How do you afford your MAC??

[xLongLashesx]

I'm a student and I just scrimp on other stuff. When I go out I have a budget of like $20, get PT everywhere, shop for groceries at Aldi etc.

I also have access to a CCO where I go crazy every couple of months.

Where does one find an American to CP for us?

 

[lizzymcfizzy]

deleted.

 

[User27]

****

 

[xLongLashesx]

What's Barbazon? Is it like make up course?

 

[sunshine16]

I try to use the mentality..
Okay i can either have 2 or 3 lower end blushes for $15-20 or i can have just 1 MAC blush.. which i will research to no end before i purchase to make sure i will get use out of it.
It's all about accepting yeah i may not be able to go and have huge hauls at once very often, but i'm slowly but surely building up a nice well-rounded collection..

I'm just starting my collection and am trying to mainly focus on building up my brush collection first.. There's a few reasons for this
1. I don't see the point owning really nice products that i've worked hard for and not have the right tools to apply them
2. Brushes are the most expensive items, so i want to get them out of the way first..because when you can only spend $x amount per month, a brush really chews into that.

 

[simplyenchantin]

^^ That sounds pretty good sunshine! Maybe you should alternate each month.. like one month buy a brush and the next month buy an eyeshadow or something.. What you said works both ways, there's also no point having brushes with no product to use them on

Personally I've bought a few dud brushes, and by that I mean, they're great quality etc however I've found other brushes that work better for me (when they both supposedly do the same thing) and it's pretty expensive to buy a brush you're not going to use often. It's great to hear you're doing research on your purchases!

 

[Sanayhs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casadalinnis Her skin tone is completely different then mine because she's fully Caucasian and I've got to get advice somewhere on where to begin as I've got to do the best I can. I think she'd kill me if I posted her pic but I'm really think I need Specktra's help on what her best concealer, foundation and all would be....she's highly sensitive about mild acne and I'm afraid to take her to our local counter and her get the wrong treatment. Whoa, overwhelmed sister meltdown. XD

For foundation, MUFE is the best I have found for liquid (but then, i'm hard to match). However, if you're not adverse to buying from the internet, Graftobian makes an amazing cream foundation. It's affordable, too! I bought mine from camera ready cosmetics, I'm not sure where else it can be found, but I know CRC is very pricy for shipping. It's the Glamour Creme, and it has a great range of shades. The Graftobian website has a big colour conversion chart.

 

[sunshine16]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplyenchantin ^^ That sounds pretty good sunshine! Maybe you should alternate each month.. like one month buy a brush and the next month buy an eyeshadow or something.. What you said works both ways, there's also no point having brushes with no product to use them on Personally I've bought a few dud brushes, and by that I mean, they're great quality etc however I've found other brushes that work better for me (when they both supposedly do the same thing) and it's pretty expensive to buy a brush you're not going to use often. It's great to hear you're doing research on your purchases!

I do have some products, just not a whole tonne... (yet!)
I have a lot of makeup by everyday standards, but not by specktra standards haha, we all know its completley different

Like you said, it would be pointless to have brushes with no makeup

I'm just trying to build a brush collection and the basics atm, however that's not to say if if i fell in love with a bright green eyeshadow i wouldn't buy it. But for example, if i fell in love with 4 green eyeshadows that were similar, i probably wouldn't buy all of them.. because why buy 4 greens when you don't have any purples yet?

I love researching my purchases, it's not a chore it all for me.. I honestly wont buy a product before i read a few reviews, if i fall for something and am tempted i just pull out my phone and see what people online are saying about it. It works for me, i don't own any products i hate/have no use for

But in saying that, note i've already started putting money away for Christmas presents. I am a ridiculous anal/organised person

 

[fletch50]

I was just recently in Australia and was blown away by how expensive makeup is there. Not just MAC and other high end brands, but even drugstore stuff like L'Oreal and Revlon. If anyone ever needs a CP done I am willing to do it.

 

[lizzymcfizzy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fletch50 I was just recently in Australia and was blown away by how expensive makeup is there. Not just MAC and other high end brands, but even drugstore stuff like L'Oreal and Revlon. If anyone ever needs a CP done I am willing to do it.

thanks I'll keep that in mind

 

[rockin26]

Yeah we get friggin robbed over here when it comes to makeup $$$ I don't buy much MAC retail anymore, same with other HE brands.

Whats Bourjois priced like in the US?? Does anyone know?

 

[RedRibbon]

Wow @ how expensive it is.

You would think that MAC would want as many customers as possible and so would try to keep prices pretty even all over the world.

My friend bought some NP stuff from Aus which she says is on par with MAC for quality but I've never used it so can't say

 

[ItsKrysta]

Well, since I'm only 13, I don't buy from Mac much.
I try to limit myself with only about 3 products a month, and my parents give me an allowance every month for me to spend on what I want and need, which I'm forever grateful for.

 

[rockin26]

At 13 you can afford 3 MAC items at Aus retail price per month? Geez I wish my parents gave me that kind of allowance when I was 13, all I could afford was Australis

 

[Ebbychina]

Firstly, it really does help to have a full time job.

Secondly, I keep an excel spreadsheet of all my bills and I PRIORITIZE! Before I got into MAC I would spend at least $100.00 on social activities (i.e. dinner, movies, clubs, etc.) now I have shifted this disposable income to makeup!

I will never forego an important bill to buy MAC, but if it comes down to going out to an expensive dinner and completing a palette

I'll be ordering a pizza...lol

 

[CatsMeow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockin26 At 13 you can afford 3 MAC items at Aus retail price per month? Geez I wish my parents gave me that kind of allowance when I was 13, all I could afford was Australis

Australis - yep, I remember those days. I think I had 'Red Earth' too? Or am I making that brand up?

Having a memory fade...

 

[simplyenchantin]

Red Earth was the first cosmetics brand I ever used to buy

 

[xLongLashesx]

ha me too! Priceline has Red Earth now.

I remember when a splurge was a trip to the Body Shop!

 

[sambibabe]

^^ Man, you guys actually got to buy stuff? I used to steal all my mum's makeups *trying very hard to think of what my first ever makeup purchase was*

 

[simplyenchantin]

Nat you're forgetting how much younger we all are just kidding! I used to try my mum's BURGUNDY Lancome lipsticks on hahaha.