Benefit and Make Up For Ever, two brands owned by LVMH, shared a shop-in-shop for their European premieres last Thursday in Sephora’s Milan flagship. Make Up For Ever and Benefit became neighbors on the sprawling mezzanino floor of the perfumery, which also is owned by LVMH. The 10,000-square-foot store opened 10 months ago on Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Celebrating its first shop-in-shop boutique in Europe, Benefit global beauty authorities Maggie and Annie Ford Danielson — daughters of co-founder Jean Ford who created the company with twin sister Jane Ford — hinted that Paris, Madrid and Barcelona could be the next Europe boutique locations. Pink walls and vintage displays offer 200 products and services, including a brow bar, facial waxing and threading, eyebrow and eyelash tinting, spray tanning and makeup parties. Benefit has a presence in 34 countries.
Across the floor, Make Up For Ever offers a Make Up School and 1,200 references out of its 1,400, including bestseller Smoky Lash mascara and artistic base Clown White. In addition to its Italian boutique debut, Make Up For Ever premiered a line of 50 lipsticks with slick packaging called Rouge Artist Natural, which will be available in January.
Make Up For Ever was founded by creative and artistic director Dany Sanz in 1984 and was bought by LVMH in 1999. After entering Sephora in 2001, Make Up For Ever will be available in 300 Sephora stores by the end of this year. In Europe, France holds the largest percentage of sales with Italy close behind. Next up is the opening of its first public Paris flagship on Nov. 29 and a Make Up For Ever Academy opening in January in New York’s Union Square neighborhood.