HOW TO: Spot Fake MAC Cosmetics (Update)

I recently had an event with a couple of beauty bloggers, and one of them is Jamie of Mizz Makeup. Before she left, she was chatting with Phoebe about fake MAC products, and I couldn't help but overhear their conversation. Turns out that Jamie was a victim herself. I asked her about it, and she told me that she bought a fake MAC MSF Natural in Light from Ebay for P1,400.00. And to make matters worse, the seller is starting to ignore her calls and messages.

Uh- oh.....

When everything else is said and done, the only thing you can do is this.

You see, even seasoned MAC fans are lured into buying fake MAC products.

You know why?

NOW YOU KNOW WHY!

Because these pesky counterfeiters have gotten SO GOOD at it! Okay, before you scroll down and read the rest of the post, can you tell me which is the REAL MAC MSF?!?!

Hard to tell, right? Even a MAC fan like me thought that the one on the left side is authentic!!!!

Gone are the days when fake products really looked fake. Because this time, these counterfeiters have made sure that their fake products LOOK JUST LIKE THE REAL THING. But they're just that! They will never, ever be the real thing!

Update yourselves my fellow beauty junkees. Thanks Jamie for letting me use your MAC powders for this entry.

Is your Benefit Box O' Powder authentic? Find out in this post.

LET'S BUST THAT FAKE ONE, SHALL WE?

Look at Jamie's fake MAC MSF. Font is too thin and jagged, and the letters felt like stickers!

MAC always uses this soft, rounded font in all their products. And the letters on this authentic MSF felt like they were stamped on the compact.

Look at this fake MSF. The font is too thin, and font color is white. The font colors of authentic MAC products are in light gray. And look at the glitters on the compact. They're too chunky, and the compact is not reflective at all. The next photo will tell you about MAC's reflective compacts.

Lastly, look at the batch code. It's too huge, and you could see it!

Notice the certain glow from an authentic MAC compact

Bear in mind that MAC's compacts are very reflective in pictures. I find this uniform in all MAC products in compacts. MAC compacts have silver glitters on it that are almost invisible in real life. But in pictures, they're very pronounced.

Let's use Jamie's authentic MAC MSF as an example. Whether you're under natural or artificial lighting, MAC's compacts will still look reflective and grainy in pictures. This could help you in authenticating a MAC compact foundation/powder you're eyeing online. But with all the advancements in photography, it is possible that a seller can make his/her fake MAC products look authentic. So please, do not rely on this aspect.

Batchcode: The batch code of MAC's products are almost invisible in pictures. Font color is sheer black. On the other hand, the fake MSF's batch code is bigger and very visible in pictures.

On fonts: The fonts of fake MAC products look too thin and jagged. Authentic MAC products' fonts are thick and rounded--always.

Check out the Fake MSF. Fall out is very significant, and it dirties the compact easily. Jamie said that the powder can't even cling on to any of her synthetic or natural brushes! She even joked by saying: "In fairness to this fake MSF, it feels nice on the skin!" But even if it feels nice, it's still fake, we don't know what the counterfeiters have put in it, and there's no way we're paying P1,400.00 for a frikkin' fake MAC MSF!

Check out the swatch of the FAKE MAC MSF in Light. It's too white and pigmented. MAC Skinfinish Natural powders yield a sheerand almost skin- like finish, while the fake MSF is too thick and white!

On the other hand, the authentic MAC MSF Natural is very light, and finish is not chalky unlike the Fake MSF Natural. Some bloggers even said that MAC's powders have this nice powdered milk- like smell, and I agree. And that fake MSF has a weird cornstarch- like smell. It's like pressed cornstarch! LOL.

Here's a compilation of some Class AAA MAC products. They're so precisely copied, you couldn't believe they're fake! But the truth lies in the littlest details. Read on and update your knowledge about the newest fake MAC products in town.


Be a makeup connoisseur! Spot Fake Urban Decay Products HERE.

FAKE MAC LIPSTICKS

Just look at the quality of the lipsticks. They're all glossy, tube is matte, and the MAC print on the silver part of the tube is too big!

Short Story:

Dawn and Trace of Peachy Pink Sisters were victimized by this seller at the Karl Edwards bazaar. They purchased a hell fake Violetta MAC lipstick. I've encountered these sellers and their fake cosmetics in Karl Edwards last year, and thought of writing about the encounter in my blog. But I've decided not to anymore. I knew it! I should have written about my encounter so a lot people could've been warned about these people. You wouldn't expect that the concessionaires would sell fake stuff because they are pretty decent, and they all speak in English plus slangs to boot!

In one of my Karl Edwards bazaar visits, I approached their stall and tried their MAC, Bobbi Brown, and Benefit testers. I saw MAC Crosswires from their selections and thought of buying it right away because I was missing the color badly. But good thing I swatched it first! It smells waxy, and the texture is too glossy and sheer. As far as I can remember, MAC's Crosswires lipstick feels velvety, and finish is satin or matte. Something was telling me that their cosmetics are knock-offs. But it felt unfair to judge them right away so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I asked one of the sellers:

Me: Are these authentic MAC Lipsticks?

Guy: Yes. They're all from Canada.

Me: But why do they smell waxy? MAC lipsticks are known for their iconic vanilla scent. And they feel watery. If my memory serves me right, Crosswires has a satin or matte finish.

Guy: Err.. What do you mean?

Me: Never mind.

So please beware of this seller at Karl Edwards Bazaar. I know another seller too who sells fake Benefit products. I encountered this seller at Eastwood's Night Market last December 2011. She also sells NYX Cosmetics too. But don't worry, her NYX products are authentic. But her Benefit products and Hello Kitty BB Creams (since when did Sanrio release a Hello Kitty BB Cream)? FAAAAAKKKEEEEE!

Bobbi Brown products are being faked too!

AUTHENTIC MAC LIPSTICK

This one is from my collection. The black part of the tube is almost reflective in pictures, just like the compacts. The metal part of the tube is darker than the fake ones. I've held a fake one at The Fort's Karl Edward Bazaar, and the tube looks and feels like tin to me!

FAKE MAC STUDIO FIX POWDER PLUS FOUNDATION

Ayayay. This one's hard to detect! The compacts look matte in here. Check out the pic of an authentic SF compact below:

AUTHENTIC MAC STUDIO FIX POWDER PLUS FOUNDATION

This authentic one is from my collection. I would just like to recap: When you take a pic of any of MAC's compact under natural or artificial light, the compact's silver glitters tend to become pronounced in pictures, thereby making them reflective and grainy. In real life, you will hardly notice these silver glitters unless you look closely at the compact. I find this uniform in all MAC compacts from Bronzing powders to MSF Foundation.

FAKE MAC STUDIO SCULPT FOUNDATION

This one's VERY hard to detect. But look at the shades. They're awfully light!

AUTHENTIC MAC STUDIO SCULPT FOUNDATION

MAC's Studio Sculpt foundation yields full coverage, and they tend to be slightly darker than the other MAC liquid foundation variants.

AUTHENTIC MAC STUDIO FIX FLUID

This is my own studio fix bottle. Notice the font's color. It's shiny, and font color is silver-y, almost bordering to bronze. The rubberized cap is jet black.

FAKE MAC STUDIO FIX FLUID

Font is too shiny, and color is gold. And the shades look very light. The rubberized cap looks lighter than the authentic one.

AUTHENTIC MAC FACE AND BODY

Font is thick, and font color is intense.

FAKE MAC FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION

Font is too thin; font color intensity poor; Shade looks too white, and seems like it doesn't have any undertone at all!

So save yourself from all the heartache and stress by buying from legit websites, MAC's official website, and MAC stores! Feel Free to add more 'How To Spot Fake MAC Cosmetics' tips to the list!

Here's my old list on how to spot makeup knock-offs.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is!