range of lipsticks, or be forced into buying a new eyeshadow palette once they’ve got you in their chair and tried it on you. This is where I think Beauty Personal Shopping can really come into it’s own. By taking you around the various different beauty brands in Selfridges (Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, M.A.C., Armani, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Nars and many more), a personal shoppper cuts out the awkwardness of saying ‘no’, and get’s your the best sort of shopping experience if you are after something in particular.

The one thing I didn’t like as much about the Selfridges Beauty Personal Shopper experience was the box of products  in the room. Although these were to be seen as Holy Grail, can’t-live-without products I saw them as a bit of a selling tactic. Although the personal shopping experience is totally free – and Charlotte insists there’s no pressure or budget required, which is great! – these items must surely help to boost commission. Admittedly, all items in Selfridges are at a certain price point, but these in particular I am familiar with and know they are at the higher end…

Over all, I reckon the Beauty Personal Shopping at Selfridges is a great idea, and one I can’t believe hasn’t been done before! Clothes personal shopping has existed for ages, so why not make-up and skincare, which is often a lot more personal and needs to be tailored more to each individual? Charlotte is a star and very friendly, which is what you need in this role, and it seems like the perfect way to break down the barriers of what previously might be seen as an overwhelming make-up shopping experience in Selfridges Beauty Hall.