Hard to find products. We've all been in this general situation: stalking our preferred beauty store, eager to purchase that special gem our heart is absolutely set on. It's a limited edition item, so we do our best to get there as soon as we can (and if we're lucky enough to know the release date, try to get there in that time frame). We get to the specific section of the store with ants in our pants and hope in our eyes. The rest of the collection is there, but not the product we couldn't live without. We search behind similar products just to be sure it wasn't misplaced. We ask an employee if there's any in the back. When we realize we're SOL, we call other locations and even other companies. The stores that actually got the product in have been sold out days ago, they say.
You might be asking, "Why didn't you just shop online in the first place?"
Herp the hell derp, that is a wonderful question. The problem with online shopping is that online businesses often are out of stock on the same products that are sold out in stores (which makes sense, as the companies that are sold out are likely the stores' distributors). There are also a couple other issues with that. One is that we want our shit NOW, not a week or two from now. Also, e-tailers tend to raise the price tag on hard to find items, especially if it's not a current release. So under the worst case scenario, you'd be stuck waiting a couple weeks for a riddiculously marked up price PLUS the cost of shipping.
Enter the Alice in Wonderland nailpolish collection by OPI. After doing some online browsing, I really, really, REALLY wanted Mad as a Hatter. It looked like a glitter bomb in the best possible form, with all sorts of lovely colors. Well, my Ulta was sold out of all the mini sets, and they unconvienently had an over-abundance of full size Off with her Red!s, which looked liked an ugly shade of ketchup. I was pretty bummed, so I called every other Ulta and salon that would possibly carry it. No luck at all. So I threw in the towel and accepted that my nails wouldn't ever get their very own Mad as a Hatter swagger.
This story doesn't have a happy ending, but it doesn't have a sad one either. When my boyfrriend and I were radomly shopping at a Walmart in our area, I peeked in the salon section to see what products were available. To my delight, there was an Alice in Wonderland OPI display that wasn't empty or full of ketchup-colors! I wasn't surprised that Mad as a Hatter was nowhere to be found, but my eyes zeroed in on the next best thing: Absolutely Alice. It was another color that initially stood out to me from the collection- a beautiful blue and gold glitter-packed delight. It was the last one on the display, and I immediately adopted it for my very own.
Above: OPI Absolutely Alice. Love it! Though, a quick word of warning: this polish benefits from a crap top of nail polish thinner and a butt load of top coat. It's the epitome of a glitter polish!
Above: OPI Absolutely Alice
Above: OPI Absolutely Alice, out of focus shot. :(
So, that wraps up the journey behind the beautiful sparkles on my phalanges. My question for you, dear readers, is what nail polish have you gone on a burdensome journey to get ahold of? Was it worth it? Please let me know in the comment section below- I'd love to hear your stories!
Thanks for stopping by! It means the world to me :)
DISCLAIMER: All products mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are 100% honest and from my brain only.
