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Have ever hunted down a discontinued/limited edition shade?
Have ever hunted down a discontinued/sold-out limited edition shade? What lengths did you have to go to? Was it worth it?
MAC Marisheeno is permanent in Asia (I’m not sure if it still is), but I had someone buy like five of them for me, because at the time, it was perfect for me. I also had someone purchase me Giorgio Armani #14 ETK eyeshadow which is permanent elsewhere but not here, and I think it ended up nearly doubling the cost had it been available here! Worth it on both, though.
Thanks to Dorothy for today’s question! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
I really want to buy MAC Viva Glam Cyndi. It came out before I was really interested in makeup and so I missed out. 🙁
Oh yes.. Ive hunted down remaining blush shades of Chanel’s tempting beige and MAC ltd ed sunday best eyeshadow. Completely ridiculous but both things really work for me and dupes are hard to find. Evil bay I hate you…lol
MAC Hipness for $15 in a blog sale. The reason it was $15 was because whoever owned it depotted it into the packaging for the blush in the Venomous Villains collection…it was barely used as well! I knew I’d never see it for that cheap ever again so I snapped it up.
I also have Marine Life, but a bit more expensive obviously, though I don’t regret it. I’m glad I didn’t buy Candy Yum Yum at a blog sale for like, $35 because a week later I found out Mac was making it permanent.
not a shade but those wet n wild 8 pan palettes (drinking a glass of shine, sparkle till morning, and shimmer the night away) and i got them and didnt have to pay ridiculous prices
I spent time hunting down Mary Jane and Strip Urban Decay shadows because they essentially match my Warhammer 40K and I wanted my eyeshadow to match my army…sad but true!
Dang–that is awesome! Love it, and I _totally_ get it–I help run a tabletop game convention in New England. 🙂
Not yet. I guess it will mean that I really have it bad if that occurs – LOL.
A few years back, I kept stalking/calling every Sephora in my area about the MUFE Smokey palette. After nearly 2 months, it was finally determined this gem would not be coming to the US. However, a few weeks ago, I was able to find it on ebay, by chance, and it was 1/3 the original retail price, so in the end, it all worked out.
Then, there was the L’oreal Infallible in Burning Black that I finally decided to buy on ebay, from the UK (at least it totalled less than US retail!), and it took a really long time to arrive. The funny part, a few days after I ordered it, the same shade (Smoldering Plum) was released here, LOL. They are identical, and fortunately, I love the color!
I’ve been having pretty good luck finding some other items of interest on ebay, and for the most part, for less than retail, or very close. I don’t feel like I’m “hunting” them down, though; I just enter an item in the Search bar, and if something pops up, I look into it.
I’ve been trying to hunt down MAC’s Enough Said blush for awhile now. I called the Gone But Not Forgotten program thru MAC but they said it was past its shelf life and wouldn’t sell one to me. I found a seller on eBay once but was outbid. Still look every once in awhile. So sad.
I have that blush, probably 80 % left … are you on makeupalley.com?
I’m not! I’ll have to check it out. That’s a trading site, right?
Yes, If you are in the US we can swap if you wish 🙂 my user ID is roor84 ( i dont have it listed though) but you can contact me and will take it from there. RA
Hi Joanna,
I actually have the Enough Said blush around, I need to find it first!
Im looking to reduce my collection so let me know if you would like it if I find it.
I would be interested! How much would you be willing to part with it for?
I have tried and cannot find, for the life of me, estee lauder’s limited edition blush in tease. it’s this perfect shimmery pink (but not TOO shiny) and i can’t even find something very similar. i’d be willing to pay top dollar for it on ebay but alas, i think it is one product i will never have 🙁
Where are you from? It is still available here in Denmark!
I’m from the US. Guess I’ll have to book my ticket to Denmark 🙂
Jill – is this what you are looking for (not my item):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Estee-Lauder-Limited-Edition-illuminating-powder-gelee-blush-in-01-Tease-/171122617012?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Make_Up_Cosmetics_Blusher_PP&hash=item27d7b3eab4
Yes, it is. But $120 is a little too pricey!! I don’t think anything is worth THAT much
It is still available in some stores in Mexico City. I just saw it this past weekend at Sears 😀
I bought MAC hibiscus lipstick from a couple of summers ago collection
I’ve never done it. It stresses me out too much. The most I’ve attempted is pre-ordering a limited edition item, so I could get it before it sold out. I have gone on searches to drug stores to find things but I haven’t had much luck with that. There have only been a few items that I’ve been bummed about not getting. There’s always something newer and shinier coming out every day so I don’t get hung up on specific items.
This is a good attitude to have!
Bugged a reseller about MAC’s Betty Bright! I also asked a friend who was on a trip to Japan to pick up some of the Basquiat palettes by Addiction. Def. worth it on my part as well. 🙂
Nope. I don’t believe in overpaying for makeup. It’s only makeup after all and the type of makeup I buy is expensive to start with :).
OCC’s lip tar in Butch!
Yeah! I used the estee lauder Gone but not forgotten program to hunt down some mac liquidlast eyeliners. Those were my holy grails, but now i don’t care anymore.
Love this question and know I will enjoy the responses! So I am naturally a very nostalgic person, and in the day and age of Specktra and ACW I am given a newlease on hope of finding some MAC products I want. I worked with someone I cared deeply for at a Nordstrom when Balloonacy and Bait/ Lure came out, and so I am constantly on the hunt for products from those two LE releases. My other obsession is the MAC Snakeyes collection- oh how I regret B2Ming so many things!
Yes, I did and and I somehow regret it. A few months ago, I was so obsessed with having the “Wicked Ways” lipglass from MAC´s Venomous Villains collection. First, I was browsing some german sites (it´s where I live) but I could only find it on ebay.com, the girl who had it was located in the US. So I bought it with “not so nice” shipping costs, but it didn´t matter back then. I just wanted the gloss! When it got here, it once again confirmed that I cannot stand gloss on my lips, no matter how good it looks, but I wanted to have it so badly.
Yes, sometimes I´m very stupid… but maybe one day, I´ll learn from my mistakes 😀
And I wanted to find MAC´s Bad Fairy nail polish for a reasonable price but instead, I bought the dupe (Sally Hansen Lava). So, it´s not always necessary to hunt the LE item 🙂
I went crazy looking for Bad Fairy too. Sally Hansen Lava is the bomb. I love it!
I’ve actually been looking for a Bad Fairy dupe! First high-end nail polish I was actually intending to buy, then I found out it was discontinued. 🙁
Hopefully Lava will be available in the UK.
You can also try Accessorize´s Pink Spice nail polish, if Sally Hansen isn´t available in the UK.
Accessorize do a near enough dupe called Pink Spice.
Can u share a swatch of Marisheeno ? Please, I lived in Japan for 3 years but I didn’t know about that :/
Hi Tantan,
You can search the website for it – I’ve used it in several looks but don’t know if I’ve done a post on it. Rashmi said she’s called around for it, but it sounds like it has been discontinued!
OMGG !!!
without reading your reply , when i saw this post on FB , I thought of writing marisheeno …
and you know , i came here to see the correct spelling 😛 hahah
can i tell you one thing ? I have lost the count now , have called up every possible store in ASIA .. yeahhh not even India , I called so many stores and asked friendss for that shade you know .. its not avlb. now Christine 🙁
i wish i could get it someee day 😀 D:
my god , i still cant believe , you are struck with same answer and am glad i thought the same …
marisheeno for me for obvious reasons 😀 😀
other then that , may be CHANEL DRAGON backup .. yeahhh i would love to have one that also 😀
Oh no! Sounds like it is discontinued 🙁 I’m pretty sure the person who bought mine for me was from Malaysia!
After seeing swatches of LMDB’s Penelope kaleidoscope on your blog, I went a little bananas looking for it. Unfortunately, all the main online dept. stores sold out. I checked eBay and found it there for $300. After a long battle in my brain, I couldn’t justify paying triple the price. After a lot of time went by, Xiao from Messy Wands featured a whole blog post dedicated to LMDB’s eye kaleidoscopes and there it was in the midst of reading where she mentioned a place in NYC that still had them. I snatched up Penelope and splendid frost. I love the colors and it was definitely worth the splurge.
YES! I have been trying to track down MAC’s Prince Noir for ages. So far I haven’t seen anywhere that still has it…I wish they brought it back in a collection because I’d buy 10!!!
Chanel rouge allure laque
Yes, absolutely! I tracked down both Bare Mineral’s the Star Treatment, and the Balm’s Balm Jovi, on ebay – both worth it, and yes I did pay more! Though considering I would have paid the shipping from the states anyway, or paid Australian prices, I probably broke even. I feel like I’ve tracked down other products in the past, but nothing comes to mind straight away.
I have, and I got lucky because I did get MAC Petticoat MSF and Comfort MSF! Petticoat I got through a makeup swap, and Comfort I bought from a blog sale. I’m still trying to get my hands on By Candlelight.
I know I have gone into a couple of different MACs every now & then to try and find a sold out, LE shade of something. But, I still check for MAC Modern Mandarin blush every time I’m at my local CCO.
I paid £10 more than retail price to get Chanel Joues Contraste in Espiegle from eBay. The colour is excellent, but it’s baked hard into the pan, and a total displeasure to work with, so I’ve abandoned it. Since then I’ve just accepted that if a LE product I like is gone then it wasn’t meant to be.
I reached the same conclusion when I was unable to get my hands on the Chanel Harmonie du Soir quad on time.
Before the now permanent champagne colored Maybelline color tattoo was made permanent, there was a limited edition shade that came out that I ordered on ebay for $14. I now wish I hadn’t, but at the time it was totally worth it. Side note: all of my color tattoos dry up and get really hard to blend so doubly not worth it (I do store them upside down)
I’ve gone through this a few times. I used Cover Girl’s Marathon Mascara for close to twenty years, and they discontinued it. Nothing else worked like MM did, so I eventually hit eBay, and bought seven or eight tubes.
The entire Max Factor line was discontinued in Canada somewhere in the early 2000s, and they had one shadow palette that I loved, but I didn’t know anyone in the US who could send me any, so I looked for a similar replacement, and came up empty (these were the days before I’d discovered eBay).
Estee Lauder’s Smoky Pink palette was another discontinuation that I loved. They replaced it with a similar palette called Posh Petals, but the pink in PP was far too light, and one of the other shades was too dark. It was dissimilar enough to not look good on me. Again, I searched eBay, but all I could find were sample-sized palettes that were selling for far more than I wanted to pay.
I have to say, it feels like anytime I fall in love with a certain product, it WILL be discontinued. It’s my Murphy’s Law of Makeup. 🙁
I just checked eBay for CG’s MM, and it’s $50 for one tube, or $90 for two tubes. That’s ridiculous (and totally unaffordable).
It’s too bad I don’t have any packaged tubes left; I could make some serious money selling my stash.
Oh yes! I hunted down a Lancome Juicy tubes LE shade that i fell in love with and never bought a back up for – it was on All Cosmetics Wholesale and i bought 1 right away! I have hunted down several nail polishes (OPI Black Spotted, a few OPI DS colors, a few Color Clubs) that had a limited release on Ebay or Amazon. I didn’t have to do much work to find them but I was always excited to get them!
Don’t know if this counts as “hunted down”, but I was dissappointed that Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laque was discontinued – and I live in England, so I can’t get it online at Nordstorm or whatever place sells it, but I found Imperial on amazon for actually cheaper than the retail price. No luck finding Santal so far though. 🙁
I hate when a company discontinued a product especially when I really love it. I misplaced and never did find the only tube I had at the time of the Make Up For Ever lipstick #205. I was CRAZY about this lip color and this was a true blue-based red lipstick. It was discontinued/replaced with a different line at Sephora. I went on the hunt and I finally did find it at the Alcone Company. They have several of the discontinued MUFE lipstick and I purchased 3(#205) and 2(#206). I wish I had brought a couple more of the #205 now they are all sold out.
OMG yes! I will forever be on the hunt for Chanel Mat Lumiere in Walnut because it’s the perfect foundation for me. I have the greasiest of skin, and this gives me perfect coverage.
I went nuts trying to get MAC msf Stereo Rose. I was unable to find it during the last repromote. Now that time has past and it if was brought into the permanent line, I’m not sure I would repurchase. I’m over MAC and their limited collections. It’s rare for me to purchase outside of the permanent line now.
Yes, MAC Real Posh lip glass and Loreal HIP Lipgloss in Ingenue. I found the lip glass at a Cosmetics Company Store purchased the max which is five and Loreal sent me 6 tubes of Ingenue which is a dark reddish purplish thick lipgloss from one of the CA stores.
I bought one of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos from the fall 2012 LE line after the fact because green is ridiculously hard to find in good shades… The extra money I spent was worth it to me. I also have a d/c’d paint pot in my Amazin cart but I can’t justify the price yet. I never buy from E-bay after getting badly burned once though.
I used to, but usually I try to be better about finding out about discontinued products ahead of time, because I have definitely hunted down LE products (some were worth it, some weren’t). I bought 2 backup tubes of Chanel’s Dragon before it went to makeup heaven. I really hope they bring those back though! That is still my favorite red lippie…
I’ve been trying to hunt down MAC SKEW lipstick for YEARS, with no success. there was one on ebay for close to $40, and i didn’t care, but the seller refused to ship to Canada.Then it sold, and my last hope was gone 🙁
I paid around $85 for Guerlain Cruel Gardenia on ebay since it sold out so fast in my area.
I wouldn’t say I would to exceptional lengths, but I did hit several stores trying to find Chanel’s Notorious contour powder. I even ventured onto Ebay, which is rare for me, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay out for the prices I saw on there. In the end, it might have benefitted me – I’m rather fair, and a few sites suggested it dark enough to work best on light to medium skin tones!
I THOUGHT I was able to finally get my hands on “Petals & Peacocks” from the Mac Give Me Liberty of London collection from a blog sale but someone beat me to it by a minute or two…still on the hunt!
I’ve also been lucky to come across a few limited edition blushes at my CCO.
Yes! Urban Decay Gash eyeshadow. And this isn’t a shade, but I also found the UD 15th anniversary palette super cheap on eBay. (:
As well as It’s A Trap-eeze from China Glaze. Found it in the clearance bins at Ulta. Totally worth it!
Revlon matte lipstick in Strawberry Suede. It’s a really pretty, wearable summer red. You can still find it on amazon and a few other places I think. I know a lot of people like it – wish they would bring it back!
Yes, frequently. I had my Mom pick up the Armani ETK #14 on a trip after you blogged about it, I bought Guerlain’s Coup de Foudre eye shadow palette off of ebay (for some reason I couldn’t find it in my city)…but my best find ever was the holy grail of eye shadows a Shu Uemura ME Silver 945 brand new off of Makeup Alley.
I am ALWAYS on the hunt for LE products! The first one I can remember is MAC Nicki Minaj Pink Friday lipstick. I ended up buying it on eBay for like $40! Well worth it, still one of my fav Barbie Pinks :). Most recently I was trying to hunt down MACs Sweet and Punchy eyeshadow from the To The Beach Collection but MAC has a few good dupes for it so I let that go lol
I am desperately trying to find the Tarte Aqualillies Palette! ;/ I’ve seen a few on Ebay for $120.00, but that is wayyyy too expensive for my wallet.
Chanel Notorious! I had it shipped almost 1000km… only two places in Canada sold it and I was determined to have it. Before that, I sent my dad searching all over SF!
Oh yees. There are always polishes that I dream of having… I managed to get a few of my lemmings, but the two of them I think I won’t ever be able to find: MAC Frayed to Order and Chanel Nouvelle Vague. Chanel is on ebay, but costs way too much for me, and I can’t find MAC anywhere
After searching everywhere I could think of, I bought a Tom Ford eye shadow quad-the blues and greens- from ebay. After getting Tom Ford from Nordstrom (I think) in the pink, I think my ebay purchase was a knock-off. Don’t think I’ll do that again. Also wanted the case of all the UD eyeliners but missed out and won’t try ebay again.
I went crazy looking for MAC lipstick, Thrills from To The Beach collection. I paid double the price on eBay, but it is/was so worth it!!! The things we do for make-up.
Oh I’m a fine stalker! I was between jobs when Mac’s Cult of Cherry came out, but afterwards, I was able to hunt down every item from the collection, save a couple that didn’t interest me. Mostly at less than retail. I missed out on Guerlain’s Parure de Nuit, but I found it for a good price on eBay (patient stalking is key). I tracked down Chanel Maniac and Hysteria a couple of years after they’d been released… Always have things on my “to stalk” list…
I hunted down as many of the old MAC pigments that I could at the CCO and department stores and their gone but not forgotten line to. I also did that for the old MAC lipmix palette and the lipmix palette refills and I hunted down the old MAC large eye shadow 8 pan palette. I am now on the hunt for the OCC mini airbrush sets and the OCC #12 brush. So far, no luck with these items.
I’m not sure if this counts as “hunting down,” but I did write to Origins complaining about their discontinuation of the Make A Difference Ultra-Rich Rejuvenating Cream (which I first read about on your site and consequently fell in love with!). They recommended their new similar product, which I do use now. It’s not as good. 🙁 Luckily, I eventually found the original at a CCO while on vacation!
UD Honey 24/7 Eyeliner….essentially the most gorg
antique gold eyeliner you have ever seen. It is hard
to believe they disc. it.
I have been wanting MAC Queens Sin lipstick
for yearrrrs but refuse to pay 3-4 times the price
because I keep hoping they re promote it. Come on MAC!!!
It would fly off the shelves!
I also hunted an amazing Max Factor lip gloss
called Ultra Lucent Lip Polish, hands down the besf
clear lipgloss ever, sounds lame & easily duplicated
but he texture & appearance & scent/subtle taste
were incredible, cosmetic gold. In the 90’s it was
featured in 17 Magazine all the time. Great product.RIP
🙁
I’ve actually been spending the last few weeks going to every drugstore I can find trying to salvage a Revlon Raspberry Bite for my friend who’s currently abroad and just found out her favorite lipstick’s been discontinued. I know it’s been a while, but a lot of the places I’ve been to still have the label on their stands, so I’m hoping against hope that one might still have a tube left?
Better yet, if anyone knows of a good dupe, please let me know!
yes, I have……
but I am NOT going to tell you what it is because I don’t want you
ladies chasing after it too! ♥
yes of course! at least two or three times a year. Last one was Rose Popillia, and it ended up being restocked LOL. i wonder if dudes ever do this with anything.
Mac’s Femme Fi Eyeshadow! I’ve looked all over and still haven’t found it. tried all the dupes but none have that same HG effect on me at all! Still scouring the internet actually and have looked all over periodically since my last one from the Brunette, Blonde, Redhead collection of early 2009 ran out. =( should have bought a 2nd one. still regret that! haha
Happens qith some MAC limited editions. Sadly I missed out on the Ronnie Red lipstick and haven’t been able to find it 🙁
When M.A.C. release Heroine l/s and liner I totally forgot about it on launch day. By the time I remembered all the stores in my immediate area and as far away as 100 miles were sold out. I called Oregon to get the coveted product. It was the best long distance call I have ever made.
Story of my free-time life. Everything I set my sights on is always $$$, rare and hard to get. I’ve come to accept that my standards are high so I put in the effort but also have learned to balance and let go of that color-lust before it burns a hole in your time and wallet. Buy Quality, Stay Minimal is my policy.
While on THE HUNT for the products I discovered too late, I’ve gone to lengths only beauty forum ladies could relate to. Some of the stuff I’ve done to find that IT product:
– local (and closeby) Sephora and MAC on speed dial
– eBay or as Suzanne said evilBay is a daily stop/subscriptions
– Google searches/blog reading on washroom breaks
– Squinting at dupes online with an eagle eye
My current search for MAC Heroine and purple lipsticks has almost broken me down, I almost dropped $70 on ebay for it. I had serious Purple Mania yall. I purchased OCC Lip Tar in Hoochie to sedate the craving (very happy with it).
My Big Lesson when colour-lusting is something I call Big Picture Thinking (BPT BPT I chant when it gets bad) 1. Take a chill pill 2. Set a budget 3. Rev up your internet resources.
Its Karma baby, it will come to you. After weeks of scheduled researching I found a really good dupe Sleek Cosmetics Lipstick in Mystic $20 ebay.
Colour means so much to us. I love this discussion, its like AA for Color-Lusters.
I can relate1
If you’re on LiveJournal, there are blog sales on the MAC cosmetics community all the time, and I’ve seen Heroine lipstick and lip liner featured a few times. That’s how I found some of my Archie’s Girls stuff
A series of Limited Edition Revlon nail polishes from Summer 2011. There was this gorgeous coral-red jelly polish with micro glitter called Watermelon Fizz that is my favorite red polish ever. I’ve bought two tubes via eBay and Amazon sellers, as well as the purple shade form the series, Grape Fizz. I actually bought the Watermelon Fizz to get the look of a Lancôme polish that I couldn’t afford at the time that was also LE (I worked there, but couldn’t justify spending that much!)
I’m still desperately searching for MAC Yogamode beauty powder.
I love that colour.
I was so lucky to find Chanel Le Vernis in Diabolic just a few months ago – I’ been looking for it for 1,5 years. And I got it at a very reduced price even though it was good as new!
And – not an LE product – but discontinued (damn you Dior) I’m looking for anything Tendre Poison fro Dior. EdT, EdP, Cologne – anything. It’s one of my favourite scents ever!
Ohhh, fickle beauty-brands how you frustrate me!
Oh the silliness of it all! I remember stalking the Too Faced Counters waiting for the Natural Eye Palette which incidentally I seldom if ever use LOL. My most recent obsession was getting a backup of LM Ritual Bronzer, I even sent my minions to New York and Washington, to no avail (I live in Mexico City).
I am having a blast reading all the comments, so glad to see I am not a weirdo after all…
Great post!
MAC Marilyn collection. Wasnt interested in it when it came out. Then out of the blue around May 2013, Macy’s got the collection again. So I ordered it online….for the beauty powder, blush and the lipsticks….ordered backup …still missed one of the red colors.
Unfortunately almost all of my items are either LE or discontinued. Most of them I hunt down and pay a good price :/
All the time, even if I can’t afford it then and just want to see if I can find it for later. I searched for most of the Archie’s Girls lipsticks and got them (I will gladly pay for another Betty Bright when I finish it- it was half gone within months of me getting it!). I’ve also looked for MAC Sakura, OPI Yokohama Cherry Blossom, and much, much, more. Most recent success was with the Ariel palette. I called Sephoras all over metro Atlanta and finally found one. Great late birthday present, for sure.
Prada Lip Balm. I love that stuff and the only place you could buy it was one certain site in Australia and I bought every box they had. Now you can buy the clear and some of the shade nobody wants on ebay for an outrageous amount of money. I still have boxes of my shade!