BEAUTY HAUL: New Hair and Makeup Items from NYC Chinatown – July 2014

I need you all to realize that I am on a SERIOUS product ban. Like, if there was a “Hoarders: Extreme Makeup & Hair Edition” I would be on the show and undoubtedly walking around crying and yelling at people for trying to throw my stuff away. Having said that, I KNOW that I should not be indulging my bad habits, but hey, when in Chinatown…

I decided to pop into some of my favorite dollar stores and beauty boutiques while I was running errands near Canal Street in Manhattan, and happened upon a few new items for my personal use and even a few things for my professional kit. Check them out, and tell me what great things YOU have picked up this month!

 

THE FACE SHOP
6 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013

 

 

BeBe Lip Mask
$3.00 USD

I don’t really know why I even bought this, honestly. I chalk it up to good marketing. I mean, who doesn’t want to buy something with an adorable watercolor painting on it? LoL. Anyway, this is a mask for the lips. The back of it claims:

“Intensive lip care mask turns dry and rough lips into smooth baby-like lips.”

I’m very interested to see if it can hold up to its claims. It lists the first two ingredients as Water & Glycerin, so I can’t imagine it NOT being hydrating, but we shall see…

 

Real Nature Mask: Honey
$2.00 USD

Now, why a mask for the FACE costs less than a mask for the LIPS, I do not know… but roll with me folks. I’ve used many of the masks from The Face Shop, but never this honey version.

If I’m being honest, I grabbed it because it had an eye-catching phrase in Chinese, accompanied by an upward arrow… and I have no clue what in the Hell it means. Again: MARKETING. I saw “89%” and an upward arrow… so into the basket it went.

Now, on the front, it says:

“A moisturizing & radiating mask sheet containing honey extracts, providing extra glow; helps regain skin radiance and moisture”

…and on the back:

“The air pockets within the sheet contain handful of nutritional essence, providing natural moisture and nourishment to skin.”

And much like the lip mask, the first two ingredients are Water & Glycerin, so I expect hydration. I am curious to see how the honey extract will affect my skin, and whether it is much different than the other masks I’ve tried from The Face Shop.

 

Shisem & Darkness Lashes
$5.00 USD/ each

These lashes are a staple in my kit, for when I need to create a SICK-O-NING dramatic statement eye. I am absolutely obsessed with criss-cross eyelashes. They look natural and dramatic at the same time. Oxymoron, much? I know… but work with me here.

For $5.00, you get TWO sets of lashes per box that are unique, immaculately assembled, and beautiful.

 

 

Pencil Sharpener
$1.00

Beginning. It’s a freaking pencil sharpener. I like having a bajillion pencil sharpeners. End.

 

 

 

DAIGAR BEAUTY SHOP
7 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013

 

 

Dahoo “Velcro” Hair Holding Pad
$4.00 (and COMPLETELY effing overpriced, but whatevs)

Anyone who has ever rummaged through my professional makeup kit knows what these are. I am OBSESSED with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean beauty products, and these were one of my first finds! They are these awesome plastic hair “Velcro” strips for holding back bangs.

I absolutely despise those metal duck clips along the hairline. They get in my way, and even with the little pads on them, can sometimes leave dents in the hair. And to top it all off, they don’t hold baby hairs in very well. Enter Hair Velcro Pads!

They are pretty similar to Velcro. They are these 2-inch by 4-inch plastic pads that have micro-hooks on one side of them. The little hooks catch even the smallest of hairs, and secure them away from the face. When you’re ready to remove them, you just slide them out of the hair. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Now… on the price… this shop is GOUGING for these. I buy them on eBay for $1 from Hong Kong with Free Shipping, but seeing as though I gave mine away recently (read THEY GOT LOST) I was in the market for new ones and wanted them right now. Thus the law of supply and demand kicked in. These things are not readily available in America (low supply + immediate demand = PRICE GOUGE!). But whatever, I stimulated the economy.

 

 

J S Discount INC.
113 Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002

 

 

Mini Spray Bottles
2 for $1.25 USD

One for alcohol. One for brush cleaner. Any further questions?

 

Mini Containers
3 for $1.25 USD

I love these little containers for disposables and implements and tools. I plan on using mine for Muji cotton pads, mini cotton buds, and my sharpeners and tweezers. Not really much else to explain.

 

Well, that completes this round of Chinatown beauty shopping. Tell me, what awesome things did YOU pick up from your Chinatown district this month? Let me know in the comments!