Sunday, October 19, 2014

Back to MAC; Recycling Your Old Products

I love freebies. Getting free samples from Sephora makes me giddy. Back to MAC lets you get full-sized products, which is even better! If you are unaware, Back to MAC is MAC Cosmetic's recycling program. You can return any plastic packaging from used-up, or full, MAC products.
Last week, I purged my collection. I came to realize I was a hoarder and was hoarding tons of MAC lipglosses that I knew I would never wear again (I used to love lipgloss but over the last few years I have come to hate it. It just isn't something I reach for anymore). Because of this I had a bunch of things that I could Back to MAC.

In return for 6 plastic MAC packages, you can get 1 full-sized lipstick, lipgloss or eyeshadow from a MAC stand-alone store. I believe at MAC satellite locations (like inside of The Bay) you can only Back to MAC for a lipstick or lipgloss, no eyeshadow. The plastic packaging that they accept are eyeshadow singles, blush packaging, lipglosses, lipsticks, foundation bottles (which I believe includes the glass packaging ones) and face powder packages.
I depot most of my MAC products into palettes. Many people have claimed that MAC stores will not take back a package without the silver pan inside for Back to MAC. I have never had this problem and I have Back to MAC-ed probably between 10 and 20 eyeshadow and blush containers without any problems. I would say, try and try until someone lets you. It's all about getting the right sales associate. Since MAC is just melting the plastic down to recycle it anyways, I don't see why anyone would care.
Since I put myself on a buying ban at the beginning of this month, Back to MAC-ing products is the best way for me to get my hands on some new pieces without spending any money. When I went to MAC to see the new Rocky Horror Picture Show collection, I also decided to pick up a few things. The Rocky Horror collection was my first free pass in my makeup buying ban. Rocky Horror is one of my favourite movies and I knew I needed a few pieces from this collection. I ended up picking up the lipstick in Frank-N-Furter. I also wanted to get Sin, but it was sold out by the time I got there. I also picked up an empty palette. MAC palettes are fantastic quality and they retail for only $8 without the insert, which is an amazing deal, especially considering the price of Z-Palettes. I ordered a bunch of Coastal Scents eyeshadows when they were on for .99 cents and I need somewhere to put them. I will be posting swatches of them within the next week or so on here.
Once I picked up the Frank-N-Furter lipstick, I headed over and started swatching the permanent lipsticks to see what I could add to my collection for fall. I ended up Back to MAC-ing for Cyber. It is a gorgeous deep plum-purple colour that I absolutely adore. It is something that I should have already owned considering my obsession with purple lips. It is a satin finish lipstick and I adore it. It is the perfect statement lip for fall.

I love Back to MAC. If only Sephora had a recycling program like this! It is a great system and maybe a little incentive for you guys to dig through your collection and see what you don't need anymore.

2 comments:

  1. Definitely a huge fan of the back 2 MAC program! I've gotten a ton of lipsticks and eyeshadows this way. I actually have a couple of sets that I've been meaning to turn in. Picking what lipstick to get is always tough!

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    1. I have so much stuff to back to mac but I can't decide on a lipstick! haha it is definitely the hardest part!

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