The Rare and Beautiful at the OC Concept Store in NYC

I’m not sure what I expected to see when I went to check out brand new luxury boutique, OC Concept Store on Madison Ave. Based on its location alone, (right across from Barneys) I thought it would be a shopping experienced reserved solely for the privileged — but I was so wrong.

While there is no doubt that the meticulously curated store contains one-of-a-kind rarities (many of which you will ONLY find in this store stateside) that enter a pretty hefty price point, entrepreneur and jewelry designer Orianne Collins was thinking on a much broader scale when it came to her clientele, and who the bi-level, 3,400 square ft. store caters to. It’s the most unique shopping destination I’ve seen so far, like a mini-luxe mall. The expert staff stands ready to serve anyone who walks through the door, and don’t expect to be pressured to purchase anything…although, I’ll say with the GORGEOUS jewelry and accessories, I can’t promise you won’t be tempted to. But take their champagne/espresso bar for example — you can literally just stop in for a drink and no one will judge you for it:

Truth be told though, my interest was in their exclusive beauty department, headed by celebrity makeup artist, Lana Harris. A few things about The OC Concept’s beauty department that made it really stand out to me: (1) They carry extremely hard-to-find skincare brands, like the customizable Codage, PURE, and Swiss-brand Alchimie (which I’m told has a divine brightening mask that has already sold out at the store); (2) they have digital diagnosing technology to determine the best skincare regimen for you; (3) and finally, they offer custom makeovers by Lana who has worked with the A-listers like Mariah Carey that costs $100 — considering the type of opulent services and products you find at this place, I was really surprised by the price. And you get the red-carpet treatment — she use a rare Japanese Airbrushing system and luxe colors from Polish brand, Inglot.

This place was actually the first place in NYC I know of that uses Japanese airbrushing. Lana expertly mixed colors to get an exact match for my skin:

And I have to say, my makeover with Lana was definitely top 10. I had two holiday/engagement parties that night and I asked her to do something fun with my eyes. I’m reluctant to say “smokey eye” to makeup artists after several have really went overboard when they try to do it on me (no…really….one time I hid in my jacket all the way home after someone tried a ‘smokey eye’ on me). But Lana was such a pro and I loved the silvery/midnight blue shadow look she gave me. She even applied individual lashes to the ends that lasted me a whole week!

It lasted the whole night and it kind of broke my heart to wipe it off when I got home.

But a session with Lana is definitely money well-spent. She even sent me home with a generous bag of samples from the skincare lines they carry.

In case you are interested in the other luxe goodies at the store, I just wanted to quickly point you to some of the very pretty things at the store, like jewelry from Orianne Collins’ designs herself. Everything else they carry is a testament to her exquisitely refined taste: Richard Mille watches, necklaces from Chopard, and pens from Caran d’Ache for starters. This is also an opportune time for me to mention my birthday is coming up and I wouldn’t mind any of the following:

They even have a special VIP lounge with concierge service…in case you know, you want to build your own yacht or look at other exclusives (I’m not kidding).

A session with Lana is luxurious enough for me right now though — to book an appointment with her, call or stop by The OC Concept Store, 655 Madison Ave (between 60th and 61st St), 212-759-9220. Website: occonceptstore.com

Have any of you already seen or heard of the OC Concept Store? If not, check it out if you ever get a chance and let me know what you think!

x
Shy