Hi Bellas,
I just had to do this post - it's something that's happened to a lot of us. Duped by counterfeit makeup. My co-worker was super excited when she called to tell me she had picked up some really inexpensive MAC items from a guy selling it at her hair salon. She got some eye shadows for $5 a piece! The first thing I said was, "Are you sure it's real MAC?". This post shows you some counterfeit MAC, how to tell if it's real or not, and the warning signs.
She also had a studio fix powder...the product had two shade names on the back! NC50 and NW43...and the color was a strange orange shade. If you're questioning a product's authenticity...you can always check the back sticker label for any discrepancies.
Now to the Fake MAC. The packaging is actually pretty nice looking. The Lady Gaga signature looks the same as from her Viva Glam Campaign.
But have you ever seen eyeshadow casing like this from MAC? I haven't...the clear container is definitely new and the eye shadows themselves are huge! You usually don't see that size unless it's a special Metal-X or Mineralized shadow.
The packaging looks kinda cool but it's actually pretty flimsy. The pans rattle around in the casing.
You can see the colors up close...I couldn't resist a little swipe with my finger. The pretty shimmer color is actually just a top coat. Underneath is the real color.
Peachy pink shade
Shimmery gold shade
Blue Based purpley shade
Swatches - not too bad looking at first but the product doesn't last very long. It fades away after blending.
Bottom line: This isn't MAC and you should be very wary if you see someone selling it off the streets. Thank goodness my co-worker didn't pay more than $5 per shadow. You don't know where this has been and it's really not fair to the MAC brand. In past I've also been duped before when I purchased "MAC Brushes" on ebay and found the brushes to shed and break.
The product itself is okay but for MAC I can definitely see the sub-par quality. If you want the real thing make sure to get it from a reputable source.
Have you ever been duped by counterfeit makeup products? Let me know in the comments below!
FTC Disclosure: Post not sponsored.
Atlanta Makeup Artist
Atlanta Photographer
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Great post this was very helpful, I didn't even know that people sold fake MAC products.
I live in NYC and saw some people having a whole table of it on broadway. I said to myself, "self, there is no way in the world you are buying this stuff because 1, it is unsanitary & 2, it's wack!" I watched as the sellers "swatched" the colors with their dirty hands and sold it to the next customer...smh. I will just stick to Macy's.
I was once gifted a fake Mac blush and I was able to tell right away it was a fake. There was no doubt when I checked the back sticker. Thanks for sharing, hope more people realize this.
I am so glad that you have bought this to peoples attention. I won't buy makeup unless it is from a proper shop whereby I can guarantee the authenticity. You really do not know what it in these products, it was only a while ago Benefit had a case whereby someone had purchased a counterfeit mascara that contained petrol? Now thats scary. x
There are lots of fake MAC products on the market and we should definitely be careful when we buy makeup. Thanks for such a helpful post!
http://daphyin-makeupisart.blogspot.com
this is a common occurrence over here Ren. From fake MAC palettes to fake MAC professional brush sets to fake everything. The worst part is that some of the people marketing and selling these products aout are supposed to be top names in the makeup and beauty industry and it is shameful to know that such practices are going on. But they have spent more time and are more influential than i am and so my words fall on deaf ears. I am however still determined to do a post on this (just hope i dont get killed for it though cos a lot of them will loose their businesses, lol)
Thank you Ren for posting this blog. I cant stand Knockoff especially Mac makeup my advice if you can't splurge on highend makeup just pick some Drugstore items that are generic or comparable to Mac like Maybelline, Loreal,Sonia Kashuck just to name some. This is a good refresher because eventhough it might seem like a good deal in reality who knows what hazardous material is being used.
woooow ridiculous
Wow those are some pretty damn good looking dupes!
During my visit to California, being as naive about counterfeits as I am, I purchased three "MAC Hello Kitty" glosses that of course ended up being fakes. At least I didn't end up paying much for them!
I swapped for what I thought was a real mac brush on makeupalley when I first started collecting mac. Low and behold I find out it was fake lol. I know it's easy for someone who's not familiar with mac to get tricked into thinking they're buying the real thing. I see a lot of fake mac being sold on craigslist too.
Seems like fake MAC is everywhere. A store down my block even sells it. My aunt bought me fake MAC for Xmas lol
OMG I am so so so glad you post this because for the longest time I've always questioned myself about this and even asked a friend that worked at MAC once but she doesn't live in town to see for herself. I live in Oregon and a friend of a friend was selling "so called" MAC products and I use to purchase MAC products before I became a mom so when attended the little "MAC for less" gathering I did a few shadow swatches and saw the large varieties she had but was just too skeptical about it and didn't purchase any. I couldn't get over the thought that how and why would MAC (a high end makeup line) also be selling their stuff in bulk quantities at a lower cost???? I asked the girl an she's convinced they are true products and she them online. Obviously she doesn't own MAC to think that thru so I just kept it to myself. My friend that worked at MAC agreed with me and said it's probably a knock off or something since it made no sense to her either but thanks Ren Ren that was helpful!!!
Hello! a great post! I have seen many times here in my city (Lima-Peru), people that sell many fake MAC products, they use Facebook to promote them (they have everything!!), even at prices higher than in MAC stores here! And when people ask if they are original, they say 'yes'. My co-worker, before we met, studied makeup in Argentina and at the school where she studied they sold it about 1000 dollars worth of fake MAC products and she was about to buy a "MAC" palette of 96 colors valued at $ 250, until she told me and explained the difference. Now we recomend to our students to buy directly to MAC store to avoid any problem, but Mac products are not as well known here like in USA and is more likely that people will be cheated.
Saw a segment on Inside Edition about this a while back. In addition to being fake, they can also be dangerous: some of the "street" cosmetics they tested had dangerous ingredients not approved in authentic brand-name makeup and they also had high levels of bacteria.
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