I could spend hours in their stores, and on occasion, have
.
I just went to the one in LV at Caesars, and even though I have a ton of their stuff, still managed to find some things I wanted and didn't yet have. They had just received their new really bright blushes - I bought 2. They are insane, but very easy to work with.
I too love the mattes, but then, I love all of their formulas. 354 is one of my faves. And I love the gel liners and the AMCs in the large round pans/containers (yes, there are some that don't come in the square pans). I'm also a big fan of their liquid foundation. The lipsticks are fab (I agree on the medium to dark shades being preferable). I could go on and on and on.....
I spent quite a bit of time talking with one of the SAs at the Times Square store (Ann - I'm not sure if she's still there) and they have grown faster than their operations can keep up with - the site was basically 'thrown' together so that they could meet the online demand - they know they have to go back and do some tweaking. The original site was terrible - before they made it one you can shop from. They're trying to get better, but the owner has been singularly focused on store expansion and footprint at Macy's. I hope this doesn't all lead to demise later on.
I agree - $6 is still a bargain for what you get. And yes, the Z palettes are a good alternative - I've always hated how heavy the Inglot palettes are, but I love how they look.
If any of you have had issues with getting your shadows out without damaging them, Koren created a nice little tool that does the trick - easy to make and the supplies are readily available at craft and home stores.