Barneys' Updated Beauty Floor Is the Antithesis of Sephora

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Photo via WWD

Barneys Madison Avenue will unveil its updated beauty floor today, the latest step in a three-year renovation to the flagship. In keeping with the store design's new direction, the beauty arcade has a minimal, contemporary look, but is nowhere short on luxurious details. The department has also expanded: an additional 1,000 square feet have been tacked on for a new total of 9,000 square feet of cosmetics, skincare, and even a blow bar.

As a store, Barneys is moving away from shops-in-shop, and the beauty floor continues that transition. WWD writes that the new design doesn't rely, "on flashy vendor identification that has been prevalent throughout the industry." This is a bold move in a world where customers are trained to beeline to logos of brands they trust, Sephora-style.

3B Blow Bar by Valery Joseph is an exclusive offering to the Madison Avenue square, from a hairstylist that operates three salons in the city and a seasonal salon in Bridgehampton. His Barneys salon will have eight stations within 600 to 700 square feet. Customers can enter the salon before store hours via a reopened 61st Street entrance, which has been closed for some time. Beginning January, the salon will begin to sell a signature hair care line at Barneys.

Another in-store service that has been added is a skin care salon by Los Angels-based Mila Moursi. The beauty department has also included a fragrance bar, much like Saks Fifth Avenue revealed last week.

Next up for the store's renovation is the women's parcel of the sixth floor, which recently saw its menswear side revamped.
· Barneys Unveils Renovated Beauty Floors in New York, Beverly Hills [WWD]
· Inside the New Barneys New York on the Upper West Side [Racked NY]
· Macy's Herald Square Makes Over Their Beauty Department [Racked NY]