Beauty is becoming more accessible all the time.
Anyone who has looked at the price tags of hip makeup products lately might beg to differ. But at least the days of missing out on products hyped up by our North American or European pals are mostly over. See also: The recent arrival of Victoria Beckham’s luxe makeup line.
The latest notable launch to arrive on our shores is Rhode, which has just launched into MECCA stores. It has also opened up shipping to Australia and New Zealand on its own website, with this option offering a slightly wider array of products and accessories.
The skincare and makeup line, named after the former model’s own middle name, has had an interesting trajectory since its launch in 2022. Just when we though we were over celebrity beauty brands, Hailey Bieber’s line transcended the trajectory set by many other stars that have since fallen off our radar.
We put this down to three things:
- Brilliant marketing that ties into the founder’s minimalist style. This includes a very limited-selection product line that uses desirable, easy to understand, food-like adjectives such ‘skin glazing milk’, ‘barrier butter’ to describe each item.
- Bieber’s own visibility as a style leader and wife of one of the world’s biggest pop stars – Justin Bieber.
- The products are actually pretty great. They deliver on their promise of effortless and fuss free, creating a look that’s fresh and youthful (no matter who’s wearing it) and they contain quality ingredients that perform well.
Have we convinced you yet?
MECCA’s head Marita Burke (official title Chief MECCA-MAGINATIONS Officer) had some big things to say about the brand’s arrival at the Australasian beauty chain.
“Rhode isn’t just a bestselling brand, it’s a cultural force shaping how a new generation thinks about skincare,” says Burke, who omits to mention that plenty of us older beauty lovers have jumped on the brand too.
“This brand is leading the conversation that is defining global beauty, so we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Rhode to MECCA and to our incredible beauty-obsessed community.”
Underlining the line’s success is the fact Bieber recently sold Rhode, with budget beauty giant e.l.f acquiring the brand for US $1 billion. Wowsers. Thankfully she stayed on as Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation so her eye is still on new products in development.
So what’s worth looking into to add to your own routine?
Well, the bad news is that only 90 minutes after launch most of the products were listed as sold-out on the MECCA website, but we’re confident they’ll re-stock soon and have plenty in stores. The Rhode website has everything if you’re willing to wait for shipping to take a little longer.
Our 5 picks to try from Rhode
Peptide Lip Tint Nourishing Glaze
One in every colour please? This smooth and slippery coloured balm delivers beautiful hydration and shine but never looks too overdone. It has peptides to help smooth lip lines and plump lips (but not in that tingly bee-stung way). The tint is sheer and looks great applied over a simple nude liner, which Rhode also offers.
Glazing Milk Ceramide Facial Essence
Similar to a milky toner, glazing milk is a hydrating skincare product designed to be pressed into skin with your fingertips after cleansing. It helps to up your skin’s moisture content and prepares skin beautifully for makeup. We like this on hot days as a moisturiser as it sinks into skin beautifully and feels super light. If you have dry skin you’ll need another moisturiser over top, giving a minute or two for each layer to settle.
Pocket Blush Buildable Hydrating Cream Blush
Tiny but mighty, this stick cream blush has great modern shades that flatter all skin tones. You draw a little stripe and then blend with your fingertips. What could be easier?
Pineapple Refresh Cleanser
In a bid to deliver a clean, fresh complexion with little residue, this cleanser is a light gel that emulsifies into a gentle lather. It has pineapple enzyme to gently remove surface build-up and help clear pores. We love it as a weekend cleanse, but it’s not heavy duty enough to move makeup.
Barrier Butter Intensive Moisture Balm
This thick moisturiser is balm-like and made for deep hydration. It’s perfect to use similar to mask in the evening as it has rich ingredients including murumuru butter from the seed of the of a Murumuru palm as well as ceramides which helps revive your skin’s protective barrier. That’s why it’s also good for the back of your hands, elbows and knees if you can bear to spare any of it.
