Kylie Jenner Lips iPhone case: $15. Kylie Jenner Lip Kit: $29. Experiencing Kylie Jenner's very first pop-up store: Priceless?
For thousands of makeup lovers, Keeping Up With the Kardashians viewers and King Kylie followers, Westfield Topanga in Canoga Park, Calif., is the place to be as Kylie's pop-up shop officially opened its doors right before the holidays.
With lines lasting as long as seven hours on opening day this past Friday, some may understandably want to stay far, far away from this place of business. For my sister and I, however, it only made us more curious to see what all the fuss was about.
With no special treatment, we drove ourselves to Westfield Topanga Sunday afternoon where we quickly learned that the line to get inside the store was a short—and dare we say doable—100 minutes.
While many patient shoppers were females between 15 and 25, there were plenty of moms enjoying some bonding time with their daughters and more than a few supportive boyfriends hoping to make their lady's holiday dreams come true.
In no time, strangers became friends as we bonded over Kylie's Snapchat account, all her dogs and where the best place was to eat in the mall after a long wait. Oh, did we mention? Hardly anyone had shopped at the center before and the mother-daughter duo behind us drove all the way from Sacramento.
As we got closer and closer to the doors, shoppers received a special Kylie wristband with specific instructions: You have 15 minutes to shop and 15 minutes to make your purchases. Sounded like a lot of pressure to me, but not for these shoppers who already studied up on what they were going to buy days and days in advance.
Once we walked through the doors, a huge DJ system played creating a club-like atmosphere as dozens of consumers filled up their baskets with $15 Kylie wrapping paper, $36 Kylie makeup bags or $15 Kylie X Arthur George socks.
Many shoppers including my sister went straight to the cosmetics, where I was quickly reminded of an important fact: "Mike, these are never available online, like ever."
Meanwhile, I was too distracted by the giant bed in the back of the store that was surrounded by two TV screens playing sexy videos of Kylie and her boyfriend Tyga. As the mall's website clearly stated, however, the store's interior was designed and developed by Kylie herself. In fact, part of the location replicates the décor and furniture in the reality star's own bedroom.
When it came to the clothing portion of the store, some sizes in the most popular sweatshirts and T-shirts sold out in only three days proving the "while supplies last" warning is no joke.
Ultimately, I didn't purchase one thing for myself. Instead, I made my co-worker's day by picking up a phone case and a limited edition pom pom keychain by request.
As for my sister, she was with the majority of shoppers who walked away with a heavy bag full of goodies and a handwritten thank you note from Kylie.
"I want to personally wish you and your family a safe, peaceful, and happy festive season," the card read. "And extend my sincere thanks for your support this year."
Thank you card or not, my sister was already happy after spending a whopping $160 on cosmetics and T-shirts.
"That was everything I imagined and more," she proclaimed after walking out with a few minutes to spare. "I want to go back and get a Kylie hoodie."