Costco. That’s right, Costco. The discount warehouse club with brand names that rich people feel ok about is actually a pretty good source for higher-end cosmetics, too. Hardly something I was thinking about as I scoured the cavernous aisles for gallon-sized tubs of guacamole and free lobster spread samples, but a gleeful discovery nevertheless. As it’s a bulk store, you will find the obligatory multipacks featuring five of the same mascara, but thankfully most of the products are sold as kits, eliminating any and all budgetary inhibitions on my behalf. First of all, as a packaging nerd and bargain-hunter, I’m already a huge fan of kits. While I may have difficulty justifying $15 for a single eyeshadow, I’ll gladly fork over $45 for three if you package them together (bonus if it comes in a pretty all-in-one pallette/container/easy bake oven), and cosmetic kits often feature fun bonuses like free applicators and special edition colors. As evidenced by my much loved 30-dresses-in-1 American Apparel find, I’m easily sucked in by the lure of purchasing one thing with many possibilities. Maybe it’s just retail ADD, who knows.
So yeah, I got
The Bare Minerals Get Started Eyes kit for $39 ($10 off regular price), which is pretty great. I’ve recently been buying into this whole mineral makeup craze in a big way. What I’m really excited about, though, are the Stila Fall eyecolor sets they’re currently selling. They come in Grey and Brown collections, and they’re only *NINETEEN DOLLARS*. The set comes with a pretty aluminum palette with four gorgeous, blendable and (thank god) full-sized shadows that are perfectly matched and vividly pigmented. It also features a gigantic mirror in the compact so you can smile at your badassery as you flaunt your now perfectly smoked eyes. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. The palette is already a steal, I’d expect to pay twice as much, but it’s also packaged with two full sized eyeshadow brushes AND a nice all-purpose mascara. I ended up buying the grey one for myself (as pictured left) and a brown one for my mom. Fricking amazing. Oh, and they also had a Smashbox kit, but I didn’t buy it since those are frequently rip-offs, which is a whole other entry.
Costco’s stock changes frequently and varies by location, so who knows how long these will be available, but you’d better believe that I’ll be checking back pretty frequently for new specials. This may even help to curb my unhealthy dependence on Ulta, who knows.
