Real vs Fake #2 | MAC Lipstick Real or Fake? | EmmysBeautyCave

MAC Lipsticks are one of the most well known lipsticks out there and because of this you get alot of fakes/replicas. If you read my last Real vs Fake all about the Kylie Cosmetics Lip Products then you will know how I will compare real and fake products and tell you how to spot the fake. Some people are happy buying fake products to use as it is cheaper but some people don’t agree with it. I have only purchased the fake items for the purposes of this post series. 

As I said MAC is one of the biggest makeup brands out there and some products are a little pricey but I guess that is what high end beauty is. There are so many MAC fakes out there but are they any good? When buying MAC products on Ebay 9 times out of 10 they will be fake/replicas but trying to sell them as genuine. I got this replica MAC lipstick off Aliexpress which if most of you don’t know is kind of like a Chinese Ebay. It sells anything from clothing, accessories, homeware, beauty and more. They are known for selling replica makeup goods, not all products on there are replica’s like the clothing etc is just like Ebay. 

One of my favourite MAC shades has to be Honeylove, it is a gorgeous matte nude shade which I am obsessed with. Above I have pictured my real MAC Honeylove and the Replica MAC Honeylove. At first glance they look alike and I bet most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. 

You can get some replica’s which are obvious as they look nothing alike but this one looks very much like the genuine product but there are easy ways to tell if it is a fake. As you can see looking at them side by side they look ever so similar. 

First signs of a replica…

The Case | Above the cases do look the same but up close as you can tell more on the full case picture above the genuine product is on the left and the replica is on the right. MAC lipsticks have a kind of black frosted/glitter affect on them but on the replica it is more obvious whereas the genuine one is not as “glittery”.

The Height | In the image above you can see them side by side with the lids taken off. When the lids are on the height is exactly the same. When the lids are off you can see the silver part of the casing is slightly taller than the genuine one on the left. It is only ever so slight but it is a way to tell especially if you already own a genuine MAC lipstick. 

Second signs of a replica if you already own a genuine MAC lipstick…

The Weight | All replica MAC lipsticks are very light in weight compared to the genuine ones. The replica will have the same weight wrote on it as the genuine but it isn’t correct. If you already own a MAC lipstick and hold a genuine one in one hand and a replica in the other you will easily tell the weight difference. 

The Lid | The lid is a big giveaway. In the above photo you can see I have put a genuine MAC lipstick onto the Replica MAC Lipstick and the lid doesn’t fit. It has a huge gap. If you put a replica MAC lipstick lid onto a genuine MAC lipstick it will be too big and not lock in place. 

Text | Text is another big giveaway. The text above looks pretty similar and on point! Usually if you look on the bottom of the lipstick the text will be different. Some fakes won’t have the small recycle sign on the bottom of the lipstick. On some “fakes” the text can rub off over time whereas the genuine ones don’t. 

Other Signs To Look For…

The Smell | If the lipstick has a chemical like smell it is 100% a fake! The genuine MAC lipsticks all have a very light vanilla type scent which smells lovely!

Why Fakes Are Getting Clever!!!

Alot of “fake” products have got better than they used to be and harder to tell if it is fake. Alot of MAC “fake” products now even have the “Back to MAC” details on the lid of the packaging on the inside. 

Labels are becoming more identical. 

I have to admit the replica one I got is one of the hard to spot ones because it it so close to the original even in the swatches! As you can see the pigmentation in the replica is just as good as the genuine one. The genuine one is a matte finish but the replica isn’t as matte as you can see it has a slight sheen to it and feels creamy. Even when I applied the replica the pigmentation was just as good. 

Overall if it looks good doesn’t mean it is genuine. You will get some MAC replicas where the pigmentation won’t be as good as the one I have here. There are so many people on Ebay and now even the app Depop selling fakes. If you want a MAC lipstick buy it from a genuine shop like Debenhams, MAC, Selfridges etc…

If you are happy buying a fake product this one has shocked me at how good it actually is and how spot on the packaging is. Be careful where you buy them from. 

Have you seen my Kylie Lip Kit Real vs Fake? Just click the image below!