Detect A Fake MAC Lipstick

A few months ago I was completely (and blissfully) in the dark about fake cosmetics. More to the point, fakes on eBay. I have become aware that you generally can't find a genuine MAC lipstick through all the thousands of fakes being sold.

I own a fake MAC lippie and a real one too. I want to run through some tale tale signs that you are buying or already own a fake.

Now the old saying "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is" doesn't even apply here! Not always anyway! Of course you will see a MAC lippie for a price that you can't possibly pass up because it's just SO cheap! But if it's cheap, normaly priced or rather expensive, it's no way to tell if it's fake.

The real MAC is on the left, whilst the fake sits on the right.

Clearly straight away you can see that the MAC logo has almost completely rubbed off. Genuine MAC lippies should NEVER do this, not with normal use anyway! 

There is also a size difference with the fake being slightly larger but we shall come back to that later.

Again the logo is rubbing off. It is also higher up and a larger font that the genuine one. MAC lipsticks will always have the same logo, in the same place, in the same size, in the same colour. The packaging doesn't ever deviate with the exception of limited edition collections such as the Viva Glam Gaga.

The lipstick itself should have a soft vanilla scent that isn't at all unpleasant. If it smells at all "chemically" (as this fake does) then it isn't right! Just what are they putting in these products to make them smell and taste so chemical and horrid? Even the MUA range in Superdrug smell nice and they are only £1, so just how cheap and nasty can these be?!

If you are unsure that your MAC is real, try switching the lids with a real MAC lippie. As the picture shows, the real MAC lid is far too small for the fake, and vice versa.

Here the bottom stickers show some clear discrepancies. The label will ALWAYS have the finish printed such as Lustre, Cremesheen or Satin. Mine is a frost as you can see. Next does the sticker fit the lipstick? The sticker should fit snuggly on the bottom, this fake has plenty of room round the sticker where the packaging is too big. Although the producers of these fakes have coppied the writing around the outside of the sticker with great attention to detail, they have missed off the little recycle logo. So there are very small differences that you can spot.

So I realise that most of these "tale tale signs" only help you once you have purchased and own the damn fake, and that isn't all that helpful! so here are some things to look out for.

If the seller is listing it as "100% Authentic" or "genuine" it still might not be. These are just words and they will write whatever they have to in order to make a sale.

Beware of press photo's or official photo's being used (see pic below for example). If they have taken the image from the internet instead of photographing the product they are selling themselves then ask why? Why don't they want you to see the actual item you would be receiving?

Do your research. Did MAC even make the shade you are being sold? Does the picture of the product reflect the true colour of the lipstick released by MAC?

Look at the sellers feedback. Even if there is only one negative "it's a fake" feedback in amongst a million other "great genuine lippie" feedbacks run with the one that is claiming they were sold a fake. Most certainly the others were sold fakes too, they just can't tell.

If it is listed as a "factory reject" or anything along those lines then don't trust. There are no such things as factory rejects when it comes to MAC.

Here are two photo's from an ebay listing that was brought to my attention by a lady on the Beauty Box Swaps group.

These are listed for £36 and are fake!

At first look you might only think one is fake. Can you spot it? Its the second from the right. The MAC logo is a lot further up the packaging than the others. The lids also look more dull and matte than normal but one might put this down to bad lighting or the camera used.

There should be no MAC logo on the bottom. Also the finish isn't printed. The code (AA20 in the first one) is also not printed properly. So it would appear that these may ALL be fakes, although the first one looks as though it might be a real one in with a bunch of bad coppies.

So you might be thinking  "So what if it's fake, it looks like a MAC in my collection and no one is ever going to look that closely"

It's not how it looks that's the problem. It's what's in it. So in these fakes there is...I don't know! I can't tell you because the real ingredients aren't printed. And that is scary. These fakes also do not go through any health/safety/hygeine procedures that legit companies go through for their products.

People want to make a quick buck and do not care if you end up in hospital. OK, maybe hospital is a bit dramatic. Or not! One of the lovely ladies on BBS bought a Chanel mascara from eBay, it was fake and she ended up in A&E.

I wrote a post on fake Benefit makeup a while back that you can view here because lo and behold, fake Benefit is also rife on eBay and equally as dangerous.

Please be wary of what you buy and be safe with what you put on your beautiful skin.

**First posted in May 2012. Reposting for any new followers**