Beautyphiles, prepare to swoon... This white behemoth is the GM Building, a 50-story, 705-foot office tower facing Fifth Avenue at 59th Street. It's one of the few Manhattan structures that occupies a full city block. Estee Lauder headquarters is located here.
There's a company store located in the depths of the building. It's a mythical place where you can find ridiculously-incredible (try up to 80% off, thankyouverymuch) deals on Estee Lauder products and their affiliates, such as Origins, MAC, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, Ojon and more.
What's the catch? You have to be an employee. Sorry.
Bumble & Bumble is an Estee Lauder company, dahling.
After getting cleared by copious security, we navigated our way through the foreboding-yet-fabulous halls...
...until finally reaching the (drumroll, please) Company Store! I didn't take any pics inside the store because it seemed forbidden, but here's what it was like: Angels strummed harps and sang in perfect pitch. Gorgeous, shirtless, straight men took turns carrying my basket. Nirvana, at last!
Yeah, I know... I took it too far with the straight part. But I had you going with the harps and such, right? Riiiiiiight.
Truth: It was small and basic. Very no-nonsense. And chock full o' great products at literally unbelievable prices. I found myself living what is normally something I dream about on a very regular basis. I'm not kidding. I frequently dream that I'm walking around a beauty or apparel store with impossibly-low prices... that and another one involving a Sea World visit in which Shamu leaps out of the pool and bites me, but that's another post entirely. Anyway, here's my haul:
"Sweet dreams are made of this." ~ Annie Lennox