MAC Warehouse March 2014 Haul

Gift with Ticket Trade In

Not as great as it used to be!!!

$5 for Charity Bag (3 pcs)

Punk Couture - Matt Lipstick

Boss Brown - Pro Longwear Lustre Lipcolour

Raven - Kohl Power Eye Pencil

$20 

MAC 272 Angled Brush (Discontinued)

$10 each

Cosmo - Amplified Creme Lipstick

Must Be Red! - Cremesheen Lipstick

Nitro:licious 2046 - Lipglass

$12 each

MAC False Lashes Black

$4 each 

Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

New in My Vanity :: MAC Warehouse June 2013 Haul

Hello Everyone!!!

Today I went to the MAC Warehouse! My mom managed to score 2 tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as a gift from the security guy from her office. Unfortunately  I was unable to go Friday, so I gave the tickets to my friend and asked her to pick up a charity bag for me (which I have yet to find out the contents). 

However, if you have been to the MAC warehouse sale before, you will be disappointed by the warehouse sale now. Personally, I am more interested in makeup pigments (ie: eyeshadow, blush, & lip products) opposed to foundations, concealers, and skincare. The MAC warehouse was surprisingly not packed and the selections are definitely shrinking as the prices go up.

Notable Changes from Previous Warehouse Sales:

• There are approximately 4 tables for eye pigments, and the price has increased to $12 per product and one table for palettes. Unfortunately, I do not recall the price of the palettes. They were mostly the quads from MAC and previous holiday collection palettes.
• There are now 2 tables for blushes and bronzers - ringing $15 per product.
• Lastly, there are now a sparse 2 tables longer tables for lip products - $10 per product.
• Although not to complain about charity items, but charity items are now 3 for $5 opposed to 4 for $5.
• The $3 bins (although $4 bins for quite some time now) have pretty much nothing - this time they had sample sizes of Clinique Flirty Honey, an empty pattern travel jar, 2 types of false lashes (one I picked up, one super short ~1cm), Clinique Happy Fragrance Mini, and Clinique Mascara Samples. Unfortunately  on Saturday they do not have anymore $4 eyeshadow/blush pans.

There were a lot of fragrances (DKNY branded especially) and a lot of skin and hair care from brands such as Origins, Bumble and Bumble, Ojon, MAC, Bobbi Brown, and Estee Lauder.

Anyways, now to my haul!

I picked up the following:

• Clinique Chubby Stick in 07 Super Strawberry - $10 + tax
• MAC 42 False Lashes - $4 + tax
• Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Always Sunny - Gift for trading in entrance ticket
• Eye Shadow in Heaven & Earth and Pretty & Prim and a Mattene Lipstick Semi-Mat in Nocurnal Insticts - $5 Charity Bag (no tax)

All in all, I used to spend hours at the MAC warehouse - and I spent a record 25 minutes in and out. There was no line, so I will probably cash in my Sunday tickets for the Sunday gift and to check out the Sunday charity bag.

Bottom Line: If you don't have the tickets, they aren't worth the $20 you normally pay to get them off Kijiji (although ticket holders are not supposed to sell tickets). The selection of this warehouse has gone down quite a lot, in terms of the products that I am interested in, and the prices have also gone up. If you haven't been before, it may be worthwhile to check it out if you are able to get your hands on some tickets (or super cheap ones) but otherwise just save your $20 entrance fee and spend it towards stuff you really want from the actual MAC stores. If you have been to the warehouse before, it's not worth your time if your just browsing for a good deal. You're better off going to the NARS/Shiseido Warehouse if you want to save your time.

Hope this helps!

With love,
elle xx

[edit]
I went back on Sunday - the free gift was the same product & so was the charity bag (with the Pretty & Prim eyeshadow swapped out for Sage & Wisdom). Additionally, there was last day sales, where selected palettes were BOGO and $2 cosmetic bags were $1. I may have missed it yesterday, but there were $4 eyeshadow pans - but only Plumage - and all of the pans were in bad condition, shattered, touched, etc. I was only able to find 1 decent one, which needed to have the surface wiped and sterilized.

Media Event :: SHOP MAC Launch Party

Hello Everyone!!!

I hope all has been well for you guys! Anyways, I have an event that some of you guys would be interested in reading about!

Helen was invited to the SHOP MAC Launch Party last night. I attended the event with her and here are some photos I took with my phone at the event! :)

Snapshot of the invitation and promotional items!

The invitation included a free promotional item! Dishwashing gloves, sponges, and bags were available! They were handed out by a model who was styled to look like the campaign models and tons of snacks were cycled out!

Lets not forget the most important part of the party! The products!!!

Product Displays - It was difficult to get a picture of the stands with all the products on it!

I was the most interested in the two lipsticks: Runway Red and Quick Sizzle. Note that those who loved Innocence, Beware! from the Disney Villians line, it's back for a limited time in this collection! Runway Red is a typical satin red and the closest dupe I could find of it from the permanent line is Brave Red, which was in a different finish. Quick Sizzle is a matte fuchsia and the closest dupe I could find of it was Girl About Town, which was also a different finish (Amplified). I also was interested in the Scandalicious lipgloss - which is pretty much a liquid lipstick that was a mix between Runway Red and Quick Sizzle. Below is a comparison swatch of the two lipsticks.

L-R: GBO, Quick Sizzle, Runway Red, Brave Red

Aside from the lipsticks, I was also interested in the Fluidlines and the Tendertones (yes they are Tendertones! :O). I didn't purchase them because technically I put myself on a "makeup-ban/buy less make up"... but that didn't fare well by the end of this event... :p None of the Fluidlines are pure black, but extremely wearable for everyday and the Tendertones I would highly recommend for anyone who's looking for a lipbalm with a little tint of colour :)

My haul from the event! { Runway Red, Scandalicious, Gloves }

I got one lipstick, Runway Red, and one liquid lipstick, Scandalicious! I was on the fence about Quick Sizzle and I was debating if I would prefer Girl About Town or Quick Sizzle so I opted not to purchase it during the pre-launch period. I also got a free blinged up dishwashing gloves that are way too cute to be used :p!

I hope you enjoyed this post and it was helpful in terms of reference for my favourite 2 lipsticks from this collection!

elle xx


PS: I just found out that American Eagle collaborated with Deux Lux and Sam Edelman! You should check out these collections for designers for less ;)
PPS: I also started to revisit my food blog - check it out here!
PPPS: Stay tuned for an upcoming blog sale! I have items from the Versace x H&M line and more!

Holiday Gift Ideas :: Giving Twice as Much

With the Holidays coming closer and closer, here are some tips in which you can get some goodies to friends and family, whilst giving back at the same time and helping those who are less fortunate or in need of help.

Every year during the holidays, I know MAC has a few items out that help support men, women and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS globally. Also don't forget they also have their year-round MAC VIVA Glam collection that also helps benefit HIV/AIDS victims. All proceeds will go to the MAC AIDS Fund.

Viva Glam Melt Your Heart Lip Bag - $36USD

Kids Helping Kids Tree Teddy
Holiday Ornament - $18USD

Illustrated by children affected by HIV/AIDS
Kids Helping Kids Holiday Gift Cards
$10USD for 6 Cards + Envelopes

Links of London also teamed up with FEED this year. It's a little price than the other items mentioned here at $125USD and is available at the Links of London website. FEED is dedicated in fighting child hunger around the world. Every purchase of a bracelet helps donate meals to individuals of need. On the sterling silver adornments on 5 of the 6 bracelets will have the word "FEED" engraved on it and a number on the back that indicates the amount of meals that will be donated with the purchase of the bracelet. I think I read somewhere that 50 meals will be donated per bracelet! My personal favourite is the bracelet with the silver dove on it ^___^ (see at the website!)

TOMS is a shoe brand which promises to give a pair of TOMS shoes to a child in need in 3rd world countries with every purchase made. They also have some really cute sparkly ones! It's like gifts for 2 for the price of 1! Prices range depending on the style but they are typically $55CAD.

Aldo is another company that I'm also aware of that has charitable gifts for youth AIDS relief. I'm not quite sure what it is this year, as the website isn't updated since 2009 for the AIDS section, but I've previously purchased dog tags and jewelery from them to help fight against AIDS. Just stop by the store and see what they have! ^___^ Typically Aldo charity items don't cost more than $10USD. The tote bags that they showcase online are only $3!

Lastly, don't forget about your local hospitals. I know hospitals around this time usually have nice gifts to help raise money for their foundations. Previously, I've received a sterling silver heart chain bracelet to support the Vancouver General Hospital. Another example are Bravery Hearts which are sold by the Hospital of Sick Children which help support children with life threatening illnesses. What's really meaningful is that each bead on the Bravery Heart necklace/bracelet, represents a child's medical journey. A child is given a bead for each of their treatments (ranges from chemo to surgery) to place on a string to commemorate a milestone. It's a sad, but goes to show how strong these kids are! Bravery Hearts are not just sold at SickKids, but are also sold at various hospitals in Canada and the USA. If there aren't any hospitals near your area, you can also get Bravery Hearts online. Necklaces are $23CAD and bracelets are $18CAD. [Note: you don't get a child's actual bracelet/necklace - they keep their own!]

Happy Holidays!
elle xx