pixelbunny's picks

This was my first time going to the Shisedo/NARS warehouse sale and I was lucky enough to be in the lovely company of The Procrastinator and TOD. They are both so much fun to hang out with and we had lots to talk about. This was helpful during our 1.5hr long wait in line to get in. The sale was held at the Shiseido warehouse in Markham.

Having survived my first Shiseido warehouse sale, I have compiled some tips to those of you looking to go.

1. Wear comfortable shoes. Resist the urge to wear heels (your feet will thank you later) and sandals (there’s enough people squished together that your feet can get stepped on).
2. Use a cross body bag or at least a smaller bag with a zipper. So many women and girls brought their ginormous sacks which takes up so much space at the counters! The zipper is also useful because there’s no risk of anyone reaching into your bag and stealing anything (yes, that is super paranoid of me). I don’t know if anyone would do that, but the potential is there, especially if you have a very large bag that has no zipper closure and its gaping wide open.
3. Know your colour in foundation and concealer. This will save you the time of having to wait to reach the counter, then trying to find the product to swatch, then trying to decide if it matches or not under warehouse lighting.
4. When you’re at the counter, don’t second guess yourself and just get it. There’s time to sort through your things later and decide whether you want it or not.
5. Do your homework before coming. So many people were asking questions about the skincare products that could easily have been found online.
6. Have fun! There will always be that pushy person who practically shoves in front of you to reach the table first. Feel free to glare and give them the evil eye.
7. Going with friends is a lot of fun. If someone reaches the counter first, they can always ask for things for you so you don’t have to spend time to get there!
8. Bring makeup remover wipes. Swatching and cleaning up becomes a piece of cake.

Like I said, I went with The Procrastinator and TOD. We started our journey early (8am pickup!) and got there around 8:30am. We had a nice time chatting and playing with this adorable baby we kept on passing by in the lines until we finally made it in (it was 10am).

This is my haul!

So many goodies!

• NARS nail polish in #1780 Space Odyssey – $5 (orig. $21)
• NARS concealer in Ginger – $10 (not sure what they used to be but the new revamped formula with new packaging is now $28)
• NARS multiple in Cannes – $15 (orig. $46)
• Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam – $23 (orig. $49)
• Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Balancing Softener – $30 (orig. $64)
• Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Moisturizing Emulsion – $32 (orig. $72)
• Shiseido Perfect Smoothing Compact Foundation refill pan in I20 – $10 (orig. $36)
• Shiseido Perfect Smoothing Compact Foundation compact only – $5 (orig. $9)
• Shiseido Facial Cotton x2 – $7 each (orig. $9)
• Clé de Peau Beauté Extra Silky Lipstick in #107 – $20 (orig. $52)

After coming home and comparing the warehouse price with the original retail price, this sale is definitely worth the crazy line up and crowds! You’re getting deals of at least 50% off. I did go a bit crazy in the Shiseido section, but I’m super excited to try everything. The NARS multiple and Clé de Peau extra silky lipstick were both impulse buys because Procrastinator suddenly swatched them on my hand and I was immediately smitten by the colour.

I want to thank Procrastinator for coming with me and letting me use her Colour Eye. I am not, to be quite honest, a very good judge of colour when it comes to matching my skin tone so to have her with me to look at swatches on me was super helpful. Thank you! You should trademark your Colour Eye. I think it will be quite marketable to other girls out there!

Did you go to the Shiseido Warehouse sale? Share your haul with me in the comments below!