UPDATE MARCH 2010:
The Make Up Store is no longer in Malaysia. Stores in The Gardens and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur are closed.
I was walking around in The Gardens at Midvalley a couple of days ago, when I noticed that a new makeup store was open. Incidentally, its the Make Up Store. The Make Up Store is from Sweden and their makeup selection is certainly wide ranging.
They brought to my mind MAC Cosmetics but without the scary and rude sales girls and conventional layout. The makeup is displayed all around the sides of the store, which leaves you space to walk around without looking too self conscious. Actually, it felt rather like browsing in a clothes store or a warehouse – not sure if that’s the effect they wanted to achieve! Prices are on the average side i.e. MAC and Stila style prices. If you look on the website however, you’ll notice that the prices in USD are actually very reasonable but it isn’t being translated into RM here – pity else they would give MAC a run for their money!
Actually, even the packaging is very MAC Cosmetics, but the selection of each type of product far outclasses MAC and in my view so does the quality. Just for eyeshadows alone, there are 2-3 different types – small pans, large pans, with shimmer, without shimmer, loose powder eyeshadow… and then blusher – pressed, loose… the list goes on.
I was quite impressed by the quality of the eyeshadows. The pressed eyeshadows had good shimmer and were smooth to the touch. The eye dusts fascinated me most. They are loose powder eyeshadows and reminded me of Make Up For Ever’s star powder but their colour range looks to outstrip that of Make Up For Ever! I will return to consider those.
Here is a look from Make Up Store’s Spring Summer 2008 collection.
If you ask me, only the bridal collection “I do” due in February 2008 enchants me. The others (January 2008) look like MAC Cosmetics knock-offs. Sorry Make Up Store, but I think you should have your own look not aim for the in-your-face style of MAC which in my view is just too overdone and no longer a novelty.
All that said, Make Up Store does have some potential and I will return another day to look at the eye dusts and blush. I walked away with a wand concealer for the under eye at RM79, which I will review in due course after test running it.
So, if you are like me and don’t like MAC run along now to the Make Up Store and see what they have to offer – I think it’ll be a lot! Stores are at The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and The Gardens Midvalley.