During this time of economic crisis it’s not a surprise that we as makeup addicts might enjoy a bargain. But as a student it can be hard to afford the high end products that whisper sweet nothings in our ears ‘buy me, you know you want to’. But wanting cannot magically create unlimited funds. As an Australian it is also difficult to acquire products that grace the many hauls on YouTube or blogging websites. It surprises people when they find out how expensive drug store brands are here; 3 or 4 times the price Americans might pay. But there is an option out there for us struggling cosmetics junkies, I turn to my lover and saviour; eBay. I can find myself browsing for hours; clothes, accessory, nail art, but mostly makeup.
An eBayer will no doubt stumble upon the massive amount of listings coming out of China; cosmetics in various palettes, shades and of course prices. Most cosmetics from China come from a vendor; a company that mass produces the same product and sells it to another company who then place their logo or brand name for resale. Often palettes arrive in basic black cases with no discernable label.
Is it safe you might wonder? In the last few years China has become the third largest cosmetic market alongside Japan and the US. According to Hygiene standards for cosmetics in 2007, companies have been faced with rigorous testing stages that must include 9 types of data in order to prove cosmetic safety.
A few tips for someone contemplating buying a palette or makeup item from China via eBay.
- Know your ingredients, the FDA has provided a list of harmful unsafe ingredients. Helpful website below. www.makingcosmetics.com/unsafeingredients-18.html
- Ensure sellers provide a list of ingredients so you can cross reference
- When you receive your palette do a test on the inner forearm and wait for any reactions.
Now others might wonder about the quality of these products, some say they are chalky and un-pigmented. To this I think it’s a matter of trial and error, some palettes are different to others. To solve the chalkiness issue I simply use a cream/tacky base and it works just fine. I have three 15 colour eye shadow palettes and I have been able to create colourful and lovely looks. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on expensive makeup when I can spend a quarter of the price and still get my makeup fix. Check out my coral smoky eye using one of the palettes.
