Does fake makeup work?

I have statcounter on my blog. And when it was still a bit new I was fascinated looking at where readers came from, how many people checked out my blog and all those things haha. Theres even that thing where you can check how people find you through google searches. And when my blog was new, it used to come out when you search for fake makeup or fake brushes, fake mac brushes, etc. I put together a list of things to look out for when buying makeup online, how to distinguish if the item youre getting is authentic.

Fake makeup: LINK
Fake brushes: LINK

Another porpular keyword where my blog would show up on searches was "Does fake makeup work?" hehe I had no way of finding out until a couple of days ago, I received a couple of fake M.A.C. eyeshadow. My mom bought them at a flea market haha she didnt think much of it until she read my blog (isnt she sweet? she reads my blog haha :D )and when she finally realized they were fake, she sent them to me HAHA. Anyhoo here they are

No name just numbers, has a bottom compartment with a mirror and a sponge tip applicator, the lip of the pot is much higher than the pan, no bar code = all red flags hehe.





Swatches: Left - one swipe; Right - on top of soft ochre paint pot




Top left: MAC Deept Truth
Bottom Left: Fake mac
Top Right: MAC Amber Lights
Center Right: MAC Gold Mine
Bottome Right: Fake Mac

Some of the shades reminded me of real mac eyeshadows. the blue looks like a lighter version of deep truth, the pink looks a bit like stars n rockets the gold reminded me of goldmine and amberlights. So I swatched them beside each other hehe (didnt have stars n rockets though).

Theyre very pigmented, not chalky at all and has a creamy like texture. So I guess they do work. Colors are nice too. If youve posted something about fake makeup or brushes and ive come across it, ive probably left a comment saying how much I hate them HAHA. But i really do hate them because they mark them as something that its not. I especially hate seeing sellers claiming them to be authentic and selling them as much as the real ones! I mean why not name it something else, if it works, people will buy it.

Ive also come across some fake mac brushes. And though the details are a bit off and sometimes the cuts arent exactly like the real ones. Theyre quite decent. Though im a bit hesitant purchasing some for myself after seeing that video on how China kills foxes for fur. Im pretty sure the animals used for those brushes werent treated any better :/

How to Spot FAKE M.A.C. Brushes

Okay the second part of my earlier post hehe. I actually did this a while back but never got to finish it. So, yes they even copy brushes and they started off making ones that were easily identified as fakes ones. Ofcourse theyve gotten better. And again, if you have no idea what to look out for you will be fooled ( haha so tagline na siya lol)

Anyway, most people would want to get brushes from MAC because they are of good quality and one of the best out there. And if you arent a professional make up artist, buying just one or two of the basic brushes will burn a hole in your pocket. Most sell for about 20 plus dollars each. So finding relatively cheaper or rather overwhelmingly cheaper ones is like a dream come true and you ignore that little voice telling you ITS FAKE. lol

Its pretty hard to tell if the brushes are fake from pictures. So it really is up to you to take the risk of buying one online.


THE SIGNS

- Okay, first things first. There are a lot of MAC brush sets for sale now. And im positively sure that ALL FULL SIZED MAKEUP BRUSH SETS are fake (yes, theyre too good to be true. Unless its the the Pret-a-Porter)

- MAC has never offered full sized makeup brushes until November 2006 with the release of Pret-a-Porter brush set which had 8 full size brushes (187, 190, 129, 213, 224, 266, etc) and came with a black satin brush roll.

The Pret-a-Porter brush set. If it does not include the 18 skunk brush, its fake. And the fake ones they sell are in a leather roll that is incomparable to this one.

- They do however release travel size (short handled) limited/special editions that usually come in a set of 5

Okay, on to the detailed stuff:

-The most obvious sign is the fake brushes only say M.A.C. on the handle. The real brushes will have the number of the brush next to it (eg. MAC 187) BUT the new fake brushes even have the numbers on them.

- MAC brushes have black matte handles with the exception of the special edition/ special edition sets (some come in different colors). The fake regular brushes have tiny shimmers on them. So sadly, by the time you realize that your brush is fake, the seller might have run away with your cash. **Another thing is, the seller might also not be aware that the brush theyre selling is fake.

- Not always, but some of the fake brushes have a strong odor of lacquer to them. The real ones may have it too but its usually faint.

- The real mac brushes come in a clear plastic sleeve with a barcode. They do NOT have extra plastic covering that hold the bristles? of the brush

- If you try scraping the MAC label and number off with your nail it can come off easily. The fake ones wont come off and are usually heavily imprinted on the handle.

-If you check real MAC brushes, at the end of the handle it says france, USA or Japan and theyre usually very faint and not very noticeable -(its just marked? but its the same color as the handle). Some of the fake brushes have this too but are heavily imprinted.

- The silver thing that holds the bristles can be used to tell if the brush is fake too. But I cant find a clear way of explaining this so i suggest that you compare them to brushes that are store bought.

- Also, i think most people have enough sense to doubt brushes that are sold way too cheap.

- Ive also seen some limited edition brush sets that are fake. I used to think that it would be safe to buy those on evilbay. But oh well.

**Keep in mind though, that whoever makes them keep improving their junk haha so who knows, in a few months they could probably make better fake ones.


That's all I got to research. I finally decided not to buy them online because I dont think i'll ever be sure and its just a hassle getting fake ones and having to return them (it would be worse if the seller ran away with your money). And besides there are cheaper brushes that work too. A few good brushes are:

- Sonia Kashuk's
- The kirkland set at costco! ( I swear! haha but they only come out once a year I think, during the holidays? and the sets keep changing every year)
- Loew Cornell painting brushes! I love their dupe of 239-Maxine mop brush. you can also get paint brushes and use them as angled liners, blush brushes, powder brushes etc. I love going to Michaels! :)
- If you have CCO nearby, it is heaven! brushes, M.A.C., origins, clinique, Bobbie brown and a whole lot of other stuff at 30% off!