Long Time MAC users -has quality declined since being taken over by EL?

[legolassildarin]

Estee Lauder own Makeup Forever but i havent noticed any change in the quality they make and so in Prescriptives or Clinique....sometimes i feel these things are like bad-mouthings of the brand coz its way successful than others....MAC has to prove them wrong.The MSFs that i got and studio fix are of excellent quality comparable to the Shiseido Luminising Powder dat i use..

 

[erynnj]

yes it has gone down i started using mac in 2000 right before it blew up, i noticed that studio fix is CRAP and it used to be so good, and the shadows arent what they were. esp the le ones. the colors don't even show up. not to mention the quality of the pigments has declined too, you cant really compare the originals like Blue, green and gold to the new ones. Don't get me wrong i still love mac and love some of the original stuff but they just aren't what they used to be. and Makeup forever is not an Estee lauder owned company.

 

[SMMY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by legolassildarin Estee Lauder own Makeup Forever but i havent noticed any change in the quality they make and so in Prescriptives or Clinique....sometimes i feel these things are like bad-mouthings of the brand coz its way successful than others....MAC has to prove them wrong.The MSFs that i got and studio fix are of excellent quality comparable to the Shiseido Luminising Powder dat i use..

FYI: Makeup Forever is owned by LVMH, not Estee Lauder.

ETA: I agree with erynnj, that the quality of MAC isn't as high as it could be. I think if you have been around for awhile and have used some of the older MAC products, you'd understand it's not about "badmouthing the brand" but just being realistic.

 

[lara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbokittykat Yes, quality has definitely declined. It's even been noticable over the past 5 years or so. I used to buy virtually everything from every collection, now I find there is very little I actually want. Partly this has been due to giving up work so having to be more careful with money, but mostly it's been the realisation that most of what's released now is a re-vamp (or a duplicate) of a previous product, or simply fails to live up to my expectations in some way.

I don't think that's an indication of declining quality than simply you own so much product that you can recognise items that are similar to what you own. As someone else said, there's only so many shades of green you can release before overlapping starts to appear.

Brands evolve constantly, formulas and products are constantly tweaked to match the market. What one person might see as a decline, another person might see as an improvement. I personally feel that MAC is trucking along evenly and has had some improvements since the late nineties - the quality of colour stories has improved immensely, the branding and imaging is leaps and bounds ahead of what it used to be, and the rate of new product (i.e. Slimshines, Chromeglasses, Matte Squared, etc etc etc) has picked up considerably in the last year or so. To me that balances out the random dud eyeshadows or fairly thoughtless colour stories (Blue Storm, for example). Foundation is a major hit and miss issue for every brand, so I can't say that it's particularly better or worse with MAC. The formulas available have certainly increased, so maybe it's an issue of people buying Studio Fix when it's not suitable for their skin rather than the product itself being inherently at fault. The skincare has certainly improved by leaps and bounds since EL took full control, that's for sure.

Also, just to play Devils Advocate again re: the increase in pale pastel, chalky, lustre and sparkle eyeshadows that everyone has an issue with: the increase in these is probably an indication of MACs increasing appeal in the Asian market. Product needs to reflect the market with the most growth potential rather than the current established markets who need less coddling and encouragement to purchase, and right now that growth market happens to primarily buy sheer, soft light colours with sparkle. In ten years the market potential might shift to India and the Middle East and then everyone will be complaining about how MAC never releases anything but dark eyeliners and copper eyeshadows, who knows?

 

[rouquinne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lara Also, just to play Devils Advocate again re: the increase in pale pastel, chalky, lustre and sparkle eyeshadows that everyone has an issue with: the increase in these is probably an indication of MACs increasing appeal in the Asian market. Product needs to reflect the market with the most growth potential rather than the current established markets who need less coddling and encouragement to purchase, and right now that growth market happens to primarily buy sheer, soft light colours with sparkle. In ten years the market potential might shift to India and the Middle East and then everyone will be complaining about how MAC never releases anything but dark eyeliners and copper eyeshadows, who knows?

sorry, lara, but that theory doesn't hold water. MAC got its origins in Toronto, which, even in the 1980s, was one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. this is why MAC was one of the best choices for women of colour from the very origins of the company. if Lauder was really trying to cater to the Asian market, all of their companies would be going in the same direction, but i don't see Prescriptives or Clinique doing lots of sheer, soft, light and sparkly.

then again, they also aren't doing the dark stuff that we find in a Nocturnelle or Smoke Signals collection either. or the brights of a Barbie collection...

 

[clamster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glamella The line that suffered under EL was Stila IMO.

Yeah nordstrom doesn't carry stila anymore! There used to be a boutique near me that seemed to be doing very well and now it's gone! Poor stila it seems to be suffering terribly.

 

[mydarlingkate]

Oh, for sure! I used to ADORE MAC and would not even consider trying out other lines... but although the colors are (and still) amazing, the formula is different...

 

[iheartcolor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glamella The line that suffered under EL was Stila IMO.

Agreed. I think since they have been sold, they are getting back on their feet. Their shadows are once again amazing!

-Lauren

 

[Meryl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smith130 the quality in brush sets and some of the lipcolors i have seen the quality decline. the brush i have from 6 yrs ago look better than the ones i have got in holiday 06

The brushes vary from year to year.

I have the original brushes from 1985 (made in France) and they are so scratchy compared to the newer ones. I can't use them, although I'll never throw them out.

I've been using MAC since I discovered it at Simpsons in 1985 and I do think the quality of all their products has greatly improved... it's just not the same gentle company without the two Franks, that's all.

 

[cloudburst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rouquinne sorry, lara, but that theory doesn't hold water. MAC got its origins in Toronto, which, even in the 1980s, was one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. this is why MAC was one of the best choices for women of colour from the very origins of the company. if Lauder was really trying to cater to the Asian market, all of their companies would be going in the same direction, but i don't see Prescriptives or Clinique doing lots of sheer, soft, light and sparkly. then again, they also aren't doing the dark stuff that we find in a Nocturnelle or Smoke Signals collection either. or the brights of a Barbie collection...

I have to agree Rouquinne - I think the true reason MAC's colour stories are less adventurous does not have anything to do w/ catering to one specific ethnic group. I think the problem is they are trying to please everyone! When you try to cater to as large a market as possible, you are bound to make your collections more acessible, and for us makeup junkies & afficiandos, less interesting. I think some of the movement towards less pigmented colours & sparkles etc. might have to do with capturing a younger audience. I think most pre-teens & teens probably prefer lighter colours (at least, I'm sure their mom's probably approve more!).

 

[indiekicks]

I probably don't qualify as a long-time user, but I still say yes. I never got into he collection hoopla, but even I can see they're phoning it in now. The only things I NEED from MAC anymore that I would have to buy on a semi-regular basis is Ruby Woo.