Mac Pigments

Mac Pigments

eBay...the land of online deals! There are so many great items that can be found on eBay, computers, clothes, jewelry, and even makeup! Their are some incredible makeup deals on eBay especially with M.A.C. cosmetics pigments, that seem just too good to be true, and in many cases they are! With M.A.C. pigments retailing for $19.50 each brand new, it's hard not to get excited when you see 6 "New In Box M.A.C. pigments selling for $20 or more popular lately 50+ "New In Box M.A.C. pigments" selling for $120 (that's less than $2.50 each), but trust me beware. Below I have listed some key things to watch out for when making a M.A.C. pigment purchase on eBay.

First and foremost, be sure that the auction description actually lists the pigment names that are for sale rather than it just saying something along the lines of "assortment of pigments." This sounds obvious, but you would not believe how many auctions there are that only include a picture of the pigments and disregard listing the shades, and there is a reason for this...they're fake!

You see instead of naming the shades, this line of M.A.C. fakes have created a letter and number system, for instance M.A.C. has a pigment called Deep Blue Green, instead the fakes may put a label on it called something like "A15." Real M.A.C. pigments are never labeled like this and are always labeled by their name. More than likely the sellers of these fakes probably won't list the pigments by "A15" and will rather only include a picture, so be sure to ask.

The next set of things to look out for are really hard to figure out without having the item in hand, so be sure to ask the seller all of the following points, or if it is too late and you have already won the item be sure to closely examine it when it arrives before you leave the seller feedback.

These are the following points to ask the seller/look out for in addition to the previous point:

1. Is the bar code on the bottom of the box printed on, or is it a bar code label that is a sticker? If the bar code is printed on the box, it is a fake. Authentic M.A.C. products' bar codes are a label that is like a sticker. Not sure? Rub your finger over it, if it's smooth, it is printed on and if it feels raised it a sticker like label.

2. When you open the jar is it sealed by a smooth piece of plastic or does the plastic raise up like the tip of a crayon and have a hole in it? True M.A.C. products are sealed by a smooth piece of plastic and will never have a hole in the middle of it.

3. What is the consistency of the pigment? Is it smooth or does the pigment have lots of clumps and balls in it? Real pigments are always smooth in consistency and should never appear clumpy like the fakes very often do.

4. Carefully examine the back of the jar for misprints. Often the fakes will spell words such as "pigmentos" like "plgmentos"

5. What do the labels say? On a real pigment there will be 2 labels naming the shade, one will usually be on the top right hand corner of the top of the box and the other will be placed underneath the jar itself. With the fakes there are usually 2 labels but instead of the name of the pigment, you will see that letter and number code. Be sure to also pay attention to the placement of the label on top of the box. Again on a real pigment the shade is usually on the top right hand corner towards the back on a fake, it is still on top of the box but towards the front corner.

It is very important to ask the seller as many questions as possible to prevent you from being "duped." Believe it or not you may make the seller aware that he/she is selling fakes because sometimes they bought a huge auction of these themselves with plans to profit by selling them individually, all the while they have no idea that they are selling fakes. These fakes can potentially be very dangerous, for the simple fact that you are putting them on your eyes and you have no way to tell whats in them or where they came from. It could contain things such as formaldehyde a very toxic chemical or lead or basically anything that it takes these imposters to make the knockoff look as close to authentic as possible. Since they are knockoffs they are not going through any kind of screening or regulation process that monitors what they are made with and therefore anything goes.

So please be careful when buying these.

Amy Turgeon is a former licensed cosmetologist that runs her own makeup blog called MakeupAndBeautyTutorials. MakeupAndBeautyTutorials contains how-to video tutorials, product reviews, beauty tips, natural beauty remedies and more!

http://www.makeupandbeautytutorials.com

Mac Pigments

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