On a photoshoot set for STITCH, Northwestern’s fashion publication, Communication senior Chase Doggett pulls out a blue Huda Beauty palette, a red Fenty Beauty lipstick and an orange Glossier Play eyeliner to create the perfect chromatic look. With a beauty arsenal like that, it’s easy to wonder, “Where are most Northwestern students getting their makeup, anyway?”
Within a three-block radius of Northwestern’s campus, students could be purchasing their beauty products from CVS, Benefit Cosmetics, Target or even Urban Outfitters.
In order to get a better grasp on Northwestern students’ beauty shopping habits, I sent out a survey. The responses were pretty split between heading to the Sephora at Westfield Old Orchard via the Shop-N-Ride shuttle, shopping online and grabbing an essential Maybelline mascara from the CVS on Sherman Avenue. However, some students had some stronger opinions and tips for buying the best beauty products while at Northwestern.
Although Doggett sometimes visits the Sephora at Old Orchard, he prefers the Michigan Avenue location because they carry more brands. He recommends taking the Intercampus shuttle because it will drop you off near the Sephora. Northwestern also offers the Shop-N-Ride shuttle on “select Sundays during the academic year” if you are looking to scour Old Orchard’s Sephora or the luxury makeup counters at Macy’s.
Medill senior Katie Rothstein and many others who filled out the survey emphasized Glossier as the go-to brand when buying online. Although Glossier has 3 physical stores, they are predominantly an e-commerce site.
When it comes to the makeup brand, students are more than willing to pay the $4.50 shipping costs to order some Boy Brow and Haloscope. You can also share a cart with friends and stock up on over $30 worth of products for free standard shipping!
Their enticing marketing and luxurious millennial pink packaging is prompting people to throw their previous notions of online brands out the window. With hordes of photos and videos of their products on their site, the brand may have found an answer to the dilemma of online ordering. Glossier is making the extra struggle of shopping online for beauty products totally worth it.
In regard to Glossier, Rothstein said, “It’s an experience. You open the box. It’s pink. You get the little bag. You get samples. You get stickers.”
Communication senior Ziare Paul-Emile said she only buys beauty products in-store when it’s an absolute emergency. Most of the time, she orders Morphe eyeshadow palettes from the comfort of her own bed at midnight.
Although students are purchasing from an array of places, many of them agree on one rule: Never order products that need to match to your skin, such as foundation and concealer.
Communication junior Gabby Silva recently ordered Glossier’s Stretch Concealer and was disappointed to find that it was the wrong shade for her skin tone. According to Northwestern students, it’s essential to see these products in person the first time. In the future, then you can order online.
Although there is no Northwestern-specific approach to beauty shopping, with a plethora of shuttles, nearby drugstores and the extensive amounts of online beauty shops, NU students are most certainly getting their glam on.