Identifying fake MAC eyeshadows - ***detailed guide with photos***

[shopaholic1981]

The more proactive we are about reporting eBay sellers who sell fakes the better!

I recently purchased a Nars palette on eBay that had fake eyeshadow pans put in. The palette itself was real and so was the label on the bottom of the palette. As for the box it came in, the label on it didn't even match the label on the palette and that's when I knew that there was something off about it.
So here's my story.
I purchased this palette thinking that because the seller was selling a ton of them which a lot of people were bidding on they must be authentic. I mean, there as a ton of these palettes being sold on eBay by a ton of other people. I figured that maybe these went on sale somewhere and maybe these people were lucky enough to pick them up or something.
So anyway I looked up the name of the palette that was on the label underneath the palette and found that the colors that was in the palette I bought were not the colors that was put together for this particular collection.
(Boo!)
I immediately contact the seller for a refund and then filed a claim to make sure the seller was going to follow through with it.
Unfortunately I didn't go as far as to report the item I bought so that the seller would get flagged by eBay's vero department because I wasn't sure if this seller knew that the products they were selling were not authentic.

Either way I think that people should be responsible for things that they sell and that's why i appreciate it that people are honest about where they got their stuff.
THANK GOODNESS for eBay and paypal's buyer protection program!
but pleeease if something like this happens to you, REPORT THEM and take the time to go through whatever else they are selling and report those items too (although you can't technically tell if those items are fake). Well i figure if they are using the same pictures as the ones from the auction that you got yours from then they are the same product and who knows if they're reselling the one that you are sending back!
UGH DISGUSTING!

oh and PS. I never got a confirmation for where I should sent back the palette I bought and the eBay seller never said anything about me sending it back so i still have it and will post pictures of it soon!

specktra members unite! lol.

 

[panda0410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sojourner I've only depotted a few of my own shadows and they were all MAC counter purchases and of course the pan has been smooth because they are real! But I am curious since everyone mentions this indented pan thing, does anyone have a picture of a fake indented pan? I would like to know what you guys mean...

No... not always unfortunately. The *new* fakes have smooth pans just like authentic ones. There are still telltale signs of them being counterfeits though in the pots and the quality of these new fake smooth pans overall is pretty shoddy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tina1wina13 I have a question, is there a thread on fake MAC propans? I once bought one off ebay in "soot" a loooong time ago. I don't have the shadow anymore but I was pretty sure it may be fake. All the sticker had was the numbers like AA6 and the wort SOOT really big and that's it. Also I recently got a Parfait Amour pan from a swapper an Makeup Alley, and the propan has like bad color pay-off, not like my other MAC shadows, and also the lettering on the bac ( toronto canada etc..) is different.

Yeah, there are fake propans now too

Be careful buying propans of ebay ladies!!

 

[tragic137]

Thank you so much for this!! Greatly appreciated!!

 

[speedygirl247]

I've got an updated (about a week old) confirmed 100% fake list, I'll post it in a new thread, the pro-pan colours have expanded.

 

[Brittany88]

Thanks so much for this! I can't believe all of the fake ones on eBay. I'm definitely going to only buy at a MAC store or counter because the fakes just keep getting more and more similiar.

 

[antigone21]

This is clearly a cheap 120 palette with a counterfeited fake MAC logo! I reported this item to Ebay. Do they usually take the listing down?

I checked their other listings and it's all 88 palettes labeled as MAC.

Edit 03/13: Cool, Ebay took the listing down. I should have reported their other items as well.

 

[mintbear82]

Thanks for the great information. It was very helpful. I was about to purchase a fake Sweet Sienna pigment, but when the seller sent me pictures I knew immediately it was fake.

 

[Jolika]

Hi, this is my first post

I just bought a palette: Trip 6 cool eyes

I trust the seller, but now I'm not sure of this product because I can't find MAC Trip palettes with 6 colours.

EDIT
I know everything now

 

[Tat2dbeauty07]

So I completed a swap on MUA and Im in question about a shadow this girl sent me satin taupe and it looks different from my other MAC shadow the label of color isnt a sticker and the barcode on the bottom isnt a sticker on the box like my other MAC shadows I didnt know if maybe MAC changed this it has a batch code of A99

 

[panda0410]

Yup, Mac changed its packaging a little while ago to reflect the new printed versions just like the one you have there. Doesn't mean its not a fake, but really, really unlikely. I wouldn't worry

 

[spunky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sojourner I've only depotted a few of my own shadows and they were all MAC counter purchases and of course the pan has been smooth because they are real! But I am curious since everyone mentions this indented pan thing, does anyone have a picture of a fake indented pan? I would like to know what you guys mean...

i buy empty 28 pan palettes off ebay from a seller in HK - these come with empty indented pans. i can get a pic of these up at the end of the week if it helps anyone?

 

[svetkey2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by minisprite Hey everyone, I created a guide to the tell-tale differences between real and fake mac eyeshadows. I used two different "types" of fakes I (dumbly) bought on ebay.co.uk, and compared them to a genuine shadow feature-by-feature. uk_makeup: Fake MAC eyeshadow - a spotters guide. HTH and please pass along to anyone who might find it useful. Sarah x

unless they have gotten better at faking, the rim around the fakes pan is different and they may have a brush inside in the bottom. the finish on the pot is just different as well. Forget about those 12 color palettes all over ebay, now those have been there 4ever and i always report them when i have time but people still buy and bid on them.

 

[Aurora~*]

excellent info & tips, thanks guys

 

[Hilde]

I have a shadow I'm slightly worried about. Everything looks identical to my other pots, and it looks swatches well. It's aquadisiac which is a lustre. The only little worry sign is a smell it has when I stick my nose up to it( yes I smell stuff) which is more noticeable than in other shadows. Maybe it's newer or aquadisiac or lustres have ingredients that smell more, but I'm also a little worried. Batch number A36

 

[Matte]

Thank you for this guide! I used it as a reference to check a MAC Mineralize eyeshadow duo that I recently received. It passed everything that you've noted, however one thing I noticed is that the eyeshadow has a slight fragrance to it.

It's been a while since I've owned a MAC eye shadow, but I don't recall my old shadows having any scents. That said, this is my first MAC eye shadow from the Mineralize line.

Can someone please confirm if MAC Mineralize eye shadow duos have a scent to them? For reference, I have mine in Bright Side / Gallery Gal.

THANK YOU!

 

[venacava]

Hilde, does it smell kind of ashy almost like lingering traces of tobacco? Couple of years ago I brought Greensmoke off a powerseller on ebay that smelled weird as well, but the color was slightly off so I was quite certain that's it was counterfeit.

Matte, just went and dug out bright side/gallery gal for a sniff. The product have no scent to it, the container would smell like plastic if that's what you're worried about. But it's very faint.

Also, in all the years I've been using MAC I haven't noticed genuine eyeshadow or pigment smelling 'off'. The counterfeit stuff floating are getting better and therefore more difficult to spot. See if you can get a refund or just write it off. Better be safe than sorry.

 

[pinkiecharm]

i was cought out by this when i first started out using and buying mac, i went to the mac counted and saw the price of the pigments and on a student/waitress salary was way to expensive so i went on to ebay and was suprised how cheap they were , then i found out it was a fake after spending 7 pound but at least i know now to be a

 

[Hilde]

Hilde, does it smell kind of ashy almost like lingering traces of tobacco? Couple of years ago I brought Greensmoke off a powerseller on ebay that smelled weird as well, but the color was slightly off so I was quite certain that's it was counterfeit.

Matte, just went and dug out bright side/gallery gal for a sniff. The product have no scent to it, the container would smell like plastic if that's what you're worried about. But it's very faint.

Also, in all the years I've been using MAC I haven't noticed genuine eyeshadow or pigment smelling 'off'. The counterfeit stuff floating are getting better and therefore more difficult to spot. See if you can get a refund or just write it off. Better be safe than sorry.

No, not tobacco. Now after smelling my NARS blushes(I sniff everything ) I notice the same smell in the shimmery ones, like orgasm, sin and albatross. Maybe there's some shimmery ingredient in the aquadisiac that makes it smell like that?

 

[Matte]

Thanks Venecava for checking your e/s duo for me!

 

[karymakeup25]

HAS ANY ONE BOUGHT ANYTHING FROM ALLCOMSETICSWHOLESALE.COM???? THEY HAVE OLD COLLETIONS I BEEN TEMPTED TO BUY BUT I DONT KNOW IF THE ITEMS ARE FAKE OR THEYC AN BUY IT ON EBAY AND SELL IT IN THERE PAGE AND IT MIGHT BE FAKE ANY TOUGHTS OF THAR?