Hottest Parties

Snapshot: This was an immersive and happy ‘pop-up’ like I’d never seen before. A huge space on Paddington’s Oxford Street was taken over by the ‘luxe-for-less’ beauty house to showcase every single beauty product the brand creates. And it was going OFF! The best part? The fully immersive experience was free. You could have make-up done, skincare consultations and give the ‘spin or win’ wheel or ‘gift claw’ a whack. And each and every guest (all punters and purchasers) took home a gift bag. How fab is that?

Good: What I thought was very clever was that each guest - the serious Insta and Tik-Tok gens – weren’t asked or required to spend a cent. It was a marketing101 genius idea to get a whole lot of tweens and beauty influencers in early so they remain brand loyalists.

The Whoops: I saw a couple of cheeky monkeys try to take more than one gift bag, but the team didn’t make a scene and the kids understood. They were a great bunch who came in and out all day and their excitement was palpable.

The WOW: There was even a 70s-inspired fluffy carpet media wall for all your selfie needs and organisation was extraordinary: with guests winding their way around the corner and patiently waiting for their allotted half-hour session. Adults invited to anything wouldn’t have the patience!

The Buzz: The ONE product every single guest was gagging to take home were the ‘sold-out’ Super Glow Bronzing Drops, designed to drop into your moisturiser or sunscreen to give you the glow without the sun damage. Clever.

Bite of the day: It was all about MCoBeauty water bottles: too much excitement for eating!

Belle of the Ball: Owner Shelley Sullivan, who started the brand ModelCo then segued it into MCoBeauty 7 years ago - remember her successful collabs with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Danni Minogue, Celeste Barber and Karl Lagerfeld? And she was still happily manning the microphone as all the brand's fans and influencers tried and tested lips, cheeks, eyes and skincare.

Quote overheard: ‘Queue? As if I’m going to do that. Don’t they know how important my family is?’
And this little Miss was around 14. Very funny…