Thursday, June 21, 2012

Can you spot the fake? Watch out for MAC Lookalikes

Today I learned a valuable lesson. A week ago, I placed a bid on Ebay for MAC's lipstick in Peachstock. It was only a dollar less than what MAC would normally charge. So I thought, why not? At that point I thought it was a discontinued color, because the lady at the MAC counter said so. Little did I know, that it was still available online on their website. Too bad I had already placed a bid. :-(. Welp, I completely forgot about that item, and the punk seller opened up a case on me. (Usually, sellers might send a message to me about the item if I've forgotten to pay, of course if there's no response then they open a case). Nope this seller went straight to opening a case, so of course what a great reminder, and I paid. I love getting things in the mail, it's like Christmas when you get your presents. It was really hot outside, so I decided to stick the tube in the freezer so it wouldn't break in half once I applied it. Then comes the moment of truth when I go to try the color. Mind you my only concern at that point was if the color was going to look right on me and not wash me out, as most nude colors do. I try the lipstick, and automatically notice something different. First of, you know those cheap old school Revlon lipsticks that feel like canola oil on your lips? Yeah, ummmm... that's what it felt like. I know MAC's lipstick finishes, and knowing that this finish was supposed to be satin, the texture and feel kind of threw me off. Secondly, Mac lipsticks have a distinct scent, they all smell like vanilla, and have no particular taste.....so......tell me why my lips smelled like bengay? From that moment, I knew I purchased a fake. Poo. I got the box to see what was different, because EVERYTHING was on POINT. Here, let's take a look...

The boxes look identical! Nothing different here....but wait a second...

Do you know which one is fake? If you said the one on the right...you're wrong. The one on the right is the original and true. MAC lipsticks do not come with a sticker label describing the color name. They all are labeled directly onto the lid.

I know you cant read this, and this was hard to spot as well, but below the lipstick on the sticker label, includes the product color name, and a letter followed by some numbers. The fake sticker, was slightly lighter and more metallic. The fake had the code ABO, while the real one had the code A22

So there you have it! I honestly wouldn't suggest purchasing anything MAC on Ebay because first off, you never know, second, sometimes they charge even more outrageous prices for items that are either sold out or discontinued, and third you may be paying outrageous prices for a FAKE! Your best bet is to get it from a MAC retailer while you can, if it's sold out or discontinued, welp, you could try ebay, :-) either way, tough luck.  :-)

9 comments:

  1. amazzziiiing blog! love it! Greetings from germany^^

    Ani

    http://sugarbabes-beautyblog.blogspot.de/

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  2. Loving the blog :) Gonna follow.. it'd be nice if you follow my blog too :D

    --Alexia--

    http://beautyandocean.blogspot.com/

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  3. I recently picked up Mac's Dear Diary lipstick. 2 of them to be exact and the box actually came with a sticker label. Definitely caught my attention, but I purchased it from my local MAC store so I knew it was authentic for sure. Nice blog btw :)

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    1. Thanx for the comment! Yeah I know some do come with a sticker label, I forgot to post a pic of this, but underneath my sticker label were the numbers 899 or something to that matter, in strange font. I actually sent a message to the seller about it, and she's informed that all her products are authentic, but knowing that I wasn't happy with the purchase, she gave me a refund...so yeah she got good feedback for THAT, lol

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  4. Wow, that's a good fake. If you put it on and the smell ain't right, you know it's a fake. Did you at least open a case back to get your money back?

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    1. She was kind enough to give me my money back. So in the end I was a semi happy camper, lol

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  5. I came across your blog trying to find out about fake lipglass I got on ebay. I just wanted to let you know that I'm pretty sure your Peachstock is real. I have Peachstock and bought it direct from MAC Pro in NYC. It looks identical to yours with the "Peachstock" label on the box. Peachstock is a Pro color so the silver label looks different than my other regular lipsticks. I buy everything at MAC retail stores except a lipglass on ebay that was discontinued. My batch code is also AB0. They must of made a lot that month because I bought this lipstick in August and it still has AB0 batch code. Just wanted to let you know.

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