Everything that went down at the Miss FQ Influence Awards (including winner reveals and party pics!)

27 September 2019

What a night! Our third annual Miss FQ Maybelline Influence Awards is over for another year, but we’re still riding the high from an evening full of bubbles, rainbow bao buns, Roku gin & ginger cocktails and inspiring young Kiwis who are moving on up.

When we started this event three years ago, the idea was to celebrate and recognise the young New Zealanders that are out there making it happen for themselves. This is still our vision, but we have also wanted to ensure the influence we talk about here isn’t just about social media influence – it’s a celebration of Kiwis making waves and effecting positive change in their chosen field or community, whether that’s online or off.

From the hundreds of nominations that poured in, we managed to whittle it down to five finalists per category. From there, we had a staggering 34,000 votes over three weeks. Last night we unveiled the category winners as well as our overall Supreme Winner, who we felt embodied the core values of what the event is all about (plus, she received a staggering percentage of total votes, making her unquestionably a deserving Supreme Award recipient!)

WATCH: Everything that went down at the Miss FQ Influence Awards 2019

The event itself was every bit Instagrammable as you’d expect, but it was the young talent who filled the room and represented the inspiring and diverse talents this country has to offer that really brought it alive. From the Maybelline New York lipstick wall, where guests could try on and top up their lipsticks (leaving with their perfect shade in hand), to the summer-ready Bondi Sands beach hut (where cult mini products were ready and waiting for those who wanted to take home and try) to the oh-so-photogenic Lee Stafford bubble chair (why can’t all hair salons be as pink and bubble-filled as this?!), the energy in the room was uplifting and electric, with lots of finalists cheering for other finalists in their category and beyond; a true testament to how change can happen if we lift each other up and support one another.

The energy levels soon hit fever pitch, thanks to DJ Ari Jade on the decks, and with a delicious Roku ginger gin and tonic in hand, guests danced the night away underneath our new ‘Miss FQ’ neon sign, kindly made for us by the incredible Radikal Neon.

We’re in recovery mode now – as we’re sure our finalists are, too – but want to thank all our readers who nominated, voted, shared, liked or followed along with this campaign. The Miss FQ Maybelline Influence Awards wouldn’t be what it is without YOU!