It's every woman's dream to be treated like a star for the day, and for Unichem Mackays Pharmacy worker, Julie Goble, her dream came true when she won a trip to the Loreal Fashion Week, thanks to her in-store selling efforts.
Loreal stockists nationwide were eligible to enter the promotion, run in conjunction with the release of a new line of lipsticks, and Julie was one of only 12 women selected in the whole country to be treated to a dream trip to Auckland. Her day started early, boarding a plane just after 6am and on arriving in Auckland she was greeted by Loreal representatives and a limousine.
After a generous ride in the luxury car, Julie and her fellow contest winners gathered at The Viaduct, the scene of New Zealand's most prestigious fashion event. In true star style, paparazzi greeted the winners as they stepped out of the limousines and they were presented with backstage passes, giving them free rein of Fashion Week.
"Everyone was buzzing when we arrived. We saw amazing make-up and hair artists and the atmosphere was awesome," said Julie.
First on the itinerary for the day was a fashion show and Julie and the winners were witnesses to Designer OBI's new spring/summer line.
"The show was done really well. It had a distinctive New Zealand theme and there were bird calls in the background and lots of ferns on the runway."
One of the highlights of the day for Julie was meeting Australian make-up artist, Ray Morris, who has styled the likes of Cate Blanchett and David Hasselhoff and has created faces for the covers of Vogue and Rolling Stone magazines. "She was really down to earth and just had so much advice to offer. The first thing she did before she started speaking to us was take her shoes off which made us all feel really comfortable!" said Julie.
To Julie's surprise, Ray picked her as a guinea pig to demonstrate the advice she was handing out and while she was speaking to the rest of the winners, Julie got a professional makeover.
"She taught us that there are no boundaries with make-up and sometimes it's all about breaking the rules. She used lipgloss on my cheeks to highlight them and told us that Sellotape was the best way to get a sharp line when you're putting on eyeliner. She had heaps of helpful advice that I can use in my work at the chemist. Some of the most valuable tips were to match foundation properly and to apply eye make-up before foundation!"
Next on the agenda were makeovers for all the winners and new hairstyles to match.
Julie had her hair straightened with sections of big ringlets interspersed in it to create a new look for her. "It wasn't something I would usually wear, but I guess that was the point! I definitely didnt feel out of place because everybody looked glamorous!"
It wouldn't be a trip to Fashion Week without some red carpet experience and at the last runway show they went to, the competition winners were seated right up the front and close to the action.
"It was interesting being that close because you could see people with notebooks and digital cameras that obviously worked in the industry and I sat there thinking that their jobs must be so much fun! We were also really spoiled and got gift bags to take home!"
Julie was flown home that night after a whirlwind day. "It was amazing, you could have told me I was in Australia for the day and I would have believed you! It was an awesome experience. I felt a bit funny on the flight home wearing a dress with my hair and make-up done. It was a laugh when I got back to Stratford though, I was all dressed up and had nowhere to go because it was a Tuesday!"
Pictured, Julie Goble sits back and reminisces about her trip to Loreal Fashion Week as workmate Emma Lees re-creates the look she was given by internationally acclaimed make-up artist, Ray Morris.
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