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It happens every year. I start checking out the Nordstrom website to see what goodies are being offered for the Anniversary Sale. And I get sucked into the cosmetics department. This time, I was stopped dead in my tracks by this Bobbi Brown set. The lip palette, the eyeshadow duo, the gel eyeliner! What does it matter that I don't need more lip gloss and hardly ever wear eyeshadow or eyeliner? WANT.
And then I started reasoning with myself. This set costs $75, which is almost the same price of the hideously ugly crocheted Ugg boots that will make my daughter The Queen. Of. Seventh. Grade. And do I really need another lip palette of beautiful, wearable shades? Or the gorgeous, subtley shimmery eye wash?
Naturally, the answer is yes, I really do need them. But here's my dirty little secret: I won't buy the set now. I'll wait until the next time I go outlet shopping and visit the Cosmetic Company Store.
The Cosmetic Company Store is owned by Estee Lauder, and it's the place they unload special limited edition sets, gifts-with-purchase sets, duty-free sets, holiday blockbuster kits, discontinued colors and products, and fragrance sets. Discounts are anywhere from 20 to 80 percent.
And Estee Lauder is the parent company to a lot of brands. If you like department store makeup, chances are you like products from
Clinique, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Prescriptives, Origins, or Stila. Well, check out this list of Estee Lauder-owned brands (courtesy of Wikipedia):
- American Beauty
- Aramis
- Aveda
- Bobbi Brown
- Bumble and Bumble
- Clinique
- Coach
- Daisy Fuentes
- Darphin
- Donald Trump The Fragrance (discontinued)
- Donna Karan
- Estée Lauder
- Flirt!
- Good Skin
- Grassroots
- Jo Malone
- Kate Spade (divested)
- Lab Series
- La Mer
- Kiton
- MAC Cosmetics
- Michael Kors
- Missoni
- Ojon
- Origins
- Prescriptives
- Sean John Fragrances
- Stila (sold)
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Tom Ford Beauty
Naturally, this is an outlet store, so you never know what will be in stock. But since I've discovered the Cosmetic Company Store in Kittery, Maine, I've bought a few Bobbi Brown palettes, a bunch of Estee Lauder moisturizer, the Estee Lauder Cyber White collection (very high SPF products which are usually only available in Asia) and a limited edition Tom Ford fragrance.
Naturally, the Estee Lauder company doesn't talk much about these stores. At these prices, why would they? But if you check outlet listings, you might find a store near you.
I plan to visit the Maine store when I'm visiting my family over the holidays. With some luck, that Nordstrom special edition Bobbi Brown lip palette will be in stock!
