Hey, so, on my recent post about MAC being on sale at Beyond The Rack, Emi from
Project Swatch commented that she'd heard that they have been accused of selling fake/counterfeit cosmetics. So I did some googling and found a number of posts discussing fakes from BTR. I also googled how to detect fake MAC lipstick, since I bought one from them back in December. As it turns out, the packaging and labeling of my tube looks perfect, unlike a lot of fakes (though I threw out the box a while ago), but the product itself is off. MAC lipstick is supposed to smell like light vanilla - mine smells like fucking nasty, chemically lipstick. Like something my grandmother bought in 1972.
Also, the color is wrong. It's Rebel, which should be a dark but bright berry pink, and mine is more of a dark purple. Not even close. (ETA: Maybe this isn't a problem? After googling, the color might be okay, but the smell is off. This is either a fake or EXTREMELY expired. I don't know.) I didn't even notice that when I got it. I just put it on, found that it wasn't flattering, and threw it in a drawer. I should have paid closer attention.
Anyway, I'm going to throw this tube away, because not only do I not like it, now I don't know who made it, out of what, or when - who knows if the ingredients are safe. Gross.
If you've got something that looks fake from them, you can apparently get a refund if you insist strongly enough. I'm not going to bother, since I got this so long ago and no longer have the box. But buyer beware indeed. Thanks, Emi!
I am so sorry you ended up with a fake, but I guess it's better to know than to not know :/
ReplyDeleteOh nooo!!! I got a creme blush the last time they had a MAC sale, but I've never owned/ used any of their products, so I have no idea if this is a fake or not. Imma have to look into this, thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteThis is super good to know, as I have an account with them and have made smaller purchases from them before.
ReplyDeleteWith all the scares about brand fakes all over the internet, I've gotten to the point where, if I'm going to buy something from a more high-end brand, I buy it from a known licensed seller. I may full price, but at least I know I'm getting what I paid for. I love these sites for lower-mid range stuff, but I'm going to take the plunge and pay that much for something (even at a discount), I want to be absolutely certain I get what I'm paying for. Kind of makes me not want to use this site. If they're knowingly selling fakes, it's not the kind of business I want to patronize, but if they have no idea, it makes you wonder about the legitimacy of everything else they sell. But maybe that's just the paranoid parrot talking.
I also was sold extremely expired products (11 and 13 months from purchase date) recently from beyond the rack. You order number from BTR states when then product was purchased, if you compare this with the expiration date you can the product was purchased expired. This is of course assuming the product is expired and not fake. I use http://checkcosmetic.net/ to identify expiration dates
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