Macy's is the only place on Kauai that you can find high-end makeup. And even then, you can't find many brands at all. The section itself is small, and they have carried the same brands since the beginning of time. I think at one point there was an Urban Decay Counter, and possibly a Hard Candy counter when it was considered a little higher end, but don't quote me on that. 

The entire department is pretty outdated looking, and frankly there isn't very good lighting. There aren't even dedicated counters for each product. In most places, counters are shared between two brands. Besides that, there aren't enough specialists to staff all of the brands. Sometimes you'll be helped in one brand, but that person is from another brand all together. 

I didn't snap a lot of pictures in here because there were a lot of people around and I didn't want to get in trouble (even though there's really no rules about picture taking in there). I snapped some pictures of the Shisedo counter to give you an idea of prices and what they carry. 

What I do like about the high end brands is that there are a lot of kits that you can buy, as well as free gifts with purchase. The bad thing is that the samples that are out are almost always empty. That is done on purpose, I've been told, because people were coming by and stealing what was in the containers! How ratchet is that?

Variety: 

Macy's carries the following brands:

• MAC
• Clarin's 
• Shisedo
• Lancome
• Clinque
• Estee Lauder

I think MAC is the only counter that doesn't have to share with another braned. Estee Lauder and Clinique share a counter, and Shisedo and Lancome share a counter. Clarin's, I believe, has their own counter. Each section has both skincare and makeup, but Estee Lauder seems to be mostly skincare. On the day I went, there were no makeup samples at all. I think they were redoing that section. You definitely don't get anywhere near as many brands to choose from as Macy's on Oahu or Macy's anywhere else, and there aren't many workers in these sections, so you probably aren't going to get someone who is a true expert in their brand, except for the MAC workers. They know their stuff, and some of them have been there for years. 

Ease of Browsing: 

The counters are just kind of placed in this big area, so there aren't any clear paths, You just kind of weave in and out of them. There are many displays and sets that you can look at, but for the most part it's just kind of a mishmash of things in this section. A little random. 

On-Trend: 

I can't honestly say that I've bought items from most of the brands in this section. I know that MAC usually gets the latest lines on time, but I can't say the same for the other brands. I know I attempted to buy the Lancome rose highlighter, but Kauai Macy's never got it. I'm not sure how limited that release was, so maybe they were never intended to get it in the first place, but who knows. I don't think that Estee Lauder got any of the Victoria Beckham collection, either.  

Prices: 

This is high end makeup, so you're going to pay a lot of you want anything from these brands. 

Macy's is the only place on the island where you're going to find these high-end brands. You might be able to find some at the expensive hotels, though. I know the St. Regis Princeville carries Butter London cosmetics, but I couldn't tell you how much it costs there. More on that in another blog, maybe.