Who makes the decision to repave the street in front of my house on Halloween?  And then tells us we have to park our cars elsewhere until it dries?  How am I supposed to get home?  There’s only one way in and one way out of my neighborhood, so it looks like I be walking through fields, barefoot and in 10 feet of snow.  Blah.

But most importantly, how is FedEx supposed to deliver my four Sephora orders today?  I mean, you know that’s the part that’s really killing me right?

Anyway, my long awaited Las Vegas haul has arrived.  Thanks for your patience while I went on vacation for three weekends in a row.  But just look at what you’ve waited for:

This is the NARS Audacious lipstick in the shade Dominique, and it almost didn’t happen.  I was watching a YouTube video several weeks prior to Vegas, and one of my gurus was going on and on about how fabulous this particular shade of lipstick is.  It’s a muted purple – or a purple mixed with a skosh of grey – or it’s just very pretty.  Any of those three.  And so I went to buy it but nobody had it.  Apparently, it’s an exclusive shade for Barney’s New York (aside from NARS) and it was sold out in both places online.  Aack!  This created a panic in me like nobody’s business.  I mean, I don’t live in a big city.  The fanciest store we have is a Macy’s, and not even a two-story one.  How am I ever going to get my hands on this lipstick then?

You go to Vegas.

Wandering through the Forum Shops inside Caesar’s Palace, and I almost missed it.  Gawking off to my right while passing the NARS store on the left.  Thankfully I turned my head just in time.  It’s so funny going into a store where the salesladies start gearing up for their spiel, and I’m holding my hand up like shuushhhhhh.  I already know what I’m looking for; I’m a woman on a mission.

Turns out, they had three tubes left.  And then the heavens opened up and angels began to sing.  It truly was a miracle moment.  I might as well have stumbled upon the last Golden Ticket, or maybe the cup that Jesus drank out of, for how exciting and miraculous this was.

If you like creamy, pigmented lipstick then you will love these.  There are a ton of colors that are widely available on lots of sites, Sephora included.  I just can’t guarantee you’ll find Dominique.  Which is unfortunate because it’s the most beautiful.  You’re welcome for the rave review anyway.

You know how when you’re in Vegas, money doesn’t feel like actual money?  As in, your $100 blackjack money is traded for a stack of chips, which might as well be Monopoly chips considering how quickly and recklessly they are lost.  Well, that’s what happened when I did this:

It’s Cle de Peau.  I ain’t even going to tell you what these two things cost because it is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard.  But VACATION.  What other excuse do I have?

I walked into the Barney’s at the Palazzo just to “see” which my husband should know is international sign language for an Impending Shopping Event.  Cuz nobody goes to just “see.”  They go to shop on accident.  It sounds less purposeful that way, and whatever ensues afterward is “not my fault.”

Browsed for literally half a second when I bagged this shimmery eyeshadow quad in #308.  Oh, lawd, the purples!  Had to have it, even though the eyeshadow and compact are sold separately.  Honestly, that’s a horrible thing to do to someone isn’t it?  Thinking they’re getting a whole complete thing, but turns out the very important holder portion is missing.  Do I buy soda at a restaurant and they bring it to me without the holder?  How about a hot dog – you expect the bun too, right? Of course you do, cuz this is America and you have a right to get a bun with your hot dog.

I rest my case.

Anyway, I bought both the eyeshadow and compact.

And then the saleslady has the audacity to suggest their award-winning concealer.  As she is applying it on my undereye, she is telling me how it’s the Concealer to the Stars (i.e., Kim Kardashian) and OMG, it looks so amazing!  Well, you can’t do either of those things PLUS win beauty awards and not expect me to buy it.  I mean, I am no superhuman.

For those curious, I picked the shade Beige which looks pretty good.  The formula is like a cream-to-powder and works best if you have moisturized first.  It covers dark circles nicely but not completely – so don’t be expecting no miracle despite the fact it costs a fortune.  Unless you have the undereye of a 14-year-old that is.

Had to pop into Sephora because I know the Vegas one will sell wayyyyy more brands than the one in my hometown.  That’s the only thing I was interested in – products that are’t readily available to me.  So here’s what I got:

Okay, the Marc Jacobs O!Mega mascara was a freebie and I do have access to this at home.  But I traded in 100 Sephora points cuz I was curious.  This turned out to be one of the best makeup decisions I’ve ever made.  I absolutely LOVE this mascara.  It fans out my lashes, fattens them up and lengthens them so beautifully.  This may be my favorite, although it’s hard to top my Charlotte Tilbury.

I know mascara is very personal because what works for one may not work for another.  We all have different eyelashes.  Mine are sparse, thin and itty bitty.  And what the O!Mega does for me is nothing short of awesome.  It has size-increasing ingredients in it, and I highly highly highly recommend.

Next thing I picked up is the Dior Capture Totale makeup base (primer).  Again, I have access to Dior where I live.  I suppose you could say I got a little sidetracked inside Sephora.  Var var easy to do as I’m sure you know.  Time isn’t even a real thing once you step inside.  I don’t even know why I got this because certainly I didn’t need yet another foundation primer?  (If you considered that an actual question, you might’ve stumbled upon this blog by accident.)

This primer has a lot of skincare in it, with anti-aging ingredients and UV protection.  It’s pinkish white tint actually brightens my face up a bit when I use it, which I kind of like.  I don’t have much more of an opinion at this point because I’ve only used it a handful of times.  It doesn’t spread really well over dry skin – I had to pat it on instead of smooth it on – so if you don’t have combo skin at the minimum, ask Sephora for a sample first before spending real money on it.  Of course, I bought it practically sight unseen cuz in Vegas there is no such thing as real money.

Finally I get around to the brands I don’t have easy access to.  Picked up the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadow quad in #3 Pantelleria.  I didn’t even know Sephora carried Giorgio Armani.  I was actually able to get color matched to the Luminous Silk foundation, where I found the shade I own (5.5) is not the shade I should be wearing (5.25), and even though the one I own works just fine, the fact that it’s not my shade makes me want to spend another $60 to buy the right one.  OCD is a real problem, as you can clearly see.  Also, run-on sentences.

But back to the eye quad. It is truly beautiful.  I wanted to pick colors that wasn’t my normal purple or green, and I just love the teal.  Very smooth application, easy to blend.  I’m really happy I bought this.  It’s one of the best luxury eye quads I’ve ever purchased.

Then I saw the Givenchy Photo’Perfexion Fluid Foundation and quickly decided the 39 foundations I own is not enough.  At this point it had nothing to do with the foundation itself, but more the fact that I needed to own all the things.  Got color matched to the shade Perfect Cinnamon, which surprised me for some reason.  The word “cinnamon” does not evoke a light to medium skin tone in my mind, but it worked.  Took it back to my hotel room and did a quick trial run.  And was promptly amazed.  The finish on this is extraordinary.  Claims to do what digital retouching would do, and I would say that’s pretty close to accurate.  Remember how splotchy and hideous my naked skin is?  So yeah, you might wanna buy this.  Out of 39 foundations, it’s in my top 3.

After all this shopping, I dragged my poor husband into one last place:  the Inglot store.  And here’s what happened:

In my defense, they had a couch there so he could sit and Facebook or play Fantasy Football or whatever it is that boys do.  I decided to try out a couple of their pure pigment eyeshadows because I was mesmerized by seeing them in person.  Swatched a few on my hand and was blown away by the intense color.  I picked a purple/gold glitter and a burgundy.  Both stunning.  I’ve used these in real life situations since Vegas, and I’m in deep passionate love.  I like to apply them as liner under my lower lashes, and you don’t know the true definition of “pop of color” until you’ve used an Inglot pigment.  Plus, they’re like $14.  Practically free!

The whole point of my Inglot visit, however, was to see their freedom system eyeshadows up close and personal.  There’s no way I could create my customized eyeshadow palette by looking at thumbnail pictures online.  It would be overwhelming at the very least.  So, I chose the 10-pan palette and got to work.  I did the responsible thing and selected a matte crease color and browbone color because every palette requires one.  Then decided to create two quads – a orange/brown one and a purple/green one.   The quality is very nice.  I thought each shade was nicely pigmented and blended well.  And the fact they are only $7 each – well, who’s gonna say no to that? (Crazy people.)

Remember how I turned 40 at the end of August and that we’ve been celebrating that fact for at least 2 months? Well, I made sure to remind my husband (lest he forget) that the whole point of Vegas was to go out with a bang. I mean, how many times do you turn 40 in your life? Two, three times, tops?

Well we were passing all these fancy stores – Gucci, Dior, Prada – and I kept jokingly asking what he was buying me. And I don’t know if he was just tired of hearing me or if he’d planned it all along, but oh my God, LOOK:

Happy 40th birthday to ME. Now if I can manage not to sit on these or leave them in a restaurant bathroom or something, that’s yet to be seen. I’ve never had a mishap with my $16 pair, but you know how you can totally hold your breath for 17 seconds until someone actually asks you to hold your breath for 17 seconds and then it’s nigh on impossible? I’m a little concerned about that.

Well, thanks guys for hanging out with me and for making it to the very end of this post. You rock, and if it weren’t for you, I’d be talking to myself and that’s A) weird and B) sad.

See you tomorrow!