Stock Up At CVS

I live in Washington state. And while we have access to all sorts of amazing beauty stores, we don't have CVS Pharmacies out here. When I was on vacation in Maine, we made several visits to CVS, thanks to the fact that I acquired a cold on the airplane. Not only did I stock up on Nyquil and Zicam for my cold, I also picked up a few beauty essentials. I also oooh'ed and aaaah'ed over all the bath and beauty products they sell.

Here are a couple of products that caught my eye at CVS. If you're like me and live in a CVS-deficient area, fear not. All these products are available online (thank god for the interwebs!).
Soy Lotion Candle Passion Flower
When it’s time to unwind, lighting the Essence of Beauty 100% Soy Lotion Candle Passion Flower ($9.99) is the best cure around. Not only will the delicious smells waif through the house providing immediate relaxation and serenity, but once the melted lotion forms it can be massaged into skin for a mini at-home massage. Hot wax sounds pretty great!

Radiant C Beauty Drops
If it’s a lift for the face that you are searching for, try Lumene’s Radiant C Beauty Drops ($21.99). Designed to revive dull and lifeless looking skin, this 28 day treatment is just what your skin needs at the end of a long day to help it fill more radiant and firmer.

I also recently heard that CVS is taking their sale of beauty products to the next level. Check this out:

CVS/pharmacy announces the launch of Beauty 360™, an innovative store concept designed to change the way women shop for prestige beauty. The unique concept offers an upscale shopping destination for the multi-faceted, time-starved woman. Beauty 360 uses an experiential model of selling that is heavily focused on service and is conveniently located right in our customer’s neighborhood.

Beauty 360 will feature a wide range of prestige and niche beauty brands from the skincare, cosmetics, men’s grooming and fragrance categories. Differentiating the stores from other beauty retailers, Beauty 360 will be staffed with trained and licensed professionals offering a unique suite of brand-specific signature services including mini-manicures, express facials, hand massages and make-up application. Beauty 360 Beauty Consultants receive extensive training across all categories and brands, ensuring customers a superior shopping experience.

“Beauty 360 is the natural evolution of CVS/pharmacy’s leadership within the beauty category,” said Mike Bloom, senior vice president of merchandising at CVS/pharmacy. “This new concept will redefine the beauty shopping experience by providing customers with access to prestige and niche beauty brands as well as an unparalleled level of service.”

The inaugural Beauty 360 location opens today at 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW (Dupont Circle) in Washington D.C. The next Beauty 360 location will open in early December at 25272 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, CA. Both locations will be adjacent to CVS/pharmacy stores and can be accessed via a breezeway as well as a separate store front entrance. More locations are being explored across the country for 2009 in markets where beauty performs exceedingly well.

“At CVS/pharmacy, we pride ourselves on listening to our customers and giving them what they want. Beauty 360 is the result of this customer insight combined with our extensive beauty experience,” continued Bloom. “We look forward to hearing from our customers as we embark on rolling out additional Beauty 360 pilot stores in 2009.”

Beauty 360 Brands

The portfolio of brands launching in the first two Beauty 360 locations include:

Dr. Brandt Skincare

Laura Geller

Paula Dorf

Freeze 24.7

Borba

ModelCo

Canyon Ranch

Fusion Beauty

Blinc

Bloom

Clarins Fragrance

Caron Paris

Clean

Coty Fragrance

Elizabeth Arden Fragrance

It Cosmetics

Juicy Couture Fragrance

Japonesque

Lavera

Me Bath

Tini Beauty

Mineral Essence
Payot

Perlier

P&G Fragrance

Sampar

Stendhal

StriVectin

Supersmile

Talika

Zirh

Pop Beauty

Ahava

“We at Laura Geller Cosmetics are so thrilled to be part of this revolutionary concept at Beauty 360. This model will bring prestige beauty to customers in a new format, with a level of convenience that hasn’t existed until now,” said Laura Geller. “Shoppers will be delighted with the upscale environment and the luxury of being able to test and play with products throughout the store.”

Beauty 360 is designed to allow for maximum interaction with product and expert staff. “Innovation Stations” throughout the space highlight product technology while “Play Stations” allow for extensive product testing. Beauty Consultants are dedicated to helping customers find the right products to suit their needs and treating them to an array of signature services.

Beauty 360 Rewards

Beauty 360 customers will also reap the benefits of the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program, the largest retail loyalty program in the world, with more than 50 million cardholders. ExtraCare members earn 2% back on all purchases in the form of ‘Extra Bucks,” which can be used at either CVS/pharmacy or Beauty 360. Additionally, Beauty 360 customers will earn “Beautiful You” rewards which can be redeemed for free signature services at Beauty 360 locations. Customers can also take advantage of the ‘Best of Beauty, Guaranteed,’ which offers 100% money back on all returns, ensuring a risk-free shopping experience.

About CVS/pharmacy

CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS), is America's leading retail pharmacy with more than 6,800 retail locations. CVS/pharmacy is committed to improving the lives of those we serve by making innovative and high-quality health and pharmacy services safe, affordable and easy to access, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at www.cvscaremark.com.