Move over, paper towels
Dressing up the drugstore? Galleria Walgreens goes upscale with LOOK beautyboutique
A Look Boutique inside a New York Duane Reade drugstore. Houston's Galleria-areaWalgreens is one of the first three stores nationwide to introduce the concept.
The new look of Walgreens instore makeup boutique.
Nail polish is displayed in an easy-to-find guide.
The LOOK boutique logo.
I like to think I'm above being lured by display and packaging, but every once in a while I get a reminder that I'm not — like when I walked into the Walgreens near the Galleria to check out the new LOOK Boutique.
The store is one of only three in the country to feature Walgreens' new venture into the upscale beauty market. It's a prototype that began at New York-based Duane Reade, which Walgreens purchased in 2010.
With open space, modern white display cases and helpful salesgirls in black aprons, it's more than a little reminiscent of Sephora, and I was drawn in like a moth to a flame. Sure, this is what I was there to see, but even if I was running in to grab condoms while Ryan Gosling waited in the car, I'm pretty sure I would have made a detour to play with some lip gloss.
With the exception of nail polish giants OPI and Essie, which get front-row placement in a "colors of the season" section, the prestige brands Walgreens has pulled in are mostly under-the-radar names.
With open space, modern white display cases and helpful salesgirls in black aprons, it's more than a little reminiscent of Sephora, and I was drawn in like a moth to a flame.
There's British brand Becca Cosmetics, which has an upscale, wearer-friendly tone of natural colors that reminds of Laura Mercier or Bobbi Brown. POPbeauty has a more colorful and youthful vibe, a UK version of Urban Decay or Tarte. Pürminerals is your standard mineral foundation plus more line, and Vera Moore caters to women of color. Sephora-approved Demeter fragrances get plenty of space, and nearly half of the space is devoted to skincare products and brands.
The names may be unfamiliar, but the prices are a reminder that these aren't your average drugstore brands. If you want mascara for under $10, Maybelline is two rows over and feels decidedly drab in comparison.
It's hard to say if the boutique is going to draw in customers — a brand with a loyal following like Clinique or Kiehl's might have been a better sell in that area, and the selection can't compete with the Sephora just down the road.
The LOOK Boutique instead seems designed to ensnare the customers already in the store, who are mostly women and, in this neighborhood, capable of a makeup splurge while looking for toilet paper or batteries.
As for me, I made it out with some fake eyelashes and an iridescent, gunmetal gray nail polish by OPI. And paper towels. Damn you, Walgreens.
