If you didn’t know by now, I am a huge M·A·C fan. It is the brand that I spend most of my make-up money on. I’ve figured out ways to “save,” if you will, over time since I buy too much of it. Here are some of my tips:

Take advantage of the Back to M·A·C program. It’s where you bring in six empty containers to any M·A·C counter and you can get a free lipstick. I’ve only brought in eyeshadow pots (after having depotted them; more on that on another entry), so I don’t know what other items fall under the “M·A·C primary packaging containers” category (probably full-size pigment jars and lipstick tubes), but you could always ask them. Also, I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that if you go to a freestanding store, you could get a lipglass or an eyeshadow, instead of that lipstick. I haven’t tried exchanging for anything but free lipstick, but again, you could always ask. Utilizing the program has helped me save because I don’t have to worry about paying for lipsticks.

If you live close to a freestanding (not the counters at department stores) or a pro store, go there and buy an empty palette. They have 15-pan palettes or a quad, which fits four eyeshadows. Instead of buying eyeshadow pots, you could just go to a freestanding store or a pro store and buy refills of eyeshadows, which are $10.50 compared to pots, which are $14. The downside to the refills is that they don’t count for Back to M·A·C. On the other hand, there’s no need to depot them, thereby lessening the chances of your shadows being chipped. Fifteen pan palettes are $12 and the quads go for $3.50. I think they’re well worth getting since you can fit Urban Decay, Milani, and Jane eyeshadows in there as well. [The prices listed are in US dollars and are current as of this entry.]

Hope these ideas help someone!