Taupe Tuesdays! - L'Oreal Showstopping Taupes.

The cult product to end ALL cult products.
L'Oreal Show Stopping Taupes

L'Oreal, just like other drugstore brands, have a knack of releasing sporadic (and dreaded) Limited Edition products. Meaning they're gone as fast as they came. So, the careful Dugstore Maven must keep an eye out for these.

This one, I admit, almost slipped through my fingers.

Today's Taupe Tuesday star appeared like a quite storm in drugstores across the country around the end of 2007/beginning of 2008 (I did some research and couldn't find an exact date- anyone care to confirm?). It was a part of a Golden Globes collection, in conjunction with the television awards show. To the general eye, the two quads part of the collection...really didn't "pop". No bold, smoky shades.

Nope. No bells and whistles. Who knew that this quad with bland, somewhat flat-looking shades would cause such a stir?

But, it did. Little by little the proverbial snow ball got bigger and bigger. I kept reading about people searching every drugstore in a 50-mile radius, people asking others begging to buy one for them. People selling their first born? Okay, maybe not, but I have never seen such a hubub for one single drugstore item. Remember, we're talking about L'Oreal here.

And meanwhile, little ole me didn't buy into the hype. Maybe I should have been more generous at the time, but all my drugstores around me had this quad, and it's green/olivey/neutral counterpart (Celebrity Status Quartz). I would pick it up. I would have it in my hand. I would almost walk to the register with it. But something always made me put it back. This went on for some time. And still, well into the new year people were still talking about this quad. It began popping up on Ebay (I just search for it today and I saw one going for $24!!!). Did I really pass up something great?

Maybe it was meant to be, but I somehow, in April, got a hold of one quad. It was sitting by it's lonesome in a clearance basket in a local Longs Drugs store. I think I heard angels sing. How convinient that this quad (along with the other set) would be the only one? Needless to say, I snatched it up with a quickness. And even sweeter? They only rang up for about $3 each :) Good things do come to those who wait.

But, having said that, this was a close one. This quad is an absolute gem:

See swatch #3? That's the shade to die for. Well, not really, but it's honestly like nothing I own in my stash, alone or part of a palette. It's a mix between a brown and ashy grey. It has very subtle shimmer, it almost glows (as well as the other shades).

So, how many of you own Show Stopping Taupes?