Space NK

I'm sure there are lots of you out there who love Space Nk, I live near one of their stores and was forever popping in there for a browse, sniff and spray (ooh that sounds wrong!)  It was the best shop to go and treat yourself in, they had great ranges of hard to find make up brands and skincare you couldn't find anywhere else.

I also used to really like that the assistants in Space NK were so knowledgeable, I would often trust them with finding me the exact shade of foundation I should wear or I would trust their opinion on colours of eyeshadows/lipsticks when I was unsure.

It pains me to say this but I just don't feel the same about Space NK any more.  I feel that things have changed and not for the better, my thoughts are below:-

1. The shop assistants have become more pushy.  An example, a while back I went in a store to ask about a Lipstick Queen lipstick, the assistant showed me the lipstick I was looking for (which I loved, Lipstick Queen is a fab brand) but then she proceeded to try and sell me a Chantecaille lipstick instead!  Surprise Surprise the Chantecaille lipstick is more expensive! 

This has happened more than once, they always seem to be pushing you to buy a more expensive product.  To be honest when they do this I just feel like walking out and not buying anything.

2. The brands and ranges stocked are no longer as exciting as they were.  I remember when Space NK used to stock items you couldn't get anywhere else and they were often introducing new and exciting products.  However to cut them some slack I see they have just started stocking Kevyn Aucoin make up which I'm pretty excited about.

3. Another gripe about the assistants is that they don't seem as acknowledgeable as they used to be, recently in the Westbourne Grove branch there was a boy working there (honestly he wasn't a man - at the oldest he seemed about 18/19) and I really don't believe that he would have been able to advise a thirty something woman on skincare.  Ok maybe I am wrong and he is a skincare/make up whizz and if thats the case I apologise!  Another time a different assistant put some Chantecaille foundation on me - well the result was shocking, it was waaaaaay too dark for me and looked horrible.  It was then that I thought it was wrong that I have more knowledge foundations than an assistant in Space NK!!

I hope things improve soon because at the moment I am much more excited about the beauty hall in Liberty and Fenwicks than I am at Space NK.