Making Up for Less in Cosmetics Boutiques

Two Southern California cosmetics firms have followed the lead of top European companies by launching free-standing beauty boutiques.

One is Rachel Perry, known for using natural ingredients; the other is Kayla Beverly Hills, which specializes in cosmetics for Asian women.

Unlike the European boutiques, which carry such luxury labels as Chanel and Guerlain, the local versions offer moderately priced products.

On a recent Saturday, Perry’s Brentwood boutique buzzed with customers. One said a $12.50 jar of custom-blended foundation was one-third the price of a similar product she had considered at a department store. (Prescriptives and Visage Beaute custom-blend foundations, sold in department stores, cost $37 and $45, respectively.)

Perry, whose business had been limited to health-food, drug and beauty-supply stores, decided to open the shop, she says, because “women aren’t going into department stores right now. They can’t afford the prices.”

Her boutique’s vividly hued walls match her product’s rainbow-toned packaging. A small replica of a rain forest symbolizes her concern for the environment.

“My customer likes color, and she cares about the world she lives in,” Perry says. “In a boutique, you can specifically relate to your clients’ interests. That can’t happen in a big store.”

At Kayla Beverly Hills, on Bedford Drive, the tiny makeup collection is in a showcase, like the gems in a fine jewelry store. It has the elegance of Beverly Hills but not the high prices. A makeup kit with foundation, eye shadows, mascara, blush, lip colors and applicators costs $75. Similar kits sell for twice as much at salons nearby.

The firm’s creative director, Cliff Hashimoto Jr., offers makeup application and lessons by appointment in a private studio behind the marble showroom.

“In these economic times, women must feel that there’s a reason to go into a store,” says Arlyn Morse, Kayla president. “No department store offers specialized service for Asian-American women, so there’s a reason to seek out our shop.”