stingray
Well-known member
The 217 was bought from MAC so no doubt about it. The others, 213, 210 and 228, were bought from eBay and all came with the cellophane sleeve and bar code stuck onto it and all were claimed to be 100% genuine. The seller that I bought them from doesn't sell a lot of MAC brushes and they don't sell sets either, just a small handful among a large variety of other cosmetics, which is was why I thought and hoped they might be genuine.
They look identical to the real thing in every way, except when held up to bright daylight. I've never had occasion to hold them up to window before, and it happened by accident today when I noticed that two of them, the 213 and 228, have slightly paler handles. If I don't hold them up to the window in bright daylight, I can't tell the difference between the colours, they look exactly the same.
The MAC logo and numbering on the 217 and 210 rubs off far too easily just using my finger. On the others, it takes quite a bit of scratching to begin to get the silver off.
The ferrules on the brushes with white bristles are different to those with the darker bristles which seem flatter without the "curvy" bits to them, or maybe this is how they're supposed to be as I've seen photos of genuine brushes here on Specktra with the same flatter ferrules?
Up till earlier today, I was convinced they were all genuine, now I'm not so sure? Or can some handles be a bit paler when held up to daylight?
I've attached photos so that maybe the kind experts here may possibly be able to discern if there are any incredibly good fakes amongst these.
The first 5 are taken during the day near to a window. Those with a bluish background are without flash, those with a white background are with flash. Note that the paler handles only show up in those with flash, similarly to only showing when held up to daylight.
The last 2, showing the entire brushes lying down, are taken in the evening in electric light, with and without flash, and don't show any paleness in the handles, they all look pretty much identical.
(This is going to be my first attempt at uploading attachments, so I hope it works! If it doesn't, I'll try again in a reply or try posting them on photobucket or somewhere).
They look identical to the real thing in every way, except when held up to bright daylight. I've never had occasion to hold them up to window before, and it happened by accident today when I noticed that two of them, the 213 and 228, have slightly paler handles. If I don't hold them up to the window in bright daylight, I can't tell the difference between the colours, they look exactly the same.
The MAC logo and numbering on the 217 and 210 rubs off far too easily just using my finger. On the others, it takes quite a bit of scratching to begin to get the silver off.
The ferrules on the brushes with white bristles are different to those with the darker bristles which seem flatter without the "curvy" bits to them, or maybe this is how they're supposed to be as I've seen photos of genuine brushes here on Specktra with the same flatter ferrules?
Up till earlier today, I was convinced they were all genuine, now I'm not so sure? Or can some handles be a bit paler when held up to daylight?
I've attached photos so that maybe the kind experts here may possibly be able to discern if there are any incredibly good fakes amongst these.
The first 5 are taken during the day near to a window. Those with a bluish background are without flash, those with a white background are with flash. Note that the paler handles only show up in those with flash, similarly to only showing when held up to daylight.
The last 2, showing the entire brushes lying down, are taken in the evening in electric light, with and without flash, and don't show any paleness in the handles, they all look pretty much identical.
(This is going to be my first attempt at uploading attachments, so I hope it works! If it doesn't, I'll try again in a reply or try posting them on photobucket or somewhere).
