When you think of Chanel, you think of perfection - it’s no secret that Chanel is one of the most immaculate, chic, seamlessly curated brands out there, so when the Sunday Forever team was invited to explore the Atelier Beauté Chanel, our expectations were pretty high. Spoiler Alert: Our expectations were definitely exceeded by leaps and bounds.
Atelier Beauté Chanel is a beauty wonderland located in New York City that recently opened this past January to give gurus, lovers and newbies of all things beauty a chance to explore Chanel’s amazing line of products. This new SoHo workshop offers people a space to explore different products, learn more about their personal skincare routines, and indulge in all the little luxuries of the studio.
When you first walk into the space, you’re greeted by a member of the team who will assist you with checking in and putting your things away in one of their gorgeous little lockers, so that your hands can be free to play with all the products in the space. They’ve separated the studio in sections based on routines. Firstly, there’s a little cleansing station that allows you to wash your hands, and if you’re interested in actually testing products on your own face, they provide you with towels, hair ties, cleanser, etc. to wipe your skin clean. What’s great and so comforting about the Atelier is how much they value hygiene - they always ask that you touch any product with clean hands and encourage you to leave products on the table after you’ve had your hands on them, so that a team member can properly sanitize them before returning them to their original spot.
“I WAS COMPLETELY STUNNED BY THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL PUT INTO THE ATELIER. EVERY LITTLE CORNER WAS BRANDED - EACH SECTION ENTIRELY THOUGHT OUT FOR THE MOST PERFECT EXPERIENCE. I FELT LIKE A LITTLE KID IN A CANDY STORE. IT MADE ME WANT TO EXPLORE, PLAY AND TRY EVERY PRODUCT THERE. I COULD HAVE STAYED FOR HOURS. ” — OLIVIA MUTH
Next stop is the skincare consultation bar where you can speak with an expert on what products you should be using. Once you detail your typical skincare routine to them, they will offer you different product suggestions and explain each of their benefits. Best part: they give you little samples of each product and make you a custom mini kit to take home with you for just $18. I know - it’s too good to be true.
“THERE’S THIS INDESCRIBABLE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE ATELIER - MAYBE IT STEMS FROM HOW INSPIRING THE BRAND’S ARTISTRY IS, OR FROM UTTER DISBELIEF OF HOW BEAUTIFULLY CURATED THE SPACE IS. NONETHELESS, THE ATELIER IS PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY.” — IRENE KIM
Then you have makeup galore - the space is filled with different makeup stations, separated by routine/product, so you have your foundation area, eyeshadow collection, and my personal favorite: a wall of lipstick. The entire space is so well-thought out and beautifully designed to make people’s experience nothing short of amazing, and this lipstick station is the perfect example. All of their colors are organized by color and texture to make finding your perfect lip shade super easy. And remember that thing I said about hygiene earlier? They have tiny samples of each lip product laid out for you so you don’t have to do that gross thing you do at other makeup stores, where you use the same tester that a hundred other people have also used (let’s be honest, the cleanliness of that is always questionable).
Last but not least, there’s the fragrance room. This room actually blew our minds - it was so beautifully and carefully curated to really give people the most magical experience. The concept behind this room is a blind fragrance test; because people so often tend to choose fragrances based on name, oil color, etc., the Atelier wanted to give people the experience of blindly choosing their fragrance without any bias. They set up the room much like a bar, with a whole back wall lined with bottles of fragrances and a display of cute little flower testers at “the bar”, each labeled with a number, for you to smell. Once you decide which fragrance is most appealing to you, a team member from behind the bar will let you know which Chanel fragrance you’ve chosen, and give you the chicest little ribbon bracelet infused with the scent of your choice. The word “magical” is really the only way to describe it all.
The Atelier Beauté Chanel is truly a one of a kind experience that will leave you stunned from beginning to end. The details of every part is so intricate and purposeful, and will only make your jaw drop. And for anyone who is nervous about walking into the space and feeling intimidated, you don’t have to worry - the brand Chanel can be daunting for some, but the Atelier truly makes you feel like it’s an experience for anyone and everyone to enjoy. Curious to swing by? Learn more about their workshop here.
“CHANEL IS MY MOST FAVORITE BRAND IN THE WORLD, AND VISITING THE ATELIER REMINDED ME WHY. THEIR THOUGHTFUL ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND LUXURY AT EVERY TURN IS ENDLESSLY INSPIRING.” — ASHLI STOCKTON