Written by The Strategy
We died and went to makeup heaven. Or at least, that’s what it felt like when we visited the Atelier Beauté Chanel in New York’s Soho neighbourhood, and were immediately transported to a double-c themed adult beauty haven. You can tell from the moment you walk in to the permanent workshop, that this experience is not like walking into your average store, but rather a beauty experience. Customer’s, neigh, clients, are encouraged to come in, test out and create.
Upon walking in, past the selfie-begging ‘Create Yourself’ mirror, you are guided to leave your belongings in a sleek locker, each named after an icon of the house. We placed our belongings in ‘Gabrielle’, because, obviously. From there, we were sent to our appointment with Chanel makeup artist, Abby Jones.
The Lesson
We opted for a makeup lesson with Abby which runs at $75 during off-peak hours. It’s a lesson where the makeup artist will create one side of a look, and you recreate the other. We started by washing off our makeup from the day at one of the luxurious ‘Cleanse’ stations. We cleansed and removed makeup with with La Mousse and Démaquillant Yeux Intense and moisturized with the Hydra Beauty Micro Serum.
From there, we were shepherded to our beauty station for our one-on-one lesson. The look we went for was a classic smokey eye, that we’ll be honest, we often struggle with. How does one not go from subtle smudging to full on black eye? Thankfully, Abby was there to give us all the secrets of the trade to create the ultimate smokey eye, using Chanel Les Beiges in Deep. To top off the look, we used Vitalumiere Aqua, Le Corrrecteur de Chanel, Joues Contraste for the cheeks, and Soleil Tan De Chanel for a highlight. Lips we finished with a Rouge Coco Gloss. How do we remember this all? Upon signing into the Atelier, you log into your personal Atelier account on your phone. Every product that touches you is then logged in to your profile, for you to use as reference. If you decide to buy any product used, you simply do so through the app and pick up at a pick-up window near the exit. Very convenient.
The Space
Not only does the space offer makeup lessons and applications, it also plays host to a range of well-lit (perfect for ‘gramming) stations exhibiting hundreds of products at interactive counters. Past the ‘Cleanse’ station lies the makeup department, which hosts a smorgasbord of lipsticks, cut into sample sizes and contained in their own sanitary cubes. Pots of eyeshadow adorn the walls. If you attend on an exclusive day when the perfume room is open, visitors can test their knowledge of Chanel’s fragrance collection with a no-spray perfume bar. And before you leave, don’t forget to snap a selfie in the space’s ‘Content Creation” room with flat lay opportunities and lighting that hits all the right angles.
The Atelier Beauté Chanel, a first-of-its-kind space invites visitors to discover their Chanel beauty obsession, whilst getting advice and product recommendations from the brands beauty pros, without pressure to purchase and encouraged to experiment. We suggest you make a visit next time you’re strolling the streets of Soho.
