Wildly popular beauty startup Glossier just opened its first flagship store in New York City. Here's what it's like to shop there.

Jessica TylerNov 10, 2018, 20:20 IST

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

Glossier, a cult-favorite beauty and skincare brand founded in 2014, just opened its first flagship store in New York City.
The company has raised $86 million in venture funding since 2014.
The flagship store opened where Glossier's showroom has been for the past year. The space is designed to be a social space where customers can test makeup and hang out while shopping.
When we visited a day after it opened, it was already packed.

Glossier, a previously online-only beauty and skincare brand founded in 2014, just opened its first flagship store in New York City.

Since the company first started in 2014, Glossier has raised a whopping $86 million in venture funding and gained a cult following among millennials.

The flagship store opened in the same spot in SoHo where Glossier's shoppable showroom has been since it opened in November 2017. More than half a million customers have come through that space since it opened, the company told The New York Times.

The flagship is Glossier's second and largest permanent shop, as it already operates a storefront in Los Angeles. The interior is decorated with flowers and over-the-top displays, and employees wear bubblegum pink jumpsuits. The products in store aren't on shelves, but instead on communal tables with mirrors set up for shoppers to test the products. There's even a room with sinks and cleansers so that shoppers can wash off makeup they tested and try out more.

We went to the flagship store the day after it opened. Here's what it was like:

Glossier's flagship store is on Lafayette Street in SoHo, where its showroom had been located since November 2017.

Walking through the doors, I was greeted by a pink staircase with bright lights and high ceilings.

At the top of the stairs are employees greeting everyone by a big floral display.

The store was packed with people shopping when I visited, one day after its opening.

All of the products are displayed on small tables throughout the store. Prices vary, but everything is generally under $25.

Glossier sells a lot of different skincare products, like sunscreen, serums, cleansers ...

... face masks, lotions, and more.

It also sells perfume ...

... eye shadow ...

... concealer ...

... and a lot of lip gloss and lipstick. All of the products are packaged very similarly, giving the brand a distinct look.

There were multiple display tables showing each product, so even though it was very crowded, you could still test things out and look at products without having to wait very long.

There are mirrors set up around the store, and tons of people were testing out the products.

There is also a room with a few sinks in it for shoppers to test out cleansers and masks, or to wash off makeup they had tried on.

Around the store are collages ...

... over-the-top displays ...

... and even a room filled with mirrors and giant sculptures of Glossier's popular "boy brow" product. The store itself was very pretty to shop in.

When you finish shopping, instead of going to a traditional register, you can simply find one of the many employees walking around with iPads and check out with them.

After placing your order, it's packed up in a Glossier bag. A staff member at the pickup counter will call out your name and hand it to you, similar to a coffee shop.

The store was fun and upbeat to shop in. The layout made it easy to test out products, and it had a much different atmosphere than more traditional beauty retailers like Sephora.

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