Beauty: John Lewis’ new multi-million pound beauty hall

Liberty’s beauty department may be small and kooky and Selfridges’ bright and buzzy but John Lewis’, on Oxford Street, is about to become the best beauty hall of them all. If you’ve popped in recently you’ll have noticed some sparkling new counters and a lot of hoarding but, today at last, the new multi-million pound, 18,000 square feet beauty hall will be revealed in all it’s glory.

What makes it so different? Firstly, it’s very calming. The new layout – with upscale brands like Chanel and Burberry occupying little boutique spaces – means there’s room to roam around without being accosted every five seconds. Jo Malone fans will squeal at the size of its new ‘shop’.

Secondly, it’s retained its great mix of hi/lo: from L’Oréal to Crème de La Mer, Klorane to Dior (they are exclusively stocking their new BB cream until mid-May), plus fab pharmacy finds and good value natural products.

Thirdly, it has the most amazing selection of beauty accessories, from old fashioned – think rows of vanity mirrors and hot water bottles – to whizzy essentials for DIY beauty treatments.

So all in all, it’s gone from pedestrian to rather dazzling, while retaining its reassuringly sensible vibe: you’re not going to lose your pretty head in here and spend a fortune on snake blood skin care. Well, unless you buy something from Rodial, that is.