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!
