This is a two part answer. Number one, you can request samples of pigments at counters and stores. Please remember to request nicely and not too often. The free product is given as an incentive to buy the full product if you are satisfied with it, so don’t treat it as a way to get product for free. Also keep in mind that it is the prerogative of the MA to provide the sample, so be nice. Number two, makeup community members on the internet have come to start selling sample jars of full-sized pigments they buy if they believe they’ll never use all the product themselves. Generally these samples go for as little as $2 apiece, depending on the amount and the availability of the product. (For example, a limited edition or discontinued pigment sample is likely to go for more than a sample of a pigment that is still available at MAC stores.) Of course, you buy from and sell to members of the online community at your own risk and with the knowledge that this is not condoned or regulated by MAC.