I shop, therefore I am

"you know that thing, when you see someone cute and he smiles, and you heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well, that's what it's like when I see a store. Only it's better."

- Confession of a Shopaholic

Yes, this post is all about shopping.

Recently, a Christchurch perfume wholesaler organised a 4-day fragrance and cosmetic sale in the city. I knew the response was going to be crazy, it being Christmas and all, but that didn't stop me from going. Here's a glimpse of what it looked like.



Make-up section




Nail polish section



Despite the shop’s unappealing presentation, the turnout was massive. Women of all ages, from teenagers to senior citizens turned up at the sale, all eager to get their hands on something. When I got a closer look at the items, I could see why everyone was possessed. So many designer perfumes were sold at just a fraction of the retail price and cosmetic items like lipstick, mascara, eye shadow and foundations were sold for less than $10.

When I saw the nail polish section, my heart skipped a beat. LA Colours and Sally Hansen were selling for only $3 each! There were heaps of women crowding the long table, but I wasn’t bothered. I quickly joined the circus and created a mental shopping list. All I wanted was to get 3 nail polishes; 2 Sally Hansens and 1 OPI. That's it. I had bought myself an early Christmas present the week before so I wasn’t planning on making a splurge. My plan was to follow the list.

When I got to the table, I was hit with amnesia. List? What list? I ended up doing what I do best and that was to shop compulsively. The first brand I searched for was Sally Hansen, simply 'cos it was the cheapest. I searched through all the boxes but I couldn't find any. Not even one. I soon discovered that all the nail polishes were selling so fast, only a few colours were left. Unperturbed, I continued searching through each basket and after some serious digging, I managed to get a few decent colours; red, pink, brown, peach, a top coat and a pink cracked nail polish. When I put them in my shopping basket, a familiar feeling of euphoria  overtook me. Bliss!

After nail polish, it was time to hunt for cosmetics. I headed to the cosmetic section and struggled my way through the isle. Too many devoted shopaholics around was indeed nauseating. Everyone was on a shopping frenzy, digging for their own treasure. 

I got a bit disoriented at the sight of so many people but I continued digging for my treasure.  It wasn't an easy task 'cos all the make-up were jumbled up in boxes and sold like vegetables. It felt like I was at tamu Dongongon. Although there was a sign that said "Do not open the products", most of them  were opened and tested. This made shopping 100 times harder cos I needed to scrutinize each item carefully. After some serious effort, I got myself a cheap Revlon mascara and a blue eyeshadow palette from Maybelline. Mission accomplished!

Next, lipstick. I spent about half an hour scanning and testing different brands of lipsticks before I ended up at the Calvin Klein section. I'd never bought a CK lipstick before so I thought I'd give it a try. It was only $8 each. I found a perfect shade of pink  while sampling the testers and quickly rummaged through the boxes to find a new one.

Apparently, a blond next to me also wanted the same colour. I heard her saying "Mesmerize, Mesmerize, Mesmerize" while searching through the boxes.  It wasn't easy finding a particular colour amidst hundreds of lipsticks but the blond and I were dedicated. I kept on digging even when my tummy was oozing with acid and when I needed to pee the voice in my head said “nature call can wait. Must get that lipstick before the blond gets it!” After what seemed like an eternity, both the blond and I found Mesmerize! YESSS!! That was probably the best shopping orgasm I had this year. 

After digging for lipsticks and nail polishes, I got a bit tired. My tummy was grumbling and my bladder was going to burst anytime soon. The stupid warehouse didn't  have a toilet or a cafe so there was no way I could  ease myself without leaving the premise. Because I hadn't bought anything for hubby, I decided to suck it up for a few minutes more. I changed my hunting mode to turbo and began shopping like a dude. I sampled a few fragrances, looked at the prices and quickly chose 3 for hubby. I did this in less than 10 minutes! Efficient kan? I couldn't leave without rewarding myself so I took 3 perfumes as a token of self-appreciation. And then I was done!

When I got home, the first thing I did (after going to the loo) was show hubby what I bought for him. He smiled and said thank you. When  he asked me what  I bought for myself, I said "Cat kuku sama make-up seja". I didn't show him everything cos he was busy watching a rerun of Manchester United vs. QPR. Plus, I didn't want to  see that raised-eyebrow expression on his face. Hehe.

Since I didn't show them to hubby, I might as well show them to you.

for hubby

for myself

early Christmas presents for myself



my two-hour effort



The shopping trip was more challenging than what I'm accustomed to but my scavenging effort was really worthwhile. What's a sale without a dose of chaos right? :)