Estée Lauder Warehouse Sale — Spring 2013

So, I went with Steph to the Estée Lauder warehouse sale this past weekend. Steph had never been, and I was like, "I'm totally gonna pop your warehouse sale cherry," and she got super excited. I was originally going to pass up on it because I'm on a serious budget this month, but I was tempted by the thought of those $5 charity grab bags, and thought, "Well, it would be worth going just to pick up a grab bag." Of course, me being me, I got tempted by some other things... However, I made good on my "no buying make-up" rule and only picked up some body products, so I don't feel so bad.

Origins Ginger Gloss Smoothing Body Oil and Gloomaway Grapefruit Body Wash & Bubble Bath
Okay, I think I got some pretty good deals, if I do say so myself. And that's really saying something, since I go to these sales like, four times a year. Body oils are getting a lot of attention lately and I've been wanting to try one for a while, so when I saw Origins Ginger Gloss, I decided to pick one up since it was $15 from $25. I also allowed myself to get one new shower gel, since I am just finishing up my massive bottle of Dr. Bronner's Citrus Liquid Soap, which I had been using exclusively as my body wash. I thought finishing nearly a litre of body wash was quite a feat and cause for celebration, and since I am a sucker for all things grapefruit-scented, I snatched up a tube of Origins Gloomaway Grapefruit Body Wash, since it was $12 from $22.50.
Origins Ginger to Go & Stay Set: Incredible Spreadable Smoothing Ginger Body Scrub, Ginger Soufflé Whipped Body Cream, and Ginger Burst Savory Body Wash (and travel-size version of each)
My best deal of the day, however, was the Origins Ginger to Go & Stay Set. Okay, guys, they were offering these sets for $30, and it was Buy 1, Get 1 Free. Seriously. I convinced Steph to buy one with me, so we'd each get a set for $15. And each set comes with a full-size 200 ml tube of their Ginger Soufflé Whipped Body Cream, 100 ml tubes of their Incredible Spreadable Smoothing Ginger Body Scrub and Ginger Burst Savory Body Wash, and 50 ml travel-size tubes of each. This set retails for $68.50 and has a value of $78.50. And I got it for $15! What kills me is that people were barely glancing at them because they were in such an obscure spot in the warehouse. Seriously, it was such a bargain. If I had more money, I would've bought like, three more sets...
$5 MAC charity grab bag + MAC freebie gift
And, of course, I got what I went there for: a $5 MAC grab bag. All of the money raised from these grab bags go to the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and MAC AIDS Fund, so it's always worth getting. I mean, it's not buying, it's donating! I think there were a few different grab bags available (it's a blind buy, so you don't know what's in each bag), but since I technically put myself on a make-up ban at the sale, I stuck to getting just one. Mine included Matte Lipstick in Rocker (which was brought back with last fall's MAC by Request collection; I remember wanting this lipstick but it was sold out by the time I checked it out, so this was really meant to be!) and Lustre Lipstick in Fun Fun (I think MAC was going to re-promote this shade last year — from 2007's Balloonacy collection! — but it didn't end up being released), Pro Longwear Lipglass in Everlasting Nude (a limited edition shade from last fall's Office Hours collection, which I reviewed here), and Fluidline in Catch My Eye (from last holiday's Glamour Daze collection — this worked out well, since this was the shade I was missing). That's over $100 worth of MAC products for $5!
And the freebie gift for the day we went on was MAC's Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Bloom On (another limited edition shade from last fall's Office Hours collection, which I reviewed here). Not the most exciting shade, granted, but it was free, so I really can't complain. All in all, a seriously good haul. (Hey, that rhymed.)