Okay so here were a few of the most important things I was looking for in a traincase:
1. Lights and a mirror I wanted/needed one with lights. Sometimes the lighting is just impossible! Ive done makeup under GREEN lights, a badly lit room with well barely any lights haha so this was a must because you never know when you might need to reinforce the available lights at the location. I also wanted a traincase that needed bulbs instead of the flourescent tubes? whatever you call those haha
The mirror is a plus. I used to bring a huge mirror with me and I broke it. I cant keep breaking any more mirrors, its bad luck! haha
Double plus! The lights can be adjusted. Im not sure if you can tell from the first 2 pictures but you can adjust the lights intensity. One of its coolest feature! :)
2. It has to be lightweight
Now this was tough
. There aren't a lot of options when it comes to lighted traincases. Theyre almost always huge and as heavy as I am!
But I needed something that I could carry, because well I dont have a car of my own so lugging a 40 pound (I don't weigh 40 lbs, btw! haha) traincase is just going to be a nightmare and would possibly break my back
.
It was a good thing that a friend showed me his traincase
and it was considerably much lighter than the ones I've seen.
Mine weighs approximately 20 pounds with all the necessary makeup stuff inside
.
3. It has to have wheels
Again, I have to consider that I spend a lot of time walking here and there. Wheels are a must because I almost always was in the verge of tears when I had to go to a gig carrying my old traincase. Needed a traincase that I could handle carrying for short periods but not the whole time. I considered getting a makeup suitcase or that smaller one with lights at Suesh but it would be like carrying my old traincase, it would be hell-ish.
4. It has to be sturdy It does not make me happy to see it with scratches or dirty. But let's face it, during times when my weak muscles fail me haha I could accidentally hit it against something. I cant have a traincase that could easily break from carrying and walking around for too long.
I liked that the wheels look sturdy. I didnt like some of the huge traincases that had really small wheels. It's also made of ehrm some metal thing (im sorry im not sure what it is exactly haha)
Im perfectly happy with my new traincase! Plus I no longer needed to choose between which of my stuff were more important haha I could bring more makeup! But this traincase is elusive! I couldnt find it anywhere else except Quiapo! I was told it would be available after a week, which turned into 2 weeks, 3 weeks and then a month. I actually kind of forgot about it until I found their calling card. I called in to ask and they said it was available and was selling like pancakes. Ofcourse you know what happened.....I dragged my butt and Caby's to Quiapo and got it! haha
The Damage: 8,000 Php (I was actually told the first time I went there that it was 7,500. Greed oh well. They wont let you haggle, we tried for an hour! haha) It comes with the power cord and 6 light bulbs (which I was afraid to use, replaced the bulbs right away haha)
Where to buy it: That mall near the Quiapo church (2nd floor, they have it on the 3rd too but their prices are more expensive. If you want a good deal, dont look rich! hahaha)
A peek at whats inside (and more on that some other time):
Can fit around 15 powder compacts on each side. Compacts on the left, Foundations and some palettes on the right. Kryolan and Urban Decay Palettes on top
It actually comes with a box/container for the middle part which
has a divider that splits it into 4 parts but mehh my palettes wouldnt fit.
And more palettes in the middle haha!
Anyway, the only downside is that it doesnt have a lot of space. It was a bit frustrating trying to arrange it at first. I finally managed to get everything I could possibly need inside. Its a good thing a lot of my things are already compact - Foundations, lipsticks and eyeshadows are mostly in palettes. I end up bringing an extra case for a few more things and my brushes. But other than that, im completely happy with it and its perfect for me so all in all it was worth the wait! =)