Mecca’s new Melbourne flagship store is the stuff beauty dreams are made of

WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT

Get excited.

For any Australian makeup lover worth their weight in free samples, the humble fashion magazine was a portal to the global beauty universe. Admittedly, the relationship was a little bittersweet.

It was the familiar feeling of falling in love with a product on the page and finding out the brand doesn’t – and never will – arrive in Australia. While we had to wait an extra two years for a perfume drop or use a month’s pocket money to reship packages from the US, it felt like the rest of the world was enjoying the spoils of celebrity collaborations and exclusive releases.

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Thankfully, the last decade has gotten local beauty caught up. After years of pining over Urban Decay liquid liners and Nars’ Orgasm blush, the arrival of Australasia’s now-leading beauty retailer Mecca was a glossy light at the end of the tunnel. And for the good sweeties of Melbourne, it’s about to get even better.

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The beauty giant has just announced it’ll be adding to its cool 100-plus stores with its biggest-ever retail spot (yes, bigger than the Sydney flagship – sorry huns!). 35 times the size of its inaugural Toorak Rd location, Mecca is going back to its roots with a 3000 square metre Bourke St space. Well-known as some of the city’s best shopping real estate, 299 Bourke St will be occupied by some of the world’s best beauty and skincare brands come 2023.

What makes it so special, you ask? Aside from sheer size (no seriously, do you know how big 3000 square metres is? I don’t) and the extensive brand range, the Melbourne flagship will be “a ground-breaking location that reveals a beauty wonderland of never-before-seen educational edutainment and inspiration, propelled by a world-class, always-on program of deeply customisable services, brand immersion, masterclasses, pop-ups and blockbuster new brand and product launches”.

How far we’ve come from rubbing magazine perfume samples on our necks until they smell like cardboard (just me?). Needless to say, we will be both extremely moisturised and totally unbothered in 2023.

Read more about the upcoming flagship store here.