Bold red lips

Don’t be afraid of bright, unashamed red lipstick. Despite popular concern red lipstick suits most complexions – it is just about finding the right shade for you! Paler skin-tones should choose dark reds, bronzed beauties would be advised to go with bluish reds like MAC Russian Red while ivory skin go all out with the brightest red you can find like MAC Cockney.

Metallic eyes and bright colours

All the single ladies should go wild like Beyoncé this season, as bright metallic eye shadow is all the rage on the runway. Don’t be afraid to move away from the white metallic look to try something as dominant as the red shadow used at the Mui Mui show.

Striking eyes
For something a tad more subdued go with smoky eyes or even the coveted cat flick. Just don’t be afraid to turn it up a factor. Remember this season is all about turning heads! The movie star look means full and powerful eyebrows are needed to compliment glamorous eyes but this does not mean that you can let them get bushy and unkempt! Keep them under control permanently by investing in a laser hair removal machine.

Fresh and sporty skin tones

When achieving a naturally healthy complexion make sure you use a primer which will even out any redness in the skin before applying foundation. Your foundation also must match your exact skin colour (be conscious of the fact that your summer tan may have faded!) and top off the look with a neutral bronzer concentrated on the cheekbones.

Author Bio: Samantha writes about beauty, covering everything from lipstick to laser hair removal machines.

So I was digging through myy stash the other day to pack them into the traincase and realized that I have some products that I hardly touch or have never even used since I purchased them. Then I said to myyself, what better way to get rid of these babies than a blog sale!
 

Please make sure you have read the description in regards to the condition of each item prior to placing an order. Click the pictures for an even bigger resolution. Standard postage cost within Australia is $6 and express postage cost within Australia is $9. Free express shipping if you order 3 items and more I will be more than happy to ship internationally so please contact me directly for the postage quote.

BNWB MAC Wonder Woman Lipglass in Athena’s Kiss

Price : A$30 (RRP A$45)
Condition: Brand New Without Box

MAKE UP FOR EVER Eyeshadow #53

Price: A$20
Condition: Swatched twice. No box.

MAC Pearlmatte Eyeshadow (Limited edition from Lilyland collection)

Price: A$15
Condition: Green and pink portions swatched once. White used 3-4x. No box

BNIB MAC ‘Redhead’ Mineralize Skinfinish
(Limited edition from Blonde, Brunette, Redhead collection)

Price: A$35 (RRP A$47)
Condition: Brand new in box

MAC ‘Heritage Rouge’ Pigment (Limited edition)

Price: A$25 (RRP A$39)
Condition: 7/8 full. With box

MAC ‘Coral Crepe’ Paint Pot (Limited edition from Pret-a-Papier collection)

Price: A$18 (RRP A$35)
Condition: Used 4-5x (see photos for usage). With box

MAC Hello Kitty Beauty Powder Blush in Fun & Games (Limited Edition)

Price: A$25
Condition: Used once. In perfect shape. With box

BNIB Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Superior

Price: A$30 (RRP A$44)
Condition: Brand new in box

BNIB MAC ‘She Who Dares’ Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo
(Limited edition from Venomous Villains ‘Maleficent’ collection)

Price: A$30 (RRP A$46)
Condition: Brand new in box

MAC ‘Photo Realism’ Eyeshadow Quad
(Limited edition from Makeup Art Cosmetics collection)

Price: A$40 (RRP A$72)
Condition: Used 2x each. In box

BN Stila Mini Lip Glaze

Price: A$6 each. 3 for $15
Available shades: Pinkle Twinkle, Marmalade, Blackberry
Condition: Brand new. No box

If you are interested in any of the above items, simply email the following format to dea[at]myystiqueen[dot]com

Name:
Item #1:
Item #2:
Full name and address:
Shipping preference : Standard / Express
Preferred payment method: Paypal / Local bank transfer / Direct deposit

Thank you for stopping by. and I will be sure to update this post with more goodies so keep watching this space

An overdue post but better late than never I say? So few months back, I was asked by a friend for a favor which I could not say no to. It was to lend a hand as part of the make-up team in a musical held by our local Catholic community. The preparation had taken them months but I could only make it to the last two rehearsals to do a test run on the drama casts.

The musical is called ’1′ the Musical and the plot surrounded two country boys auditioning for an idol competition in the city. There were heaps of moral stories behind it and so were talented musicians, creative crews and brilliant casts. Songs performed includes but not limited to Beyonce ‘Listen’, Glee Cee-Lo Green ‘Forget You’ and Christina Aguilera ‘Voice Within’. I have to admit that it went beyond myy expectation and I enjoyed every single bit of it. Yes.. I did join the crowd during the first show as I had not had the chance to actually see the drama from the start.

There were at least 8 people in our team to handle about 50 people in total.. exciting much? oh and we got to do a bit of shopping for our kit. I would have gone crazy if the budget was not limited. I brought along myy traincase in which I packed some of the essentials but I forgot to take a good pic of it. and speaking of which, I will do a review soon on the traincase I had been carrying around for the musical and some ‘makeover sessions’ for friends

There weren’t many sophisticated looks involved. Just the regular ‘pile-on-that-foundation’ stage makeup and few fun looks to match the characters. One of the interesting ones that I was able to catch some pictures of is the…

We added a touch of purplish red around the blackish area to give that ghostly effect. Although I doubt that the audiences could even see it. and for the record, we didn’t take credit for the red eyes in the first photo. That girl has always been a red-eyed, which made her perfect for the role.
 

We also had to work on a guy who happened to play two totally different roles, with one being an old folk and the other being a homosexual judge for the audition. It took me some time to figure out how to create an illusion of aging as I had never done it before but I quite liked the outcome.

We had so much fun working on the lovely people that 16 hours went by so quickly. It WAS exhausting but the experiences pretty much offset the back pain and sore feet. The event itself was, I must say, really successful.. Both the afternoon and evening sessions were filled with happy and enthusiastic audiences. I bow down to the hardworking casts and crews, especially the project manager who is only a nineteen years old girl. Such spirit and talent.

…while waiting in the lounge room, I saw something that I couldn’t help to snap a pic of.

I didn’t bring a decent camera with me so I used myy iPhone4 instead. Please excuse the crappy images… and the short round-up. I still have gazillion readings to do as exams are approaching fast and so is a new week. Hope your weekends were not as dull as mine come back tomorrow for a small blog sale of MAC, Illamasqua, MUFE and more~

I see bows and plaid! Now who wouldn’t squeal with excitement at the sight of the promo picture? I know I would The “Très Vichy” collection is inspired by no other than Brigitte Bardot, the French sex symbol. She was probably the most popular French actress during the 50′s and 60′s, known for her sex-kitten style that we now see in Pamela Anderson and Claudia Schiffer or should I say GUESS girls? Make Up For Ever’s founder and director, Dany Sanz found her inspiration from the gingham or “vichy” dress that Bardot wore on her wedding to French actor, Jacques Charrier in 1959. The dress itself was designed by French designer, Jacques Esterel as pictured below.

© vivienofholloway.blogspot.com

This collection comes with 3 products, with 2 being limited edition.

Star Powder Diamond

2.8g ~ Price TBA

This brand new shiny and glittering crystal diamond powder can be used on the eyes, cheeks and other parts of the body. It is composed of 60% Star Powder Glitters and 40% Crystal Diamond Glitter Powder and comes in FOUR colors: Pale Green, Peach Pink, Sweet Pink and Crystal White.

Très Vichy Palette

2.5g each ~ Price TBA

Boxed in a carton packaging with a white and pink plaid ribbon printed on it, this limited edition eyes and cheek palette is used to create both sexy and cute looking results through its sweet spring shades, Crystal Diamond Eye Cheek Color #301 and Crystal Diamond Eye Cheek Color #303. Mirror included.

Très Vichy Faux Lash

Price TBA

This special limited edition product will not only give an instant fullness and length to your lashes, but with the help from the decorative bow attached at the end, it will draw more attention to the eye.

Release Date: TBA

This collection reminds me a lot of the Hello Kitty collection from MAC while the look sported by the girl in the promo pic sure makes me think of the Barbie collection with that combo of soft pink and green. I also find it interesting how MUFE decided to release this collection after the “Rock For Ever” holiday collection which is nowhere similar concept-wise to this cutesy collection. Unfortunately, Make Up For Ever is not readily available in Australia but that won’t stop most of us from trying to get our hands on these babies, eh? especially since this classic white and pink plaid is predicted to hit it big in the Spring fashion runways.

Christmas is just 8 days away which also means we are ending 2010 very soon. I will be flying back to myy home country, Indonesia, this coming Sunday to celebrate Christmas and New Year with the fam. Myy trip back home was pretty last minute as I was actually meaning to spend the summer holiday here in Melbourne for once. Struggling with uni and exam situation, I could not be bothered with the whole ‘trouble’ of trip planning but as soon as the results were revealed – which were not as good as I expected but good enough – myy mum finally convinced me to go home. I don’t know about some of you, but we believe that no one should spend Christmas alone. It probably has been a tradition of ours so I knew I had to come home.

It has been awhile, and by awhile I mean 5 months, since I met myy dad and he kept begging me to spend the holiday with them. I managed to make him promise to watch Paranormal Activity with me when I get home though. Let’s see how it goes. I find it cute that he would make such promise considering he can never stand horror movies, even the least scary ones. I should probably get something to keep him from having a heart attack.. just in case

So I was playing around with some of myy new lipsticks and after few swatches, I looked myyself in the mirror and I loved the shade so much that I decided to wear this for either our Christmas Eve or New Years Eve party.

MYY! Face

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
BeneFit the POREfessional
Ben Nye Total Cover-All Wheel in SK-100
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC35
MAC Powder Blush in Darkly My Dear (Venomous Villains collection)
MAC Beauty Powder in Oh So Fair (Venomous Villains collection)
Make Up For Ever HD Powder

MYY! Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
MAC Eyeshadow in Grain
MAC Eyeshadow in Kid
MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom
Urban Decay Liquid Liner in Perversion
Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara
Red Cherry false eyelashes #218
BeneFit Instant Brow Pencil in Deep

MYY! Lips

NYX Lip Pencil in Plush Red
MAC Lipstick in Heartless (Venomous Villains collection)
MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town

Release your Bella Bamba!

BeneFit Cosmetics presents another addition to their box o’ powder collection and this time, they are featuring a “3D watermelon blush” called Bella Bamba. Looking at the swatches and the official product pictures online, I would describe the shade as a desert rose but we all have different screen settings so I am just gonna stop there.

images courtesy of benefitcosmetics.com

In a quick glance, it looks just like your regular BeneFit face powders. But nuh-uh.. this brightening pink face powder actually sports a different packaging. Can you spot the difference? It now comes with a flip-top lid and a mirror which makes it convenient for on-the-go. I have only ever tried Thrrrob but I had to give it to myy mom simply because it was too sheer for myy olive-medium skintone so when BeneFit launches this deeper shade of pink, I am so excited to give it a try. Oh! and I heard the other sisters will soon be boxed with the new design so no more trouble with detachable caps for us BeneFit addicts.

BeneFit Bella Bamba is now available online at benefitcosmetics.com which ships anywhere in the world and will hit the US counter in the beginning of 2011. Use the code BAMBABOX during checkout to get a free international shipping for an order worth $85 and more. For US readers, put in the code BELLABOX instead for a free standard shipping with an order of Bella Bamba. Offer expires December 20, 2010 at 6:59PM AEDT.

Or if you’d rather get a free slant powder brush with any $40 order, simply add the product to the cart and enter the code POWDER10. Offer valid from December 14, 2010 until December 17, 2010 (Take note they are using Pacific Standard Time).

MYY! INFO

What?
Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale – 25% OFF. Excludes Book of Shadows Vol III, Naked Palette, and Zero or Bourbon 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils
When?
12AM PST / 7PM AEDT December 6, 2010 – 12AM PST / 7PM AEDT December 12, 2010
Where?
http://www.urbandecay.com/
Who?
Urban Decay Cosmetics
833 W. 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663
How?
Enter 1FFNF before checking out
Payments: Credit Card and Paypal
NOTE: NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Who doesn’t love Friends and Family Sale? I sure do, especially during holiday season. There were and are still heaps of US companies offering promo, be it through discounts or free shipping. If it weren’t for myy inner online shopper, I would not have known the term Black Friday or Cyber Monday. They are apparently days following Thanksgiving day in the states that mark the beginning of the holiday shopping events. Sounds cool, eh? If only we also celebrate them here in Australia. Tho they kinda remind me of boxing day.

Anyhow, back to topic. In this post, I am featuring the F&F Sale by Urban Decay that has been going on for few days now. I just think it is something worth mentioning among all other F&F sales out there. Take note that they DO NOT SHIP INTERNATIONALLY but before you let out a sigh of disappointment, I must once again mention about HopShopGo, our life-saver. I have recently placed an order through HSG from Sephora just so I wouldn’t waste the $20 VIB voucher they sent me and will dedicate a full post on myy shopping experience with them to let you all know how it goes and works. Until then, you can go ahead and look for reviews on their service just in case you want to play safe. I did myy homework and they seem like a great forwarding service considering they work hand in hand with Paypal.

So what am I getting? Just something that I have been eye-ing for a while.

MYY! INFO

What?
Warehouse Sale jam-packed with colour cosmetics, bath & body, skincare and gift ideas.
When?
December 2, 2010 Thursday : 4.30PM – 7.30PM
December 3, 2010 Friday : 12PM – 6PM
December 4, 2010 Saturday : 9AM – 2PM
Where?
Bloom Head Office – Upstairs
15 – 21 Cotter Street
Richmond, Melbourne VIC 3121
[ GOOGLE MAPS ]
Who?
Bloom Cosmetics
03 9421 0200
Payments: CASH ONLY!!

 

It’s the time of the year again. Bloom Cosmetics is having another warehouse sale in their headquarter in Richmond, Melbourne starting tomorrow til Saturday. The email about this had been sitting in myy inbox for awhile and I only remembered when I opened it again just now. Bloom has the cutest packaging and design and probably one of the first makeup brands that I owned when I was just starting out. Definitely will not miss out on this.
 

So what’s this warehouse sale is all about? Basically you will find discounted Bloom products, be it makeup or skincare. They are so cheap that you will be surprised at the amount of items in your bag you purchased with one 50 dollar note. I went to their warehouse sale last year and I got so many things that I bought on an impulse. Well you can’t really expect what to find and get. You just have to drop by and see it for yourself. Don’t expect to see the whole range there. There were some lip products but in very limited shades. There were some discontinued items and I got few travel goodies in sachets like face moisturizer or body cleanser. They really do come in handy when you are traveling around. Here are a few of myy hauls last year (..what’s left of them..)
 

 

I forgot what the price range was like but I remembered getting the nail polish for under $5 and both eyeshadow and lipgloss for under $7. Sounds like a huge bargain doesn’t it?
 

I will probably hit their HQ tomorrow night. Just in time to stock up on some stocking fillers.

I think it’s safe to say that I have finally stepped outside myy comfort zone in terms of lip color. I had never really been a lip girl until only few months ago that I realized lipstick could change one’s look in a blink of an eye. Giving a touch of smokey effect to your eye makeup is not the only way to transform your look from a daytime to a nighttime wear. Myy life would have been different if I had known this sooner. Well, having chapped lips doesn’t help either. I focused more on what lipbalm to use to tame down the dryness and what gloss to wear to kick it up a notch for a girl’s night out.

Now that I no longer have a second thought in putting on some bright colors on myy lips, I started the journey. THE journey that most girls have to take in their beauty expedition. THE journey to find the perfect prince charming red pout. It ain’t an easy one I must add. It takes months for some. It may even take years for others. Finding the perfect color to complement and enhance our complexion is what it is all about but with these hundreds of different colors, not to mention thousands of brands and various finishes, the expedition often fail.

Remember myy first trip to Mecca Maxima? The main reason I went there was to check out “Lipstick Queen” brand by Poppy King, the lipstick queen herself. As it was not available, I had to go to KIT Cosmetics at MYER.

Every time I go to KIT, I always find a reason to stop and take a peek at Lipstick Queen display simply cause it is unique with the middle ages-inspired packaging and design. The don’t have that many products to offer as what the name suggests, they only produce lip products at least for now.

The basic lipstick line is the “Saint and Sinner” collection. They are two separate collections actually, but the two are supposed to be partners. What gets me excited in this collection is the fact that Poppy seems to give a lot of thought on the pigmentation of the lipstick. It is pretty simple.. Saints Sheer lipstick contains 10% pigment while Sinners Opaque lipstick contains 90% pigment. Now that the choices are there, you just have to make up your mind. Are you a saint or a sinner?

They stick with the basic color range, from Nude to Red. There isn’t much variation, which saves us the pain of having to go through dozens of different shades of nude or pink. Well it can be a plus or a minus but I find the earlier fits myy taste more. I got the “Red Sinner” lipstick which I will be reviewing in a bit.

MYY! INFO

Type: Lipstick
Shade / Color : Red Sinner / Classic orange red
Net Weight: 0.14oz / 4gram
Key Ingredients: Vegetable Oil, Castor Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Beeswax, Jojoba Seed Oil, Silica
Shelf life: 24 months
Made in Canada

Price: AU$33.95 / US$18 / £16.50
Stockists: Australia – KIT Cosmetics, Mecca Cosmetica ; United States – Barneys New York, Space N.K. [click here for more stockists]

“Sinning can be fun because it usually involves some indulgence in something taboo and delicious. So when I indulged my lipsticks with a decadent and reckless amount of pigment they had to be the SINNERS.

 

All pigment no shimmer or frosting. It is positively naughty to get lipstick this opaque, rich and creamy with a matte yet silky finish. But it doesn’t have to be all about your dark side… There are gorgeous pinks, berries, nudes and even a coral to choose from. Lipstick that makes you look so good you can go ahead and be bad!”

 

NOTE: Due to super high content of Shea Butter and pigment in my formula, surface irregularities can occur. Please do not be alarmed. Despite the look it still performs beautifully on the lips! Love Poppy

MYY! REVIEW

Opaque, rich and creamy. Three exact words that I would also use to describe this sinner. There is nothing wrong with rocking bold lip once in awhile and being a lipstick queen that she is, she knows that ‘wearable’ is always a plus! You need not to worry about the word opaque. I can easily wear this for daytime look and while you only need one or two swipes to fill your lips, it can be thinned out or toned down with a dab of gloss. It is not exactly the brightest red out there. I would say Red Sinner is a medium classic red that leans slightly towards orange. It also depends on how pigmented your lips are and what liner you use underneath.

Now let’s talk about performance. Myy biggest concern with lipsticks is how drying they can get and some even highlight myy chapped lips and make the matter worse. That is why I am extremely happy to find this lipstick. It goes on smoothly and super creamy – nothing too creamy like NYX round lipstick tho. I still need to exfoliate beforehand as I would with any lip color.

Having a creamy consistency makes it necessary for me to prime or line myy lips to avoid bleeding. Lipstick Queen has their own Exact Match Lip Liner which is meant to be used with either Saint or Sinner lipstick as it has an exact matching shade. I haven’t tried their liner but I have been using NYX lipliner in Hot Red with this and the color never steps outside the line.

The sales assistant recommended me the liner as it may wear out without it. True.. I find it not super long-lasting BUT lining your lips won’t change that fact. It will add an additional 30minutes tops. While it doesn’t claim to have a great staying power, I am amazed at how it performs. The color was still there in the first two-three hours depending on how many times you “play” with your lips and it slowly started fading in the next hours. That is why it is important to have a lipliner on so there will still be color left from the liner on your lips when the lipstick is almost gone. In the 4th hour, I just needed to apply a lipgloss to even it out. I had to reapply after meal but the color was still there just not as vibrant. In general, you might need to reapply two or three times if you go out or work in the office for 7-8 hours.

The pigmentation is so great as I mentioned earlier, you only need one or two swipes to fill your entire lips and get the color you desire. It doesn’t smell weird.. it barely smells at all as far as I remember so it’s another plus. I can’t really stand flavored lip color, makes me wanna puke somehow.

What about the uniqueness? As I am just starting out with lip color and have yet to try out lots of different brands and colors, I can’t really say much on this area. I would say a creamy yet still long-wearing lipstick is not really something you can easily find in the drugstore cosmetic aisle but I am still in the hunt for one. In comparison to other high-end brands, I would say this goes on slightly creamier than MAC lipstick in amplified formula and it is not drying at all. I swatched Red Sinner side by side with MAC Russian Red and Red Sinner looks slightly more in the coral side and brighter while Russian Red has more blue undertones and is deeper. Both look good on myy NC35 skintone with olive undertone but I would not say either gives me the perfect red pout. One of the two might but only after I have given other red lipsticks a try and comparison.

The packaging is sturdy enough to put in your purse for touch up and the lid stays put. The Lipstick Queen and Poppy King logo are printed on the deep-iris thick plastic container.

Poppy King is an Australian but Lipstick Queen is available worldwide. You can go to lipstickqueen.com (not myystiqueen.com *winks*) and check out their retail stores or counters in department stores in your local area. If they don’t have one in your country, there are some online retailers who ship worldwide. If you are in Australia, you can find Lipstick Queen at KIT cosmetics and you can also get it online at Mecca Cosmetica.

MYY! RATING

Product: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10
Packaging: 4/5
Availability: 7/10

Being less than 2 weeks old, this ultimate beauty playground has successfully worked its charm and proven its claims by becoming the current talk of the town among beauty junkies in Australia. Mecca Maxima was made possible by the lady behind Mecca Cosmetica and Kit Cosmetics, Jo Horgan. Since 1997, Mecca Cosmetica has slowly gained recognition in Australia and become the number one destination for their extensive collection of various global beauty brands, from NARS, DuWop to Stila. To extend the range in the Australian market, a few years later, she introduced a sibling store to Mecca which was named KIT Cosmetics. I am personally more of a KIT fan as they have some of myy favorite brands like Too Faced, Jemma Kidd, Korres and Mario Badescu.

And just as if it was not enough for Ms Horgan, she decided to pair up her two creations under new name, Mecca Maxima, while giving it a little more flavour. Some new names have been added to the list of brands offered, such as YSL and Clinique. What more can you ask for? Well except for Urban Decay and MAKE UP FOR EVER.. and maybe Cover FX.. and also CARGO. but hey this is the closest to Sephora we Australians could ever get. Check out the list of the brands that are available at Mecca Cosmetica HERE. Note that NOT all brands listed there can be purchased at Mecca Maxima. For some reason, they have decided not to bring along few of the KIT or Mecca Cosmetica brands. I went there last week to try on the Sinner lipstick collection from Lipstick Queen only to be told to go to KIT instead. Bummer.

So what makes Mecca Maxima so unique that it differs itself from other beauty stores? Well, there really are not that many similar stores to begin with. Most of them have either a counter in department store or their own retail store even though Zuza does share similar concept being a multi-brands stockist. Having said that, when it comes to the number of brands available in store, Mecca Maxima still leads by a mile. Inspired by Sephora, Mecca Maxima sports a simple yet elegant design. The white decor and fun displays make our shopping trip an even more enjoyable experience.

Have you ever felt intimidated by the sales assistants or makeup artists in some major cosmetic counters or stores? Mecca Maxima will make sure such thing will not happen under their roof. I was greeted by some of the friendliest “hosts” and being awesome hosts that they were, they made myyself at home. and whoever came up with the creative ideas of the in-store facilities should be awarded Nobel Prize. An exaggeration but really, who would think of providing shopping basket that has two signs attached to it, with one saying “Help Me” and the other one saying “Busy Browsing”? Sure makes our lives a tad easier. I find it disturbing the way most sales assistants keep approaching us every few seconds and following us around like little puppy.

They also have this system that allows you to scan the product and tell you what it is for and how it is supposed to work. This “host” that I was talking to seemed to know his stuffs really well and recommended me few products suitable for myy complexion without necessarily making me feel guilty for not getting them. That is what we, as customers, look for in a sales assistant or makeup artist.. someone who is NOT just trying to make sales but instead offering a hand in choosing products that actually work for us, you know. Before I left, he brought me to play around with their interactive touch-screen device which offered guidance to cater all myy beauty needs. How cute IS that?

So there must be something you don’t like about MM. Care to share?

As I mentioned above, not all Mecca Cosmetica and KIT brands are readily available in store which is not really a huge deal but could limit the customers’ options and kill the excitement of having to get something they look for in other store *ehem* Speaking of brands, I hope more MYER cosmetics counters will be joining MM very soon, namely Illamasqua, BeneFit and Bobbi Brown.

That said, it does not bother me too much considering MYER and David Jones are just one block away from Mecca Maxima. It will just mean another shopping round. Now as an online shopper, I have never really splurged so much here in store for products that I can easily get shipped from the states. Even without taking the strong dollar rate into consideration, I pay less for products sold here including the shipping cost and you get to choose from a wide range of brands that are not even available in Australia. Why don’t everyone shop online then? For a start, not all stores do international shipping so they either have to get a friend (like I do) to ship the items to their places or use online forwarding service like HopShopGo which can cost slightly more expensive than the earlier. Also, testing the products in store is a much more appealing option than having to do a prior research of whether or not it will work for them, mainly when shopping for foundation. And of course there is “the wait” factor. I don’t mind being kept waiting for 5-15 days but that is not always the case for most people.

As mentioned, foundation shopping can be annoying when you can’t swatch or test them on you and to make matter worse, brands that are of makeup artists’ favorites like MAKE UP FOR EVER, CoverFX and Amazing Cosmetics are nowhere to be found. So I am probably the least excited towards the opening of Mecca Maxima among other beauty lovers. That simply does NOT mean I am not excited. I love the whole concept and am highly grateful to Jo Horgan for this. Whenever I want a boost in mood after a long exhausting day at the university, I can just pop in the store and be refreshed instantly. Seeing her incredible motivation to provide the best for Aussie women, it is only a matter of time before Jo Horgan once again impresses me with her unique idea. Oh and thank her for giving Melbourne the honor to host the very first grand opening of the Mecca Maxima chain. Most of the times, it has always been Sydney who gets the honor.^^

If you happen to be in Melbourne this week, make sure to drop by and check out their in-store events.

MECCA MAXIMA BEAUTY CARNIVAL

Saturday 23 October 11AM – 4PM & Friday 29 October 4PM – 8PM

Roll-up! Roll-up! Roll-up for beauty’s biggest extravaganza at Mecca Maxima. We will take your eyes to ‘smoking hot’ at our dedicated Smokey Eye Stations, launch your lips to red-alert when we find your perfect red lip colour, maximise your lashes, AND get the perfect hair blow-out ready for the weekend. Because you’ll be looking so wonderful, so MAXIMISED, we will have a photographer in-store to capture your fabulousness so you can upload and feature it as your new facebook profile!

Sounds fab right? Thinking of paying them a visit this friday as I am currently in the hunt for myy perfect red lip colour

PAINT ‘N’ POLISH PRONTO!

Wednesday 27 October 11AM – 3PM

Head to Mecca Maxima for an express nail paint and polish. Whether you’re after something sophisticated or want high-impact colour, 5 minutes is all you’ll need to get a perfectly polished look.

If you are not sure where that is, that is where “Miss Sixty” used to be. Just right in the corner across Sportsgirl

Being a fail photographer that I am, I only had a chance to take few good shots of the store. So here are some of the ‘official’ pictures of MM. (Note: pictures can be deceiving. Don’t be disappointed if you expected much bigger space *winks*)

Pictures courtesy of meccamaxima.com.au. Find more HQ pictures in their facebook gallery.