MAC Mania

I had a crazy weekend. On Saturday, Allegra and I woke up at an ungodly hour and rushed over to Renaissance Hotel for the Estee Lauder Staff Sale. The invitation card stated the opening hours as 9:30am to 3pm, but women (and a handful of men - most appeared to have been unwillingly dragged there by their SOs) were lining up by 7am to get in. The friend who got us the invites insisted we should arrive at 7:30am, otherwise we would miss out. After much wrangling with Allegra about the time we should arrive, we got there at 8am. No handbags were allowed in; each shopper was given a huge white plastic bag to carry their loot. Although there were like 9 other brands there (Estee Lauder, Aramis, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Origins & Stila), we concentrated our efforts mainly on MAC... and an unknown number of others apparently had the same idea. By the time we got there, like half the MAC stock (Read: all the good stuff) was gone! Goodbye, Powerpoint pencils! ;(

One of the reasons why most of the stock was gone in half an hour was because people just grabbed whatever they could from the MAC (and Bobbi Brown) counter, then squatted down somewhere to sort out what they want and what they don't. The 'rejects' were then returned to their respective counters for us late(r)comers to sift through. :P

When A and I finalised what we wanted to buy, we tried to find the end of the credit card line.... and discovered that it wound like a fire hose near the cashiers, then snaked along the entire perimetre of the grand ballroom. When we reached the end of the line, which was at the entrance of the ballroom, we discussed and decided not to waste an hour of our lives lining up to pay for the goods... some painful elimination had to be done so we could pay by cash (I brought enough for my purchases but she didn't) and get the hell out of there to feed our (by then) starving selves. :P Sigh, oh well.

Here's the list of my MAC loot from the sale:

Lipstick (Normal price: approx RM60 each)
RM55 pack of 3 (Savings: RM125)
Rocker (deep red), Fleshpot (nude), Push-up Plum (plummy purple)

Glitz Gloss (Normal price: approx RM65 each)
RM25 pack of 2 (Savings: RM105)
Girl's Got It (fuchsia glitter), Foreign Intrigue (red glitter)

Paint (Normal price: approx RM60 each)
RM40 pack of 2 (Savings: RM80)
Flammable (red), Base Light (gold-nude)

Pigment Colour Powder (Normal price: RM80 each)
RM30 pack of 2 (Savings: RM130)
Goldenaire (gold-nude), Blue

Platinum Bronze Powder SPF27 (Normal price: approx RM80)
RM20 each (Savings: RM60)
Summersoft (yellow-based bronzer)

Eye Shadow (Normal price: RM57 each)
RM50 pack of 3 (Savings: RM121)
Overgrown (vibrant yellow-green), Love-Bud (orangey-pink), Botanical (glittery pale purplish brown)

Total Paid: RM220
Total Savings: RM621 (approx)
******

Lest you think that I'm turning into a makeup-obsessed airhead... well, I'm not, so perish the thought. :P

After that, we went to have a brunch of comfort food, the chicken and beef pies at Dome, MV. While we were eating, one of my dancemates-turned-instructor, LadyofLeisure, called me to ask if I could sub for her 4:30pm class at Allegra's ex-gym. I didn't even know she was still teaching! With no idea what she's been teaching her students, and not very certain how to get to the studio, I was very hesitant... plus, I had a dance gig at a wedding that evening (also a last minute thing that I agreed to on Friday). I had to turn her down because I wouldn't have time to rush home, shower, put on my warpaint, pack for the show and rush to the venue, braving the horrendous weekend jam in town. Apparently my dance teacher Salena suggested getting me to sub for LadyofLeisure... sometimes I think she's a bit unrealistic.. and as Shamrocq (WY) says, she's starting to take us for granted. Yeah, we're fabulously multi-talented (hehe), dedicated and responsible, but that doesn't mean we're completely at her disposal. We have our own things to do during our free time.

My gig that evening was held at a rather popular, small Middle-Eastern restaurant in town. My first task was simple: leading the procession of adorable pink-glitterdot-clad 'flower girls' into the restaurant, with the bride and groom following behind the kids. They played Tarkan's Simarik... uhg.. oh well. I discovered that there a number of bellydancers and some Datins I had a passing acquaintance with in the audience; made me a little more nervous, but it went ok, I think. After the ceremony and after the guests had tucked in to the buffet, I danced one number, and that was it. Phew. Got good feedback from said dancers after that; not sure if it was flattery or sincere compliments, but it was nice anyway. :)

I was exhausted when I arrived home around 11pm, as I was up since 6:30am. The next day I taught an afternoon class. There were quite a number of new students, and I started teaching a new choreography. Had to teach some basics such as hipdrops, snake arms and shimmies for the benefit of the new students, but had to keep the more senior students occupied too.. wasn't easy; I went around correcting the new students, and at the end of the lesson, I came away thinking that I should have done more for the seniors. Must keep this in mind the next time I teach.

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest that evening with bro - it was entertaining, as expected, with some corny moments. It's amusing that Davy Jones has an octopus for a head. :P Oddly enough, I could recognise Bill Nighy's mannerisms and expressions through the tentacle face! Amazing. *went "Ah-HAH!" when viewing the credits after the movie* And does anyone remember if there was a thing between Liz Swann and Jack Sparrow in the first movie?? I certainly don't.. Anyway, it ends on a cliffhanger... let's just hope they don't take too long to complete the third movie.

Finally, my dears, here's an opportunity for you to express what you think of me through my Johari window. Please have a look. ;)