Mecca Maxima, the monster version of Mecca Cosmetica, has opened in Carindale and I couldn't be…read moremore delighted. The store brings a range of hip and brilliant cosmetics and skin care products like Kit, Stila, Smashbox, NARS, Mario Badescu and Too Faced to the 'burbs, so I no longer have to make a trek into the city (or shop online without the opportunity to cover my hand in testers) to get my killer make-up fix. I dropped in to Mecca for the first time recently when I decided to be indulgently lazy and see if I could get my face done up for an event that night. I didn't have a booking, but they managed to squeeze me in. Apart from the girl who reacted with a bit of a "1-2-3 NOT ME" attitude when I asked about a makeover, the girls at Mecca Maxima Carindale are all really friendly and personable - a couple of them kept coming over to check up on my "work in progress", and I was given a bottle of delicious Schweppes Agrum to drink while I was in the chair. When I'd first entered the store I was greeted warmly by one girl in particular, and I complimented her awesome eyebrows. She ended up being my make-up artist, so I was more than happy with how my eyebrows turned out! We had a great time and she did an excellent job with my insane eyeshadow. The deal with in-store makeovers is that you then have to spend a minimum of $90 on any product/s. I was more than happy to do that, picking up a couple of the products that Emily had used on me - if anyone sees me out and about in the next few weeks, I'll probably be wearing a Stila sparkle liquid eyeliner because I just about lost my mind over how brilliant they are. So I guess the deal works in reverse, too - if you go into Mecca Maxima and spend over $90, do yourself a favour and see if they can fit you in for a makeover while you're there! Or if you have plans to do a bit of spending, call ahead and book in to get done over while you're in there. It was a heap of fun, I felt like a bombshell all night, and I have some shiny new products that I know do a good job.

From the owner: Shop the exclusive edit of over 100 beauty brands across makeup, skin care, body, hair, nail &…read morefragrance at MECCA, Mecca Cosmetica & Mecca Maxima.

Those fabulous, natural Jurlique products get their own space in the form of a concept store in the…read morerefurbished Westfield Carindale. (I can fairly confidently say that this little section of shops has solidified itself as my favourite section of the shopping complex.) I ducked my head into Jurlique a couple of weeks ago on the hunt for some samples, because heck knows when you're looking for a new beauty product the last thing you want to do is commit too much money to a product you're even not sure will work for you! Still, Sarah at Jurlique was incredible and I ended up walking out of the store feeling happy with my decision to purchase a full skincare routine - a cleanser and moisturiser, with a bonus free pack of a toner, serum and hand cream. I took the plunge because Sarah provided such excellent customer service, including reassuring me that even if after a couple of weeks the products weren't working for me, I could return them to the store for an exchange or credit. With my anxiety over products being right for me, that reassurance was exactly what I needed to hear. Aside from all that, Jurlique's products themselves are really beautiful. They all smell so great and the natural ingredients used in their products come from Jurlique's very own organic, bio-dynamic farm down in South Australia. I love that. I'm happy to know that the products I'm using aren't loaded with chemicals, and after a couple of weeks of regular use I'm starting to notice the change in my skin that I was hoping for. I'll be headed back in to Jurlique again soon to take advantage of the offer of a free facial that I received as part of my purchase, too - the Carindale store is one of only two Jurlique Concept stores in QLD, which means that not only do they sell their beautiful products there, but they also offer a spa experience, with facials and massages in-store utilising their gorgeous range of products. Looking forward to it.

Overflow, could they be the Rolls Royce of two Bob shopping?…read more Overflow are a bit weird. Of course you will find all the regular suspects: a huge party section of gift wrap, ribbons, matching color paper plates, cups, streamers, balloons and so on. Also the costume section if you need wigs, knights armor, pirate hats. Cheap plastic and terracotta pots, spades and takes off questionable construction. Cosmetics and hair care of dubious origin. A whole aisle of candles and incense. Back to school gear as well. And then you find the stuff you don't normally see. There are concrete garden settings. Half size boat bow shelves. Full size garden arches. An entire row of State of Origin. A shelf dedicated to goth/metal decor (vampire damsels curled around purple dragons on a bed of skulls). Giant crochet ottomans. Life size lamb and piglet statues. These are seasonal things. At the moment, should you want to apply a nautical theme to your home, you will have no trouble here. Things are not terribly dear here either. I know I'm reviewing a bargain store, but I have seen a garden seat at one place being sold for $200. So there's "bargain" and "Bargain"... Overflow, for the times I've been, never have seen something to roll my eyes in terms of price.

I do like to smell delicious at all times (so hard in this dreadful Brisbane humidity), so imagine…read moremy delight when I stumbled upon this perfume utopia. It has most of the big name brands for cheaper than you see elsewhere (and if you do see it for a more bargainous price in another shop, they'll beat that price by 5%). How kind of them. And yes, they do sell only authentic designer fragrances. It's definitely not a store that stocks those strange, fake perfumes you see around that say "smells similar to Chanel No. 5" but after 5 minutes you reek like you've rolled around in cat pee. I am now practically bathing myself daily in my prized bottle of Dolce and Gabbana's La Lune scent (only $69 for a huge bottle). So many scents, only one nose...