Sure, we get it. In the quest for journalistic integrity, we shouldn’t have favourites. But the reality is, to say we don’t, well, would be a lie. When it comes to beauty, Space NK is without doubt the office favourite and for good reason. If you’ve walked into any of their stores (FYI – if you haven’t, we suggest you change that immediately), you’ll know that nobody offers a curated edit quite like them. Seriously, though, they’re the masters of discovery. Think cult classics amidst a sea of cool, high performance brands you’ve probably never heard of.
Doing a quick survey around the office, many of the fail-safe tools and products filling our beauty cabinets have been found at Space NK. Dr Russo Sun Protective Skincare, Själ Balans, Artis Make-Up Brushes and Ouai by Jen Atkin are just some of our most recent Space NK finds. They also helped induct us into the world of Sunday Riley and Tata Harper, not to mention constantly feeding our insatiable appetite for the likes of Lipstick Queen, By Terry, Hourglass, Kevyn Aucoin and Smith & Cult.
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We’re now pretty accustomed to getting schooled on the products and techniques of the pros, whether it’s directly from the artists themselves or by the seasoned subjects who’ve spent hours in their chairs. But this time we wanted to shake things up a little and talk to someone in the thick of it in stores. Enter: Heather Connelly, head of merchandising at Space NK USA. Aside from being responsible for making every store look incredible, her job means she’s gets first dibs on the many new lotions and potions hitting their shelves each month, all in the name of research.
When your job requires you to try pretty much every formula that enters the market, we had to ask: what exactly does she stick to when it comes to her own routine? Is her beauty cabinet a constant revolving door are there hero products on regular rotation? Herein, she reveals all.
LIFE BEFORE SPACE NK: I began my career at Bluemercury [beauty store]. At the time, the company was only three months old with two stores. I was a recent college graduate who loved beauty and had the good fortune to stumble upon a start-up. I began as an analyst and worked my way through planning and buying, eventually ending up managing all brand partnerships and liaising with the marketing department. Being part of a small, entrepreneurial team allowed me to wear many hats—some I liked, others were a terrible fit. Looking back, I realize that my path was unique and allowed me to see the business from so many different perspectives. After 12 years, I moved to NYC to be with my fiancé and got an opportunity to work on the brand side. I felt that I had a good understanding of what a retailer required to be successful and used that knowledge to my advantage during brand presentations. I’m thankful to have worked on both the brand and the retail side. I prefer the retail side though and jumped at the opportunity to join Space NK as the Head of Merchandising for the US.
ON HER ROLE: I spend my days meeting with our current brands, strategizing new product launches and communicating news to our corporate and field teams. I regularly meet with new brands that I think could interest our Space NK clients or help fill any white space within our assortment. After identifying product introductions, there’s a great deal of work that occurs behind the scenes planning for the launches – from training the field team on the ingredients and technology, to brainstorming in-store visual campaigns or strong online messaging and PR, and planning special launch events. I wanted to join the team here because I realized I had a passion for being part of a multi-branded retailer where I can work closely with brand founders and experts from many fields and categories within beauty. It can often be chaotic trying to juggle the 10,000+ products offered in store or online, but I love what I do because each and every day is different. Part of Space NK’s DNA is to curate the best assortments from the best brands. Our customers come in knowing that we’ve taken away a lot of the guesswork, editing the options down to the most innovative and effective products. Additionally, we pride ourselves on being an incubator for new, niche brands. Space NK is a place of discovery, a place where every visit is different from the last. Our clients walk away feeling special because they’ve often learned about a tip or trick or have first-hand knowledge of a brand their friends haven’t yet discovered. My role allows me the opportunity to help elevate the shopping experience for our clients.
AN AVERAGE WEEK: It usually consists of recurring internal meetings to ensure initiatives are aligned and our promotional, marketing and PR plans are moving forward. We typically work 4-6 months in advance with our programs and that means a lot of strategizing on the front end. The rest of my week is spent meeting with brands. I make the time to do a little shopping or pop into new spas and salons when I’m walking home or traveling to another city. I’m often introduced to potential new brands through conversations with facialists, hairstylists and makeup artists.
TOP SELLERS: We have top sellers across categories from skincare and makeup to haircare and fragrance. Some of those include By Terry, Kevyn Aucoin, Natura Bissé, Tata Harper, Kat Burki, Eve Lom, Diptyque, Oribe and Miriam Quevedo. There are several products that are popular across all of our stores, including Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, Kevyn Aucoin Volume Mascara, Eve Lom Cleanser and Lipstick Queen Frog Prince Lip Gloss.
WHAT’S NEW: This spring, we introduced 111 Skincare, Omorovicza, Dr. Russo Sun Protective Skincare, Ouai by Jen Atkin and Gloss Moderne. We’ve also expanded several brands into more stores after seeing great success with tests in limited doors including Själ, Miriam Quevedo and Kat Burki. Over the next few months, you’ll see more brand introductions to our colour, tools and skincare offering. When we’re looking to bring on a new brand or product, we always look for a point of difference. Then we look for the trifecta – products that deliver the results they claim, great packaging, and an enjoyable experience (texture, smell, colour payoff, etc.). We always get tips on new products from our clients, makeup artists and other industry insiders and our colleagues in the UK.
ON SKINCARE: Right now I’m using Eve Lom’s Morning Time Cleanser. It cleanses my skin thoroughly without leaving it dry and dehydrated. On days when my skin looks a bit dull I’ll use a peel pad like Colbert MD’s Intensify Facial Discs to give an overall glow and diminish hyper-pigmentation. I follow up with Royal Fern Phytoactive Anti-Aging Serum. It’s a must for the morning because it refreshes and firms upon application (I had to get used to the feeling – it works immediately)! My skin is combination and I generally go for gel-based, lightweight moisturizers like Zelens Hydro-Shiso Balancing Moisturizer. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly and the consistency is between a cream and a lotion for moisture – perfect for the past month when the weather has been so unpredictable. Without fail I always use an SPF. These days, many products already have an SPF included but I always go a step beyond and use a separate SPF for my face. Since starting at Space NK I’ve really taken to Chantecaille’s Ultra Sun Protection SPF50 Primer which has a light, oil-free texture to prep skin for makeup. It’s water and humidity resistant which is helpful during the summer months. Dr. Russo, one of the most innovative brand launches we introduced this spring, has been receiving rave reviews too. His Sun Protective Day Cleanser SPF 30 has been specifically formulated to gently cleanse the skin of impurities while providing “wash-on” SPF 30 protection from UVA/UVB exposure, at the very start of the day, therefore setting me up for protection against incidental UV exposure. His next launch will be a body wash with SPF 30 and I couldn’t be more excited. It will be a game changer for someone like me.
BODYCARE & BEDTIME: I confess – I’m not the most diligent about using a body moisturizer. When I do remember I tend to use dry oils. Ren makes a really beautiful Moroccan Rose Gold Glow Perfect Dry Oil that absorbs immediately. The scent is light and fresh and leaves a nice sheen on the skin. By night time, my energy (and time) is at an all-time low. For a quick all-in-one, I use Själ Balans Deep Pore Cleanser. The gel-crème cleanser is great for breaking down makeup and detoxifying the skin but also delivers instant hydration and soothing benefits. If I need more hydration, I’ll use Omorovicza Rejuvenating Night Cream. No breakouts, just hydrated, glowing skin.
EARLY MAKE-UP MOMENTS: I’ve always loved playing with colour. As a child of the 80’s, my mother would allow me to play with makeup after school but the phrase “wash that off your face before your father gets home” still rings in my head like it was yesterday. I remember blue and green eyeshadows and bright red lipsticks – definitely not the shades in my colour wheel now. My application skills are decent—my friends and sisters can attest. I didn’t wear much makeup growing up but I spent a lot of time on the application of my makeup. Throughout college, I wore foundation, blush, eyeliner and mascara. As I got more involved with beauty, my arsenal grew which allowed me to be more creative. Now, I can do a great day and smoky eye. One thing I’m still trying to master on myself is a bold, winged eyeliner. I’m able to do it to others but not on myself yet. When I trust the person on the other side of the brush, I much prefer getting my makeup done. I find it relaxing and I’m always interested to see how someone else sees me and chooses which features to highlight. So I am often visiting our NYC stores asking our makeup artists to show me what they recommend I wear.
MAKE-UP COMFORT ZONE: My fail-safe look which works for general day-to-day is foundation, bronzer with a pink cheek and a neutral eye. Currently, I’m using Eve Lom’s Radiance Perfected Tinted Moisturizer with SPF15. The coverage is heavier than your standard tinted moisturizer and perfectly matches my skin. I then use Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer for spots that need more attention or for under eyes and I follow up with By Terry’s gorgeous new Sun Designer Palette in Tan Flash Cruise for bronzing and highlighting and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush on the apples of the cheeks. For my eyes, I’ve been using the new Chantecaille Mermaid Eyeshadows that are creamy yet crease-resistant. Kevyn Aucoin The Featherlights Palette has some great neutrals and pops of green and grey if I have more time to play around. My favourite mascara is The Volume Mascara by Kevyn Aucoin. It lengthens, volumizes and washes off in tubes at night which means no racoon eyes. Lastly, full brows are here to stay. My current go-to brow pencil is from a brand we are launching this summer called Kimiko. The super fine point of the Pencil Automatique allows you to create the ideal brow shape by drawing strokes as fine as individual hairs themselves. My lips are generally a pinky nude. My favourite shades are Lipstick Queen Frog Prince, By Terry Hyaluronic Sheer Rouge in Nudissimo and By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur in Rosy Babe.
EVENING LOOK: At night, I’ll do a smoky eye instead. The Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Exposure is my favorite. There’s an array of colors, matte to shimmer that can be used wet or dry. It’s a great all in one with more color combinations than I can come up with. If I to intensify the look I’ll use By Terry’s new Line Designer eyeliners.
COLOUR FAVOURITES:
- Eve Lom Radiant Glow Cream Foundation SPF 30 for smooth even skin on the fly.
- Chanetcaille Liquid Lumière Cheek Illuminator in Luster: a soft rose-petal pink cheek stain that’s buildable and provides the perfect flush of color for a youthful glow.
- By Terry Touche Volutée concealer covers dark circles, camouflages imperfections and instantly illuminates the eye area.
- Artis makeup brushes: they look intimidating but are designed to provide fail-proof application. The Oval 7 brush is perfect to use for applying foundation, blush, highlighter, bronzer, setting powders and even skincare.
SKIN FAVOURITES
- Right now I’ve really embraced Colbert MD’s Illumino Mask. Its QuSome technology works amazingly well as preparation before a big night out or as a rejuvenating treatment to visibly reduce dark spots and skin imperfections.
- Mila Moursi’s Cryo Serum Ice Cube Infusion is a serum packed ampoule that needs to be frozen before using. The active blend of amino acids and minerals combats puffiness and dehydration to help lift and plump skin. This is a spa worthy treat that will definitely come in handy during the summer months. I’m a sucker for any eye patch. If I’m tired, my eyes are a dead giveaway.
HAIR ROUTINE: My hair is curly but fine and sometimes I struggle to find a product that provides control without weighing it down. On the rare occasions that I decide to go ‘au naturel’ I’ll use Philip B. Oud Royal Mega-Curl Enhancer. This leaves curly hair super soft, glossy and beautifully defined – and frizz free. I blowout out my curly hair once or twice times a week and have perfected the art of stretching it out as long as possible. If I blow out my hair on Tuesday morning, with the right maintenance products I can get this to last through the work week. In my shower now are Oribe’s Gold Lust Repair and Restore Shampoo and Conditioner, both gentle and moisturizing. I live and die by dry shampoo and hair spray to extend the life of my blowouts. Ouai has an amazing Dry Shampoo that neutralizes product build-up, absorbs oil and leaves hair instantly refreshed with a light, airy scent. I’ll finish off with R+Co Vicious Strong Hold Flexible Hairspray, which builds volume and has flexible hold without the flakes or stickiness. Usually when I get out of the shower I’ll use Oribe’s Run-Through Detangling Primer, great for prepping and protecting colour treated hair that gets knotted easily. I follow up with Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil for a soft tangle free blowout.
ON KEEPING HER HAIR STRONG AND HEALTHY: First and foremost, I try and teat my scalp as I would my skin. Miriam Quevedo Extreme Caviar Scalp Mask is a luxurious exfoliating pre-treatment rich in cell detox-booster which helps to detoxify skin cells. Tahiti, mother of pearl and coral sand remove dead skin leaving hair smooth and soft. I also try a hair mask once a week, if possible. I’ve been known to sport a hair mask to work. I’ll slick my hair into a top knot and no one knows! My latest go to is Ouai’s Treatment Masque. They come in individual packets, so they’re easy to pack for the gym or while traveling.
ADVICE ON BEAUTY FOR WHEN YOU’RE ON THE GO: Find products that multi-task like Kevyn Aucoin’s The Creamy Glow for lips and cheeks or Ouai’s Texturizing Hair Spray that builds volume and texture but also absorbs oil and refreshes the hair. Eve Lom’s iconic Cleansing Balm is a fantastic multi-tasker. It cleanses, detoxifies, tones, exfoliates and moisturizes all in one! Also, make the most of all the free samples from your subscription boxes and from beauty stores like Space NK for travel! Most max out after a few uses and you can throw them away before heading home. That’s a smaller amount to pack up and fewer items to transport through security.