Fake Pigments and brushes? - tons of pics

[msashlay]

Hello, I really need help authenticating these products.

I bought it from a place that I know also has real items (because they were LE, like mineralized blushes, MES), but I have a feeling my Emerald Green pigment is fake.

I've looked through the fake pigment guide, and this one looks a lot like the ones people posted from closetmustgo and similar to the Deep Purple fake.

However, I only have one pro pigment bought at the store to compare it to, which is Grape, and this makes it difficult because Grape is so dark, so I can't see the writing on the jar! My authentic Grape's batch number is AA6, Emerald Green is A15, so there may also be differences because of the year.

Points I've noticed:
* Box says made in USA, jar says made in Canada
* Jar font on back is bolder than Grape font
* Shinier lid
* The Colt-ainer on the bottom of Grape jar is barely raised, while EG is very raised, like on the inner lid. BUT my Grape's inner lid doesn't say Coltainer at all, it just has a 4 digit number.
* There is a gap between lid and jar when closed for Grape, but no gap for EG.
* Inner lid has indentation above "Coltainer" and under "12" like the fake Deep Purple
* The picture of the hand and book is like the fake Deep Purple
* The Deep Purple thread said there were illegible numbers underneath the 12 at the bottom of the jar, but I can read the numbers under the 12 for EG.

Here are some pictures:
I couldn't get a good picture of the color. I know it can be kinda misleading to judge by colors. I would say it's a mix between these two: (green with a golden sheen, when swatched, I see white sparkles)

and here it is next to Humid for comparison (but camera didn't really pick up golden-ness:

Here are 2 brushes. The brushes look like my real ones, but I could be wrong, so just in case:

Anyway, I just wanted to get a second opinion before I talk to the store owner about this. I really want to know so I can warn other girls who may go to this store! Especially because it has been blogged about a lot. Thanks for your time and sorry about the novel.

 

[panda0410]

Sweetie where did you buy it? Because the jar has a specific counterfeit hallmark.... PM me for more info.

I cant say about the brush, sorry.

 

[Xqueeze_me]

The Emerald Green is DEFINITELY fake. The Grape puzzles me. Don't worry, the Grape is definitely authentic since its bought over the counter. I have the same Grape as yours. Its just the frosty label I've only just noticed that throws me off the tracks.. Hmm...

 

[msashlay]

Oh boo.

I bought it at a store in Los Angeles.

At certain angles, my Grape is not clear. Even when it is clear, it's not completely clear, so that definitely threw me off when using it to compare to EG.

Thanks so much for your help, both of you.

 

[panda0410]

The base stickers in some of the newer batch pigments (and reflects glitters as well) ARE a little opaque, I have a few myself that I know are definitely genuine. The Grape actually looks fine to me and since you bought it at a counter I wouldnt stress over it at all. The emerald green on the other hand is obviously flawed

 

[redambition]

the brushes look ok to me

the emerald green is an issue

 

[ktdetails]

Msashlay, thanks for the heads up. I did go to Melody's last friday but I didn't pick anything up (thankfully they didn't have anything I was looking for or didn't already own). Did you talk to the owner? What did she say?

 

[kimmy]

i'd probably contact mac and get them involved in this issue as well, they might want to know if an actual store is selling counterfiet mac to turn a profit...

 

[lustrare]

Thanks for the PM, sweetie. :] As you said, the LE things look real, and my pigment is in fact real. I only got LE things from when I went there, so I'm hoping I'm safe. Yours is obviously fake though.

The handle of the brush looks pretty funky, too.

I dunno.. Maybe the owner bought fake ones but didn't know. I'm just curious about the other girls who bought stuff from there.

 

[msashlay]

Thanks for your help everyone! I will be calling the store on Tuesday since they're closed on Monday and I'll update then.

 

[candidilyme]

i bought a pigment from this store as well (rose gold) and i wasn't sure if mine was fake either. I don't have a camera to take pictures but my lettering is the same as your emerald green one. Also, I own like 20 other pigment jars that I personally bought directly from the MAC store in Fashion Valley. When I took the rose gold jar out of its box it felt funny, like the black cap extended over the jar. The cap and the jar weren't flush. Is yours like that too?
Also, the place just seems a little shaddy to me. I always thought MAC didn't wholesale to anyone (which is why it isn't sold at sephora). The only places to get MAC products is from MAC directly (CCOs, counters, website, stores), right? If this is true, how the hell did Melody's get SO much MAC products?

 

[msashlay]

My cap does extend over the jar a bit, but so do some of my real pigment jars. Is your lid shiny?

 

[Xqueeze_me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by candidilyme i bought a pigment from this store as well (rose gold) and i wasn't sure if mine was fake either. I don't have a camera to take pictures but my lettering is the same as your emerald green one. Also, I own like 20 other pigment jars that I personally bought directly from the MAC store in Fashion Valley. When I took the rose gold jar out of its box it felt funny, like the black cap extended over the jar. The cap and the jar weren't flush. Is yours like that too? Also, the place just seems a little shaddy to me. I always thought MAC didn't wholesale to anyone (which is why it isn't sold at sephora). The only places to get MAC products is from MAC directly (CCOs, counters, website, stores), right? If this is true, how the hell did Melody's get SO much MAC products?

Rose Gold is a metal pigment so it's texture and the amount in the jar is very different compared to regular pigments. Like msashlay asked, is the lid shiny? If you need a packaging comparison, there's a link to the Deep Purple comparison in my signature.

 

[candidilyme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xqueeze_me Rose Gold is a metal pigment so it's texture and the amount in the jar is very different compared to regular pigments. Like msashlay asked, is the lid shiny? If you need a packaging comparison, there's a link to the Deep Purple comparison in my signature.

My lid is shiny and now I know for sure rose gold is a fake. The problem isn't the texture or how much of it there is (i have the gold pro pigment from the South Coast Plaza Pro Store). The lid is shiny, when I compared the lettering to my gold pigment it was off, and the sticker on the bottom looks like scotch tape. As for the lettering, it is slightly more spaced out and instead of dots in b/w the M A C, it's dashes. The only problem now is I can't find the box anymore or the receipt. I don't know if they'll refund me my money.

 

[Xqueeze_me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by candidilyme My lid is shiny and now I know for sure rose gold is a fake. The problem isn't the texture or how much of it there is (i have the gold pro pigment from the South Coast Plaza Pro Store). The lid is shiny, when I compared the lettering to my gold pigment it was off, and the sticker on the bottom looks like scotch tape. As for the lettering, it is slightly more spaced out and instead of dots in b/w the M A C, it's dashes. The only problem now is I can't find the box anymore or the receipt. I don't know if they'll refund me my money.

The problem is also the texture and how much of it is there because that can be used to determine whether its fake or not. From the sound of it, your Rose Gold is fake with the shiny lid and scotch tape label.

 

[msashlay]

Good news, owner sounded very distraught (well, that's not really good news haha), and he said he will pulling them. I feel sorry for him because he's going to have to take a loss now, but I'm gad he's getting rid of them!

Candid - if you want, you can pm me your name, and I'll let him know someone else wants a refund but has no receipt/box.