26 Mar 2009

Sort of recent haul - discounted MAC!

 
Pictures of a recent purchase I made at allcosmeticswholesale.com for some MAC and Benefit. I get asked all the time where one can purchase MAC or other brands for cheaper than retail, and this site is it! I generally advise against purchasing MAC on eBay or other discount websites which are often rife with counterfeit items, but this site is legit. I found out about this website from Specktra and makeupalley.com with rave reviews from customers who confirmed the items were real, so I decided to try it out and yes, all my items are authentic. I purchased the MAC 109 brush, Benefit High Beam highlighter, MAC Dazzlelight pan, and MAC Flattering mattene lipstick (LE). Especially for customers outside of the USA, the prices will be extremely discounted, it's less than half of what I pay for MAC in Switzerland.
  
Here you can see a comparison between Dazzlelight and Shroom, both which are great highlight colors. However, Dazzlelight is far superior because of the texture - it's a buttery smooth Veluxe Pearl and Shroom is a horrible Satin. MAC's satin finish just doesn't work on me, and Shroom has just crusted up on me to the point where I can't use it at all anymore. The top layer is filmy beyond repair (I've tried scraping at it with a sharp knife), and it's the only MAC shadow I have that does this. Dazzlelight has much better pigment payoff and Veluxe Pearls are MAC's best finish.

 
  
Benefit High Beam is a nice liquid highlighter, I love the sheen it gives but hate the packaging. It is packaged similar to a nailpolish, the handle leads into a nailpolish brush. Who on earth thought up this horrendous packaging? I hate Benefit's packaging in general, too fussy and not practical, so a big fat ZERO on the packaging. But I love the product! It's smooth and easy to spread and gives a lovely sheen, and can be blended out nicely. High Beam is pink based, whereas Benefit's Moon Beam is more yellow based.

 
MAC Flattering Mattene lipstick (LE) 
Flattering is a nice neutral shade veering into the brown cream tone, and I love the matte finish. It's not as drying as other matte lipsticks I have tried, but a lip balm underneath is essential. Too bad the Mattenes were limited edition, they are richly pigmented and great if you want matte lips.

19 comments:

  1. what a great find! I'm definitely going to check it out.

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  2. yay i'm glad you finally got your haul from here! u know, i love shroom...and dazzlelight is even better? i'm goin to have to check that out...the 109 is awesome awesome awesome for foundation.

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  3. Anonymous6:56 pm

    Hi Julia!
    I've found another site for European buyers ;-) , but haven't tried it yet
    http://www.brigettesboutique.com/


    thanks for this post
    MaG, from France :-)

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  4. Anonymous7:55 pm

    Thank you so much for the tip! We Europeans sure need it!

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  5. Great post! I've been wanting to try the 109 brush and thanks to you, now I want to try Dazzlelight :)

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  6. hmm i'm going to have to try out that website. MAC is just tremendously expensive. i've tried flattering mattene and love it. great pink lipstick.

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  7. I am so thrilled they ship internationally! Yay!

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  8. ohh wow! Thank you so much for the link! I've been wanting more MAC stuff but I simply can not afford the huge prices >_< love love love! thank you thank you thank you hehe <3

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  9. Anonymous8:14 am

    Hello, Julia

    Thank you for the review on High Beam. I've been trying to decide whether or not to buy this product (having been slightly put off by the packaging). It's relatively cheap, so I might give it a try.

    Sally
    (Melbourne)

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  10. Anonymous11:11 am

    hey julia,
    how long did the shipping take?
    i'm planning to order something but will leave in a couple of weeks to cape town and the website doesn't give any information on international shipping times.
    thanks so much for sharing! lisa

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  11. Thanks for this post Julia, I've heard of this website too but never really gave it a try. I will check it out now. I wonder if the prices will be worth it for me (I'm in Canada)

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  12. thanks for the tip. i really hate that we europeans are so left out sometimes! ;)

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  13. Anonymous7:55 pm

    Thanks for the info on the website. I placed an order. Can't wait to get it.

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  14. Anonymous11:54 am

    Hi Julia! Thanks so much for the link!
    I was just wondering what kind of shipping did you choose? Did you purchase insurance? If so, how much was it?
    Also, I love Dazzlelight. It was one of my fist MAC e/s!
    TIA!
    Emma

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  15. I am from Brazil and always follow your posts ... I am also a professional makeup artist and I want to congratulate your talent ... A kiss from Brazil.

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  16. I am from Brazil and always follow your posts ... I am also a professional makeup artist and I want to congratulate your talent ... A kiss from Brazil.

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  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  18. Anonymous3:06 pm

    Hi!
    I've just discovered your site, and i think it's great!^^
    Could you tell me something about the shipping cost to Europe? did you use USPS First Class International ?
    Thanks

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  19. Hi! I've been reading your blog and also checked out the website and ordered some MAC brushes. I just received them today, but I have a question: I bought the 169 brush along with my other 2 eye brushes, but the 169 says it is made in China. I have never seen any MAC brushes that is made in china (at least the authentic ones from the store). I was wondering if you know anything about that? The brush came with plastic sleeves just like the ones in the MAC stores, and there's a sticker that has the bar code and made in china also, but I just want to know if that really is authentic because it was on the expensive side.. I plan on contacting the seller, but I want to make sure first. Thanks! :)

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