Beauty fans camped overnight and thousands of shoppers queued in line ahead of the opening of Sephora’s newest UK store Wednesday.
Excited customers queued for hours to be among the first inside the US beauty brand’s latest branch at one of Britain’s biggest shopping centers.
People started joining the line in the freezing cold during the early hours of the morning – despite the store at Birmingham’s Bullring not opening until 10am.
Thousands flocked to get their hands on coveted and exclusive beauty buys, many of which are said to be difficult to get on the high street.
Among those in line was Abby Hawthorne, 31, from West Bromwich, West Mids., who said: “There’s no place like it when it comes to beauty products.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and I’ll queue for however long it takes.
“It’s like a beauty theme park and I’m really excited to get in there. People travel for miles to visit their stores and now we have one on the doorstep.”
The first 500 guests were presented with a wristband to get an exclusive goodie bag packed with Sephora’s top picks like Glossier, Rare Beauty, Kayali and Glow Recipe.
The global beauty retailer also stocks products, including the likes of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty range and Haus Labs by Lady Gaga.
The latest store from the retailer is the sixth store to open in the UK and has taken over the space previously occupied by Victoria’s Secret.
Content creator and make-up artist Alicia Land, from Bromsgrove, Worcs, told the BBC Birmingham had always needed a Sephora.
She said: “It has everything under one roof, all of the best haircare, skincare, make-up, everything you could possibly think of, it’s there.
“There’s nothing else you could think of that it needs, because it’s got everything.
“Until it came to London, every time I went to foreign country, I’d have to find a Sephora.
“It’s almost like therapy. Just having a look around. You don’t even have to buy anything but just look at everything that’s new.”
The store’s public opening follows a VIP party the night before attended by female football stars and social media influencers.
A Sephora spokesperson said it believed “in a world that champions all beauty – a world where each one of us feels celebrated for who we are, not what others would like us to be.”
They added they are committed to “offering the most unique and special selection in prestige beauty.”
