"DEVIL'S POISON!" (Or: Glad I Looked For Reviews First)

I got a sample of John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray with a recent ULTA order, and thought I'd give it a quick google before trying it. Check out these scary ass reviews on Makeup Alley. Holy shit! I think I'll put this one directly in the garbage.

(On other sites there are some good reviews alongside the terrible ones, but that's enough to warn me off. Even a small chance that my hair will shrivel up and fall out is enough.)

Fake cosmetics from Beyond The Rack

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!