As I have written about at length already, there is loads of fake MAC around. Hello Kitty this, Hello Kitty that. But finding authentic MAC wholesale makeup products is not actually very difficult if you know where to look – there are trusted sellers of MAC listed on our Members Area that you can access right away if you decide to join Cheap Slap.

So, going back to my point about MAC wholesale, and this applies to Benefit as well, is they are the most in demand brands that everyone is looking for. This inflates the wholesale price making them both more expensive, because of the limited supplies. If I had the choice between an $8 MAC wholesale item and a $2 Stila or Clarins item, I know which I would pick.

Also, eBay is not a good place to sell authentic MAC or Benefit because you are competing against people selling much lower priced fakes. But you can still get a good mark up on MAC and Benefit if you sell elsewhere, e.g. cosmetics parties, fairs and market stalls or car boots. The trick is to be the first person in your area doing it.

Post flyers on cars or through letterboxes offering makeup parties or letting people know where you will be. Think about a website, even if it is only one page, showing your offers and put the website details on the flyers too. It’s about getting yourself in people’s faces, so get some slap on and don’t be shy!

Now is a really good time to get going because the busiest time of year is coming up – if you can get organised now you can seriously clean up in October and November with customers buying for Christmas. It seems like the whole world is skint and looking for bargains at the minute, so I think this year will be busier than ever.

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My niece left her skater girl Osiris shoes at mine last week and once I had sniffed out where the whiff was located I was not able to resist a quick try on as we are the same shoe size. My 5 year old daughter fell about laughing and said something about not lacing them up. Like I totally knew that of course, and chanelling Sharpay (getting down with 5 year old girls is slightly easier) gave my best “whadever” impression.

I remember the days when I had a pair of Vans but even then they weren’t really me. I am more a motorbike boot sort of chick. My daughter is a Lelli Kelly kinda gal. With the price of Lelli Kelly’s being up there with the price of gold, I may be encouraging her to embrace the skater look one day very soon. If I really had to, then I would probably choose either the pink Osaris Barrons or the gold Bronx skate shoes for something more bling.

My neice’s boyfriend is Emo. I am not sure what that is exactly except it’s something to do with a long fringe and wearing a lot of black (is there some punky thing going on there as well? Punk, I can just about remember). Oh and music and feelings. Which is just the perfect teenage formula really. I can’t for the life of me remember what his shoes were like but I must remember to check next time I see him so that I know what shoes Emos wear. Anyway, I think they make a lovely couple.

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Just for the record, there are several good wholesale cosmetics and beauty suppliers in the UK and you will get full details of those if you are a member of Cheap Slap (what do you mean, you’re not? You need to join Cheap Slap right now!!) There is easily enough of a good selection available from the UK sellers to get started, and I know some people with established cosmetics businesses who only ever use the recommended UK suppliers.

However, a lot of the best wholesale makeup deals are to be had from US sellers, especially for the most in demand high end brands like MAC, Benefit and Bobbi Brown. There are quite a few trustworthy US sellers with authentic wholesale makeup products for sale, so it makes sense to keep your options open and consider buying from them at some point down the line.

When buying from the US, the additional costs you need to consider are the shipping costs, VAT and customs duties, and also any extras like a handling fee.

The main suppliers all use major couriers to ship to their UK customers, and shipping quotes are usually available before you order. The cost depends and the size and weight of the package. You pay the agreed shipping cost up front at the same time as you pay for your order.

Obviously, and it depends what you are buying, but in my experience shipping is usually never more than around $50, and that can be for up to 200 items – remember that lipsticks, mascaras, eyeshadows etc are small and light. So the cost of shipping per item for small items can be very reasonable.

You can always ask for a couple of shipping quotes depending on the quantity of items, as there may be a minimum charge which makes it work out more expensive per item. For example, the cost to ship 100 items may be only a little bit more than for say 20 or 30 pieces.

VAT also gets added to any goods shipped to the UK with a value over £18. VAT is charged at 17.5% on the value of the goods so you will need to factor this cost into your budget as well. I should also mention that VAT is also applied to all orders from UK suppliers as well, and UK suppliers always list their prices before VAT. That means that you will always have to pay VAT, and you will never have to pay any additional VAT just because you are buying from the US. It is possible to reclaim VAT if you are VAT registered, but most people reading this will not be.

Next up, customs duties. I am no expert on this because there are loads of different customs rates depending on what the product is, so as a rule of thumb I just budget for another 10% of the order value.

Finally, a handling charge of around £10 or £15 is added by the courier company (or £8 if your package is delivered by normal post). You will need to pay the VAT, customs duty, and handling charge when the package is delivered. The courier company usually telephones you for payment by credit card beforehand and the post office leaves a red card through your door with details of the charges due before the item can be delivered.

When you work it all out, the additional charges of buying from the US still make it worthwhile. I know, because I do it all the time, and so do a great many other eBay cosmetics sellers. The fact is that to get the best stock, the US is where it’s at. It may take a little longer for your goods to arrive, but only a few days, and the little extra effort involved is well worth it.

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The collection was announced at New York’s cool Beauty Bar, a place that sounds like my kinda heaven. It is a bar where you can indulge in beauty treatments, cocktails and cosmetics. It’s a converted salon with a retro feel and I would like one to open over here in the UK, please.

Described as a “frump-fighting, pro-pixie, anti-seriousness collection of colour” the limited edition Alice & Oliva for MAC line includes three shades of So Rich So Pretty Nail Lacquer, £8 each, three shades of Dazzleglass Creme gloss, £14.50 each, and three shades of Partylicious Pigment, £15 each.

My top picks are the Nail Lacquer in Morning.After; as the must have nail shade for next season is deffo teal – so it’s worth getting in on the act early with this creamy, opaque version. And I also love the Pigment in Later, which is a loose black eye shadow shot through with purple – which is perfect for creating a fast, multi-tonal smoky eye with just one product.

Word on the beauty boardwalk is that Harrods in London have bagged the exclusive launch of the collection this August. I can’t wait!!

Keep your eye out for any wholesale makeup deals on the collection coming up in the next few months after its launch. MAC bring out new limited edition makeup collections so regularly, that you can be sure that this one will not be around on MAC counters for very long.

For reliable sources of authentic MAC wholesale cosmetics, just check out the sellers on Cheap Slap. If you are not already a member, why not join Cheap Slap today? It only takes a minute and gives you instant access to an enormous range of high end wholesale makeup deals, all of which are available for immediate purchase.

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A lot of fake beauty products are for items that do not actually exist in the proper range – different MAC colours etc. I give several warnings on Cheap Slap about sellers to avoid, but always always do your own due diligence as ultimately your cosmetics business transactions are your own responsibility. Pay by Paypal for maximum buyer protection (and make sure that you NEVER pay by bank transfer).

Sorry that’s not more definitive, but it pays to trust your own intuition and if anything seems at all dodgy, then always walk away. There are enough genuine deals around to get a good selection of stock without resorting to desperate measures.

Two very widely faked cosmetics brands are MAC and Benefit, but many other beauty brands are too, so never assume that all the other brands are okay either! You will gain a lot more confidence once you have more experience dealing with the wholesale makeup sellers and a wide range of cosmetics products, but when starting out it is a good idea to be cautious.

If you are sourcing wholesale cosmetics products yourself, do a who.is search to check where the website is registered. If it is registered in China – avoid! A lot of Chinese websites look like they are US sites because the products are listed in US dollars but a who.is search should give you more information.

Cheap Slap members have a head start with our list of trusted wholesale makeup suppliers, as well as warnings about the cosmetics sellers to avoid. Many people have thanked me for saving them from unscrupulous sellers.

If you are not a member yet, why not take a minute and join Cheap Slap today – members can contact me directly any time for advice on wholesale cosmetics sellers or websites you may be unsure about.

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As a result, many people only found out about Prescriptives going out of business after it had already happened. That left it a bit late to stock up on all their fave Prescriptives items, through no fault of their own.

When you think about how often you buy some cosmetics items, it may only be once or twice a year. So it was unlucky for anyone looking for Prescriptives makeup and perfume after the end of January closure deadline had already passed.

The current situation is that there is still some Prescriptives stock available, but it is selling out fast. If you are in the US, try the main Prescriptives website although many items there are sold out already. Another possibility is the Cosmetics Company Store chain of outlet stores in the US. Apart from that, several wholesale deals for Prescriptives have been appearing from the wholesale makeup sellers found on Cheap Slap, athough they are being snapped up by clever Cheap Slap members in a heartbeat. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some you can name your price when selling on eBay.

A lesson for everyone to learn from this is never to underestimate the value of discontinued makeup and beauty items. Prescriptives is an extreme case because the residual stock following closure of the brand is still extremely limited, but if you think ahead you can build a profitable cosmetics business by supplying hard to find cosmetics items for great profit margins.

MAC special editions are a good example. Because of their rarity and limited supply, they usually hold their resale value well, and they are regularly available from the trusted sellers on Cheap Slap. Beware though of other sites selling fake MAC special editions in large quantities – for example the MAC Hello Kitty range is being widely conterfeited at the moment.

Stila is another brand whose distribution outside the US has been discontinued. This has resulted in increased demand for Stila products in places where it is no longer available over the cosmetics counter. However, in the case of Stila, there is still a lot of stock around which means that the prices are slightly lower (both wholesale cost and resale value).

Do your homework and keep up to date with the latest cosmetics news – and if you hear of any other popular cosmetics brands going out of business, start stocking up!!

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Strictly speaking, if you are not an authorised supplier of the cosmetics brand you are selling, and you do not have permission to use the makeup brand manufacturer’s stock photos (which are copyrighted) then you
are supposed to take your own photos of the products and use those images on your site (or eBay).

In reality, if you copy and paste photos from another site you might be okay but you could be asked to remove the photos if anyone checks. In that case you would have to use your own images.

My recommendation would be to always use your own photos for selling makeup on eBay. There is so much fake high end makeup on eBay that using stock photos actually makes the listing look dodgy, even if your products are authentic. Also, there are more official checks on eBay making it more likely that you will be asked to remove the beauty product image if it is copyrighted.

If you have your own cosmetics website, then you are less likely to be caught using someone else’s images. Not that I would ever encourage you to do that. Of course not.

For authentic wholesale cosmetics stock to sell on eBay or for starting your own website, you will find great deals on authentic MAC, Bobbi Brown, Stila, Too Faced and more from the trusted sellers featured on Cheap Slap.

Not a member yet? Big mistake, as your competitors already are!! Get a move on and join Cheap Slap today!!

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If you are one of the lucky ones to have been able to get your hands on some of the remaining Prescripives stock you will know what I mean when I say it is still selling like hot cakes. All my Prescriptives products have sold out as soon as soon as they have been listed on eBay – and many other Cheap Slap members report the same experience too.

The closure by Estee Lauder of the cult Prescriptives brand earlier this year means that there is a hungry crowd of customers willing to pay well over the odds for the limited remaining stock. The end of Prescriptives is sad for its fans, and personally I liked some of their stuff, but it was not a mainstream brand and for financial reasons it had to go.

For makeup sellers, the decision to discontinue Prescriptives since the end of January 2010 is a fantastic opportunity because whatever Prescriptives products you can get your hands on will fly off your shelves for a very handsome profit. So if you do find some, my advice would be not to hesitate if you are thinking about buying, as the deals will not be around for long.

Prescriptives in the US are still selling any remaining stock from their main website, but many lines are already sold out. You may also find some stock in the US in the Cosmetics Company outlet stores. This fab chain of makeup outlet stores is owned by the Estee Lauder group and also features discounted deals on brands like MAC and Bobbi Brown. The only drawback is that they often limit the number of items you can buy on any one visit (so if necessary send in all your friends and rellies to buy on your behalf)!

I am also pleased to report that there have been a few Prescriptives wholesale makeup deals from the sellers you will find on Cheap Slap. The deals have mostly been for foundation, in assorted shades, so if you are already a member why not log in and check out the latest deals today. If you are not a member, what are you waiting for?? Join Cheap Slap today!

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One of the first things you do should be to register your domain name so that you can use your business name as your email address, and also so that it is reserved if you ever want to start your own cosmetics website in the future.

Domain names are not expensive and can be bought for less than £1, but it depends what extension you get (.com, .co.uk, .org etc). Many domain snobs would say that .com extensions are the best (they are also usually the most expensive) but for local Google search purposes there is also a good argument for using the country extension for where your website is based (usually the country where you live). For a beauty website you will not go far wrong with either of the above choices.

To register your domain name, there are loads of domain registrar companies to choose from. I personally like GoDaddy. They are a global organisation with local GoDaddy sites in most countries. I find their prices are very competitive and I have never had any problems with them. Their domain registration process is easy to understand and you can set up your domain name and email address in under 10 minutes. The process at GoDaddy is described below:

Go to GoDaddy.com, click on the Products tab and use the search box near the top right for the domain name that you would like for your cosmetics business e.g. mybeautybusiness.co.uk. If you are dead set on a name and it is already taken, try using hypens e.g. my-beauty-business.co.uk. For Google search purposes, the hypens are ignored, so if someone types in your website name they should still find you on Google.

When you find the domain name you are happy with, add to your basket and click on the “Continue to Registration” button. At this point GoDaddy will probably offer you special savings if you buy more than one domain name – just choose “No Thanks” to get to the next screen. You will then need to register your details with GoDaddy for your account.

The next steps will let you choose how long you want to register your domain for. There is a minimum period of 2 years for a .co.uk domain, and 1 year for .com. Select the minimum registration period, and the Uncertified option next to that. You can ignore the bit about hosting for now. On the next screen, stay with the default standard option (there is an option to upgrade to business registration, but that costs extra and is really not necessary).

On the next screen, you can choose your email options – up to 5 email addresses is enough. Do not select any hosting plan as all you want for now is the domain name. If you want a website later, you can add hosting then.

Click on to your shopping basket, and voila you’re done. The total cost for a .co.uk domain name, for 2 years, with GoDaddy is currently around £13.

To set up your email address and use your new email account, follow the instructions here. Then bookmark the login page so that you do not have to go through GoDaddy to access your email every time.

By the way, if you are in the UK, I would not recommend 123-reg.co.uk, as I had a bad experience with them a couple of years ago. I registered a domain name, and not long afterwards someone else’s site mysteriously appeared on my domain. I have no idea how that happened, but I wasn’t very happy about the ease of cybersquatting, and their customer service while I was trying to sort it out was rubbish.

Finally, by all means shop around, but beware of sites advertising super low prices, as often you may need to sign up for 5 or 10 years to get the price stated in the ad.

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To say I am beside myself is an understatement. Yet that also seems so shallow and selfish, to be thinking about myself when it is not me who is in physical agony and facing a certain outcome, at a date unknown but never far enough away in the future. Time is an unknown quantity and at no time in my memory has it seemed so precious.

Metastatic liver cancer is another name for secondary liver cancer. It means that the main (or primary) origin of the cancer is somewhere else, but the cancer has grown and spread to the liver. Unfortunately the prognosis for secondary liver cancer is just about the worst that you can get. For my dad, aged 68, a 6ft man whose weight has fallen to just over 10 stone, things are not looking good.

The tests are still ongoing to find the primary source of cancer in my dad’s body. To me that seems irrelevant at this stage, but my understanding is that only when the whole picture is known by the doctors can a decision on a suitable course of treatment/palliative care be undertaken.

My dad hasn’t been feeling well for a few months. 5 months ago, in January, he started complaining of a sore shoulder, then it was a sore back, then a nauseous sick feeling and loss of appetite (resulting in fairly rapid weight loss), but amazingly during all of this my dad’s typical explanation was one of the following: pulled ligament, a touch of flu, feeling run down, change in the weather. Just 4 days ago he called to see me and could barely walk himself back to his car, and insisted he was just feeling a little tired. How he made it home I will never know.

A doctor’s appointment at my mum’s insistence around 2 weeks ago involved blood tests which then resulted in an appointment with a consultant at the hospital yesterday. My dad was then admitted on the spot for more tests, and also because at that point he was unable to move unassisted (just pulled my back says he. If only).

Unfortunately any sort of serious pain relief has not been forthcoming because of the impact it could have on the unfinished tests. So my dad is on paracetamol. Hello??? OMFG. I mean it hardly works for a toothache, but cancer???? Pleeeeease can somebody help make this better but I know that it’s just going to get worse.

Tonight I told my dad how much I love him. We are not a very demonstrative family and while the unconditional love my parents have for us and vice versa has never been in doubt, it has largely gone unspoken. My dad and I cried and cried. He says he is fortunate that he will have a chance to put his affairs in order. I am just happy and honoured to call him my father, and will treasure every future second I get to spend with him.

Tell your loved ones how you feel about them before it is too late. Show them how much you love them. I am grateful to have had the chance.

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