Last weekend I had the privilege of visiting the Sephora store in Times Square. If you have the opportunity to go there when you’re next in New York, I advise that you do. The selection is huge, bigger than I’ve encountered anywhere before. What I was mostly giddy about was being able to look at Yves Saint Laurent’s makeup line in person – none of the makeup counters or stores around me carry it, and it’s just not that easy for me to truck all the way up to Neiman Marcus in Tenleytown or wherever the heck it is where it is carried.

I spent some money, though not as much as I anticipated (that’s a good thing). Here’s what I brought home with me:

1. Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil in Feather Light – A fine, mineral-based finishing powder that gives skin a faintly shimmering, iridescent, soft-focus glow. Very pretty, but it’s just okay with absorbing oil.
2. Bare Escentuals Full Flawless Face Brush – Intended for use with the above powder, this is a tightly-packed goat hair brush that evenly dusts loose powder makeup onto the face. No previous powder brush technique knowledge required with this.
3. Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick in Fresh Watermelon – I asked the advice of one of the employees and he recommended this when I asked him what a good berry pink lipstick that wasn’t too shiny could be. The formula glides on and I love the color, it’s very appropriate for the trend that seems to be going on with fuchsia/raspberry-colored lips. Really good for the price, too. Clinique’s awesome all around, though.
4. NARS Lipgloss in Striptease – Thick and on the sticky side, but I really like the color (nude beige) and pairing it with dark eye makeup. I wore this to the theater along with NARS eyeshadow in Night Fever, Diorshow mascara and the palest hint of NARS creme blush in Cactus Flower. It was a NARS night.
5. Kat Von D Autograph Eyeliner in Puro Amor – Last week I wore black liquid liner at work and I thought it looked terrible (even though I got a few compliments on it). The liner I was using had a thick applicator wand and the formula just wasn’t that great, so I chucked it and got this instead. Much finer precision brush and rich, failsafe shades.

I also grabbed a marked-down miniature Sephora brand brush set for traveling and cashed in for a deluxe sample and got Sephora brand body butter in the coconut almond scent.

All that, and I’ve already got a list of things I want to check out when I go to Georgetown with the boyfriend tomorrow!

So I’ve been using lipstick on a regular basis for awhile now and have amassed a decent collection. Most recently I have been intrigued by Kat Von D’s lipsticks, which you can see at Sephora, the manufacturer and sole purveyor of her products.

Kat Von D Painted Love lipstick. Not sure whether this is Underage Red or Hellbent.. or neither?

All of them are a play on the color red. If you browse the reviews, their touted staying power really stands out. I also am drawn in by the matte finish; it seems like everything I own and a lot of what is marketed has a satin or shiny finish. Matte lipsticks dredge up images of bygone Hollywood starlets from the early 20th century and there is something achingly romantic and cool about that. These types of lipsticks are vintage in a non-hipster way and timeless in that they have endured to reclaim a cult status with younger women of today – typically rockerish girls like, well, Kat.

I’m disinclined to trust the color swatch given on the website, so tomorrow I’m going to find out which shade(s) would work for me. I’m most excited to try out Lolita (rose), Underage Red (crimson) and Misfit (brick red).

Finding the right red for you can be difficult as different skin undertones require a different undertone in a red. I have light skin with yellow undertones, so I look better with reds that lean toward brown and other warm, rich notes. There are also blue-reds, coral-reds, and so on.

Main thing to pull of that bold of a color, though, is to be savvy about keeping the color looking fresh and moreover, wear it with confidence (besides, red lips are hot!). Don’t be shy!

But this holiday season I’ve branched out. While scheming up what to give to a friend for Christmas, I got the idea to try out a different makeup provider (it’s like an Internet provider but prettier – okay, that was lame). Sephora is fabulous, but there’s a pricetag on fabulousness. Their deals and promotions are okay, but I’ve never really seen anything from their store on sale.

Enter: Ulta, Sephora’s only slightly less distinguished American relative (Sephora’s a French company, you know). Their inventory spans an array of brands from those you would find in a drugstore to the same ones you would find in a nice department store’s beauty counter. While Ulta does carry items from Dior, Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent, they only sell those brands’ fragrances – no makeup. So, Ulta doesn’t quite match up to Sephora’s selection of high-end makeup, but it still has a lot going for it.

Ulta has its own line of products which are very reasonably priced. Deluxe eyeshadow pots cost $6.50 apiece and their lipsticks are $8. They carry a number of professional makeup brushes at competitive prices, too.

Ulta also offers amazing specials on its products. I purchased two eyeshadow brushes, an eyeshadow primer and two eyeshadow pots for a total of $30. Also, shipping is free on orders totaling $25 or more (at Sephora it’s $50). They also are running a promotion where if you buy a fragrance costing $30+ you get a free set of pajamas valued at $50. That’s pretty awesome!

I received my order yesterday and was surprised at how large the eyeshadow pots are. The pigments are vibrant and appear very concentrated; I will have to get some for myself to see how they wear. The brushes look nice with acrylic handles and smooth, tightly packed hairs.

So, the moral of this is, check out Ulta (and other beauty stores) and see what they have to offer. Stores are around and can be found by location on their Web site. And by boasting brands such as Benefit, Smashbox and Urban Decay lead one to believe that being a little bit unfaithful to their cosmetics store of choice may not be such a bad thing. You never know what bargains, new brands or products you might find!

The other day I was walking past the Metro here in downtown DC and saw one of those mobile advertisements parked outside of Macy’s with a flashy billboard for this new store called Beauty 360.

Out of curiosity, and since I’m always on the lookout for new places to shop (and since Sephora is out in Georgetown — not the most convenient when I have an itch to browse), I Googled the store name and found a few press releases/articles about it. Here are two:

CVS/pharmacy Launches Beauty 360

CVS to open Beauty 360 store

Cool! I’ve been going to CVS for years and they’ve been my main supplier of several staples in my makeup and skincare collection — for instance, they’ve been practically the sole purveyor of Lumene products in the U.S., and I can’t get enough of them (sadly, I’ve read that the makeup end of Lumene is being phased out here, but that skincare products will remain on shelves). So, given my existing feelings for the CVS company I’m already predisposed to liking this store, and what I’ve read sounds pretty good to me.

Aside of that, in this struggling (now there’s an understatement) economy, I’m a bit surprised that CVS is carrying out this venture now, but really, at least here in DC I haven’t noticed people holding back on their spending. Every time I walk around there are people carrying shopping bags stuffed with their latest splurges, and the places I go to like H&M, Sephora, Macy’s and others are always bustling. The same is true at Harris Teeter, my favorite local grocery store that is a cut above your run-of-the-mill Giant and Safeway. People need to eat, yes, but do they need to hit up the gourmet cheese bar and international wines aisle?

The thing is, I think that people are enjoying the comfort of retail therapy. Yes, things cost more these days and we’re all seeing our dollars not stretch as far as they once did – and I’ll tell you what, I do enjoy the occasional splurge on a $20 tube of Dior lipstick. Can’t lie, man.

It’s the little presents you get for yourself that you need once in awhile. It just makes you feel good, if the tiniest bit guilty.

All that aside, I’ve got to set some time aside to visit this new store. It’s neat that the flagship location opened in the city where I live, in particular a neighborhood that I pass through nearly every day on my way to and from work.

Glancing through the palette of brand names they feature, the store sounds promising. I’m excited to see the layout and presentation of the products, plus the pricing on the stuff. It’s sure to be interesting, at least.