Sephora opened its first store in Australia yesterday in Sydney – and hundreds of beauty fans lined up to be the first to shop, for more than 3 days. The retailer had a huge countdown clock above the door, before finally rolling out a red carpet for the grand opening event.

Fans waiting in line were rewarded with surprise giveaways and contests, and shows by street performers.

It was a huge success, despite the hilarious – and major – major social media mishap that happened the same day, which is no dountgetting the brand even more publicity.

The retailer has 1400 stores across 20 countries -and plans are already in the works for 20 more stores across Australia by the end of the next, and possibly a dedicated Australian e-commerce website.

Sephora is the fastest growing brand within the LVMH luxury goods group.

Photo: Sephora/Twitter; elle.au