A New Sephora Concept Store Just Opened And Makeup Shopping Will Never Be The Same

It's all about YOU!

Heyyy! I'm Patrice, a beauty writer here at BuzzFeed, and I just got back from visiting a brand spanking new Sephora concept store in Boston. Did they agree to my super reasonable request to move in? No. But, do I have some super fun deets to share with ya'll? YESSIR.

Patrice Peck

Sephora invited myself and some of the BuzzFeed Top Knot crew to check out the Newbury Street location before it opened to the public. It was less than half of the size of a typical Sephora store, but felt more intimate than tiny. I took this #nomakeup "Before" selfie as soon as I arrived cuz I figured I'd prolly be getting some kinda makeover and wanted to give you the REAL. Now, let's have a moment of silence for my BROWS 😱😅.

The first thing I noticed? Everyone's fave beauty playground's been tricked out with a bunch of cool high-tech upgrades, like this handy dandy Moisture Meter that'll tell you exactly how hydrated (or dehydrated) your skin is.

Patrice Peck

The store was full of never-been-used testers just waiting to be swatched, sprayed and pumped 😍😍😍!!! But before I could mark my territory on all of those pristine bb's, Sephora Pro Artist Chris Sams whisked me away to a station for one of the most customized beauty sessions that I've ever experienced.

First, Chris tested the moisture levels of my skin by lightly tapping my cheekbone and forehead with a device that could easily pass for a chic pregnancy test. The meter works on a simple scale from 0 (lowest hydration) to 100 (highest hydration). So, 0-40 means dry skin; 40-70 means normal, moisturized skin; and 70-100 means oily, very moisturized skin. My numbers came in at 71 in the cheekbone area and 69 in the forehead area, meaning I have combination normal and oily skin. Which brings me to the next step...

Complimentary mini facials for all cuz every masterpiece starts with a fresh canvas (and you can't spell Sephora without S-P-A...see what I did there?!)

Patrice Peck

Knowing what your face needs is only half the battle. The other half is meeting those needs with quality products geared towards your specific skin type and problem areas. Lucky for me, I was sitting in the only Sephora in the world that has a Digital Skincare Guide on each of its beauty station iPads!

Using my Moisture Meter numbers, Chris was able to instantly track down all of the products best for my face, including my eye area. Fresh Rose Face Mask was one of the products that addressed all of my face's wants and needs, so that's what Chris used to give me a speedy, yet soothing facial treatment.

Next up was a quick scan from a very Mission Impossible-esque gadget to figure out one of life's greatest mysteries: what's your best foundation match?

Patrice Peck

Foundation is my second favorite beauty product, right behind an awesome brow kit. The right pick can really help set the stage for the rest of your eye and lip looks, creating a flawless base for a sickening smokey eye or a statement-making lip. No wonder Sephora partnered with Pantone to launch Color IQ, the first and only shade-matching service of its kind.

How does it work? Well, Chris busted out this chunky handheld device and placed it on my forehead. He told me it was scanning the surface of my skin to determine my very own Color IQ number. At this point, I was feeling very VIP and sat back as Chris used my number 2Y11 to find the best foundation, concealer and lip colors for my complexion in the Digital Makeover Guide.

Once we decided on a ~lewk~ (punk princess smokey eye to go with my purple tutu!) he pulled up some more products in the Digital Makeover Guide. He did all of this without us having to walk all around the store, ya'll! Technology!!!

Patrice Peck

Customized skin care? Check! Customized foundation match? Check! Customized Makeover? YASSS!!!

Patrice Peck

After all the customized treatments and shade-matching were done, there was nothing left for Chris to do but get to werk! And that's exactly what he did. At the end of the day, Sephora's such a magical place cuz you KNOW you'll walk outta there looking and FEELING like the beautiful spirit you are. (My spirit was obvi serving all kinds of sultry sunset glam on that particular day.)

And here's the REAL kicker...~drumroll, puhleeze~ This Sephora doesn't have any cash registers! Instead of waiting in line (and we know how long those lines can get), you can check out with a cast member using her mobile device right there on the spot. The future of makeup's looking bright AF, ya'll!

Long story, short: Sephora is on its way to becoming The [Insert Your Name Here] Makeup Store and these digital, customer-first services are on their way to changing the beauty industry in a MAJOR way.

Patrice Peck

Check out this video for BTS shots of my skin care consultation, my customized makeover and much more!

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