& Other Stories... About Beauty Products
I first mentioned my desire for a brick and mortar & Other Stories store in the third ever Wear, Watch, Want post way, way back in 2014. I still wear those tees from Target, although they've been transitioned to pajama territory, and I continue to constantly insist that everyone watch My Mad Fat Diary, the most perfect, beautiful show. My need for an & Other Stories in my life didn't wane either! It only grew stronger! I mentioned it again just over a year later, in last year's Gift Guide (unfortunately, that little tease at The Grove wasn't for & Other Stories, it was for some other store that I don't even remember or care about). My dedication to retail paid off, because this year the crappy Gap store by my house shuttered its doors and was replaced with an & Other Stories (it's across the street from a COS. I'm in heaven.) Obviously I stalked the store the entire time it was being remodeled and checked the website weekly, searching for an opening date. And you know I was there opening day.
They gave out mini green juices from Pressed Juicery at the door, which I declined. The only green juice I want to drink is Mountain Dew. (That's not true, but I agree with the sentiment.) The store is gorgeous, and I wanted to touch everything. My mom is coming to visit after Christmas, and I knew we'd be coming back to shop together then, so I limited myself to purchasing a pair of earrings and a nail polish. The earrings are cute and I like them, but what I'm really impressed with is the nail polish.
I didn't expect to be so enamored with a simple nail polish from an H&M Group store. The packaging is chic, I've gotten dozens of compliments on the color, and the brush is short and wide, making application insanely easy and practically mistake-proof. I've reapplied it three times in a row now, I like it so much. & Other Stories has an expansive beauty selection too, with just about every makeup item you can think of, as well as skincare and bath and body as well. The nail polish colors you can choose from alone are myriad. This one is called Blunt Grey, which is... odd. But I also got a free full size lipstick for being one of the first visitors and it was called Adhesion Red. Maybe they got a Swedish to English dictionary and just opened to random pages to name products. (Here are some other, genuine lipstick colors: Ruff Sherbert, Amethyst Muslin, Nude Lamé. There's even an eyeshadow called Raisin Vapor.) I'm going to live at & Other Stories, not just because I'm obsessed with their nail polish, but also because I need to know all their beauty product names.
