Like most gals, I am a sucker for beauty. Really, I blame YouTube.
I simply LOVE finding out about new products from my fav YouTubers and Bloggers such as The Anna Edit, Get the Gloss, Lisa Eldridge and Lily Pebbles. But so often the products that they suggest aren't available in the Land of the Long White Cloud. When you're wanting to spend money on products that cost $50, $100 or $150 you really want to be able to have the old fashioned shopping experience - touch, see, feel and smelling the product. Enter, Mecca Maxima.
I've been a huge fan of Mecca for YEARS! Ever since the first store was established in Wellington, the Mecca makeup artists know me by sight, always bounding to me like Bambi when I arrive. I fear to think how much I've spent over the years. It would certainly be over a thousand (probably, in all likelihood, hideously more!). Clothes, shoes, accessories - they have their place. But makeup is the one thing I can browse for hours!
Even more, another reason to visit is that my dear friend Amelia is the manager there. I've know Amelia since we were wearing pencil eyeliner thickly and jamming to 'Taking Back Sunday' and 'My Chemical Romance'. We used to catch the number 3 bus to Karori every afternoon and spend ages going through Amelia's Dad's movie collection. Amelia has loved makeup since she was about 15 and I've always loved her taste. So it is very lucky for me that whenever I need to part with my hard earned cash, Amelia is there for me with products galore. She really is a girl's best friend, as far as makeup goes! She's a great friend and she knows her way around liquid eyeliner pens and whether NARS Orgasm is the right blush for you. Plus she's totally gorgeous as you can see from our photo below.
On Thursday, late in April 2017, Mecca Maxima finally opened its first store in Wellington. I had known this was on the cards for a while and had been counting down the days. Finally, the day arrived. It was time to see what Mecca had in store!
Beauty junkies were out in DROVES for the first North Island Mecca Maxima reveal. Some had been there for 24 hours, some had camped overnight and much more had been waiting five hours plus to get first dibs on the beauty playground that saw two levels of wondrous Mecca await them.
Satiated by Mecca coffees, hot chocolates, T2 pink iced teas, lollipops and their Instax memento from the day, the 200-strong crowd that snaked around Willis St onto Lambton Quay did not grow smaller as the day went on, and the beauty hauls coming out of the store were thick and fast. I met up with my pal Hannah Benson for my Mecca Maxima Haul - and boy were we poised to pounce like lions ready to steal their prey.
We had an awesome time and really enjoyed looking at all the new brands in store. It was truly like that mythical sweet shop of Roald Dahl's story in his memoir about childhood, 'Boy'. We eyeballed the products like they were sweet, sweet chocolates and candy. They included Urban Decay, Too Faced, Drunk Elephant and Josie Maran along with already well known & loved brands Stila, By Terry and NARS, just to name a few. Taking photos, exploring the beauty counters and saying hi to some familiar faces like Beauty Blogger Hyacinth Girl, Hannah and I soon had fully exhausted ourselves (and bank balances) and had to go back to work!
So what did I buy! Well, you'll have to WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW to get the whole picture, but here is a quick summary.
Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick in Sell Out
Watch the video for my full haul (oops, sorry wallet!)
The best thing was that if you spent over $90, you were given a chance to win something in a pink envelope. Amazingly, I won an Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette (sold out but more here) - which was beyond fortunate. Maybe it was a Mecca Maxima ploy to keep me coming back... [MECCA TO ME: "YOU KNOW IT!"]
What do you think of the new Mecca Maxima shop? Have you been? What are your fav products? Let me know in the comments below!
Photos by Hannah Benson & Me!
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