Review: Glow Up NZ shows that makeup is more than skin deep

Glow Up NZ is the latest reality franchise to hit New Zealand screens, and Tara Ward discovers a show with plenty of heart.  “An online makeup revolution is sweeping the world,” host Megan Papas tells us in the opening moments of Glow Up NZ, TVNZ On Demand’s new reality competition about the wonders of makeup artistry. … Read more

Why the Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star YouTube series is a big deal

At the start of the month, a makeup launch broke the internet and sold out of over a million products in under an hour. Alex Casey and Jihee Junn dissect the YouTube documentary series that led to its success.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZywVlyogLYM&t First off, who is Jeffree Star? Who is Shane Dawson? Jeffree Star is an internet … Read more

Admit it: Thin Lizzy is the best makeup you’ve ever used

Lucy Zee celebrates the little blue powder compact tucked away in every New Zealand makeup bag.  You’re at a house party. You’re not quite drunk but tipsy enough to feel emboldened to look through the bathroom cabinet after your pee break. Behind the Korean face masks, Revlon ColourStay foundation, next to the antihistamines and Mario … Read more

Here’s a thought: let’s not blame millennials for Sephora’s ‘waste dumping’

Sephora store employees may have swept some confetti down Auckland city’s drains on Saturday, and people got angry… at an entire generation.  On Saturday, French cosmetics giant Sephora opened its first New Zealand store on Auckland’s Queen Street. Excited makeup enthusiasts queued overnight for the honour of being the first through the doors to get … Read more

Lost in the Moisture Mists of time: a beloved cosmetics brand departs NZ

Generations of New Zealand makeup users grew up with Shiseido’s Moisture Mist range, home to the iconic Beauty Cake foundation compact. Now, after 41 years, the Moisture Mist brand is closing down. “Dear Moisture Mist customers,” read the graphic red and white message posted to the Moisture Mist Facebook page on Monday afternoon, “We are … Read more

Buy a mascara, save someone’s sight: Meet NZ makeup brand Indigo & Iris

After an impressive Kickstarter campaign last year, makeup brand and social enterprise Indigo & Iris have returned with the launch of its much anticipated online store last week. Jihee Junn talks to Indigo & Iris CEO Hannah Duder about its Levitate mascara, how it’s helping to end avoidable blindness in the Pacific, and the challenges of being a … Read more

The Beauty Spot: Should women be really expected to to wear makeup to work?

The Beauty Spot is Zoe Scheltema’s weekly column that dissects the world of beauty and fashion. This week she delves into the gendered double standards of appearing ‘professional’. I have a friend who works for a large Auckland advertising agency that recently gave their staff reviews. It went well, but there was one area in which she was told … Read more