Recent conversation with a client:
' I bought this foundation and it doesn't come out of the bottle'
'Okay, can I look at it?'
I examine the bottle. It looks just like your average Studio Fix Fluid. The writing looks the same on front. The lid feels the same. Odd.
I then open it.
I try to bang the foundation onto my hand. Now Studio Fix is thick, but not that thick. It was a full bottle, so it should come out.
Nothing.
In the end I had to get a cotton bud and pull the foundation 'cream' out.
I asked the lady.
'Where did you buy this' ( Knowing full well, it wouldnt have been from store )
'On the internet' She replied.
MAC.
I love their makeup, what I don't love is the fact there are so many FAKE / REPLICAS floating around.
In fact, not even floating around. More to the point, blatent people, selling it without a care in the world.
I won't name and shame any websites, instead I am writing this post to say what everyone else is thinking.
Stop ripping us off.
I'm lucky, in that, Ive been working with their products in my kit for years.
I know a MAC product when I see it, I also know when the product is down right, FAKE.
It seems to be a full time job for some people, as I have come across some FAKES, which are pretty darn impressive.
The bottle looks the same, so does the packaging. So how would someone, who isn't used to the products be any the wiser?
I know for a fact that many markets, (you know the ones you get in cities, the indoor type ones) have makeup stalls that sell alot of fake MAC.
I had a friend who was so excited when she got back from a shopping trip, weighed down with bags of the stuff.
Not one of the products, genuine.
Now, if you know they are not genuine, but like the fact it has MAC printed on it, fine.
Otherwise it wrong.
I had another friend buy one of the MAC palettes from a 'supplier'. She went to a MAC store to fill the palette, only to be told it was fake and genuine MAC eyeshadow refills wouldn't fit into it. The palette, being a fake was too big for MAC shadows.
She had paid good money for the palette but now its empty and sitting on her bathroom window sill.
How to spot a fake
One fake for lipsticks, is one that is the easiest to detect. As many MAC fakers dont realise, just taking any unbranded lipstick and sticking MAC on it, aint gonna work.
All MAC lipsticks have the same smell. They are fragranced with Vanilla, so there smell is very distinct. Even the Sheen Supreme and Pro Longwear ones have the same scent.
If you are buying a MAC lippie from someone, a market, infact anywhere that isnt a MAC shop / official site. Check it. If it aint got the smell. It aint genuine.
Also, look at the packaging. MAC lipstick packaging is always domed. They do have limited editions, which can vary, but again, the smell will be the same. Vanilla.
Eyeshadow palettes.
Bit more difficult. Packaging can give it away. The writing is sometimes spelt wrong, and has a different font.
The quality of the shadow is usually very talcy.
 |
| Real MAC packaging - look for this info on back of products |
 |
| Angled edges, not rounded. Magnetic closure. |
MAC pre made palettes, which come as part of collections do not have rounded off edges.
If you are unsure of what you are buying, go into a MAC store and have a look at the products. Some fakes are that good at the moment its hard to see the defects.
Pencils.
Another good fake on the market. Difficult. I had a freelance client ask me why it kept breaking. I sharpened it, and straight away I could tell by the way the wood flaked off, and how hard the pencil was, it was not a genuine MAC Kohl pencil.
Mascaras.
These are bad, oh so bad. Basically, people who deal in MAC fakery, are taking any old mascaras, literally anything, and sticking MAC on it.
Single eyeshadows.
This is a bad one. MAC single eyeshadows, do not come with a mirror and applicator inside. They just dont. I have seen these too. They are not MAC.
Brushes.
Oh dear. I had another Makeup Artsits friend who was just starting out, buy off the net, a roll of MAC brushes.
I knew when she told me they would be fake, 'cus I have seen the sites.
MAC do not sell a makeup roll with all their brushes in. They are a company that makeup artists use, therefore you go and buy individually the brushes you need. If they did sell a complete kit, with all their brushes, it would cost a fortune.
The brushes came. Awful. They started to shed, they fell apart, and the MAC logo wore off.
Now I have had some of my MAC brushes for over ten years. The logo has worn off, but MAC imprint the wood with their logo and the brush no. So when the silver eventually wears off, the imprint is still in the wood. The quality of the brush hair in a FAKE MAC brush is just ridiculous. You will also find the stippling brushes will eventually become so clogged and bushy you can no longer use them.
And you cant even get a refund from MAC because they aint genuine!
Powders - Blushers - Bronzers
One tell tale sign is the back of the product is imprinted, into the plastic, with MAKE-UP ART COSMETICS LTD:
MAC do not sell PRE MADE eye shadow palettes that have over 100 shadows in. They do pre-made palettes - Again, if you are not buying from a MAC store, or online - be weary.
Ebay, markets, MAC parties.... They are bad. Maybe some people hold MAC parties? What I will say is this. If they are holding MAC parties, where are they getting all their MAC products from?
You get a bag of goodies at the end, seems to good to be true? It probably is.
Just going to a MAC store and buying a foundation concealer and powder you are looking at a minimum £70 spend.
I do defend some ebayers. There are the girls and guys out there who are genuinly just selling there makeup they no longer want. Always look at the pictures they provide and details of the product.
Message them and ask where they bought it etc. Then its up to you to decide if you think it legit.
As always, there are the minority who spoil it for the majority.
These people are laughing all the way to the bank, while you are sitting there admiring your fake MAC products. These people are making a full time living, ripping YOU off.
There is also no guarantee what is in these fake products. God knows what you are putting on your face.
I could sit here all day and type about what I have seen and heard.
What I would say is this.
Do not buy MAC from any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Go to a MAC store. Period.
If you like a little detective work, go into a MAC store and see the quality of products. Smell them, even fake MAC foundations smell different. Get to know the products and after a while you will know just by sight and touch what a fake is.
I have had a look at my MAC makeup and it all has a batch no on. On the actual product. It is usually on the area the name of your product is.
IE: Bottom of a lipstick- Its called Costa Chic, and will have a letter and normally two digits. Say, A28. In this picture it is A41.
Basic rule of thumb - if you want MAC, buy it from a store or from the official MAC website.
Fakes are poor quality, and YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE INGREDIENTS ARE.
Ruth E
x
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