How to Spot Fake MAC Makeup

This is my first blog post on 'How To Spot Fake Makeup Products'. I do hope these posts will be helpful and beneficial to people who struggle to decipher the difference between a genuine and fake product. I am on an 'Anti fakes' mission. I really do have a massive pet peeve on people buying and selling fake items. There is nothing worse than a someone preaching about great products that you know is a fake. Surely their rave would be even higher if it was the genuine product? I think their should be more out there to show people real and genuine items especially when it comes to makeup. So i got my trusty bank card out and set out to buy fakes solely for this blogpost...

#saynotofakes

"Firstly i would kindly like to ask people not to copy my photos without permission. I have now had to watermark each photo due to people using my photos as their own in other blogposts. If you do wish to use any of my photos please give credit where it is due and link back to this blogpost so that everyone can make themselves aware about how to spot fake Mac products. Thank you."

So i have had to watch so many small bloggers squeal with excitement over their 'So called' Mac goodies they bagged for a steal price through eBay, all across their social media sites. Stpidly being new to makeup i jumped on the 'too good to be true' bandwagon and stupidly purchased a huge Mac eyeshadow palette for only £25 on eBay. However when it arrived it was so obviously fake and from China. The lady claimed she bought it from a Mac store in the USA but though i was naive (Impulse finger clicking will do that to you when you don't do your proper research) i was not stupid! However some people are.  I could spot a fake a mile away, and in a minute i will explain why. At first i wasn't too bothered about it being fake so i just decided to keep the palette. After all it had some pretty colour's in it, but it wasn't until i started researching into beauty products from china that i realised keeping this palette was a huge mistake.

Not because of the money loss but because of the regulations china have when it comes to making beauty products and the ingredients that they contain. (See chinese legislation here.) Legally they don't have to name all the ingredients within their products. Though i would love to get into an in depth post of the risks of buying Chinese cosmetics or anything listed on eBay with 'From China' under the listing (plus with my pregnancy brain atm, it would take days lol) I have seen many blog posts writing about the risk. One post in particular is by Pretty in pink blog. As stated a lot of Chinese cosmetics don't always contain what they claim to be on the label. What they state on the label isn't necessarily going to be what you are putting on your face.

Now I would rather now pay full price for something or buy a cheaper alternative from a UK high street brand, than apply anything from china that is unbranded.... Yes that goes for, lipsticks, mascaras, eye shadows, bronzers and most definitely foundations and anything skincare related. What these Makeup items from China contain really can lead to skin irritations and even possible long term damage, from damaging ingredients like Lead, Mercury and Arsenic!! Again Pretty in pink goes into good detail about these products on her blog post, reading will definitely have you thinking twice about purchasing cheap unknown makeup again. 

So this post is actually about how to spot fake mac products from the real ones, but i wanted people to see the risks of buying the fake ones in the first place, (not just because of my pet peeve or that i scream every time i see a fake mac lipstick selling for £15 on eBay lol) but because i generally feel for people who are so desperate to get their hands on a make up items they cannot afford. I see a lot of posts and youtube videos going around on how to spot fake Urban Decay Naked palettes and Benefit make up products, but i rarely see them on Mac make up products. So i took to buying fakes off of eBay (yes spending my own money to help you guys out) and compared them to my real genuine Mac products (purchased either online from the Mac UK store or my local Mac store in Cambridge). Another great way is if you suspect it is a fake, take the product to your local Mac store and ask them. The Cambridge MAC store is fantastic at being helpful. I had to pop in to buy a blusher especially for this post and discussed with one of the make up artists there that i was doing this post. She was asking how i see the differences so i decided this post would hopefully help a lot of people, to avoid skin irritations and wasting their hard earned money. 

How to spot a fake Mac Lipstick

Can you spot the real one from the fake??

Did you spot right??? The lipstick on the Left is the Fake, and i see a ton of these being listed on eBay everyday!!! People actually buy these sometimes for more than the original retail price simply because they are so desperate to get their hands on a sold out limited edition lipstick. Here's how to spot the difference between the two:

1. Letter font | On the fake Mac lipstick the lettering is larger and higher up on the lipstick tube. Every real Mac lipstick i own has smaller lettering on the bottom of the tube. As soon as you see a lipstick with high lettering it screams utterly fake!

2. The Texture and Look |  Fake Mac lipsticks aren't usually as pigmented, creamy or opaque. For instance it will be labelled as a Cremesheen finish but will swatch like a Lustre. Or worse being labelled a Matte shade but swatches like a Satin ( below will show you swatches ). The best way to tell it's a fake is by the line in the lipstick. Real Mac lipsticks are smooth all the way around, they DO NOT have manufacture lines running down them. They also don't bend as easily as the cheap ones and they are formulated better. The smell is another huge giveaway. Real mac lipsticks have a soft sweet vanilla scent to them, where as the fake ones smell like cheap plastic or perfume, similar to cheap drugstore lipticks.

3. Weight, Colour, Width Packaging | The real Mac lipstick is slightly slender than the fake (which the fakes appear more chunky). The fake ones are wider and just a tad bit taller (literally 1mm). Also the fake lipstick packaging is a lot more glittery. Real mac lipsticks have a very subtle hint of shimmer in the packaging, and its much finer glitter particles. The packaging is cheaper and feels much more flimsy than the genuine Mac lipstick. Another way to tell is by the weight. Real mac lipsticks are heavier than fake mac lipsticks.

Fake mac weighed 14 grams- Genuine weighed 20 grams

4. Stickers and packaging |  Now this is where its hard to tell, as even genuine mac products don't position their stickers perfectly (ok yes im a tad bit ocd and notice these things, but only because i am a bit of a perfectionist lol); But if you look carefully at the lettering font you can see the difference. I feel lettering and packaging is the hardest to tell the difference from and this is where eBay sellers can get away with selling fakes. As they often use stock photos, or swipe someone elses from Google. AVOID Items with these pictures!

I swatched a couple of the Fake Mac lipsticks twice over each other and they are still sheer. Where as the genuine MAC lipsticks are much more pigmented, opaque and creamy (though opaqueness does depend on the lipstick finish). I dread to think of the chemicals inside the fake lipsticks. Which would you prefer on your lips? 

Genuine box packaging. I'm sorry i couldn't find where i placed the fake mac lipstick boxes. 

How to spot a fake Mac Blush

Did you spot right? The product on the left (prism) is currently my only genuine mac blusher which i purchased this week specifically for this blogpost. I am not a huge blush lover (yet i'm sure lol) so i didn't want to pay so much for something i wouldn't wear a lot. Any who, the make up artist who listened to what i was looking for (subtle blush that looked natural) tested out blushers on my skin and i fell in love with the blush Prism. It is the perfect neutral everyday shade.

How to spot fake Mac blushes

1. Size and shape | Until you open the blushes you cannot tell the difference just by looking at them. They are both the exact same size and actually the exact same weight too (30g) but the genuine Mac blush has very faint lines on it (manufacturer lines). The real mac packaging again like the lipstick is more solid, the fake mac packaging is more flimsy. The real mac blush packaging has a slight sheen to it, where as the fake mac packaging looks more dull. Letter font is just slightly larger on the fake blusher too.

2. Outer packaging & font | The fake outer packaging is slightly larger than the genuine one. Which is strange seeing as they got the blusher compact size perfectly the same. The item name is printed on the genuine blusher box, where as  the fake has a sticker. The writing is chunkier and less sleek on the fakes. Also the fake has a sticker bar code on the box when the genuine is printed. Both have the back to Mac logos on inside flaps. I did notice the ingredients are different too. 

3. Stickers | The sticker is very similar both even have the "Reg.design, make-up art cosmetics LTD" lettering printed on them. The stickers have slightly different fonts but not as much difference as the outer packaging has. Both also have the recyclable signs on them, unlike the lipsticks. Basically if someone sold the blushers without the box (claiming its used in an eBay listing) then it would be near impossible to know the difference! Scary right!?

4. Texture | I personally think that the blushers are the hardest ones to spot the fakes. They smell the same, feel the same and look the same (pretty much) So you will only know a fake blusher from a genuine one if you have made the mistake to buy one.

How to spot Fake Mac Face Powder

The one the furthest to the right is the genuine Mac Powder. The center and left are both Fakes.

1. Packing/Casing | The fake ones look totally obvious when you compare them to the genuine. There isn't much difference in the look, the genuine one only has a slight sheen to it. The letter font on the front is obviously a lot larger on the fake mac powder case. The casing on the fake powder is very flimsy, where as the genuine mac one is more sturdy and feels heavy (though mine nc41 is a little broken at the hinge). Both the real and fake come with the sponge underneath.

2. Weight | Fake 52g, Genuine 60g. Keeping in mind that i have been using the 60kg genuine one for months also. The genuine feels heavy in your hand, the fake feels cheap and as light as a feather.

3. Sticker labels | Both items have the recyclable sign and again reg details in same area. However the genuine powder the sticker has the product number and the writing is more sleek.

3. Smell, look & consistency |  Now the smell is an obvious giveaway!!! The genuine Mac studio fix face powder has a very light/faint scent to it. Where as the Fake is very heavily perfumed. I dread to think what actual skin irritant ingredients are in this! Its not like a Chanel or Burberry powder where the scent wears off. Also upon swatching the fake Mac powder is very chalky (clearly because its full of talc) it would be impossible not to look cakey applying this face powder. 

I could not find the boxes these came in but its the same as blushers, but i remember being alarmed the moment i saw stickers. But not only mac stickers, round circle stickers with codes same as the cheap Chinese eyeshadow palette i stupidly purchased.

My Advice:

If you cannot afford Mac products look on google and instagram for 'Mac Dupes' so that you can find an item in the exact same shade or formulation from another reputable company. Another way is to save up your money (buy less in the drugstore) or have a blog sale to make money to buy a Mac product. That way you don't feel your spending your own money and your making money to buy a new goody - yay. You could ask a family member to buy you a product for your Birthday or for Christmas. Lastly another great way to get Mac products half price is through a blog sale. I haven't spotted many bloggers selling fake Mac products and many of us sell lipsticks, palettes and foundations for under half the retail price. Again you can find out about blog sales by searching the hashtag #blogsale on sites like Instagram and Twitter. 

If you are considering purchasing any Mac products on eBay please do so at your own risk. I would not advise you to, but if you do please make sure the photos are private photos not a stock photo and make sure to ask the seller questions. Ask for swatches and photos of the items more in depth before you click the bid button. Chances are some people really have no clue they are selling fakes and would be happy to comply. Where as the ones who are aware they are selling illegal fakes will avoid replying. Also when it comes to eyeshadow palettes check to see if they are on the Mac website or have been reviewed on Temptalia. Please do your research.

The Genuine Mac products i own and have accumulated over the past few months.


After reading this do you feel you could spot the difference between a fake and a genuine MAC product? Do let me know if you would like me to purchase more fake items to compare.... 

Thanks for Reading Lovelies

Jamey xo

*This post may contain some PR Samples which are marked with an (*)

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