If Sephora isn’t already your go-to makeup mecca, you may be convinced otherwise when you hear about their extensive, high-tech plans for renovations in four New York City stores. In an effort to capitalize on the lucrative New York market, the beauty super-boutique plans on improving not only the physical appearance, but also consumer experience in select Manhattan locations. “We have 16 stores in Manhattan, and 15 of them are not yet state of the art,” said Sephora president David Suliteanu to WWD. (Number 16 is the Meatpacking District locale, whose September 2011 opening debuted state-of-the-art designs.) 

Sephora’s Soho space was the retailer’s first U.S. location, opened in 1998, and the first to go under the knife for its 2012 face-lift. Just revealed last week, the store’s new and improved features include a 30-foot Beauty Studio for quick customized makeup applications, a Personal Beauty Advisor room for private consultations, a fragrance room, and an art installation by Eric Daigh.

Union Square is next in queue, its overhaul set to be revealed in June, followed by Columbus Circle and Times Square locations. With plans to take over the empty storefront next door, Union Square will boast the addition of Sephora’s Fragrance Flight Bar, inspired by the Sensorium installation that took place last fall. Adapting the Sensorium concept for day-to-day retail, the separate Flight Bar will allow shoppers to experience fragrances objectively—without the name or marketing—via an interactive process using an iPad. Scents are divided into four scent families: addictive, casual, playful, and chic. After learning about each family and testing samples, consumers choose their favorites, which are then revealed on the iPad. By taking away the appealing appearance of packaging or brand image, clients are invited to choose a product solely on attraction to the scent—a concept Suliteanu calls “a potential retail game-changer.”

Other unique updates include Ready Set Polish fixtures, emphasizing the escalating nail business. Plans for multiple play stations, each showcasing a different look, will feature a video tutorial, testers and surface to try it out, and product for purchase nearby. According to WWD, BB creams are another exploding category, and Suliteanu thinks the next big thing for Sephora could be the foundation category. “A number of brands and products are getting into that space,” he said. “It feels like the beginning of something.”

Plus, the Sephora staff will be getting a makeover too. They’ll be stepping out in brand new uniforms designed for the retailer by Prabal Gurung, “including black and red-accented separates for men, a women's pant suit with a bow-tie collar shirt, and a women's trapeze dress.” And, as Suliteanu plans to bring the teaching element front and center, they’ll be ready and willing to spend a couple of hours (for a fee redeemable in product) educating clients on customized beauty routines.

Look out for exciting events in celebration of the revamped stores. The updated Soho store hosted Hello Kitty and Smash star Megan Hilty last week for its reopening and Hello Kitty’s Big Pink Bow fragrance debut. They’ll be more to come as Sephora (literally) makes-over Manhattan with three more stores to go.