What's up with this eyeshadow?

[littlepickle]

Received this in the post today, here's where I bought it: MAC Eyeshadow for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

(Excuse my hands, I'm midway through painting my new make up cabinet)

Compared with my other authentic eyeshadows it seems perfectly legit but there's something up with the eyeshadow itself. As you can see it looks blotchy and strange and the weirdest thing is that there is no colour to it - as in, it doesn't swatch at all. Nothing whatsoever comes off on my fingertip. I'm wondering if the blotchiness is due to being sterilized with alcohol at some point, but I know many people here sterilize their products with alcohol without problems. I've never done it before myself, so please excuse my ignorance on the matter. Is there anyway I can fix this?

I've just tried rubbing hard at it with my finger and can get a little colour that way. When I chip into the shadow a little, under the top layer seems normal and gives colour. Weird!

 

[xFlossy]

Maybe it was the alcohol or the percent that was used? I have used 99% alcohol to repress a mac shadow and it came out fine.

Maybe you could get a brush and use that to rub off the top part to get to the shadow underneath?

 

[Susanne]

Yes, I think it looks as if it was treated with alcohol.

 

[SmokeSignal16]

I think you may need to scrap the whole top layer off. Before I knew better I took water to my powder compact once and it hardened up like that but I managed to scrap the whole layer off and it was fine.

 

[littlepickle]

Thanks guys, I'll (literally

heehee) chip away at it. It's such a pretty colour!

 

[Susanne]

Yes, enjoy it!

 

[panda0410]

Is it supposed to be a matte? You can't use alcohol on mattes, they set like concrete!! Otherwise sometimes e/s form a layer over the top if they have been touched, and oil and residue transferred from brushes sets the top layer of a lot of MAC shadows and I have had several I've had to scrape off. Just take the top layer off and it should be fine, try and keep your fingers out of it as much as possible

 

[littlepickle]

Yep, it's a matte. Thanks Panda!

 

[LMD84]

good luck scraping!

just from looking at the picture i could tell it had been treated and needs the top layer scraped off!

 

[littlepickle]

I've scraped the top layer and it looks fine albeit messy now

 

[LittleMaryJane]

Why would it be treated with alcohol in the first place?

 

[panda0410]

^^Some people sanitise their shadows with alcohol, with is fine in most cases, but not with mattes - it sets the top layer like stone!