This Popular Makeup Brand Just Announced It’s Opening A Physical Store For The First Time EVER

There are certain drugstore brand staples that you always expect to see stocked next to the toothpaste and pantyhose, but there's one brand in particular that is branching out from the florescent-lit aisles and opening up its own flagship. CoverGirl is opening a brick and mortar shop in New York City, becoming one of the first mass legacy beauty brands to do so in North America.

When choosing their location, they knew they wanted to be in the thick of things, which is why you will be able to find your favorite mascaras and lipsticks newly moved into Times Square, the heart of New York City. And just like the dynamic, bustling neighborhood of the Theater District, the CoverGirl flagship will reflect that same energy and personality.

It will be a whole new way to experience the brand, which is what the company is after. CoverGirl has had something of a rebranding this past year, not only changing the packaging of their products, but also their message.

In the beginning of the year they released their #IAmWhatIMakeUp campaign, which was meant to encourage beauty individuality and asserting your right to decide on how you want to express yourself. The first video released in the campaign kicked off with the question, "What does my face tell you? Does it say that I'm vain? Or does it tell you that I'm strong?" challenging the idea that people only put on makeup because of insecurities or pleasing others.

The message is that you can be whatever you want, whenever you want, and change that look based on your mood.

The "I Am What I Make Up" slogan is now replacing their iconic "Easy, Breezy, Beautiful..." catchphrase, and is meant to stress that everyone has the right to express themselves the way they see fit.

“In leading the relaunch, we started with the insight that people no longer strive for a singular standard of beauty, but use makeup as a tool for self-expression and personal transformation," Ukonwa Ojo, senior vice president of CoverGirl, said in a press release earlier last year. But this isn't just a revamp of a classic brand. Instead, the makeup company wants to help push a social dialogue that will help change how we interpret people who use makeup and why.

"This is bigger than a new campaign or a tagline. We hope to spark a provocative dialogue that shifts cultural assumptions about when, where, how and why people wear makeup,” said Ojo.

Now, their flagship store will take that idea one step further, where the concept store will inspire shoppers to use makeup as a tool.

The space will be like a beauty play room, where you can test the different cosmetics and use them to create that self-image you have in your head. It will also have interactive elements, on-the-go services, and digital experiences, though there is no news yet on what that will entail.

"It is our mission to show up for people wherever they are on their beauty journey, and offer them innovation and experiences that inspire them to become whatever version of themselves they want to be in the moment," Ojo shared. "Opening a concept store will help bring this brand purpose to life in an immersive, elevated, and multidimensional way.”

More and more brands and stores are now taking strides to help makeup lovers express their true identities, from Sleek MakeUP releasing a 'My Face My Rules' campaign earlier this year to push back against the stigma from wearing nontraditional makeup, to Sephora offering free makeup lessons to transgender and non-binary people.

It's great to see that more brands are widening the definition of what makeup is, and tapping into how people experience it. There's no news yet on when the flagship will open, but this will be an interesting new way to experience the CoverGirl brand.