Fake MAC lipstick?

[Purity]

I recently bought a lipstick from a reputable seller at eBay with over 2000 positive feedbacks. I got the lipstick in the mail today but as soon as I opened the cap of the lipstick, I got a feeling that it might could be a fake. The lipstick I got was Blow Dry from the BBR collection, with batch code AA8.

The first thing I noticed was that the cap was really tight and hard to pull off. Secondly, the lipstick didn't screw up as smoothly as the rest of my MAC lipsticks (I own about 50, both perm and LE) and you can hear the friction as you screw it up, and when I looked closer, I saw that several details differed from the rest of my MAC lipsticks.

The seller claims that the lipstick is authentic, and says that s/he has got a proof of purchase (which I haven't been shown yet allthough I have asked for it) to proove that it's authentic to eBay if I try to claim my money back. S/he also claims that the packaging can differ that much depending on where the lipstick has been manufactured.

I took some pictures to compare it with another MAC lipstick that I own which the same batch code - lavender whip. Blow dry is to the left in all pictures and lavender whip is to the right in all pictures. Could you guys help me identify if this is authentic or just a scaringly well-made fake?

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right)

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). Notice the gap between the silver ring and the bottom of the packaging on Blow Dry.

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). MAC logo is located higher up on Blow Dry, the lower ring is more matte than on Lavender whip aswell.

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). Plastic part reaches higher up on the lipstick on Blow Dry than on Lavender whip.

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). Differences in the holes of inner plastic capsuling.

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). Differences in the holes of inner plastic capsuling.

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). The bumps that hold the cap in place is flatter on Blow Dry than on Lavender whip, which are more rounded.

Blow dry (left) - Lavender whip (right). Inside of the caps differ from each other.


Thanks in advance!

 

[Hilde]

Hi.

Girl, you made me check the insides of my lipsticks.

I have a plum dandy in LE packaging( black all the way) that came in a set with angel in the same packaging. Plum dandy has insides like your blow dry, and the other ones I've checked has like lavender whip.

 

[miss-lilly]

OMG! If this is a fake, then fakers have gotten REALLY good at it

I did randomly checked three of my MAC lipsticks and all of them had the same inside of cap, inner plastic tube and round bumps just like Lavender Whip. None of them had any difference in any part of the tube from each other so the only thing I can think of is that Blow Dry is fake

This is really sad. I don't think I'll ever buy MAC from the Internet again, the fakes are so good it's scary. The seller said that he got it from a MAC store?

 

[Purity]

Hilde: Haha Thanks for checking your tubes for me!

miss-lilly: I know, scary isn't it? =/ The seller claims that he/she has got it from a MAC store but refuses to take a picture of the proof of purchase she/he claims she/he has since "I wouldn't understand the shipping codes anyway" and he/she has to much shipping stuff to do to take the time to snap a picture of the proof of purchase which makes me feel even more uneasy about this. He/she also won't refund me if I don't send the item back first, which I don't feel comfortable to do at the moment.

 

[BellaItalia1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purity Hilde: Haha Thanks for checking your tubes for me! miss-lilly: I know, scary isn't it? =/ The seller claims that he/she has got it from a MAC store but refuses to take a picture of the proof of purchase she/he claims she/he has since "I wouldn't understand the shipping codes anyway" and he/she has to much shipping stuff to do to take the time to snap a picture of the proof of purchase which makes me feel even more uneasy about this. He/she also won't refund me if I don't send the item back first, which I don't feel comfortable to do at the moment.

Purity,i checked my Mac lippys,and the packaging is like the LavenderWhip

ermm if it wasn't for the fact that i bought mine last lippy Patisserie,at CCO,looking at the box only you could think it was a replica!!The outer box has a sticker with russian language( I know some russian so reckognised the letters etc)and i have never ever came across that sort of packaging

Ok i will try to u/l piccys it wont let now

Purity,i have had a closer look at my Patisserie silver sticker,and the print,the word Lustre and etc is in bold print same as on your Blow Dry

It could be genuine as apart from minor subtle differences i cannot see anything major that would scream fake

Remember that these inner tubes are machine made so each may have a minor difference.

 

[rockin]

I'm not saying your Blow Dry is definitely a fake - others can probably advise you better, but I do know that my fake Milan Mode had the flatter 'bumps' at the side of the tube

 

[SagaLina]

I have checked al my lipsticks from MAC and all but one looks like your Lavender Whip.
Impassioned is the only one that differ and looks exactly like your Blow Dry. I haven't bought Impassioned at a MAC store my self so I can't guarantee it not fake. I bought it from a seller here at Specktra, that have postive feedback only.
So now I'm afraid that my Impassioned is fake..........

 

[Purity]

Thanks for your input, guys! The thing that got me wondering from the beginning was the fact that the outer box feels a tad too tight, and that the lipstick doesn't screw up as smoothly and kinda squeaks when I do so - which none of my other Mac lipsticks do. I have also owned blow dry before (I lost it, boo!) and that tube didn't act like this one at all - are LE lipsticks made at the same factory, or do they produce them at different locations? Anyone who knows?

 

[retrofox]

I'm looking at my Blow Dry that I bought in store on the release day and it looks exactly like yours with the same squeaky problem! The "bumps" are the same flat ones as yours, the batch code is the same, the plastic that holds the product shows alot more than it should and it doesn't screw up as smoothly as it should. Your Blow Dry is A-OK!

 

[Purity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrofox I'm looking at my Blow Dry that I bought in store on the release day and it looks exactly like yours with the same squeaky problem! The "bumps" are the same flat ones as yours, the batch code is the same, the plastic that holds the product shows alot more than it should and it doesn't screw up as smoothly as it should. Your Blow Dry is A-OK!

Thanks hun for comparing it for me! I have owned a blow dry bought at the release date previously and it didn't have the squeaky problem or screwing problem but they might have been manufactured at different factories, or at different times...

May I ask you if yours is made in Canada aswell..?

 

[Purity]

I just found some pictures on my computer of the bottom label of my old tube that I purchased directly from MAC - if you look closely, the labels seem to differ slightly from each other when it comes to the layout. Is this normal when it comes to lipsticks that are from the same batch..?

New blow dry - Old 100% authentic blow dry

 

[Purity]

OK so I checked it against all of my 50 or so MAC lipsticks again just to make sure - and I found that my girl about town has the same wierd inner capsuling and squeaks when I twist it, and I bought it at the MAC counter myself so it's 100% authentic. Which makes me quite convinced, together with what retrofox said, that it's not a fake. Will take it to my MAC counter later this week though to let them have a look at it before I can rest assured.