Lipstick Storage Woes

Hey guys, just wanted to do a quick post so here it comes:

My first love is lipstick and so of course i've accumulated lots of them. About 2 years ago when I had now started getting into lipstick I stumbled across these great acrylic 12 lipstick storage containers. When I say stumble I mean I popped into a small boutique in a Mall in Port of Spain and saw them at the great cost of $60 TT (or $40, I really can't remember). I bought one and the following day I returned and bought the other.

From that day onward i've always wished that they had more because I quickly outgrew the storage capacity. I had managed to convince myself that I would find a store selling these storage containers  at such great prices and there was in fact a point where nobody was selling them at all. I would usually browse online for similar products but I always felt that they were way too expensive compared to the steal of a deal I got that day.

Let's fast forward to the present day where I finally took the plunge and had my mom order me a 24 lipstick holder storage container off Amazon as one of my birthday presents. At $8.99 US I thought that it would have been a great deal. Of course though Customs totally screwed me over and I found myself paying $85 TT in shipping and customs duties when I shipped it via my Skybox.

The biggest kicker of all was that this product was extremely disappointing. Below I'll review the both products mentions.

Acrylic 12 Lipstick Holder

What I loved most about this product was the fact that it was a dedicated lipstick holder. It didn't have any of the larger spaces for other products and so when in use it gave my lipstick storage a very sleek look. The quality is amazing with the acrylic being thick and clean cut with stylish edges. I really really love this product and I remain on the lookout for a few more.

Empty!

Filled with lipsticks!

Close up- hopefully you can see the edges and thickness of the material!

Acrylic 24 Lipstick Holder 

This product actually ended up costing $135 TT which was waaaay more than I had intended to spend. What's even worse is the fact that it isn't even worth the money. It's smaller than anticipated and arrived in a cheap thin white cardboard box. The product itself is cut cleanly but with no sort of design. It looks so basic and CHEAP! Plain talk bad manners! Additionally, the actual slots for lipsticks can only hold my MAC lipsticks and are actually smaller than the slots in the holder discussed above. I feel like i've been ripped off. The only slight saving grace of this product is the fact that it takes up less space and so it may be more efficient in that regard. Of course these are just my opinions and I may have had higher expectations based on the holders I already owned.

What I saw on opening the box! :( 

Didn't seem to get any better!

Filled with lippies!

Below I've added a picture of the  two products side by side so that you can see for yourself!

You can see which one holds my heart!

Acrylic lipstick holders can be bought in Trinidad from Simple Spaces Ltd. which is an actual store located in St. James as well as from the online store Makeup Haven. The images provided by these sellers seem to be of a better quality and of course the prices are much better! It's been a lesson learnt in terms of hoping to find a product much cheaper on Amazon (although this is the first time that this has failed me). Hopefully you guys find this review helpful!

I've noticed a lot of you guys reading but not commenting. :( Feel free to leave your thoughts and let me know if you have seen the lipstick holders in other places in TT. Take care!

PS. When I speak about acrylic lipstick holders here I'm referring to the ones that provide spaces for lipstick only. There are a few other places that sell the acrylic cosmetic holders.

The Local Beauty Scene

The makeup choices in Trinidad* are extremely limited compared to what is available in other countries, namely, the US. However, we can definitely find options at different ends of the budget spectrum to fit our needs.

Below I've listed some of the bigger players  in the cosmetics game locally. Of course there are plenty other smaller shops or boutiques where you can purchase cosmetics. Hopefully, I'll be able to share some of those places with you soon.

• Our high end cosmetics are limited to:

MAC Cosmetics

 (Image taken from Gulf City Mall's website)

MAC Cosmetics, one of the most popular global cosmetics brands has two local locations, one at the Falls of Westmall,  known as Westmall, and the other at Gulf City Mall.

However, I've actually found that when purchasing products from the local MAC stores the conversion rate is usually a range of 1 US: 8.7-9.8 TT rather that the normal conversion rate of 1 US: 6.5 TT (approx.).  

There is always the option to purchase online at MAC , Nordstrom (offers free shipping and 3 free samples), Macy's (offers free shipping with a purchase of $50US or more) and various online retailers once you are utilising a Skybox/Freight forwarding service. In my experience this may only save you about $10-15 TT in comparison to the price at the local MAC stores but it's very useful if you want to get your hands on the limited edition collections that often sell out quickly here (although it goes just as quickly online).

Of course visiting the store locally means you get to play with the products, get samples and of course once you spend over $300 you are supposed to get your makeup done if you so desire.

Estee Lauder & Clinique at Senses

(Images taken from Senses' website)

These brands can be found locally at Senses. The stores may look particularly intimidating as they exude a sense of luxury in comparison to other local stores but i've found the staff, especially at the Westmall branch, to be extremely helpful and friendly. 

• Drugstore brand cosmetics are available in  multitude of locations across the country including 

Pennywise

(Image taken from Pennywise's website)

This might be considered the original cosmetics mecca in Trinidad and at some point in time I think every Trini MUST have popped into Pennywise and bought something. There are branches of Pennywise in most malls and cities/towns/ areas.  Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Cara Mia, any brand, you name it and Pennywise probably carries it.  Definitely stop in and browse their display of cosmetics. Oh and Pennywise has some bess bess ( Trini for best ) prices. Actually, they may have the cheapest prices definitely have the cheapest out of the listed stores.

Superpharm

       (Image taken from Superpharm's Facebook page)

There are Superpharm locations in most areas and this pharmacy has clearly been modelled after Walgreens etc., basically the large all purpose US pharmacies. Whilst it is pricier than Pennywise, Superpharm is a great place to find drugstore brands and it's usually up to date with newer product releases.

Starlite Pharmacy

   (Image taken from Starlite Pharmacy's Facebook page)

Again, modelled after the big US drugstores, you can find a vast range of cosmetics here. They carry a larger variety of brands than those found at Superpharm and Pennywise but the prices may be a bit higher.

Wonderful World

   (Image taken from Gulf City Mall's website)

(Image taken from Wonderful World's Facebook page)

Wonderful World can be considered every girl's dream, especially mine! I've been pouring money into their coffers since the store first opened it's doors in Trincity Mall. Every imaginable item of jewellery, pashminas, hats, purses, lingerie, shoes (at the Gulf City branch), nail polish  and of course makeup can be found at these locations. They carry numerous brands such as L.A Girl, Milani, Jordana, NYX, Ruby Kisses,  L.A Splash, City Colour, and Cosmo Girl to name a few. Yes a few!, because this store has sooo many different brands. They are also decently priced although their prices have raised in recent times.

NYX Kiosk

There is an NYX Kisok located in Long Circular Mall and Trincity Mall. They seem to have a wide range of the products but from what I remember the prices are a lot higher than NYX prices online. I couldn't really bring myself to purchase NYX products at those prices.
** Edit: A lovely reader pointed out that the prices at the kiosk are now less than the prices both online and at Wonderful World!  

• I'm proud to say that we also have our own brands of cosmetics manufactured here in Trinidad** including:

Sacha Cosmetics

 (Image taken from Gulf City Mall's website)

This brand is a gem with some truly excellent products. They have also been at times the official cosmetics partner for the Miss Universe Organisation. Sacha was especially formulated with the skin tones of the Caribbean people in mind and so their products are often richly pigmented and their foundations are yellow based and ideal of women of colour.

Sacha now has Image Centres across the country which act as stores as well as places where you can get you makeup done etc. Their makeup is very affordable locally but unfortunately their US/International prices are a bit higher. This brand can also be found at most cosmetic stores. 

Cara Mia Cosmetics

I must admit that I myself don't know too much about this brand. I've only dabbled with it back in my early teens, think 12-13, when an aunt gave me a lipgloss, which was insanely pigmented by the way, and a powder. Ive heard good things and as I type I'm resolving to try a few more of their products. Again, this brand can be found at Pennywise.

Trinidad also has seen in the past few years an abundance of Facebook shops or pages that sell wide varieties of makeup. I'll try to do a post on these pages soon. And again, we have lots of freight forwarding service available so feel free to set up a SkyBox, of course call around for the best shipping prices etc.,  and buy your makeup online. This will eliminate the second hand retail markup. Beware that customs can be a b*tch with the duty they charge on these items. 

This extremely long post comes almost 2 years after my first post, if you recall I did say that I was hesitant about this blog business! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!! xx

*Sidenote 1:Whilst Trinidad is a twin island state consisting of both Trinidad and Tobago, i'm only able to comment on the island of Trinidad at this time so i'm sorry Tobago readers! *

**Sidenote 2: I encourage you to check out some of our local products, my patriotic side encourages you to buy local!!*

So it begins...

So I have toyed with the idea for a blog for a while now....but I'm not the type to usually do something like this..to put myself out here..but I thought..hey..why not...

Now this brings me to what this blog is about..I love all sorts of cosmetics...beauty products and makeup! LOVE LOVE LOVE!  But the thing is, when looking for reviews etc. about these products I find that the online blogs usually cater to people who are lighter rather than the vast ranges of hues found within Trinidad and Tobago. Thus, my blog will simply review products and where applicable provide swatches that may be more useful to those of us within the Caribbean.

With that being said I am of East Indian descent and to give you and idea of my complexion i'm a NC 43 in MAC Studio Fix powder and a NC 44 in MAC Studio Tech foundation.

Hopefully you guys enjoy! xx