MAC

WHAT: M·A·C Cosmetics Online Sample Sale @ Gilt

WHY: M·A·C Cosmetics up to 60% off!

WHEN: 5/4 12pm – 5/6 12am

WHERE: Gilt.com

*To sign up & access the sales, please click here.
Shop Top Designer Brands at up to 60% off retail on Gilt.com

WHAT: M.A.C Cosmetics Sample Sale

WHY: Stock up for summer with a wide selection of seasonal trend shades, limited-edition colors and fan favorite products at up to 60% off retail prices at the M.A.C Cosmetics Sample Sale.

All sales are final.

WHEN: 7/19 – 7/22; Tue (2-7), W-Th (9-7), F (9-4)

WHERE: Metropolitan Pavilion
123 West 18th Street
between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
4th floor
New York, NY
212-463-0071

SUBMITTED BY: TheStylishCity.com

For the complete list of today’s sales and sample sales check HERE

There’s a new trend in town, and it’s one we think — no, know — you’ll love: Beauty product customization. From nail polish to lipstick to eyeshadows and beyond, the cosmetic world is taking an individualized approach to business by giving their customer’s more of a say in what they buy.

Customized Lipsticks

NYC’s Bite Beauty Lip Lab, which opened in May of this year, is the perfect example of customized cosmetics. It’s essentially a shop that lets you make your own lipstick shade and take it home with you that day.

“The patent-pending process of making custom lipsticks starts by combining different existing lipstick colors,” writes Bite Beauty on their blog. “You can try on mixes of different colors and layer on more shades to alter the look. The process of making a lipstick takes about seven minutes and involves melting down the different bullets of lipstick (they look like chocolate truffles!), adding a scent (cherry, violet, peppermint, or super fruit), pouring the mix into lipstick molds and allowing the formula to harden on a cold plate. It’s as simple at that!”

Check it out yourself:

*The store will be temporarily closed at the end of summer for a re-design, which promises to be “more interactive” and will include play stations for color.

Bite Beauty
174 Prince Street, NYC
646-484-6111
Open 11 AM to 7 PM, Tuesday-Saturday and 11 AM to  5PM Sunday.

If you’re not in NYC, but still want to give customized lipstick a try, head over to LillieMakeup.com, which lets you create your own lipstick online. You’ll start with a base color. From there, you can customize your lipstick even further by adding toners and/or frosts. You can also add lip plumping ingredients, sunscreen, extra moisture and certified therapeutic grade oils.

Customized Nail Polish

“Pretty Please thinks it’s time to get personal,” writes the brand on the home page of their website. “That’s why we create customized nail polish just for you! You select a shade you love and give it your own unique name.”

The concept is actually pretty cool, as is the tool you use on their website. You essentially choose one of the brand’s pre-made colors and then you customize the name. If you’re thinking, “Why would I care what it’s named?” the answer is simple. It makes a great gift, is perfect for baby showers or bachelorette parties, and sometimes it’s just fun to have a nail polish you’ve named yourself.

If you wanna get all Shakespeare (“What’s in a name?”), then perhaps you’d like something more along the lines of Couture by Nails Inc., which let’s you customize the bottle, the name and the box. You do choose from one of their pre-made colors, though.

If it’s customized color you’re really after, though, you do have options at Etsy.com.  Various sellers will work with you to create your own, personalized nail polish color, and for a reasonable price.

Customized Palettes

Ever buy a makeup palette only to hit the pan on three colors and never touch the rest? That’s what you call a waste of money, darling. Don’t do that anymore. Instead, buy from brands that let you mix and match pans. Here’s a list of some of our favorites:

Inglot Cosmetics (Freedom System)
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics (Build Your Custom Palette)
MAC Cosmetics (Custom Palette)

Customized Foundations

Nothing’s worse than wearing the wrong shade of foundation. It’s a tell-tale sign of cosmetic ineptitude and is seriously unflattering.

Unfortunately, it’s really hard to match your skin tone. Even if you think you’ve got the right color, you could walk out of the store — and into different light — only to realize you’ve got the wrong shade.

Sephora and Pantone of joined forces to save the day with “Color IQ.” Their motto: “Never wear the wrong foundation again.” They suggest going in-store to try the Sephora + Pantone “revolutionary color-matching system” to see how awesome it is for yourself.

Check out this demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=UgcEh7r2ds4

Do you have any recommendations for brands that offer customized cosmetics? If so, share them in the comment section below!

By Wendy Rose Gould

If you’ve traveled recently, you may have seen one of Benefit Cosmetics’ new, pink-tastic vending machines in the corridors of your airport. The brand’s vending machine has picked up some Internet steam — most likely because of its ultra girly aesthetic — but it’s not the only high end cosmetic vending machine on the market.

The Rise of Cosmetic Vending Machines

As far back as a decade ago, skincare and cosmetic companies have sold their goods to consumers via the convenience of vending machines. For example, in 1997 Elizabeth Arden began stocking vending kiosks with their top cosmetic sellers. On the whole, buyers were delighted.

Other brands that’ve had their own vending machines around for just as long include Coty (which sells designer fragrances), StriVectin and Proactiv Solution Acne Care. Sephora, Chanel — and now Benefit — are more recent passengers of this “vending machine cosmetic” bandwagon. The fact that more and more high end brands keep joining the vending machine club makes it apparent that these novel, futuristic makeup machines are doing well. And you know what that means? They’re likely here to stay.

It’s no surprise they’re doing well, as the idea, really, is a genius one. First of all, consumers love convenience. If you’re not in a big city, chances are you have limited access to high end cosmetics. Vending machines help solve that problem by selling these hard-to-find products at places where you’re more likely to frequent (say, at your nearest major airport). And let’s say you forgot your concealer and you’re headed straight to a business meeting after de-boarding. Seeing a whole case of options to choose from would probably make you feel like guardian angels do exist.

Secondly, from a business model standpoint, the novelty of getting your mascara or highlighter from a vending machine is pretty cool. These machines have probably done quite well thanks to impulse buying alone.

While these machines have, for the most part, resided mostly inside of airport walls, there’s been discussion on branching out to other venues. The goal, naturally, is to increase sales by targeting various demographics. Namely, teens. There’s even been talk of installing these high end cosmetic vending machines in bowling alleys, movie theaters, malls and even at high schools, all of which get decent teen traffic.

Would You Buy From Them?

Personally, I prefer to test out a cosmetic item before purchasing it (or at least reading reviews and seeing swatches), so I don’t see myself trying new products with vending machines. I would, however, purchase products I’m already familiar with. Or, if I had forgotten my makeup bag or desperately needed an item, I’d chance it with one of these machines.

How about you? Have you seen one of these vending machines floating around? And more importantly, have you — or would you — purchased from them? And lastly, are there any brands you’d love to see introduce a vending machine of their own? I’m holding out for NARS, Urban Decay and MAC.

Share your thoughts in the comment section!

By Wendy Rose Gould