A Little Bit of Haulage from MAC!

Wednesday 04/06/2011 was my husband's day off so we went on a little adventure down south. He had to drop off some arrow pens that he makes at the Archery shop located there and I wanted to take some of my depotted MAC eyeshadows to exchange for a lipstick as part of the Back to MAC program. There are no MAC stores or counters located where I live so I have to travel if I don't want something without going through the hassel of ordering online.

My husband and I didn't even know that there was a MAC store and counter located in this city that we visited for the day, but I looked up the stores on the MAC website and it listed them. After we were done with my husband's business, we went there and to our amazement it was a very nice mall. Surprisingly it wasn't overly crowded like most malls, but it was HUGE! It had a very clean and modern atmosphere packed with 2 levels of stores I don't get to see everyday.

I read some reviews about the MAC customer service in this mall and was alarmed to see so many negative feedbacks so I was already expecting it. Yet, when we went to the MAC counter in Nordstrom, I was pleasantly surprised that the ladies there were super friendly and helpful. They addressed me right when I got there and asked if I needed any help. When I found the products I was looking for, they made sure I got them quickly and that I was happy with them. I was very pleased with how they treated me and their overall exceptional customer service.

There's a comical story that came with our little adventure. Before we went to the MAC counter, we grabbed some frozen yogurt on the second story and I spotted Sephora on the bottom level. My husband then stated "I bet MAC's right across from it." and I corrected him saying that the MAC counter is located in Nordstrom. Yet, after I got all my stuff and we explored more of the mall, we came to the Sephora I spotted and what do you know? The MAC store was right across from it like my husband said! LOL! I didn't want to go into either of them because I had already spent so much money on my haul. Then I thought about it and realized that those negative reviews about the MAC employees were the ones from the MAC store, not the counter. I was super relieved that I went to the counter instead because to me, customer service is everything.

All right, enough with my ramble. Here are some pictures of my haul. This is everything I got that day. I only bought four items (the ones that are in boxes) and it came out to around $80! I got the lipstick in exchange for my depotted Back to MAC eyeshadow containers. I bought two of their eyeshadows in Brule and Wedge to complete my MAC palette. I'm so silly because my palette has nothing but colors and no transitioning shade or highlight color. So two of these colors are more of a necessity than a splurge. Yet, I still splurged nonetheless. =/ I seriously splurged on these two products. I got their Studio Tech foundation in NC35 (even though I've got enough foundation to last the year) and their Pro Longwear Concealer in NC35 (although I'm not even through my other concealers yet). I've tried both of these today and was pleased with their quality. The only downfall is that the foundation is a tad bit darker than I am. I had requested for NC32, but they were out and the MAC MUA suggested NC35 because it's going to be summer soon and I'm going to get tan anyway. So in a way, it's a good thing I got it but I can't use it just yet.

I loved the concealer though! I have horrible skin with a lot of ance scars and uneven skin tone so I use concealer like it's a second layer of foundation. I need the coverage! LOL! Because I use a lot of concealer, it's important for me to find one that has full coverage without looking extremely cakey. This concealer did an amazing job at covering up dark ance spots and because it's liquid, it didn't look or feel like I was masking my face in makeup. A lot of people that reviewed this concealer complained about the pump because it would pump out too much product and goes to waste, but not for me. Because I use a lot of concealer anyway, it worked out great! I used to use concealers that came in a tube with a doe foot applicator and it was always so difficult to get enough product on the applicator so I can apply it to my face. I love this pump mechanism and am so happy I got this concealer! Lastly, I got the lipstick in Hue in exchange for my 6 Back to MAC items. I swatched this color and it was just the prettiest nude pink color so I had to get it. I'd also heard a lot of good reviews about it as well and I agree that it definately lives up the the hype.

We had a really good time there and plan to visit soon. =]