Emma Johnson: Harvey Nichols opening its Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool is good for the city but bad for my bank balance

MY NAME is Emma Johnson and I am a cosmetic-aholic. Yes I made that word up but you get my gist.

Lipsticks, eyeshadows, sheens, creams, lashes and glosses. If you put it on your face to make you look prettier then I want some. If it comes in nice packaging, even better.

From the first time my little fingers found their way into my mum’s make-up bag I was hooked. The red Revlon lipstick, that little stub of blue eyeliner pencil...and I can still remember the heady smell of her Leichner foundation in its black pot.

The moment I got my own money I started spending it on cosmetics. From Collection 2000 at 13, to Creme de la Mer at 30, I wanted it.

Last week I met a kindred spirit. Anna-Marie Solowij. Anna-Marie is a former Vogue beauty editor (swoon) and, along with Millie Kendall (of Ruby and Millie cosmetics), is behind the BeautyMART concept inside our fabulous new Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar. We’ll return to the Bazaar later.

The idea behind BeautyMART is that it is an edit of all the millions of beauty products out there.

Anna-Marie and Millie have taken all their years of trying out lotions and potions and distilled them down for our pleasure.

And it may be in Harvey Nics, but it is not just for the super-rich. There may be a £126 face cream but there’s also a 40p bar of soap and it’s Camay!

Anna-Marie describes what they do as “curating”. “I’m not going to put a product on the shelf if I don’t believe in it.”

One of the most exciting things about the BeautyMART is the staff don’t work on commission, they sell across the brands.