I know Ebay has gotten a bad rap for being the worst place to find a bargain on MAC products. Fake MAC products have simply saturated the Ebay market. It’s sad too, because a lot of people buy MAC on Ebay because they simply cannot afford the real thing, hence why they are so easily fooled. Now I am the last person to judge, I was almost fooled by a set of Bobbi Brown brushes a few months ago… Since then I have learned my lesson, but that still didn’t stop me from checking out Ebay here and there to see what was on…
Let me just say in advance, that buying any cosmetics from Ebay is a risk. They could be fakes- even really good fakes. They could be way too old (ie. past expiry) and/or be contaminated. If you want to buy something that is being sold on Ebay, contact the seller and ask your questions…. if they aren’t forthcoming, then stay away and move on.
It has taken me over a month to finally make this post, because I’ve been crazy busy- but now that I’ve had time to try out the pigments, I can say for sure these are REAL MAC Pigments bought off Ebay. I will end up doing a video for my Youtube subscribers, but here’s the downlow on how much it costs, where you can buy it, swatches and all that other good stuff.
*You can click on the pictures for a larger image*
All prices are listed in US dollars.
Cost: $ 115.00 + shipping (only $10.00 to Canada, only $5.00 to USA)
This is a bargain people, and let me explain why:
1. If you were to buy real pigments… actually lets not go there. 15 full size MAC pigments would cost a LOT of money. Let’s talk samples. A lot of people find it more useful and more cost efficient to buy samples. A great site that sells true MAC pigment samples is The Body Needs. Each sample is 1/8 to 1/4 of a teaspoon. To press one regular 26 mm pan it takes 3/4 teaspoon of pigment. So, in essence, you would have to buy 45 samples (3 of each color) and that would cost you $71.60 US. Then to ship it (within the US) is $12.95, the total being $84.55.
2. Now that you have your pigments, you need the pans. You can buy a set of fifteen pans for $4.95 from Coastal Scents. I couldn’t find out how much shipping is exactly, but I figure it would be around $4.00. That totals around $8.95.
Okay lets recap the total as of now… Pigment samples: $71.60 US+ $12.95= $84.55 + pans $4.95 + $4.00= $93.50
3. I’m not going to consider what medium you use for pressing pigments, or if you want to buy magnets or labels, like you would receieve if you bought this pre-made palette as I did. But you would need a palette. A MAC palette is $12.00 US… assuming that you can buy one from a free standing store. If you have to order one, well… expect to fork out $30.00. I will assume that you have access to a MAC store, therefore you would spend the $12.00 (not including tax).
Okay, now the total is up to $105.55, and remember I haven’t included all the little extras that are included into the pre-made pressed pimgents.
4. I don’t know about you, but the time it takes to press 15 pigments, magnetize the pans, and wait for them to dry- probably would take 2-3 hours. Think about how much you get paid per hour at your job. If someone was paying you to do this, how much would you charge?
I think for the extra $15.00-$20.00 is worth it. Not to mention, the seller was a total sweetheart and everything came beautifully packaged and labeled. The pigments were pressed to the rim, and seriously, looked like store-bought pigments.
I know that not everyone will be able to spend the money for something like this, however a good investment it is. If you want to see about buying one of these, check out the seller on Ebay. If nothing is in stock for the moment, you can either contact her, or go to her website, Elle Beauty where she displays some (not all of the pigment options). She has informed me that she is trying to get rid of her inventory and not planning to do this for long, so get it while you can ladies!!!
I’ve added some swatches- none of these have a base and are applied as they are (not wet or with mixing medium). If you have doubts, Specktra has a forum going with pictures of Pigment Swatches that you can check out to compare. (Be aware, that lighting will change the way pigments look, so even some of the same swatches on Specktra might look a little different to the real thing.)
Here are some swatches, but it doesn’t look like my camera’s flash hit Golden Olive very well… I’ve posted a video at the bottom for live swatches etc.
Left to right, top to bottom:Vanilla, Naked, Melon, Tan, Sweet SiennaPink Bronze, Violet, Pink Pearl, Cornflower, Revved UpGolden Olive, Golden Lemon, Teal, Deep Purple, Dark Soul
Cornflower, Melon, Deep Purple, Pink PearlCheers ladies 🙂
Here is the video post:
