I know I’m late in writing about my haul at the last Estée Lauder Private Sale but I hope this post makes up for it. :)
It was a heady experience, attending one of these sale events again. I haven’t been to an EL sale in a while and was amazed at the palpable sense of excitement exuded by the queue. Incredibly, some people were there almost three hours before the sale started.
Surprisingly (and thankfully), there wasn’t a mad rush when the doors finally opened. On the contrary, almost everyone was polite and well-mannered in trying to access sale-item testers. I also appreciated the fact that many SAs/MAs took care and time to explain the uses of their products despite the surging crowds (kudos to the MAC staff for their patience and professional advice).
As part of the first group let in, I was able to find some choice products. I grabbed what I wanted (at times, indiscriminately :P) and eventually emerged with a receipt that measured more than 70 cm*, lol!
Below are some haul highlights:
A MAC-nificent haul
MAC Kohl Power Pencils in Feline, Mystery, Orpheus and Raven (S$10). Superbly pigmented, these pencils deliver wonderfully intense colour. If only they didn’t smudge. Fortunately, this can be easily rectified by setting them with eyeshadow. Better yet, they can also be used as bases to pop colours.
MAC Pearlglide Eye Liners in Bankroll, Fly-by-Blu, Miss Fortune, Rave and Wolf (S$10). The rich hues + smooth texture of these shimmery pencils = ♥!
MAC Brushed Metal-X in Verdigris and Gilded Ash (S$10). This piece of Gilded Ash is a back-up; I already own one and LOVE its rich, cool-brown tones as a base for smokey eyes.
MAC Eye Shadow Quad in Stowaway (from the Naughty Nauticals collection), Shadowy Lady and Tempting (both from the Cult of Cherry collection). A steal at S$20 each, considering that one eyeshadow single costs S$26 at MAC. I didn’t succumb when they were first released and am thrilled to own them now. I’m especially pleased with Shadowy Lady as I have a weakness for blue-brown combinations!
MAC Adoring Carmine Neutral Lips set (S$30).
MAC Colour Form Powders in Sun Centred and Play Around Pink (S$20).
MAC for Emanuel Ungaro Eye Shadow in Mineral (S$10) and Cream Colour Base in Crushed Bougainvillea (S$12). The latter is a gorgeously rich red pink that imparts an easy and healthy flush to the cheeks.
A practical item, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Duo (S$25) is useful for touch-ups.
MAC Strobe Undercover in Pinkified and Peachiness (S$15). A gem of a find. I consider MAC Strobe Cream one of the brand’s finest products, both in terms of quality and performance, so coming upon these limited edition tinted/colour-correcting MAC Strobe products was quite a pleasant surprise for me.
Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadows in Slate and Galaxy and Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Violet Ink (S$10 each). These cream shadows wear like iron. Galaxy is a stunning shimmery silvered taupe with a flash of green; perfect for both light and dark eye looks. I wish I’d bought more than one!
An array of Bobbi Brown eyeshadow singles (S$10 each): Metallic Eyeshadows in After Hours, Forest, Rock Star and Java; Shimmerwash Eyeshadows in Stone and Fawn; Eyeshadow in Rich Brown and Metallic Eyeshadow in Navajo; two Velvet Plum Eye Palettes (S$30 each).
After Hours is a back-up whose plum brown tones are perfect with Gilded Ash, while Forest is a stunning deep green spiked with gold shimmer.
Clinique Instant Pretty Gift Pack comprising a silver clutch, All About Eyes (15 ml), a Color Surge eyeshadow palette, High Impact Mascara, Long Last Lipstick in Twilight Nude and a bottle of Take The Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips (50ml).
Kimoko, who went with me, told me I had to get it if only for the eye cream, so I did!
A closer look at the eyeshadow palette and lippy. Such complementary colours, aren’t they?
Graphic Color Eyeshadow in Enigmatic Khaki (S$20) was an unexpected find at the Estée Lauder counter. Pigmented and striking, this palette made me gasp with its stunning colour combination. Amethyst (S$12) is a rose plum lipstick good for everyday use. Below the two is Clinque Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in 12 Kiwi ($10).
A S$50 Estée Lauder holiday coffret that comprises two red patent bags, a concealer, a deep red lipstick, a pink lipgloss and an eyeshadow palette, this set is perfect for my mother.
The priciest of the lot, Origins Change Their World set (S$65) contains Incredible Spreadable Scrub (100 ml), Ginger Rush hydrating body cream (100 ml), Modern Friction dermabrasion cream (50 ml), A Perfect World moisturiser (30 ml) and Checks & Balances frothy face wash (150 ml). A hefty box of skincare goodies that is value-for-money indeed.
What a whirlwind shopping experience it was. Could you blame me for looking forward to the next Estée Lauder Private Sale? :D
* Before you baulk at the number of items I’d bought, several were CPed for friends and some were bought as gifts for family members. ;)
Mag! Please let me follow you shopping at least once, so you can help me choose some products and colours for a simple but effective look for myself.
Can please??
Any time, Adele dear! :)
Are you partial to any brands? I’ll gladly go to the MAC counter with you though; my MA is used to me bringing my friends there and getting them to buy things, lol!
I’m not sure if you have my current number. Email me?
Wow they have the Pearlglides too! These are great! Invite me next time, pleeeeease!
omg this is an awesome drool-worthy haul!!!!! *drool* hahaha :D
Hi Karebear!
:D They are so pretty, aren’t they?
O.M.G. HOW I WISH I COULD HAVE GONE TOO!!! THE AMOUNT OF MAC I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT *SIGHZZZ*
Oh Fridagal,
It was easy to OD on MAC at this sale!
When is the EL next sales? Not open to public? If yes, too bad.
Hi Anon,
I’m not sure when the next one will be. Unfortunately, they aren’t open to the public.
Wow, Estee Lauder sale at S'pore is waayyyy much better than KL. We just have their sale last month, but the crowd is just not like a 'private' sale at all. Some girls makes money by selling the invitation cards. They still selling items from the 2007 collection.and most of the items is pre-pack and no box.
Hi Ayu,
I'm sorry to read about the EL sale in KL. Perhaps future ones would be better. Not all EL sales are as good as the one I attended. I don't recall the range being this extensive at the first EL sale I went to.
The one that I wrote about really was amazing in terms of range and bargains. :)