Makeup & Crabs

My sister got married 4 days ago. At this time, 4 days ago, I was dancing to "Rhythm of the Night" by El Debarge. So, I haven't been around for a while. I accept that. I also haven't eaten out at too many new places. Right now I'm addicted to crabs and makeup, so that's where my money's been going to.

Crabs have been my $10 a week habit as of late. See: Crawfish Shack. It's been good to hear that the oil is moving away from the area where they get their Blue Crab from. Silver lining? All I can say is that offshore drilling should be more heavily regulated. It's off shore for crying out loud. Think of those crabs. Please, think of the crabs.

As for makeup, that's something I can review. Lately, I've been finding that Sephora is a place where I can drop $50 real easily. When you're addicted to eyeshadow and lipstick, you can justify buying ANYTHING. Also, I'm at the development stage in my makeup usage where I'm trying to find uses for any color and I'm also developing my eyeshadow color palette. I'm not too picky, I'll pick up any cool color that looks interesting. So why pay retail for that?

Semi-recently, I wrote about the staying power of two different brands of eyeshadow and MAC won over certified organic Smashbox. Aside from eBay and having an insider at MAC, my most convenient option for reduced price MAC eyeshadow is the Cosmetics Company Store. For about $10 a pop (vs. $14.50), I can get eye shadow from previous seasons that's been discontinued or it was a part of a seasonal promotion. No, it is not defective or old, or testers for that matter. It's also very easy to find pink lipstick.

If you live in Austin, you're in luck. There happen to be TWO Cosmetics Company Stores in the outlets surrounding Austin in San Marcos and Round Rock.

When I first started messing around with makeup about 2 years ago, my cousin's boyfriend who's a makeup artist at MAC suggested that I go to Sally's Beauty Supply to get some makeup brushes to practice with before buying the more expensive ones. I was able to get a pretty nice starter set of MAC brushes at the Cosmetics Company Store for $36. Considering that some MAC brushes alone can get that high, it really isn't bad for a starter set. The cheaper prices allow me to get more for my money...it's not like I'm going to spend less anyway.