Where to shop for beauty in London

The idea for this post came from the lovely Sandra at Beauty Balm after leaving a comment on my 1st blog birthday giveaway as something she'd like me to write about - thank you Sandra!

London has so many great places to go shopping for beauty, but if I had to pick 10 this would be my list of must have places to go. They're all great for different reasons, whether it's the variety of brands, exclusive products or natural products.

Selfridges
Situated near Bond Street tube station on Oxford Street, the Selfridges beauty hall is a mecca for any beauty fanatic. They have so many brands to choose from - whether it's skincare, makeup or hair care. As well as dozens of high end brands in the main beauty counter, they also have the Beauty Workshop, which stocks smaller brands at a range of prices, and plays host to the Blink Brow Bar, a nail bar and a set of beauty therapy rooms for treatments.

Harrods
Across town in Knightsbridge is Harrods. Another iconic London building, the beauty hall here really focuses on high end, luxury brands. You can find everything from MAC to Creme de la Mer and I'd highly recommend taking a pit stop at the bakery in the food hall when you need a break from the beauty department.

Harvey Nichols Beauty Mart
Beauty Mart is a hand picked selection of products from two beauty gurus, which you'll find on the third floor of Harvey Nichols in Knighstbridge. You won't find entire brands here, instead there will be maybe one or two hand picked products from dozens of brands that have all been given the Beauty Mart seal of approval. Check out the Daniel Sandler makeup, EOS lip balms and Balmain hair care. It's just up the road from Harrods, so easy to squeeze both into to your trip across town.

Liberty
Inside one of London's most beautiful shops, just off Oxford Circus, you'll find a more unusual selection of beauty brands. Liberty don't stock the usual counter giants, but concentrate on brands such as REN, Ellis Faas, Bobbi Brown and Aveda. Make sure you also take a trip to the third floor where they have their bath and body store, for lovely candles, bath oils and soaps.

Illamasqua
Illamasqua are such a creative makeup brand and if you're in London make sure you visit their flagship store on Beak Street (near Liberty). The make up artists that work there are fantastic and often made up in very dramatic looks and are on hand to advise you on all their products. I love the Reflection eye shadow palette, liquid liners and their amazing blusher selection.

Pixi
Situated in Carnaby Street, Pixi have become a bit of a cult favourite for their Glow Tonic exfoliating toner. If you're making a special trip, call in advance to see if they have it in stock as it often sells out as soon as they get a new delivery!

MAC pro store
Another Carnaby street favourite, the MAC pro store has the widest range of MAC products you'll find. It's always busy and the service can be a bit hit and miss, but for all those pro products, this is the place to go.

Whole Foods Piccadilly
What looks like a health food mega store is also home to an amazing selection of natural beauty products in their upstairs floor. There are often demonstrations from brands (as well as food tastings downstairs), and it's a great place to pick up Zoya, Weleda, Jason, plus dozens of others. Find it just off Piccadilly Circus.

John Bell & Croyden

The Queen's pharmacy, JB&C mix traditional pharmacy products, with masses of French skincare, the entire Korres makeup line and not forgetting, Bioderma. I can easily spend several hours in here exploring the aisles, so make sure you leave plenty of time for a browse! It's tucked away in a street just behind Debenhams on Oxford Street, so easy to get to on your way to Selfridges.

Boots near Bond Street

Well, Boots had to come into this list somewhere! Between Oxford Circus and Bond Street tubes is what can only be described as a mega Boots. They have every brand going from YSL to Sinful Colours, and it's my go to place to stock up on hairspray and check out all the new releases at the same time.

Where are your favourite places to shop for beauty in London?