I went to the Desert Hills Premium Outlet in Cabazon today with my dad, and surprisingly I left empty handed!  This was after shopping for about 4-5 hours, too!

When I got there, the first place my eyes zoomed in was The Cosmetics Company store.  They carry brands owned by Estee Lauder Companies, including Estee Lauder (of course), Bobbi Brown, Darphin, Origins (bleh), American Beauty, Clinique, Prescriptives, Aramis, and MAC.  They had tons of past limited edition items as well as every day staples.  I saw the Mauve palette from Bobbi Brown, as well as the Black Honey mascara from Clinique.  I spent hours in there, putting things on and trying everything out.

So isn't it surprising that I left empty handed?  I'm addicted to buying makeup, and I left a makeup store, a DISCOUNTED makeup store, completely empty handed!!!!

I then came up with a theory as my sister and I were talking.  She mentioned that she doesn't really need anything, so she doesn't want anything.  She'll get things now if they're a good deal.

I realize that's how I am with makeup.  I have all the basics, or rather, more basics than a person really needs.  I'm not seeking for any Holy Grail status makeup as I'm very very content with what I have.  I'm no makeup artist, so all of my makeup is for personal use.  I also can't bear with them, so I rarely give any away.  This is with the exceptipn to my mom or my sister, and even then, I have a hard time parting from them.  So now when the only things that truly excite me are NEW collections!  Once they're no longer new, despite not having them, I'm just not interested anymore.

So yes, as long as MAC comes out with new collections, I'll pretty much keep buying new things.  However, if I happen to be broke when new items are out, I won't have them, ever!!

Or, as my friend Zac* says, "world's coming to an end."

So, have any of you reached that tipping point yet??

PS:  I swear, tutorial from that green St. Patty's day FOTD is coming this week.  I have to work tomorrow, which means I must sleep now, and an early day on Tuesday.  Tuesday night is the Utada event at Sephora, so who knows when I'll get home.  Wednesday I'm getting my hair done, so maybe I'll redo my makeup on film!

PPS:  Do you guys have any colors of eyeshadow that you'd like me to do?  My friend and I used to play that game, but for some reason we stopped.  So yea.. just say the color and I'll try my best!

From The Office -

Angela:  I'm not going into your house and stealing your Hello Kitty backpack.

So today I sat there at work and thought about the Hello Kitty order that I haven't made yet online.  I then decided to just call Nordies and have them hold items I wanted since it is on the way home from work.  A quick stop and $300 later, I have the following in my possession:

Lippies: Cute-ster and Big Bow (soo hot pink and neon!)

Lipglass: Mimmy (sheer and a tad coral), Fast Friends (sheer purple with shimmies), and at the last minute, I decided to also get She Loves Candy (a shimmery silvery pink)

Beauty Powder Blush: Fun & Games (they only had Fun & Games left, but I like the subtly of it)

Beauty Powder: Pretty Baby (soft pink with no shimmies)

Eyeshadow Palettes: Lucky Tom and Too Dolly

Brush set with Hello Kitty cup

I really couldn't make up my mind on which eyeshadow palette to get.  I really planned on getting one, but both are sooo cute!  I also snagged 2 brush sets, one for me and one for my sister.  Her store was sold out so she texted me asking to get her one.  I almost lucked out, but thankfully the sales girl dug one more out for me.

Overall, I'm pleased with the collection.  The eyeshadow colors are REALLY fun and whimsical.  The packaging is also a huge improvement over last year's Fafi collection.  Last year the palettes, lipsticks, and everything just had stickers slapped on it, which a lot of people thought was cheapened the effect.  Compared to this year's Hello Kitty collection, it really was cheap.  The Hello Kitty palettes feels heavy in my palm, which makes it seem more worth the money.  It feels like more thought and care was given to the packaging of all the items.  Even the paper boxes have MAC and Hello Kitty on them!

If you love Hello Kitty, you must get something from the collection.  It's worth it!  Btw, I haven't swapped anything because well.. I don't want to touch my new makeup!  I have this weird thing where I keep my brand new makeup in its packaging untouched and I just stare at it.  It's not that I don't want to use it, but I just can't bear to touch it.  =P  So here's a bunch of pictures!

I used to haul from the Nordstroms at Westside Pavillions.  It's extremely close to me, and is really on the way home from pretty much everywhere I go.  From my work, from my gym, and yea, everywhere.

So I go today to check out NARS 2009 Spring collection in person, especially that gorgeous brick red/maroon Grenadine eyeshadow.  To my lack of luck, they didn't have it yet.  The counter manager was actually just shown the collection today.  She had swatches on a face chart, and it made me want Grenadine even more.  It looked so rich and bold and beautiful.  Hopefully the counter manager remembers to call me when they get it!

(From Philip Lim's Spring 2009 Collection)

I then checked out MAC's various collections, but well, they didn't really have anything from the Blonde, Brunette, Redhead collection on the counter!  Maybe they were sold out, but it was so empty.  They did have brand new untouched palettes from Dame Edna out on display, but I didn't really care for it.  The colors are cute and funky, especially one of the blue with pink shimmers in them.

They are having events for the Barbie collection on February 13th to 15th, AND they are taking pre-orders now.  I've really got to figure out what I want because I can't afford to get everything.

Oh yea... so there's my non-haul.  Well not really.  I did buy an eye kohl in Teddy since my current one is getting a tad too short.  It was such a boring shopping day.

Anyhow.. this season I'm only hauling selected items from NARS and MAC Hello Kitty.  I'm now debating about Barbie Loves Stila since it's available.

According to narscosmetics.com, the above look is created with these products:

Face:

• Apply NARS Concealer as needed, to cover any imperfections
• Apply NARS Firming Foundation only if needed, to keep a clear base
• Use NARS Multiple Bronzer in Cap Vert over entire face to tan
• Apply NARS Multiple in Orgasm over cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin
• Layer NARS Blush in Zen to create a dusty look
• Finish with a minimal amount of NARS Loose Powder to set the base

Eyes:

• Apply NARS Multiple in South Beach to entire lid, blending up to brow, and directly below lower lash line
• Apply a generous amount of NARS Eyeliner Pencil in Kitty around entire eye, on inner rim, and in between lashes, blending into South Beach with finger
• Layer NARS Eyeliner Pencil in Black Moon
• Apply two more alternating layers of Kitty and Black Moon, blending colors into lashes
• Use NARS Single Eyeshadow in Grenadines on entire lid, blending up to brows, and beneath lower lash line, smudging with finger
• Curl lashes with NARS Eyelash Curler
• Apply several coats of NARS Mascara in Black Orchid to top and bottom lashes
• Brush brows up and fill in with NARS Eyebrow Pencils, if needed

Lips:

• Apply NARS Lipstick in Shrinagar to entire lip with finger

MAC debuted a new website!

Here's an example of their new Goodbye page (if you've never browsed the Goodbye page.. well, you should!  Parrot was on there long after it was gone from the stores).  It's more user friendly, though I don't know how I feel about the dark background.  They did use gray, which makes the contrast not as harsh.

It's always exciting to see changes, no?

Here's a picture of the haul my sister got from Taiwan for me.  As I've said before in another post, somewhat offhand, is that in Taiwan, you can find pretty much all Japanese brand cosmetics at a lower price due to the currency conversion rate.  The New Taiwan Dollar (NT) is weaker than the Yen, so you definitely get a steal if you're visiting Taiwan.  If you live in Taiwan and earn Taiwanese work wages, then it's a whole different story.

Here's a picture I took after I dumped everything on my mom's bed.  I wanted to take more pix before I open anything, but my camera died after this one shot.  I'm such a doofus, I know.

Click for full size picture

Some obvious items include Lavshuca eyeshadow palettes, MJ eyeshadow palettes, and mascara.  That blue package is from Kiss Me, which I'm thinkng is the same brand as those Heroine mascaras, but I can't find it online anywhere.  I've been searching and searching so when I review it, people outside Asia can actually get it, but my searches has been fruitless.

I think my sister spent about $100 USD for all these.  I've only opened the blue Kiss Me mascara, the Susie NY powder on the bottom, and the MJ mascara (which I have to figure out which one it is before I review).  I've also tried that small eyelash curler on the right top corner, but I'm the worst person to review eyelash curlers.  I've also taken that pink Lavshuca Color Select palette to be my X-mas 2008 palette.  It is so pretty!

Oh.. my sister went to various drugstores like Watson and Sasa to buy all of these.  She didn't bother going to department stores for any high end Japanese brands since she figured that this haul was more than enough.  Little does she know, I could have bought so so so much more.

This is a bit late to get to make gifts to give out, but it's a perfect gift to give anyone with interests in making your own beauty products!

Majestic Mountain Sage offers ingredients and recipes you'll need to make any skin care item, including lip balms and body butters!  On top of that, they sell kits to make all your favorites!

All the kits include the necessary ingredients, a few fragrances, jars/containers, as well as labels.  It's all super convenient to create batches of body butter or even shampoo in fragrances that YOU like, and guess what?  Since you are making it, you can exclude ingredients that you don't like, including parabens.  If you think, "this sounds like chemistry and I hated high school chemistry", think of it more like cooking made easy.  Melting, mixing, pouring.. it doesn't get easier than that.  Here's an example of their Body Butter Gift Kit:

Body Butter Gift Kit

Our Gift Kit series continues with the Paraben Free Body Butter Base. This kit contains jars instead of bottles because the body butter is so thick and rich! This kit contains: one full gallon Paraben Free Body Butter Base thirty 4 fl oz Low Profile PET Jars thirty Size 70 Straight Side Black Lids an Oval Spoon fragrance of your choice: Polynesian Red, Lilac & Lavender, Pixie Dust or Coconut Lime Verbena. and.... LABELS!

Like I said earlier, it's probably a bit late to get this to make Christmas gifts for everyone, but it's definitely great for that aspiring cosmetic chemist in your family!

I went to Sephora to do some Christmas shopping, as well as to stock up on some new things for myself, when Riley West, the MUA for Urban Decay, started chatting up with me as I was crouched in front of Lancome's Artliner's display case.  Ms. Riley is totally into funky color hair like me, so from where she was standing (and where I was crouching), she got really interested in mine.  After a while, her, being a pro, started talking about make up.  Me, being a make up whore, told her that if she's not busy, I'm up for a make over and she can do whatever she want with me.

Now I wish my camcorder was working, because I had made a small video showing the make up I had put on prior to going to Sephora, so I can show you guys what she was seeing.  I was playing around with 3 shades of pink eyeshadows from a Majolica Majorca palette (another Japanese brand that I love), so she took that as inspiration and a starting part for the looks you see up there.  She spent a LOT of time blending the colors out so it still looks sophisticated and finished.  To get the glitter line to be that thick, so actually used a tweezer to take off that ring on the top so more glitter can go on the brush.

She pretty much transformed my cutesy pink look into a super Urban, super punk fuschia/purple/black smokey look, complete with a super hot line of glitter on top of my lash line.  I don't think the pictures captured the intensity of the colors, and again, I wished my camcorder worked.  I think my camcorder records in a truer light where you can see how dynamic this look was.  I must figure this out!

Anyhow, I ended up buying the key items to re-create the look.  I ended up not getting any of the fuschia/pink colors she used since I have a LOT of pinks and fuschias already.  But I did up buy the rest of them.

• Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Spandex
• Liquid Liner in Perversion (to line the top lash line underneath the glitter liner)
• Smoke Out Eye Pencil in Smoke (to line the bottom lash line)
• Eyeshadow in Oil Slick (outer crease), Sin (inner crease and brow bones), and Hot Pants (on top of Fishnet)
• Deluxe Eyeshadow in Fishnet (used as an all-over color AND my cheeks color)
• Big Fatty Mascara

The Clarisonic is for my 4th sister, who is a skincare fanatic.  She's the girl that no matter what or how tired she is, will spend at least 20 minutes washing her face and applying various potions to keep her skin smooth and clear.

For my 3rd sister, she'll love a make up brush set.  I can't decide which one she likes more though.  I personally love the Kat Von D set, but the anti-bacterial set is pretty cool too.

My 2nd sister would appreciate a nice black bag.  I think this bag is just too cute.

As for my oldest sister?  She's the girl that has everything and anything.  I want to get something really different and unique for her because I want it to be something she'll appreciate.  Hmmmm.. Anyone has any ideas?