Estee Lauder Warehouse Sale [haul]

Getting tickets to the Estee Lauder warehouse sale always makes me giddy. They have them every 3 months in Markham, Ontario at the Markham fair grounds. Estee Lauder gives tickets to employees of their brand and brands that they own. Some of the brands found at these sales are Mac Cosmetics (LOTS of Mac), Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Clinique, Origins, Coach, Michael Kors, DNKY and of course, Estee Lauder. A friend of a friend is a makeup artist at Mac and that is how I usually get my hands on tickets.

This was my third trip to the Estee Lauder warehouse sale. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed in this trip. I found that there was far less product than in previous sales, including a lot less Mac eyeshadows, blushes and lipsticks. Prices are also higher than they were last year for some of the exact same products which is always a bummer. Nonetheless I ended up with a pretty good score, including an awesome Smashbox palette that kind of make up for my disappointment.

I always pick up a new Mac Cleanse-Off Oil when I go to the warehouse sale. I got this regular-sized container for $18 (It was $10 last year) which retails for $36, so I still got it for half price. Mac Cleanse-Off Oil is amazing. It started my love of cleansing oils and takes my waterproof mascara off like no other. When I approached the mascara table, I basically picked up the only mascara that was waterproof. Mascara's were only $10, including selections from Bobbi Brown, Smashbox and Mac. I picked up the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Lash Multiplying Mascara. It sounds good and is waterproof so I figured for $10 I couldn't go wrong.

The lipstick selection at these sales is always lackluster. You generally get the reject lip colours from limited edition collections. But this time I stumbled upon two Clinique Chubby sticks that I couldn't pass up.  I can never pass up a good purple. Purple lipstick is my weakness. When I saw the Chubby Stick is Voluptuous Violet I knew I needed it in my collection. I also picked up Super Strawberry which is a neutral pink. I probably didn't need to own both of these. The Chubby Sticks are very sheer so they are very similar on the lips (which you can see below). These were also half price at $10 which retails for $19. They are super moisturizing and provide a nice glossy, stained look to the lips.

Voluptuous Violet & Super Strawberry | Voluptuous Violet (top) & Super Strawberry (bottom)

The warehouse sale is broken up into three large rooms. We made our way into the last building and I had only picked up the four things above. I was pretty bummed. But then I saw a Smashbox eyeshadow palette laying ontop of a Coach perfume display and my eyes lit up. It was my mission to hunt down this Smashbox palette and make it my own. The only Smashbox item I have ever seen at these sales is the Smashbox full exposure mascara. And then I stumbled upon three Smashbox palettes and my day was oficially considered a victory.

I decided on the Studio Pop Eyeshadow palette. It has 16 soft, pigmented eyeshadows, including 5 matte shadows which we all know I am a sucker for. The four colours at the bottom of the palette are cream eyeshadow/liners: a bronze brown, a deep purple, a navy blue and a black with silver glittter. I like that there is a nice mixture of neutral, coloured and dark eyeshadows. You could literally make any look with this palette. I am so excited to get my fingers in there and play around with looks. As you can see it folds shut, with a mirror on one side and instructional cards on the other. It's a good thing I never noticed this palette when it was in stores or I may have paid full price for it! This palette retailed for $49 and I got it for $35.

After you pay for your items there is a counter on the way out where you can donate $5 to Mac Aids Fund and get a free gift. It is usually a grab bag of random items. I think the grab bags were all the same (my friend and I got the same items). You received an Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Double Definition, a Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo in Heaven & Earth and a pigment from the Archie Girls collection in Magic Spell.  The Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are beautiful, but this is far too warm for my complexion. I am most excited about the pigment, which is a black base with a blue glitter/duochrome to it which looks gorgeous!

Extra Dimension Skinfinish Double Definition Top & Bottom, Pigment in Magic Spell, Heaven and Earth Duo

If you can get tickets to the Warehouse sale I would still recommend going. It is a very cool experience and I will continue to go if I can get my hands on tickets. I want to try and go on a Friday night next time (I've only ever gone on Saturday mornings). A lot of things are sold out when I go so maybe if I go on Friday's there will be more selection and I can find some more great deals.