Sephora announces plans close its Queen St store next month; award-winning hairstylist Danny Pato crowned at this year’s AHIA Awards; visit Avène’s skincare pop-up this weekend; Rodney Wayne in support of remote workers with Work From Here.
Welcome to Viva’s Beauty Insider, our new weekly column where beauty editor
Check back every Thursday for the latest instalment, or keep your finger on the pulse by heading to our @Nzhviva Instagram for updates as they happen.
Read on for every important beauty announcement worth knowing this week.
Sephora set to close its Queen St store
It’s been five years since Sephora opened the doors to its flagship Queen St store with a fanciful affair that saw queues lined up around the block, a party bus parked outside and a live DJ set.
Sadly, the news broke yesterday that Sephora Queen St would be closing its doors for the final time on August 19.
As Viva’s beauty editor, I still remember the excitement that swirled following the announcement that Sephora was coming to New Zealand.
There was much hype over the opening date (July 20, 2019), then news that Sephora was bringing travelling beauty bus to the country, which would make its inaugural stop at Queen St store opening before hitting the road, before we were invited for our exclusive first-look at the new three-storey store ahead of the general public.
But it hasn’t just been Sephora Queen St that has struggled to regain momentum in the wake of Covid-19, says Sephora Australia and New Zealand general manager Mark O’Keefe, adding its “profound impact on Auckland’s CBD has been well-documented as hybrid work and online shopping changed behaviours”.
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Advertise with NZME.As the saying goes, one door closes and another one opens, and Mark says Sephora New Zealand will continue to extend its physical presence with new store locations to be announced soon.
“Brick-and-mortar stores are indispensable to Sephora’s retail strategy. They remain the beauty playground where our customers feel welcomed and are empowered to explore, discover, and delight in the latest beauty trends and products,” he says.
“Equally, we must go where our customers are and that means refocusing our resources on our e-commerce business and store locations outside the CBD. We remain committed to New Zealand and look forward to diversifying our footprint in the coming years.”
The retail team based at Queen St — also known as the brand’s beauty advisers — will be relocated to the Newmarket or Sylvia Park Sephora stores, to mirror the ongoing growth in both locations, Mark says.
The French-founded beauty emporium is best known for its selection of much-hyped brands spanning makeup, haircare, skincare and fragrance, including celebrity lines like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin and makeup from Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty. Other viral brands include Tarte, Huda, Ouai, Milk Makeup, Fresh, The Inkey List and more.
Then there’s Sephora’s in-house brand, Sephora Collection, which offers shoppers luxe-for-less options including makeup, haircare, bodycare and beauty tools.
Danny Pato awarded at AHIA Awards
A trophy in hand and a medal adorning his neck — award-winning hairdresser Danny Pato returned home from the Australian Hairdressing Industry Awards (AHIA) a happy man after taking out two of the most illustrious awards.
Held in Sydney last Monday, the co-founder and creative director of Auckland’s D&M Hair Design was recognised for his three previous wins as AHIA New Zealand Hairdresser of the Year in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with the very first Medal of Honour, along with being named as the Avante Garde Hairdresser of the Year 2024 for his winning entry, Nomad Queens.
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Advertise with NZME.The avante-garde collection was captured by long-time collaborator and friend of Viva, photographer Mara Sommer, and depicts a band of royal sisters who rule the world in peace.
“Theirs is an experiential reign, a life moving through cultures, living through the world rather than removed from it,” says Danny.
“They’ve displaced war and the power-hungry people who had ruled through cruelty and fear. They now rule the world together, uniting their peoples through feminine power, wisdom and divinity.”
All six looks in the collection draw on cultural references, including the lucky plant, a sunset, a peacock, a porcupine, coral and the Pushkar Fair from Central India.
Now in its 12th year, the AHIA Awards act as a benchmark for excellence within the hair industry, bringing together top talent from across Australasia to celebrate innovation, creativity and business nous.
An integral part of the festivities, Danny was invited to direct the hair during the opening show, which was held on the final night of a three-day affair known as Mocha Group’s Hair Festival.
But before you go thinking that winning repeatedly has lost its shine, Danny says he remains humbled by this year’s announcement.
“It felt really overwhelming actually. I have only ever entered the NZ Hairdresser of the Year category for the AHIAs before, and because I had to step down after winning that a few times in a row, I couldn’t help myself to create something new,” he says.
The pressure was on to win the Avant Garde category, Danny says, especially considering the seven other finalists were all Australian.
“Honestly I was buzzing from having done the hair for the opening show for the event. It all happened quite quickly so I didn’t have time to overthink it ahead of the announcement. But I was overwhelmed,” Danny says of receiving the award.
“I was so excited I grabbed the trophy so tightly that I broke it during my acceptance speech and said that must be good luck!”
Avène’s skincare pop-up takes over Sylvia Park
Expanding on its range of soothing, radiance-restoring skincare comes French skincare maker Avène’s new Vitamin Activ Cg range.
The skin brightening duo includes the new Vitamin Cg Radiance Concentrated Serum, $82, and Vitamin Cg Radiance Intensive Cream, $80, which work double duty to address the visible signs of ageing while combating dark spots to leave skin glowing.
To celebrate, Avène is hosting a Vitamin Cg-inspired activation at Ultra Beauty, which is inside Chemist Warehouse in Sylvia Park tomorrow (July 12).
From 10am-1pm (or until stocks last) you can sample all of Avène’s science-led skincare, including the newest innovations to be added to the range.
Plus, if you spend $60 on Avène skincare, receive a 10ml skincare sample, fresh-pressed orange juice, and a delicious French crêpe topped with Nutella or berries.
There’ll also be an Avène vending machine on site, where anyone and everyone is welcome to test their skills to be in to win prizes instantly, including merchandise and more.
Rodney Wayne encourages patrons to ‘Work From Here’
In response to the growing preference for flexible working hours and the freedom to log in remotely, award-winning salon chain Rodney Wayne has launched its Work From Here campaign.
The hair salon empire, which was founded in 1980 by hairstylist Rodney Wayne himself, is rolling out the campaign across all 37 salons throughout the country to reassure clients they are welcome to work while their colour processes, or while their stylist snips away.
In order not to miss a beat between deadlines or send email replies in a timely manner, every Rodney Wayne salon is offering free Wi-Fi and bottomless coffee — meaning clients can work smarter, not harder.
Rodney Wayne CEO Julie Evans drew on her own experience in the salon chair when dreaming up the campaign.
“I often work while my hair colour processes at our salons and thought our clients might enjoy the same. The 35-minute colour processing time is perfect for catching up on emails or reading. That way you can free up your weekends,” she told trade publication ProCollective.
“We invite you to maximise your time at Rodney Wayne by bringing your laptop or phone and tackling your pressing work tasks while our expert stylists work their magic on your hair. So, when you walk out of the salon, you can look and feel on top of the world — and on top of your to-do list!”
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