'It's amazing': Beauty lovers hail Sephora as brand opens first Scottish outlet in Edinburgh St James Quarter

The beauty retailer cut the ribbon on its very first shop north of the border on Thursday morning (July 9).

The brand new Sephora store is located on the second floor of the city’s St James Quarter.

Excitement is high amongst the beauty community in the Capital, with never-seen-before brands on Scottish shelves for the first time.

Hailey Bieber’s viral brand Rhode is only currently available to buy in-person in Scotland on the shelves of Sephora Edinburgh, as well as the likes of Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs, Makeup by Mario, Merit Beauty and many more.

Shoppers queued from early in the morning to secure their place, some from before 7am ahead of the 10am grand opening.

Queues snaked around the St James Quarter and even spilled onto multiple floors.

Two excited shoppers were Steph and Amy, who had travelled from Leven to attend the launch event with Steph’s daughters Summer, 14, and Millie, 11.

Amy said: “We’ve been here since 8am. It’s actually not felt that long. People keep passing the line, the music is on, it’s been great.”

Steph added: “We came down for the girls and the fact they sell Rhode here, nowhere else sells Rhode. You have to get it online usually, it’s really good to have some brands we can’t get otherwise.

“I only usually buy [from Sephora] if I’m on a trip somewhere so it’s nice to have one closer.”

Declan Green, 27, was another shopper who was eager to get down to the St James Quarter as early as possible, joining the queue just after 7am.

He labelled the new shop “amazing” after being one of the first people through the door and picking up a lip oil and hand cream.

Declan added: “It’s my first time ever in a Sephora shop but I’ve always wanted to go in.

“I was in Barcelona last week and I was meant to nip into the Sephora before I left but I never got the chance, so I had to come down today.”

Those awaiting the ribbon cutting in St James Quarter were treated to a special performance by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and drag artist Sally Saint Scott, as well as music from DJ Lu.

The opening of the Edinburgh store comes just over a month before Sephora opens its second Scottish location in Glasgow’s Silverburn Shopping Centre.

Sarah Boyd, managing director of Sephora UK, said: "Scotland has been one of the most requested locations from our community, so opening our first Scottish store is an incredibly exciting milestone for Sephora UK.

“Edinburgh is a city with an amazing beauty community, incredible creativity and visitors from all over the world, making it the perfect place to continue our UK expansion.

“We're looking forward to welcoming both local customers and visitors into the Sephora experience for the very first time.

“This opening also marks the beginning of a hugely exciting summer for Sephora UK as we continue expanding our footprint across the country with both destination stores and new boutique formats, allowing us to bring prestige beauty to more communities than ever before."

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Anne Ledgerwood, estate director for St James Quarter, added: "The opening of Sephora’s first-ever Scottish store is a landmark moment for both the brand and St James Quarter.

“It’s exciting to see Sephora mark this significant milestone with a memorable launch event, from the ribbon-cutting ceremony to the performances taking place throughout the day.

“Welcoming such an internationally recognised beauty retailer to the Quarter further strengthens the destination’s appeal and gives visitors the opportunity to experience one of the world's most sought-after beauty brands right here in Scotland."