What are MAC 'Pigments'?
MAC DEFINITION: Pigment is a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin. Pigment is available in matte and frosted finishes and comes in an excellent range of colours. Use to create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect. Pigment does not streak or cake, is easy to blend and long-lasting.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: These are a heavily pigmented loose powder product that is highly versatile. Many people are fond of pigments for many uses, and pigments are often collected. They come in a variety of finishes varying from matte to a finish similar to luster eye shadows in loose form. There are currently around 63 which comprise the permanent line, some of which are from the PRO line. There are also a fair amount of pigments which were limited edition, or have been discontinued over time.

How are pigments used?
Pigments can be used in many ways. Pigments can be used in nail polish, lip gloss, lipstick, mascara, hair gel, as a loose eye shadow, as a loose blusher, as a loose highlighter, as a loose bronzer, as a body sparkle, and many other ways.

What is this I hear about eye-safe/not eye-safe?
Due to the origin of MAC as a professional cosmetic line, and the wide range of clients (professional to general public) not all MAC products are designed with the average consumer in mind. This is often the case with many PRO products, as well as some pigments. The name pigment can be misleading, as they are not pure pigments, but rather highly pigmented multi-purpose loose color powders. Due to the pigments and dyes in some MAC pigments, they can be hazardous if used in various facial areas, mainly the eye or lip area. For more information on product safety and how it affects your usage of MAC pigments please take a look at the Product Safety Forum and the Precautions List.

What are the 10 most popular pigments that are part of the permanent collection?
The most popular pigments according to a recent poll conducted in Live Journal’s MAC community and Makeup Alley are, in order:

• Golden Olive
• Violet
• Melon
• Vanilla
• White Gold
• Pink Pearl
• Old Gold
• Tan
• Rose
• Kitchmas

For swatches of these pigments, please visit the Precautions List, and click on the eye icon next to the name of the pigment you wish to view.

How big is a jar of pigment?
Most pigments contain 7.5 grams of product. Mattes and the PRO line metal pigments contain 2.5 grams. Pigments are packaged according to weight, not volume.

Why is my pigment jar not full up the brim?
Since pigments are not packed according to volume, but are all packaged into the same containers, some jars will seem to be under filled while others are packed full. Different textures of pigment have different weights, and thus will pack differently. Generally those of the larger grain such as frost or rose will be very full, and are very fluffy. Most pigments will be full or near full. Pigments such as mattes, or finer textures may seem under filled.

How many teaspoons are in a jar of pigment?
It varies immensely between jars, as they are all filled by weight and teaspoons are a measurement of volume. Some jars contain 2.5g although the majority are 7.5g, and the fullness of the jar varies between shades and handling. Some of the mattes are half-full, so clearly they produce fewer teaspoons than a packed-to-the-top frost shade. Some shades only seem to make about eight 1/4tsp samples; others can make over twice that many.

There is no straightforward conversion between grams and teaspoons. You'd have to know the density of the pigment to figure that out, and the density varies greatly between pigment textures and how you handle them (shaken up, a pigment might be less dense than if it had settled).

There are also actually three different international standards for a teaspoon. There's the metric (5mL), imperial (3.55mL), and US (4.93mL). These are all commonly used in the US and abroad.

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J'aurais voulu ne pas mourir, j'aurais voulu ne jamais grandir, j'aurais voulu me casser l'ame.

Specktra.net FAQ Forum: http://specktra.net/forumdisplay.php?f=190
Specktra Industry Discussion Forum: http://specktra.net/forumdisplay.php?f=194

Thanks for this thread

What are the prices for pigments?

Wow! That had some good information! Thank you!

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I MAC!

Proud Dazzleglass Bimbo since May 2008!

do you have the list of mac discontinued pigments?

22€ if you buy it in germany or europe...

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www.myspace.com/annmarie91

they are S$33.00 in Spore about USD $18.90

The precautions list includes all pigments released to date by MAC, and indicates which have been discontinued or were limited edition.

__________________
J'aurais voulu ne pas mourir, j'aurais voulu ne jamais grandir, j'aurais voulu me casser l'ame.

Specktra.net FAQ Forum: http://specktra.net/forumdisplay.php?f=190
Specktra Industry Discussion Forum: http://specktra.net/forumdisplay.php?f=194

I just want to add my thanks for this FAQ. A few days ago I was purchasing pigment samples on ebay and this FAQ came in especially handy. One color being offered was emerald green, and I remembered that certain batches of this color weren't eye safe (and I was purchasing them specifically for use in the eye area). To confirm that this wasn't one of the older, non-eye safe batches, I asked the seller to give me the batch number (yet something else I learned from this website!) off the container. She didn't even know which number I was talking about but gave me every number she could find on it and this particular container was just fine. Come to think of it, asking a seller for the container's batch number might be another way to rule out the possibility of being sold counterfeit products, no?

I just bought a Chocolate Brown pigment at a Pro Store, batch #AC5. The Precautions List here on Spectra shows:

Chocolate Brown
batch A64

So... does this mean that my pigment is good to go for eye use (I sure hope so, 'cause that's what I bought it for!)? I was concerned about this and questioned the MA. According to her, it is eye safe. She showed me her latest Pigment Precautions List and the only colors on it shown as not eye safe are like 5 or so of the vivids (orange, red, etc.). Anyone know?

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these are $23.50 in Canada

Ive payed from 19.00 US to 25.00 US depending on which state and country i was in