Saturday

Saturday Morning Market Dash - MAC Bargains!

Living in London, I'm not near any CCOs (Cosmetics Company Outlets), but I live next to Portobello market and in the last year I've picked up a few Benefit and MAC cosmetics there.  There used to be one guy - I call him Benefit Man - whose stall I was addicted to!  I never asked him where he got the stuff but I was pretty sure they weren't fakes.  The only one that seemed dodgy to me was a bottle of Posie Tint which had a slightly larger cap than my shop-bought High Beam.  Anyway, he went off the radar last autumn.

This morning I found another stall selling Benefit, Stilla and most MAC, plus some other premium brands.  The stall owner said MAC destroy unsold cosmetics, and so I guess someone intercepts this!   I picked up a few things I've wanted for a while; Dame blush and Twinks and Sketch eyeshadows.  My impulse buys were the lipglasses and Star Violet eyeshadow - which I think is actually my favourite of the three!  I've never bothered with MAC lipglosses before as £12 is over the top for something I'm not that into.

So anyway, here's the haul...



 Unpackaged...


I've wanted Dame blush for ages, and it really is a perfect pink for my pale skin.  It has tiny BLUE sparkles, but they only add a nice iridescence to my cheeks.  I got it for £8.

The pro pan eyeshadows were £5 each - I only need two more to complete my 12 pan palette!

The lipglasses were £7.50 each.  They are very pretty colours and quite long lasting, but I do find the lipglass formula stickier than I like.  They are both pretty sheer, and Nymphette is the most interesting with its goldy-green shimmer.




So I'm very happy with my bargain MAC haul, most of the bits were at least half the price of what they are in the shop - but this is all I think they're worth really!  I'll be keeping my eye out for more pro pan eyeshadows!


My bargain of the day was actually this 40 eyeshadow palette by a brand I've never heard of  - Saffron London - for £2!


I thought the pigmentation would be awful, but for £2 I couldn't say no.   Well, I got home and swatched them and the pigmentation is fabulous! Granted they are a bit chunky and flaky and some are quite glittery, but some of the colours are absolutely gorgeous!  They apply best with a sponge applicator.  The one that comes with them is a bit rubbish, but I have a couple of great ones from Urban Decay eyeshadows that work perfectly.


The palette is a really nice size - smaller than Coastal Scents 88 palettes but larger than a MAC 12 pan.


There are loads of great brownish/reddy/bricky colours which look great with blue eyes.







What's your best makeup bargain?

17 comments:

  1. Wow that palette looks great for £2! Great wee haul!

    Lisa xx

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  2. You lucky thing. You picked up some great things. xx

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  3. Oooh, you can't go wrong for two squids!! :)

    The guy who sold MAC stuff at my local market (before he got kicked off) started selling fake stuff when he realised how popular it was! :( I trek over to Bicester Village once or twice a year to the CCO for my discount stuff now!

    xxx

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  4. MAC must sell on their unsold stuff. I've bought a few bits and pieces from this site (http://www.cosmetics-skincare.co.uk/index.aspx?pageid=227636&chainID=22976&txtQuickSearch=mac) and they're not fake. I only learnt about a month ago that there is a CCO in Portsmouth where I used to live :|

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  5. Nice haul. That's such a great price for the MAC pro pans. Enjoy your new goodies!

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  6. That nymphette gloss is absolutely gorgeous! Great finds!

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  7. That eyeshadow palette is gorgeous! I've been wanting to get Dame too! And Sketch is one of my favorite shadows. :)

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  8. Oh wow, this is awesome! Whereabouts in Portobello did you find this stall?? :) x

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  9. that stall sounds like the place to be :) x

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  10. I'm so jealous of these 'stalls' :) Wish I had a place like that around where I live.
    Thanks for the swatches!

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  11. Wow, great haul. 48 eyeshadow palette for 2£?? WOW. So cheap! I want that palette too! Some gorgeous colours.. Especially that silver and turqouise! Just amazing. I hope I'll find something like that when I'm in October... xx

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  12. Hey guys! sorry for taking forever to reply to your lovely comments, been feeling sick the last few days :( - new post coming in a bit.

    I'd like to check out the CCO in Bicester Village, but must learn to drive first!

    Robyn thanks for that website link :)

    The stall changes position almost every Saturday but I know he does Dagenham market as well. He gave me his business card (which I can't find now!) and the company is called something like 'Pop in Cosmetics'. The week before last he was near the Motorway flyover, just a bit down from Tescos, and last Sat he was nearer the Goldbourne Rd end, so I think you just have to hunt him down each time!

    I picked up two of the eyeshadow palettes, so the other will feature in a future giveaway (I'm hoping for 100 followers by my birthday on July 20, so with any luck it will be soon!)

    Loves, Kat xoxo

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  13. I think I for sure need that cheapy pallette. I've been wondering if they work ok.

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  14. Get me one!!! The £2 eyeshadows!! I'm gonna do my own wedding make-up and I want to experiment with the eye shadows. You know I don't usually wear colours on my eyes, so I need to practice!

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  15. @ Jill - the eyeshadows are very pigmented and I love the metallic finish. However they are a bit crumbly so it's best to use a foam applicator or a very dense e/s brush like the MAC 242. They also work best over an eye primer, I love UD's Primer Potion in Sin x

    @ Angel - I hope you're enjoying the palette!! x

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  16. I came across Saffron when I received one of their smaller palettes at Christmas. I love it! I'm going to hunt this one down online as it looks fab :) xx

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