Last week, I flew to LA for a quick work trip.
It was a very very short trip – practically just one day on solid ground before flying home again. I knew I’d have very little time to shop but even before leaving Manila, I already knew what I wanted to buy: nail polish.
I had a list in my head and I started my search at the airport. I still remember finding Dior Aloha there and it was such a magical moment. Sadly, this time, they didn’t have anything I wanted.
I had a feeling I’d have better luck at the Hong Kong airport. But my flight to Hong Kong was delayed and that meant I had less time to spend going around the airport.
After landing, I realized I had a bigger problem than the lack of time. Because it was around 11 in the evening, most of the stores were closed. I stopped by the ones that were open but there were no signs of the bottles I was looking for.
I refused to give up, stopping by every open duty free store as I walked towards my boarding gate. I got lucky at the very last store I visited. I spotted Samba, one of the nail duo sets from Dior’s Bird of Paradise collection, on display.
I was screaming so much in my head that I was amazed I was able to appear calm. “I’ll take it,” I said.
I took a quick picture as I lined up to pay.
The cashier opened the box to make sure the right colors were inside. “You must really like green huh? I like green too. My son likes green too.” Then she spotted my nails. I was wearing Deborah Lippmann’s Rockin’ Robin, which I got from Rustan’s.
“I like that,” she said.
“I think you can buy it at Lane Crawford,” I said.
“It’s just one bottle?” (I think she was wondering if I had used a glitter top coat to add those black specks.)
“Yes, it’s just one bottle.”
I wanted to keep talking nails with her but I had to run. My flight was already boarding.
I was so happy about my purchase that I wanted to open the box inside the plane to stare at the bottles. I resisted any urge to immediately paint my nails because remember what happened to the woman who did that? I love Dior but not enough to be locked up for ten hours.
So I waited. I didn’t open the box until I was in my hotel room fourteen hours later.
So worth the wait.
It was midnight when I got to the hotel and room service had closed. I woke up crazy hungry the next morning and because I didn’t feel like shelling out $20 for a boring breakfast, I decided to walk to El Pollo Loco for some baja shrimp tacos.
I realized with joy that there was a Sally Beauty Supply beside Pollo Loco – and it was already open!
I walked in and stared at the rows and rows of pretty colors but ended up buying just one bottle of Seche Vite top coat.
I spent the day working but I had a few hours to kill before dinner so I went to the mall. My first stop? Nordstrom.
I went around the beauty counters and hit pay dirt in Dior. The other Bird of Paradise duo – Bahia – was there so I grabbed it.
This really nice salesgirl led me to the Chanel counter my eyes widened when I saw these:
“I’ll get these two,” I said, pointing to Azure and Bel-Argus.
Then I spotted Taboo and I said, “I want that too.”
I left the Chanel counter with Azure, Bel-Argus and Taboo. Don’t be sad for Lilis, I will definitely get a bottle of that too.
I went around Bloomingdale’s but didn’t buy anything there. I walked down Third Street Promenade, checking out the shops. I was so happy to see Sephora and this is what greeted me when I walked in – NARS X Pierre Hardy Collection.
I gawked at them for a long time but didn’t buy any… yet.
I kept walking around Sephora. I noticed the display of Dior bottles and my pulse quickened when I spotted a lilac tester.
OMG! Lilac Colorvision!
Earlier this year, Dior came out with a Japan exclusive lilac polish called Frou Frou (It was released with a capsule collection for Isetan Shinjuku. There was also a pink polish called Rosalba). I thought it was pretty but didn’t know how I would get my hands on it.
Luckily, Dior decided to release the same color as a Sephora exclusive. They changed the name to Lilac Colorvision. Yes, the name Frou Frou is cuter but that wasn’t going to stop me from buying Lilac Colorvision.
The big question was – did they have stocks?
I let my eyes wander over the row of Dior boxes and at the very end, I spotted one box of Lilac Colorvision. One last box. Naturally, I grabbed it.
Awesome.
And that was it, I was done shopping. For now.
I wanted to paint my nails with Azure and Bel-Argus for the flight home but I was so exhausted that I left my nails bare.
I finally got to do my two-color mani when I returned to Manila and I am so in love with it. My friends love it too. This photo doesn’t do these two colors justice. They are just beautiful. You need them, you need them both. I promise to post proper swatches soon.
My great shopping luck didn’t end after my plane landed.
Went to Shang to watch a movie with friends and stopped by Rustan’s. Dior Nymphea was also high on my list but I didn’t see any signs of it in Hong Kong and the States. And because Rustan’s sold Glacier and Icy Dew last year, I had high hopes they would have it.
“Do you have that new light blue Dior?” I asked the girls at the counter.
“Yes,” they said.
They went into the back and brought out the tester.
They didn’t have stocks yet, they said, but they’d be arriving soon. Awesome. I left my number and asked them to text me as soon as it came in.
They also let me take a picture of the tester.
And more good news for polish fans in the Philippines – Chanel’s Avant-Premiére Collection, which includes eight fabulous Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks, six new shades of Rouge Coco Shine and four le vernis shades Cinema, Starlet, Paparazzi and Provocation (which was part of last year’s FNO – swatches HERE), is available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source now.
And that’s not all – Chanel Lilis, Azure, Bel-Argus and Taboo will all be available in Rustan’s soon.
As for me, my shopping adventure kicks off again in a few days.
