By ROXANNE STAPLETON-WHYMS Friday, January 25 2008

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Hot stepper: Ate Logo's $400 Carnival boots is a hit with customers who step into its Frederick Street, Port-of-Spain branch. ...

BETTER GET your sun-screen, glitter dust, boots, lip-balm, tights, wigs and fake black and coloured eyelashes, because these items are flying off shelves fast.

In fact, pharmacists are even recommending that you grab your Vitamin C quickly too, because consumers are loading up to boost their immune systems for all their late night partying.

Store clerks around Port-of-Spain spoke of brisk sales in these items, purchased specifically for Carnival.

Ate Logo’s $400 gold Carnival boots, which has been stirring interest among passers-by, are also giving mas bands a competitive run for their money, since they too are charging the same price.

Micles and Westport stores were awash with women yesterday looking at Carnival tights and outfits for this weekend’s fetes. Westport’s Carnival tights at $19.99 a pair are wide-ranging with numerous skin tones and sizes.

One woman who did not give her name, told Newsday that even though she was not yet paid she was pricing a few“hot outfits” at Micles to buy on Saturday.

Micles has what she described as “cute party attire tops,” starting from as little as $55.

Monique’s Hair at Detour Mall, Frederick Street and Dazzles at Henry Street were also reporting solid sales in wigs , hair pieces and coloured hair for braids and weaves, “for women to mix and match with their various outfits,” clerk Stacy Atwell said.

At Monique’s, synthetic wigs range between $150 and $195 and human hair wigs are between $185 and $225.

Many cosmetic kiosks and stores said that much of their glitter dust, lip-balm and fake eyelashes had already been sold out. Glitter dust and lip-balm could both be had for as little as $9.99 with leading brands costing more.

Depending on the brand of sun-screen and the store, you could start at $40 a bottle.

Excellent Stores has also put out their annual display of sun-screen, protective tanning lotions and sanitisers, among other cosmetics, so women masqueraders could look just that tad more beautiful.