Shopping can be stressful at the best of times, but when you bring beauty products into the equation, the whole thing becomes less of a shopping ‘trip’ and more of a shopping mission.
Trying to find the right shade of foundation is like the beauty equivalent of trying to find the perfect pair of jeans, but nothing can give you adrenaline like the rush to buy a coveted product in a limited edition collection.
Beauty shopping? It’s certainly not for the faint hearted!
Here are 10 emotions we can all relate to when makeup shopping, with a little help from Taylor Swift!
1. Wonder
That moment when you step into a beauty hall, into Superdrug, Boots or a stand alone makeup store is a wonderful thing. The sense of opportunity stirs the makeup loving beast inside of you. So much swatching is about to be done.
2. Recognising the recommended
When you’re strolling through the aisles, casually perusing the products, it’s not uncommon to experience a flashback to that time in 2012 when your friend told you about that amazing mascara that you just had to buy.
Not only does makeup shopping offer some quality ‘me time’, but it can also prove to be a trip down memory lane.
Just read a tweet from your favourite celebrity about an eyeshadow that they can’t get enough of? You’ll be much more likely to hunt that stuff down.
3. ‘Yaaaaaaas’
A shiny thing catches your eye over at the MAC counter. It’s a new Mineralise Skin Finish. It’s glowy, it’s sheeny, it’s highlighter heaven. You’re entering your PIN faster than you can say ‘strobing’.
4. ‘HOW much?!’
The new Charlotte Tilbury counter recently opened in Fenwicks Newcastle, so of course beauty lovers have flocked to the rose gold counter like moths to a flame; but £24 for a lipstick? Pricey for anyone, pretty much out of the question for a student, but we challenge you to resist that stunning vintage style packaging and exquisite shade range.
5. Delight
Nothing beats walking into Boots/Superdrug and seeing that there’s a 3-for-2 promotion on beauty, haircare and skincare. There’s no better time to stock up on concealer, mascara, hairspray or dry shampoo – just make sure you have your Advantage Card/Beauty Card to hand to collect those points!
6. Surprise
No matter how many beauty blogs you read or YouTubers you subscribe to, some new releases slip through the net and await discovery on the stands. Maybelline released a new shade of Colour Tattoo and you DIDN’T know about it?! Come to mamma!
7. Heartache
Remember when MAC released that limited edition collection back in 2012 and the lipstick that you bought from the range became your all time favourite, only for it to never see the light of day again? You’ll spend at least five minutes of each makeup shopping trip trying to find an exact dupe for that long lost shade, whilst the original lipstick itself spends its days in your stash at home, being rationed to one (very special) use per year. When you find a very special LE love, makeup expiry dates become the least of your concerns.
8. Pure unbridled SASS
So, you’ve been targeted by a counter assistant. They’re the hawk and you’re their prey…at least they think so. Shuffle on, lady, and don’t try to tell me that my base makeup is too heavy when I use a stippling brush to apply this stuff. I’m not the naive novice that you’re going to bully a sale out of. Get your commission from another girl.
9. ‘I’m definitely not trying to convince myself that I need this lipstick’
Y’know that moment when you find a lipstick, and deep down just know that you have a shade almost identical to it at home, but want it anyway? Don’t underestimate that voice in the back of your head, it can find literally any excuse to ensure you walk away with yet another shade of red. Yes, it may be almost the same scarlet hue as the YSL lipstick that you treated yourself to last payday, but that lipstick had warm undertones and this one has cold ones! Plus, it would match beautifully to that Rimmel nail polish you own, right?
10. Achievement
So many people talk about having a mini fashion show when they get home from clothes shopping, but nothing is more aesthetically pleasing than laying all of your newly purchased beauty products out on your dressing table and taking a beautifully orchestrated snap for Instagram. Plus, getting out of bed on a morning is so much easier when you have a brand new bottle of foundation waiting to be cracked open.
