Haul: Specktra Finds

Posted by Tamara in haul | 2 comments

Now some of you might be wondering why I’ve got a haul posted, but I promise that I’m not cheating on my no-buy. I ordered everything before I decided to stem my purchases, but since I ordered online they just arrived recently. I was alerted to Pharaoh paint pot by a friend, and then ended up finding a few other MAC’tastic things too. ;]

Studio Mist Blush / Peach Spritz
Eye Shadow (clockwise from top left) / Gris, Electro Sky, Cloudburst, Bang On Blue
Paint Pot / Pharaoh
Paint / Mauvism, Graphito
Glitter / Chartruese

Generally speaking, I don’t order much online. Mostly because I hate paying for shipping, paired with the fact that it’s impossible to know if the swatches online are accurate.. and they rarely are. I do make an exception for this gem of a place called Specktra. It’s known to most as a large make-up focused community, but they also have a buy/sell forum which I was wary of at first.. but I’ve since changed my mind. There’s always a risk to ‘forum shopping’, but I’ve only had positive experiences.. everything has always arrived and everything has always been as described.

That said, since so many make-up artists and make-up fanatics hang out there, it stands to reason that there is a lot of product available.. and every so often, one of these people will streamline their collections and sell discontinued or (past) limited edition items.  You can find brand new items as well as gently used items, which is a great way to pick up the odd thing you may have missed out on.  Often times these products are below retail, or for some particularly rare items the price may be more.. but there is definitely plenty to choose from. But just like any other online setting, be sure to read everything, check out photos (or ask if there are none) and ask questions if you’re unsure of something! Also, there is the ability to leave feedback (much like Ebay), so you can check that too to see how other people have fared with a particular seller.