There was a point in time when long ratty hair, drug-inhaler's pallor, sleepy dark eyebags, body odour, and STDS were in fashion; but my friends, the 60's ended long ago. The 00's, ironically, have turned their back on minimalism, at least in the beauty world, and have flung themselves face-first into shimmering powder, glistening bronzers, and glosses that glow like never before. Women are dousing themselves in creams and salves that are actually made from ingredients other than petroleum jelly and even men are spoiling themselves with shaving exotica, hair muds, and otherworldly scents.

Being the hippy-dippy West Coast city that it is, Vancouver has been a little slow on the makeup uptake. But now that Sephora, the beauty store of our generation, has finally made it's way to Van-city (it even landed in Winnipeg first), I'm pretty sure any wall-climbing wounds or skiing injuries will be neatly concealed by a nice dab of Benefit non-fiction concealer or a healthy dollop off of the Yves Saint Laurent's Touche wand.

Sephora is not just a makeup store; it is a beauty-seeker's bacchanal. One could easily get drunk simply off the brightly coloured, carefully curated shelves, sassily stocked with pretty much every beauty product imaginable. The flaw-negating boutique is rife with the heavy-weights-in-head-turning: Benefit, Burberry, the art of Shaving, Harajuku Lovers, Hard Candy, Givenchy, Nars, Lily Pulitzer, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney, Cargo, Smash Box, to name only a few.

But Sephora does not only specialize in narcissistic indulgence; it also has a strong selection for the gift-hunter. Sets, packages, and pallets galore are all at your (hopefully neatly painted) fingertips. So, Vancouverites, I have one piece of advice for you: lose the MEC vests, beards, and straggly ponytails; it's time for a makeover, now that you have Sephora calling, the mountains are no longer an excuse. – Erin Hershberg

Monday - Tuesday: 10 am - 6 pm
Wednesday - Friday: 10 am - 9 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am - 6 pm
Sunday: 11 am - 6 pm

Sephora, 701 W Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
778-331-3942