Yes, I did notice that. The whole thing, including the repackaging. It seems that they are lowering the age of their target customer by about ten years, probably to go head-to-head with BBW, who have long held the lion's share of the teen market with that type of product.
It may be that their carrying the other lines was a flop when weighed against their projected revenues vis a vis Sephora. Thus, they decide to battle BBW on mall turf.
I was surprised when twelve-year-olds were poking through the underwear there, but I suppose this revamp to the beauty section is part of this larger, subtle rebranding into Lingerie Gymboree.
I liked the whole "Pink" line at first, but now it's just too over the top. And now they have a new line called "Pout" that seems like its geared towards even younger girls than "Pink" is. I also think that most of VS products pretty much suck, their lotion is not very moisturizing, in fact my skin feels drier after using it. I haven't really tried any of their makeup though, it looks kind of cheap to me.
I agree w/ Pammi, when you have Sephora and/or Ulta in the same mall, you're not going to go to VS or BBW for higher end anything. I worked at a BBW "flagship" briefly (very briefly) and for the most part, people were not paying any attention to the Molton Brown or Vincent Longo products...they were all "why did you move the Sun Ripened Raspberry Antibacterial Lotion way to the back of the store?"
That's what made BBW & VS huge - turning THEIR OWN name into a brand. They used to have individual brands in The Limited & Express (all 4 of these are owned by the same parent company) and at some point, Outback Red etc disappeared and everything was just branded "The Limited." I think they see how Express & Limited have gone downhill and are afraid of something similar happening, but IMO that wasn't because people didn't like the brand name anymore, it's because the stuff in the stores sucks.
VS & BBW rebranded themselves as "middle end" not "high end" and that's the image they had when they got huge - at this point in time, to try to change it is just folly. If they're going for younger girls, it's because the "older" girls are shopping at Sephora & Nordstrom at earlier ages (I mean, I don't think I bought makeup from a dept store till I was in my 20s) - they've already gotten over their VS & BBW phase. Plus young teens have WAY more disposable income than they used to.
I am a long devoted Heavenly fan also.....can you give me some other ideas of perfume that aren't too strong that you like??
Love the blog!! Thanks for all the wonderful posts!
Sheila - I have a BBW "flagship" store in my local mall and I absolutely love it. We don't have a Sephora there, so when I don't feel like schlepping over to the Pru (Boston...) I can just go to my local plaza and pick up Molton Brown Sensual Hanaleni bath/body wash and one of their excellent candles. No complaints about the upgrade here...
...But definite complaints about the VS *downgrade*. I got my first bra there when I was a wee child of 11 but it mortified me to be around such grown up things - I don't believe our current youth has this problem. When I go to VS to pick up a little treat to wear I have to fend off hordes of middle and high schoolers. I can't think of anything that would make me feel less sexy than that... oh wait I can: thinking that I'd be wearing the same lingerie as a 15 year old is as unsexy as it gets.
I do not appreciate overt, tacky marketing. By slapping the name "Sexy" on a bottle of anything and infusing it with a brothel-worthy scent = UNsexy. Slap some indiscernible French on the bottle and I'm sold. But thus is the difference b/w a 15 y/o and myself.
...I'm in my early 20's so I'd say I'm probably not out of their target demog completely, but I am not getting sucked into Victoria's Secret's ridiculously gaudy trashiness.
I do like some of their underwear (it's comfortable and pretty good quality) but as I stand under the hot lights while having my ears bombarded with bland "techno" remixes I think: "Where else can I go? I must have another option."
It's funny, I hadn't even realized it, but I found myself going to VS less and less often and I couldn't tell why. THIS is why. I refuse to wear anything that says SEXY on my butt, and those sweatpants and colorful underwear just don't it for me ....
And their cosmetics were never good to begin with. Their makeup is awful, the lipgloss is like glue, and the body lotions are nothing but sweet smells that give me headaches.
The only thing I still like is Body by Victoria's perfume.
I totally agree with the post before mine, about finding myself going to VS less often without knowing why. I remember "back in the day" when VS came out and from looking at the catalog and being in the store, it felt very sophisticated and sexy. Now I get that teeny-bopper "school varsity" vibe when I walk in and see all of that pink stuff and a bunch of teenagers rifling through it. It's not that classy lingerie parlor with the classical music that it used to be. Especially when the annual sale is going on! But I for one buy makeup and lingerie at Nordies and Macy's these days, so I guess I am probably a tiny part of the reason they switched their marketing strategy. I think you're just going to have to give up on VS for the quality brand stuff and just order online from now on.
I'm so glad you're back! I missed you! I agree with Lara: I go there less often and I wasn't sure why until I realized I wasn't that happy/comfortable with what the brand has turned into. I will say that they still do have good quality bras and I will continue to buy from them...but hopefully I can find another brand. Any suggestions?
On a side note, I love how you always have tips for darker skinned women on your posts about makeup. It's so nice to see that, and as a South Asian, I really appreciate it! Thank you! Keep doing it!
I never really noticed any of the beauty items inside Victoria's Secret because I just don't understand why they think they could successfully pull it off. And now that they've removed reputable brands from their shelves, I'd guess that the rest of VS products will be coming down shortly as well.
I think the Supermodel fragrance is dumb but I do love the Heidi line for Very Sexy makeup.
Sephora is having their friends and family right now, and I've deleted the email...any idea the promo code? I am planning on stocking up and would love to save 20%!
Heidi, the promo code for Sephora's 20% off is: FF2007. Happy Shopping to you!
Kirsten
Kristen--I am soooo glad you said this! I was just there a few weeks ago because their ipex bra is the only kind that fits me right. Well, they didn't have any in my size (??) when I went in and the girl directed me to their Pink stuff. I had to inform her that I am 33 years old and not some high school chick! I don't care about cutesy crap, just something that fits right and is durable.
I think its kind of sad really, to promote sexy to girls who are probably still too young to vote. I want the old VS back!
Hi. I just have a quick request. I love your blog! Right now I am in Italy and I was wondering what kind of products you would recommend for me to purchase here while I can. Thanks! I bought the Marvis toothpaste.
I completely AGREE! I want in to VS looking for a SIMPLE black satin panty (lol....don't ask why) I COULDN'T FIND ONE TO SAVE MY LIFE!!! You would think that I could at least get some black satin at Vicky's!! NOPE...but all that cheap, frilly, day-glo, word-ridden, teeny-bopper crap was there............but, side note, I kind of loved the smell of Supermodel! LOL....But refused to pay $40 bucks for that, it LOOKS all but worth $15. Now, I'm not opposed to paying for 'smell goods', as I have a few Bond's in my collection, but not for that Supermodel!
That's terrible, but they still carry those brands at my local VS, maybe it's just certain stores.
you know, I was just having this conversation the other day. The holiday catalog is their rock bottom. I want pretty & sexy, not images and items that remind me of child porn.
I miss their origional concept. Plus, their Victoria perfume smelled so good.
I do think that Sephora is starting to trend that was too though. Some of the items are fun but just not pratical and are so overpriced.
Yes I too have noticed that as well. It is not only about the packaging, but the target audience seems to be getting younger and younger. Let us see if they have the ability and money to buy these products.
Oh come on ya'll! I LIKE Supermodel with it's yummy peachy notes. AND Very Sexy for Men is, well, very sexy. By the way who goes to Victoria's Secret to buy Makeup or body lotion? (Or much of anything else but catalog fit not critical nighties or sharp footwear?) Hate to slam VS but get real. Not every nose can possibly be a Guerlain. I'll enjoy my Supermodel then probably return to Le haute des Provence Couer de Peche (l'Occitane)
Talk to ya'll soon
Carole
I agree with the VS stuff...why so few posts lately, though?
-Check out my fashion blog at http://fashionpoirot.blogspot.com
Shame on Victoria's Secret. I too noticed that most of the beauty department seemed to be missing in store, just didn't realize that it was now stocked with their own "stuff".
Hmm, I wonder why they pulled this. It was a great addition to the mega beauty stores and seemed to go hand in hand with everything else they carry.
I really liked the Angels "halo" scent, it had such nice depth(great spicy hints), and it can be hard to find a nicely balanced light musk... I went in last week to replace my last bottle and found out it was discontinued, but a salesperson informed me that I could still get it in their Angels gift set... yeah right, that's nice and all but the rest of that line is just too sweet and floral for me. I didn't end up buying anything at all.
I used to work at Sephora, and when the BBW and Vicky's in our mall started carrying the same products as us, we got a little nervous. We quickly found out, however, that angry customers would come in to Sephora from either BBW or VS and tell us that the salespeople in both stores were not trained as well as we were. The customers would ask questions, and they would get blank looks from the sales staff. Sephora employees go through at least 2 trainings a year per brand if not more, plus get all sorts of free product to try, so they know their stuff inside and out. The other stores don't seem to have that level of knowledge, so the customers get frustrated when their questions don't get answered. BBW was perfect when they just sold bath and body stuff...they took on way too much. And Vicky's is a lingerie store...they should just stick with that. That's why inevitably, Sephora wins, because they have only one focus.
