On getting to work I realised I had forgotten my wallet and makeup bag in my weekend bag. Now I get verry verry oily, plus this heat in Lagos recently is not making it any easier. Not having my powder for top-ups during the day or my blotting paper to take away the oil meant I was going to look like a frying pan of oil ready to fry akara by end of the day.
I quickly pop over to Ikeja City Mall planning to stop at Casabella hoping I can pick up some MAC powder. On getting there the sales attendant tells me they do not carry MAC powders but informs me that there is now a “MAC” store in the mall! I walk straight over and yes it is a MAC store!! I mean it looks like a MAC store anywhere in the world from the outside, it is laid out exactly the same on the inside as well, all the store attendants are dressed in head to toe black as in the signature MAC store assistant look with makeup pouches around their waists.
I quickly ask for my studio fix which they didn’t have and offered I check back in a few days. But I wasn’t to be deterred as I needed something urgently to ward off the coming shine. Finally after some helpful back and forth they come up with the pressed powder version to the NW 43 Studio Fix I initially requested.
When getting ready to pay for the alternative pressed powder version, turns out they also didn’t have this in stock. I don’t know what the popular colors are but I would think that most dark colored ladies would use NW43 or NW45? Neither of which they had in stock. I was eventually forced to accept and try a new color the NC55 which is supposed to do the same thing as my NW43 (with a golden versus reddish undertone – cool versus warm sort of). I paid and went away with my powder armed for a non- oily day.
The experience did leave some unmistakable ways to know that you are in MAC store in Lagos and not in Dubai or John Lewis!
1)Shop assistants warning each other not to “try themselves”- Â I mean do we always have to be fighting? Doesn’t quite give a nice shop experience
2) I am actually paying in Naira – N5,100! Of course there was change issue, i mean why not make it a round figure?? like just N5,000 or N5,200? if you are going to add N100 then you better have change ready! 
3) Before exiting the store the security man asks for my receipt to which he made a paper hole punch 🙂 Good ol’ Nigeria security checks!
Welcome to Nigeria MAC – please get your supplies sorted out though 🙂 Don’t be like Cold Stone Creamery that only serves chocolate ice cream!
