My New Favourite Place...

The downtown core in Calgary has been undergoing renovations for the last year or so, trying to compete with the newer, bigger, expanded malls. I end up downtown a LOT as Kelsie takes the bus to get everywhere so it’s the easiest place for her to get to, but also because there are a lot of little boutiques and bigger department stores than in the nearby malls. Lately my desire to go downtown has been quelled by construction though. TD Square is always really dark and it’s very VERY disconcerting to see exposed pipe and ceiling over your head.

However, despite the construction, I have found my new favourite place to visit, and it IS downtown, so I have a feeling I will be there more often. :)

MURALE recently opened and I think they are the Canadian ‘rival’ to Sephora. It’s owned by the Shoppers Drug Mart corporation, which is great for Canadians, as you can earn AND redeem points for product there. As I comment pervasively, the SDM points program is SO much better than Sephora’s BI program. You can redeem certain levels of points for up to 150$ in merchandise, and SDM often holds events for 10x-20x the points if you spend a certain amount, or ‘bonus redemption’ weekends where you can redeem the maximum amount of points for even MORE ‘cash’. This is how I buy a lot of my High End makeup. SDM stores with Beauty Boutiques carried brands like Dior, Lancome, Guerlain, Make Up For Ever, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Smashbox, Bare Minerals, Benefit, Clarins, Lise Watier, as well as the usual assortment of drugstore brands, plus exclusives like GOSH, Boots No. 7, and Soap and Glory. MURALE carries most of these brands plus Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Yves St. Laurent, NARS, and more skincare and hair brands including Fekkai, Oscar Blandi, Darphin Paris, Murad, and Cosmedicine. They also provide customized facials and skin care appointments with a dermatologist or pharmacist.

I wasn't sure if I was allowed to take pictures, so sadly all I have is that one shot of the storefront, but this store is AMAZING. It's two floors, and all white and chrome inside; so everything looks shiny and clean. The opening event was fantastic, with appetizers and cocktails being served (it was really hard to walk down the stairs holding these) and free makeovers being done at at the 'counters'. Like Sephora, MURALE has several MAs that float the floor... my favourite MA (I really need to learn her name) actually went up and down the stairs with me to help me choose out products!

Of course I ended up dropping a lot of cash that day. To celebrate the grand opening, every purchase 100$ and over received a mystery 'discount' of anywhere from 25-200$... I got 25$ which was about 20% off of my purchase!

What I actually purchased... I went back for more of the Chanel Rouge Allure Laques!

All the freebies in the grand opening gift bag. It was heavier than my actual purchase!

Can you see why the store is my new favourite place?

I was just there yesterday and I can't wait to go back when the Christmas collections are in!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend :)