This week we are staying at the Semiahmoo Resort in Washington celebrating Christmas with our husband’s family where Vancouver B.C is just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Vancouver is our favorite place to shop for beauty products. There’s something thumping about this city that makes us look at things in a different light. Suddenly that eyeshadow we’ve seen a dozen times before but never gave a second glance has transformed into a glistening must-have that we can not leave the country without.

Today’s victim was Chanel Quadra Eyeshadow in Sparkling Satins [not the color shown here.] We’ve always thought this eyeshadow quad was beautiful, but today? Today we saw it in Canada, which means the colors were just a little more pure. And precise. And perfect. (Because Canada will do that to you.)

And we imagined how pretty our eyes would be with the smoky-black shadow lining our lashes and the sparkling pink shadow highlighting our brow bone.

And we almost cried when they told us that not only would they NOT be getting the Spring 2007 Collection until the end of January, but they were sold out of the eyeshadow quad we wanted. Gah!

Happily, we found Sparkling Satins at the Duty Free Shop on our way back over the border and reassured ourself that it’s not even Christmas yet, so there’s no sense getting all worked up about springtime makeup.

Not that it makes waiting any easier.

CHANEL QUADRA EYE SHADOW in Sparkling Satin, $55