• Haul | September 2017 MAC Warehouse Sale

    September 15, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    If you’re planning to go to the MAC Warehouse Sale, check out my Tips/Tricks post. This is my personal haul of what I got at the MAC/Estée Lauder Warehouse Sale. This haul doesn’t include products my sister got or products I got for my mom, friends and family. Before I begin, I wanted to say that I swatched the lipsticks and the stick concealer before taking pictures, so if you notice any imperfections, it was me. All products were brand new and unopened. A lot of products have been discontinued or were limited edition, so unfortunately they are no longer available in stores (maybe they’re available on Amazon or eBay. I will provide any links to products that are still available and retail prices so you can see how much I saved. For products no longer available, I tried looking them up, but the listings are no longer available so I will provide an estimate based on products that are similar.

    I am going to sort this by the types of products, i.e. eye makeup, powder and blush, skincare, lips, fragrances, kits and palettes. All prices are Canadian unless otherwise noted.

    Face Powders & Blushes | $15 each

    smashbox.PNGSmashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation in Shade 1

    Paid $15 | Retail Value $49

    Shade 1 is natural vanilla for fair complexions. It looked pretty close when I swatched it, but obviously the lighting is terrible to get a good idea of your shade. It’s quite light though, I think I’d be Shade 2 or 3. It comes with a double-sided sponge, one is a regular sponge you get with powders and the other side is softer. They’re meant for different coverages. According to the Sephora website, you use the velvety side for a natural, sheer-to-medium finish, or the smooth side for full coverage. I have yet to try the sponge, but I used a brush and despite the fact that it was too pale for me, it looked pretty flawless.

    luna lusterMac x Star Trek Luna Luster Trip the Light Fantastic Powder (Limited Edition)

    Paid $15 | Retail Value: estimated at $30-40 USD

    I didn’t realize this was part of the Star Trek collection until I bought it since the container was open and I was just looking at the shade of the highlight. I thought it would feel more velvety smooth, but when I swatch with my finger, you can hear my finger move around (almost like a sandpaper sound). It’s super nice though and hopefully I find a MAC highlighter I like that’s part of the permanent collection.

    $4 Deal Bins

    I got two MAC Zoom mascaras (accidentally grabbed a green one…oops! maybe I can do something for Hallowe’en), two clear Bobbi Brown lip glosses, and two Estée Edit Stress Relief Eye Masks. I realized after getting home that the eye masks were just the Estée Lauder ones in Estée Edit packaging. I assume since they were Estée Edit, they’d be cheaper. This wasn’t a very good deal considering you can buy a pack of 10 for $46 ($46/10= $4.60, I paid $4 for one package of two).

    zoom lashMac ZOOM Mascara in High Esteem

    Paid $2×4=8 | Retail Value: 2x$12= $24

    estee editEstée Edit Stress Relief Eye Masks

    Paid 2x$4= $8 | Retail Value: 2x$4.6= $9.20 ($46 for pack of 10, $4.6 each)

    20170911_031513Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss

    Paid 2x$4= $8 (for 2x7mL=14mL) | Retail Value: $23 (for 15mL)

    Mascara- Buy One Get 1 Free ($6 each)- not pictured

    Paid $12 | Retail Value: 2x$29= $58

    I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have way too much mascara already (and I didn’t want to purchase any more because they’d probably dry out by the time I got to them), so I only purchased two for my friend. I got two of the MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara in Black Extreme.

    Smaller Palettes and Kits ($25)

    I got 4 kits/palettes:

    • one is a MAC quad eyeshadow palette (which is really frustrating that I paid $25 because my sister and I got two each in our charity bags…more on that later!)
    • two MAC Nutcracker holiday sets (pigments and a lip set)
    • Estée Lauder Breast Cancer Awareness Kit (they don’t have shade names for each eyeshadow, but rather, they are numbered to tell you which shades they are from the 5-shadow palettes available). The blush is still available for purchase, and I actually got one for my mom at the sale ($15).

    20170911_030754

    MAC x Helmut Newton Point ‘n’ Shoot | Clockwise from left: Real Fantasy, Hard Currency, Influential, Point ‘n’ Shoot

    Paid $25 | Retail Value: estimated at $30-40 USD

    estee lauder breast cancerEstée Lauder Pink Perfection Kit for Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

    Pure Color Envy Lipstick in 220 Powerful

    Pure Color Envy Blush Sculpting Blush in Pink Ingenue

    Pure Color Envy Sculpting Eyeshadow

    Paid $25 | Retail Value: estimated at $35 USD

    mac pigmentMac Nutcracker Sweet Bronze Pigments & Glitter | from left: Sugar Rush, Stardream, Handsome Prince & Reigning Riches

    Paid $25 | Retail Value: unknown (estimated at $35 USD)

    nut cracker lipsMac Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lipstick Kit | from left: Crème Cup (cremesheen, permament collection),  Nouvelle Vogue (satin, limited edition), Kinda Sexy (matte, permanent collection) & Whirl (matte, permanent collection)

    Paid $25 | Retail Value: estimated at $35 USD

    Eyeshadows ($12)

    I didn’t purchase any individual eyeshadows because I thought the kits were a better deal.

    Eyeliners ($15)

    My mind is blanking…I think the eyeliner was $15, it may have been $10/12.

    mac fluidlineMAC Fluidline Pen in Retro Black

    Paid $15 | Retail Value: $24

    Lipstick and Lip Gloss (2 for $15)

    We bought 16 lipsticks altogether (for me, my sister, mom and friends).

    huggable lipMAC Huggable Lipcolour | from left: Touché, Goodluck Mochi & Cantonese Carnation (discontinued)

    Paid 3x$7.50= $22.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $24

    estee lauder lipEstée Lauder Pure Color Envy Hi-Lustre Light Sculpting Lipstick in 210 Bold Innocent

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: $36

    20170911_030512

    MAC Lipglass in C-Thru

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: $21

    20170911_031245

    MAC Mineralize Glass in Lap Dog

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $20-24

    20170911_031300

    MAC Cremesheen Glass in It’s a Strike

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $24

    patentpolishMAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Kittenish

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: $24

    ultimate lipstickMAC Ultimate Lipstick in Marque

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $23 USD

    20170911_030943

    Estée Lauder x Victoria Beckham in Moroccan Heat (Limited Edition)

    Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $45-55

    Liquid & Stick Foundations

    The shades I got are quite light, but I can always warm them up with some bronzer or use as highlight. I believe the Estée Lauder liquid foundation I got is a refill for a cushion foundation. It doesn’t say how much is in the container, but it’s huge and a way better deal than the retail price.

    bobbi brown stickBobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick in Ivory 0.75

    Paid $21.20 | Retail Value: $55

    Read my This or That post featuring the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick and Maybelline’s Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance Foundation Stick

    20170911_025920Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup To Go Liquid Compact in 1N2 Ecru

    Paid $20 | Retail Value: $50 for a cushion compact (12mL)

    Skincare & Nails

    The top of the line skincare and fragrances are in the last building and you pay for them right after you get them. The cost of these products are not included in the $800 limit (before taxes). They had Estée Lauder products that retailed for $300+ and were about $150.

    tory 2tory burchTory Burch Signature Deluxe Gift Set

    Paid $80 | Retail Value: $146 ($221 value)

    clinique brushClinique Sonic System Purifying Cleanser Brush

    Paid $40 | Retail Value: $111

    Read my First Impressions review on this cleansing brush

    glamglow

    GLAMGLOW THIRSTYCLEANSE Daily Hydrating Cleanser

    Paid 2x$17.20= $34.40 | Retail Value: $43 (original price, $34 on sale)

    Read my review on this cleanser

    mac strobe

    MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite (Original)

    Paid $24 | Retail Value: $40

    20170911_025927

    Clinique Pep Start Quick Cleansing Swipes

    Paid $9 | Retail Value: $10 USD

    mac nailMAC Nail Lacquer in Midnight Sky & Vintage Vamp (discontinued)

    Paid 2x$10= $20 | Retail Value: unknown

    Once you’ve checked out, there’s a corner where you can purchase a charity bag, 100% of the proceeds go to whichever charity they have chosen, this year was the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. You can give increments of $5 ($5, 10, 15 or 20), and they will give you a bag of MAC products depending on how much you donate. My sister and I both paid $20 and we got seven products each.

    After you get your charity bag, you hand in your ticket (it must have the stamp from when you came in, you’re not allowed to hand in multiple tickets). You get a free gift just for giving your ticket. They gave us two nail polishes each.

    Freebies

    20170911_030722

    3x MAC matte lipsticks in Leap of Delight

    2x MAC Extreme Dimension Work It Out Mascara in Abs of Steel & No Pain, No Gain

    2x MAC x Helmut Newton Point ‘n’ Shoot Eyeshadow Quad

    2x MAC Nail Lacquer in Soiree & Midnight Sky

    FREE | Retail Value: $48 for the mascaras, other products unknown

    I think my favourite purchases were the Estée Lauder Pink Perfection Kit, Tory Burch Perfume kit and Victoria Beckham’s lipgloss, just because I love her and the packaging is gorgeous…I wish I bought another now.

    If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! I know it was a long post, but I wanted to share with you what you can get from the sale. I bought so many products that I want to share the wealth and I have decided to do a giveaway of some of the products I got (plus two Simple Glam Girls Rose Gold Lush Oval Brushes- H & I).

    GIVEAWAY CLOSED

    mac giveaway

    Canadian and US entrants only. Contest ends Sat, Sept 30th 11:59pm EST. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on this IG page and my blog. Winner will be DM’ed on IG or emailed (If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected at random).

    This giveaway is not sponsored or associated with Instagram, MAC Cosmetics, Simple Glam Girls or Bobbi Brown.

    Products included:

    • MAC ZOOM Mascara in High Esteem
    • MAC x Helmut Newton Point ‘n’ Shoot Eyeshadow Quad (shades: Real Fantasy, Hard Currency, Influential and Point ‘n’ Shoot)
    • MAC Nail Lacquer in Midnight Sky
    • MAC matte lipstick in Leap of Delight
    • 2x Simple Glam Girls Lush Rose Gold Oval Brushes (H & I)
    • Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss (Travel Size)

    Have you been to the MAC Warehouse Sale?

    Love,

    jen

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  • September 2017 Mac Warehouse Sale

    September 15, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    Last weekend, I went to the Mac/Estée Lauder Warehouse Sale in Markham, Ontario (10801 McCowan Rd, Markham, ON L3P 3J3). The sale takes place 4 times a year (March, June, September and December) and tickets are fairly hard to come by unless you work somewhere that’s associated with Mac or Estée Lauder. To be honest, I had never heard of the sale until my sister asked me if I was interested in going.

    My sister got us the tickets from her work, she was able to get tickets for the Saturday and the sale went from 9am-6pm. In the days leading up to the sale, I was watching a lot of hauls and tips/tricks on YouTube. Most ladies that I watched videos of were going on Friday or Sunday. Friday is the best day because once things are sold out, that’s it. So Friday is the best day to go if you want to see the whole selection of products they offer. Sunday is the best day for deals because things are reduced even more and if you’re on a budget, it allows you to control how much you get because there is a smaller selection. One YouTuber suggested that it’s better to go around 9:30 because then all of the early birds/eager beavers have gotten into the sale.

    The tickets are per person: One ticket = one person can enter. Some people in the line behind us thought one ticket could be for multiple people. There are three different coloured tickets- one per each day of the sale (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). No one under 16 is allowed inside the sale. The limit per person was $800 (before taxes). This doesn’t include top of the line skincare and fragrances because you pay for those separately.

    The products available at the sale are mostly discontinued or limited edition/holiday sets. Go in with a general idea of what you want/need, i.e. I need a black felt tip eyeliner, I want an Estée Lauder or MAC lipstick. Don’t look up lipstick/lip gloss shades of products beforehand because chances are you won’t find the ones you want. If you want to get powder or liquid foundation, know your shade beforehand (there’s no guarantee that they will have it, but at least you will know which shade you are). The foundation brands they had were: Clinique, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox and Estee Lauder.

    Building 1– Powder makeup, blush, eye makeup (shadows, mascara), $4 bins, fragrances, various gift sets, skincare

    Building 2– lipstick, lip gloss, fragrances, brushes, various gift sets, skincare

    Building 3– more skincare, nail polish, high-end fragrances and skincare, Bobbi Brown and Tom Ford cosmetics, check out and sorting table

    Along the walls, they have the fragrances and kits that are in boxes that you can grab yourself. Each of the products are in individual bags and sealed with a price tag on the product. In the middle of the rooms, they have swatch tables and an area where you ‘order’ your products. The products are taped to the table and you can swatch them yourself or just look at the swatch on the piece of paper. Below is a picture of what they look like: they have the product brand in the top left corner, the shade and in the top right is a number that you need to write down to ‘order’ your product. Once you’re done writing down the things you want, they have different sections to line up to get your product(s) from the associates. Make sure you write down the number because they won’t know what the product is if you just write down the brand and product name. There were different sections, i.e. you get your face powder/blush in one section, eyeshadows in another area and the palettes/kits in another. Make sure you stay in the area and write down numbers that pertain to the area or have different pieces of paper for each.

    warehouse sale.PNG

    Behind the tables where you ‘order’ your products, they have boxes of the products labelled with the number and you give them your piece of paper and they grab the products for you. Then, they bag and seal them and write down how many items you got and how much they cost, i.e. if you bought 4 products worth $10, they will write ‘4×10.’ You are not allowed to open the bags unless you’re at a sorting table. Make sure your bags are sealed properly after they hand it to you because when you go to check out, they will not accept it if the bag is open. This is to prevent people from adding products into the bags. The product tables have tissue boxes and baskets of scrap paper to write down the numbers of the products, but the baskets were empty until we got to the next building. So here’s a few things to bring to the sale:

      • pens/pencils
      • small notepad or scraps of paper
      • tissues or makeup wipes
      • bring a bottle of water and maybe a granola bar (we were worried security would take any liquids from us, but they didn’t make us open our bags for them, they just had officers at the entrance and in the last building)
      • $20 cash for the charity bag

    Thoughts: I would definitely go again, but not any time soon since I spent so much money. I don’t know if it was a one-off thing or if they have the tickets available at my sister’s work throughout the year…I guess we’ll see in December if they have them. I think in terms of deals, the best ones were cosmetics and fragrances. The sale has been going on for a few years now, so it’s very organized. The only complaint is that maybe they should have more people collecting things for you because the line moves fairly slowly when you’re picking up your products. Some of the skincare products seemed quite expensive and would eat up a big chunk of your $800 limit. I also prefer products from The Face Shop anyway, so makeup and fragrances were more worth it for me. I’m sure the Bumble & Bumble products were fairly good deals if you’re into it, but some products were still $30. I tend not to spend a whole lot on hair products (I mostly buy from Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall). If there’s specific Clinique products that you like, you will probably find it. They had a lot of 2-packs that were really good deals. I’m a little frustrated because I paid for the eyeshadow quad and nail lacquer and then we got it for free, but how was I supposed to know.

    Things I will do if I go again:

    • eat breakfast before going, I only ate a quick snack so I got pretty hungry once 12pm came around
    • write down the numbers in order so you get your products faster (if your numbers are all out of order, it takes longer for the associate to find them). This makes their life easier and your wait time shorter
    • take pictures of the products I wrote down on my piece of paper (I bought a lot of similar coloured lipsticks and I went a little overboard in the lipstick/lip gloss section…you’ll see in my Haul)  OR try to swatch multiple lipsticks at a time (since they are taped to the table, it’s hard to get a good swatch, either you swipe your hand across the lipsticks or use your finger)
    • use my phone to look up prices of products (most things were more than 50% off, but some products like the MAC eyeshadow palettes were only about $15 off)
    • the way they have the buildings organized, I think I might actually go to the last building first to get the higher end products and then work my way back to the first building. Also, the higher end products are pretty good deals so there’s a higher chance of them being sold out once you get there
    • If I see anyone leaving the sale, maybe I will ask them what’s in the charity bag and free gift so that I don’t purchase the same thing

    UPDATE: I went to the sale again in December and went on the Friday morning to see what it’s like on the first day. It was surprisingly busy for a Friday. The doors opened at 10am and I got there at 11:20 and waited to get in for an hour. Once inside, the lines for the luxury skincare went from building 3, into the hallway and part way into building 2. My mom lined up for a product I wanted and she moved about 10 spots up after an hour or so. Since I only wanted one product, I told her to just forget it because she wasn’t even close and there’s no knowing if they will still have it when she got there. So if you go on Friday, expect a really long line for the luxury skincare. As usual, the lipstick line was also long, but all the other lines were fairly short. I was at the sale from 12:30-3pm and probably a third of that time was spent waiting in line and the rest was spent browsing the sale.

    Here are my thoughts on which day is the best depending on what you want to get (this is if you are going in the morning):

    Friday- foundations, concealers, perfume sets

    Saturday- not as busy as Friday because it’s the second day of the sale and not as busy as Sunday because the deals aren’t as good. Selection is pretty good.

    Sunday- less selection (so if you want to limit yourself, this is the best day to go because there is less to choose from), but I’ve heard the deals are better

    Click here to see my haul from the sale!

    Thanks for reading! Have you ever been to the warehouse sale?

    Love,

    jen

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  • Finding the Right Foundation Shade

    August 16, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    I am on the hunt for a new foundation and it’s taking me a while to find a shade that matches me (most of the ones I’ve been colour matched with are too light). I researched a few foundations beforehand to see which ones suit my skin type and which are highly recommended and rated. I usually walk around the store and swatch the foundations on my hand to see if I like the consistency and scent before I ask an associate to colour match me and get a sample. I’ve learned my lesson from previous times where I got colour matched on the spot and purchased that shade right away. The shades looked fine in the store, but once I went in natural lighting or dimmer lighting, it looked too pale.

    I decided to put Sephora and Mac associates to the test- I wanted to see if the different associates would colour match me with the same shades. I went to multiple MACs and Sephoras. The lighting in Sephora is so bright that even a shade that’s actually too light looks like it matches you. In store, it looks like you’ve found a perfect match, but then you go somewhere with dimmer lighting and you look like a ghost. I know I can always warm up my foundation with some bronzer or a darker powder, but if I’m going to spend about $50-70 on a foundation, I want it to be a good match where I don’t have to darken it with powder.

    Click here to see other foundation/concealer matches

    Here are my findings:

    MAC- I went to 3 MAC stores

    • Studio Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation ($41 CAD)
      • Colour Match: NC20
      • All 3 ladies matched me with NC20. At 2 of the stores, they matched the foundation on my hand and at the 3rd store, the lady matched the foundation on my jawline and neck.

    Sephora- I went to several Sephoras (one store I went twice, but on a different day)

    Listed below are products that I like and plan to purchase in the future, so I got multiple samples of each:

    • Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream ($37 CAD)
      • Colour Matches: Vanilla 02 (for light skin with neutral tones) and Bamboo 5.5 (light to medium skin golden tone)
      • 2 ladies matched me with Vanilla and 1 matched me with the Bamboo. Since this is a tinted cream, the shades weren’t completely off even though there are 4 shades between Vanilla and Bamboo. I think Vanilla matches better though because the Bamboo made my skin look a bit more yellow.
    • Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation ($51 CAD)
      • Colour Matches: Fair Neutral (fair skin with yellow and pink undertones) and  Fair-Light Neutral (fair to light skin with yellow and pink undertones)
      • I got 2 samples of this foundation and one lady matched me with Fair Neutral and the other with Fair-Light Neutral. I think Fair-Light Neutral looks slightly better, the Fair neutral is a bit light.

    The following foundations are colour matches by associates from Sephora, Nordstrom and Hudson’s Bay:

    • Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiance Awakening Foundation ($65 CAD)
      • Colour Match: BD10 Warm Porcelain
    • Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation ($65 CAD)
      • Colour Match: No. 22 Rose
    • Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($68 CAD)
      • Colour Match: 4
    • Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 ($50 CAD)
      • Colour Match: Light

    The following shades are ones I tried at the store and looked like a pretty close match:

    • Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Foundation ($62 CAD) OR Burberry Cashmere Foundation Fluid ($62 CAD)
      • Shade: Porcelain No. 11 or Ochre Nude No. 12
    • Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ($59 CAD)
      • Shade: Fiji

    I just bought a foundation and BB cream from Shoppers and The Body Shop:

    • Maybelline Fit Me Foundation- Hydrate + Smooth ($5.99 CAD on sale at Shoppers)
      • 130 Buff Beige (I love how natural this foundation looks, but the undertone is a bit too pink for me)
    • The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream- Colour Adapting Tinted Cream ($23 CAD)
      • 01 (Lighter Skin Tones)

    Foundations I currently own:

    • Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ($59 CAD)
      • Deauville (way too light)
    • Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation ($50 CAD)
      • 025 Beige Naturel (a pretty good match)
    • Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($52 CAD)
      • 120 = Y245 Soft Sand (a bit too light, but the next shade up, Y255, is too dark)

    Thoughts: Before you spend $50-70 on a foundation, get 3 samples from Sephora from different people to see if different people match you with the same shade. Even one shade lighter or darker can make a huge difference.

    Tip: For those of you looking for higher end makeup or skincare products. Go to Nordstrom!! They have sample containers and you can pump out or spoon out your own samples without asking an associate to help you! Make sure you close the lid tightly and properly. I recommend bringing a ziploc sandwich bag to put the samples in your purse. Mine exploded and by bringing a sandwich bag, I saved my Longchamp tote and all my things in my purse from getting ruined! You can even get your own samples of fragrances too!

    See my other foundation matches and concealer shades.

    What are your foundation recommendations (drugstore or designer)? I have normal/dry skin (dry nose area), I’d love to hear any suggestions if you have the same skin type!

    Love,

    jen

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