- On Friday, I visited the Morphe store at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, New Jersey, to try and purchase the Jeffree Star Cosmetics x Shane Dawson collaboration.
- I arrived at the mall around 8:45 a.m., and was greeted by a line of approximately 100 people. The earliest shoppers arrived around 4 a.m.
- I made it inside the store approximately 45 minutes after it opened, and was able to purchase every product aside from the Diet Shane lip balm, which the store didn't receive.
- While everything went smoothly, I couldn't believe the mass amount of people who traveled from far away solely to purchase beauty products.
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On Friday, YouTubers Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson launched their highly-anticipated makeup collaboration.
Products became available online starting at 1 p.m. EST, though Morphe stores across the country also had the collection in stock. I decided to visit my local shop on Friday to try my hand at purchasing the entire collection.
Though the situation could have quickly turned to chaos, I ultimately had a pretty smooth shopping experience. Here's what it was like.
I arrived at the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, New Jersey, around 8:45 a.m.
When I first arrived, I assumed the mall was empty. Only a few cars were in the parking lot, and almost every light inside was turned off.
The only people inside the building seemed to be employees and "mall walkers," people who exercise by walking around empty shops.
As I approached the Morphe store, I immediately saw a giant line of people.
Upon first glance, I assumed there were maybe 60 people waiting to enter the store. Once I joined the line myself nearly 15 minutes later, I learned there were about 100 shoppers there.
At this point, we had approximately one hour to go until the Morphe store opened.
The first people in line arrived around 4 a.m. after attending a Halloween party.
Cassandra Runyon from Chester, New Jersey, visited the Morphe store wearing Jeffree Star Cosmetics makeup. As a huge fan of Shane Dawson, who she describes as a "fantastic YouTuber," Runyon wanted to make sure she wouldn't miss out on buying any of his products.
"No one's ever done anything like this — it's going to sell out," Runyon told Insider. "I was like, 'Okay I'm getting everything, my sister's getting everything, and I need to make sure I get it as fast as possible.'"
She also said that mall security didn't seem prepared for the large crowd.
"The mall security haven't been super friendly, but I also understand they weren't given a heads up as to how big this is," she said. "I'm sure if they were given a heads up, there'd be queues and stuff like that."
Others traveled from far away to attend the Jeffree Star Cosmetics x Shane Dawson launch.
Two fans of Dawson, named Gianna and Katelyn, said they drove for an hour to visit the store because the YouTuber had "never done anything like this before." While they only planned on buying a mirror, their friend wanted an eye-shadow palette and lipstick.
I also spoke with Alyssa Adriano and Amber Huebner, who spent approximately an hour and a half driving to the mall from the cities of Manville and South Amboy. Huebner told me they'd been to every makeup launch Star has had in the past year.
"We got here a little after 8 a.m. because we're obsessed with Jeffree Star," Adriano said. "If they have it, we're buying it."
"I think this was the best idea ever," Huebner said of the Star and Dawson collaboration. "All the videos led up to it and made it so much better."
From my spot in line, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to purchase all the makeup I wanted.
With so many people in front of me, I became skeptical that I would be able to purchase every product in the collection — especially after I overheard people saying they brought their brothers and boyfriends to help them shop.
Excitement was palpable throughout the line, and I quickly made friends with those around me.
The women behind me even let me step away from my spot to take a look inside the empty store.
Though it was still a bit dark inside, I could see a lone Morphe employee touching up the Jeffree Star Cosmetics displays. At one point, she even stepped outside and said, "I was not expecting this."
Photos of Star and Dawson were everywhere.
From outside the store, I could see a giant photo of Star pasted on the store's exterior. Also on display was a giant photo of Dawson, who was glammed up in vibrant eye shadow, metallic lipstick, and striking highlighter.
Eventually, a Morphe employee walked through the line and shared instructions with everyone.
She informed us that customers would only be allowed to purchase two of each item, though the store had "plenty" of eye-shadow palettes in stock. She also noted that discount bundles were limited, and that the store never received a shipment of the $18 Diet Shane lip balms.
I finally made it into the Morphe store around 10:45 a.m., approximately 45 minutes after it opened.
Though only a few people were allowed into the store at once, the small makeup displays were almost always crowded by eager shoppers.
The makeup displays were emptied by shoppers almost immediately.
However, Morphe employees were quick to restock shelves and help customers find exactly what they were looking for.
There didn't seem to be a single product from the collection that shoppers weren't interested in.
From lip gloss to pig-shaped mirrors, just about every display had been thoroughly picked through and emptied by shoppers.
Some people played with the sample makeup before buying it.
While looking at sample versions of the Conspiracy and Mini-Controversy eye-shadow palettes, I noticed that many of the shades were smudged by customers who'd tested them.
Once inside, most customers seemed ecstatic to find that the products they wanted were still in stock.
A customer named Katie, for example, was able to pick up a makeup bag and black pig-shaped mirror.
The checkout line seemed daunting — especially because there were only two cashiers working during my visit.
I waited on line for approximately seven minutes before I reached a cashier. Still, the wait didn't seem long, as I enjoyed talking to other makeup fans in the store.
But those who made it past checkout were all smiles.
Maggie Murphy, who waited in line to purchase products for her daughter, was able to pick up everything from the collection.
"I think it's amazing marketing and self-promotion," Murphy said of the collaboration. "I just wish they made more products so I wouldn't have to be here."
Finally, I left the store with everything I hoped to purchase.
When I first arrived, the Jeffree Star Cosmetics x Shane Dawson makeup launch seemed close to chaotic. Mass amounts of people arrived quickly, and mall security didn't seem prepared for such a crowd.
However, I left feeling satisfied with my shopping trip. Everyone I encountered was pleasant, Morphe's shopping process was fair, and checkout went smoothly. Considering that this makeup was created by two of the most famous influencers on the planet, things could have gone a lot worse.
- Read more:
- Here's everything featured in Shane Dawson's makeup collaboration with Jeffree Star
- A beauty YouTuber has responded after Jeffree Star called her new products 'trash'
- Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul dressed as Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson for Halloween because the YouTubers 'saved' their careers
- A YouTuber with little-to-no makeup experience is about to rake in millions with his new beauty collection, showing the power of viral fame