Shop! Mary Portas on Space NK Mary Portas finds flaws in Space NK's make-up empire. Space NK, Tottenham Court Road, London, uk.spacenk.com Rating 5/10 Good for restocking your already loved make-up purchases. Bad for losing its sense of joy and discovery. I remember my first foray into Space NK in the early 1990s, when it was a new and exciting place to shop. It was in a former banana warehouse in Covent Garden, and its founder, Nicky Kinnaird, had taken over the basement to showcase what was then a unique retail concept. She started off selling fashion and lifestyle products, but it was the carefully sourced beauty products that struck a chord with customers, and which had me and my friends coming back for more. In 1996 Space NK ditched the fashion and added 'apothecary' to its masthead. Kinnaird would travel the world in search of innovative and inspiring products - exotic, unknown and highly desirable brands such as Philosophy and Benefit (which are pretty much mega-brands now). Over the years, she turned her visionary idea into a fantastically profitable business; she sold 90 per cent of it to the private equity firm Manzanita Capital in 2007 for an undisclosed sum, and the business now has stores globally. Space NK has remained my go-to place for beauty buys. Recently, when my partner, Melanie, broke her ankle and needed a pick-me-up, I dispatched my assistant Micky to proposition the Space NK staff with every retailer's dream question: 'What is the most indulgent, luxurious product I can buy?' I wanted something fabulous, something Melanie had probably read about but not been able to try. Yet Micky returned empty-handed, complaining that none of the assistants in the shop had been either able or willing to help. That got me worrying about Space NK. I began thinking about how often I went into one of its branches and came out with something I hadn't intended to buy - that 'need it now' beauty purchase. Answer: not for years. Perhaps that's partly because, today, niche is the new normal. Laura Mercier, for instance, is now available at John Lewis; Benefit is available practically everywhere. So how can a brand that specialised in niche beauty cope when the labels it unearthed become commonplace? And if Micky's experience is representative and they have let the specialist service slip, too, what's left to keep this brand ahead of the curve? With this in mind, I headed off to Tottenham Court Road to find a replacement for a lipstick that By Terry discontinued last year, hoping that Space NK's staff would leap all over me to suggest something even better. The windows Space NK looks boutique-like, well-curated; product is sparse and carefully placed on glass and metal display cases. Yet my first impression is one of desperate disappointment. What I am met with is a group of Space NK employees gathered around the door in what can only be described as a gaggle. As I inspect the window display, one of them informs me rather curtly that I am not to take any photos - and now I'm plain irritated. If you can't inspect the window - any shop's greatest selling tool - then what is its purpose? If I hadn't had to write this review I'd have spun on my heel and left. Was I being served? Once inside the store I am approached by a member of staff and I duly explain my lipstick quandary, and how I am looking for something to replace my favourite, defunct By Terry shade, which I'd bought from Space NK for years. The sales girl denies ever having stocked the colour, and the 'above and beyond' service, which may mean searching for the colour online, or even asking me to describe it in order to find something as close as possible to the original shade, is not in evidence. Unprompted, I offer further information on the colour I am trying to replace, and she eventually offers me a selection of colours that don't fit my description. This isn't to say she isn't kind or helpful, up to a point, but there isn't the feeling of expertise that the environment promises. Verdict Make-up can and does define who we are and how we feel about ourselves. And it's big business. The British beauty market is worth more than £14 billion. What I expect from Space NK is a moment lost in the playground, the feeling of excitement and joy that comes with being introduced to new brands, of being guided by experts in their field. Space NK has bounced back from a tough recession and is in healthy shape for the future, yet it seems to have misplaced its sense of fun and discovery. Nicky Kinnaird single-handedly changed how British women buy beauty. I know she won't love my review, but she does like honesty and, I'm afraid, Nicky, your shops have lost their mojo. Visited Monday, 3pm Number of stores 63 Website uk.spacenk.com Who's in charge? Nicky Kinnaird, president Do you agree with Mary? Have your say on the comment board below. Next week: Ryanair