​5 Fabulous Years of Kiss and Makeup – Happy Birthday to Us!

We've made it through five fabulous years in business, and it's all thanks to thousands of wonderful customers who have supported us on this incredible journey.

For those who aren’t familiar with our story, here's a bit of background. Kiss and Makeup began after a chat over coffee between founders Sabrina and Stephen. Stephen was contemplating a career change after leaving the corporate world, where he had a background in e-commerce and sales. Meanwhile, Sabrina, who had spent much of her life in England, noticed how expensive makeup was in New Zealand. This realisation sparked an idea, and Kiss and Makeup was conceived in a spare room in Upper Hutt with an initial 100 product lines and a healthy dose of optimism.

Our first year was tumultuous as we, like many others, faced the challenges of the global pandemic. In addition to this, our beautiful six-month-old son, William, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a type of liver cancer. This was a huge shock and required a major adjustment to our lives. We focused all our spare time on keeping the Kiss and Makeup juggernaut on track while taking turns flying from Wellington to Christchurch for William’s treatment at the Children's Oncology Unit during the level 4 lockdown. Thankfully, William’s treatment was successful, and he remains clear of serious illness today.

In 2020, we were honoured to be recognised as a Wellington Gold Award Finalist for up-and-coming new businesses that balance providing great value makeup with environmental responsibility. From our launch, we've supported Trees That Count with donations and the planting of native New Zealand trees to offset carbon. We also use only compostable bags and recycled bubble wrap.

By 2021, we had outgrown our spare room and moved into a purpose-built studio beside our house. We also began creating social media Reels in collaboration with our NZ Post courier driver, Junior. These Reels helped place us firmly on the map. If you haven’t seen them yet, check them out on our About Us page.

Our growth continued, and we eventually moved into a new premises on Camp Street in Trentham in late 2023. Not content to stand still, we noticed there was no coffee business in the vicinity. Stephen, having previously run his own coffee cart, decided it was time to launch ‘The Beauty Grind,’ where espresso meets makeup!

We are truly grateful to all our wonderful customers. Without your support and feedback, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Here’s to another five fabulous years in business!

Many thanks!

Sabrina and Stephen Founders of Kiss and Makeup