MAC scarred me for life aka BAD experience

[blueyedlady87]

Joking about the title (sort of). Here's my story. It's embarassing but oh well. A couple months ago at a MAC counter I admired a lipstick and the salesgal was like, 'O here let me put it on for you!' And I of course agreed. She then said, 'It was just cleaned' and doesn't wait for a reply just goes at my lips with the tester.

Red flags should be going up in my head at this point. I buy the dang lipstick. Next day for the first time in my entire life I have a cold sore. I mean huge, red, gaping, hurts like a motha. Seeing as I don't share drinks, kiss anyone, or basically have my mouth anywhere near where anyone elses might have been I am left to reasonably assume the lipstick at the counter gave it to me. Then I remember that the girl said it was clean but I didn't see her or anyone else dip it in alcohol etc. while I was there (not after me either). I'm mad, but what are you going to do! I wait thinking it's a one time thing. But nope, now I get cold sores every few weeks. My dermotologist said it is like herpes but on your lips. As if that's not bad enough IT DOESN'T GO AWAY!

The virus never leaves your body it just sometimes lies dormant. When you have a cold sore you can't use any lip stuff so you won't contaminate it. It's such a pain! I will never use a sample of anything ever again. I e-mailed MAC but they have yet to respond. It just boils me cuz I have spent lots of hard earned money there.

Rant over, sorry guys.

 

[Macnarsandlove]

I'm so sorry that happened. I have seem girls with nasty pussing cold sores dip an applicator in some lipglass multiple times and ever since then I have never been comfy with trying on makeup in the counters. Most of the counters I go to have 1 maybe 2 artist working at one time so unless she santized in front of you it's hard to believe she could assist customers and make sure everthing is clean. Just next time remember to try on your hand only and it does suck cause I have bought some no-no colors like that but anyway feel better. *excuse the run on sentences cause I'm super tired.

 

[mzreyes]

oh geez... that sucks

I'msuper paranoid about things like that. I swatch things on my hand, then I'll buy the l/s, l/g, or whatever product.. try it on at home and if I dont like it then I return it. I know returned things get sent somewhere to be detroyed, and its such a waste that I could have prevented if I had only tried it in the store, but oh well! I just can't do it! sorry bout that love

 

[blueyedlady87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mzreyes oh geez... that sucks I'msuper paranoid about things like that. I swatch things on my hand, then I'll buy the l/s, l/g, or whatever product.. try it on at home and if I dont like it then I return it. I know returned things get sent somewhere to be detroyed, and its such a waste that I could have prevented if I had only tried it in the store, but oh well! I just can't do it! sorry bout that love

Exactly! Thanks guys! Hands it is from now on.

 

[n_c]

Oh man, Im so sorry that happened to you...that's all I wanted to say

 

[sexypuma]

I am sorry that happened to you

. I hope you are not in pain anymore.

 

[syrene78]

I am really sorry to hear about that story.
I have seen MAs usually cleaning their l/s after they use it.
If you look at the l/s stands, all of them are either cut or swiped.
They often check the l/s according to what I saw and heard as I asked them the question.

I don't think that you can get a cold sore the day after you got the virus of herpers transmitted to you.
You can catch this virus through someone who has a cold sore or has the virus dormant in them and a lot of people carry this virus.
You may have had it for years in fact and not have a single cold sore before that.
Many people in fact don't know that they have it and often think that a cold sore is something else. (I don't mean you.

)
As your Doctor said, it is a dormant virus and won't wake up until a while.
Like any virus it needs to go through your body, it isn't just like acne, where a new spot just appears the following day.

Hopefully it will get better soon, at least in appearance and won't hurt anymore!

 

[user79]

That sucks. But like stbismuth9 said, you can't be absolutely sure that it was caused by that lipstick. For you to get a herpes outbreak the very next day, seems a bit unlikely. As far as I know, it takes a while for the virus to "take root" in your system. If it really was that lipstick, that really sucks.

I have also gotten really cautious with testing makeup over the years. I used to try everything on, now I just swatch it on my wrist. Yesterday the MAC girl wanted to apply some concealer on me, but I told her, no thanks. It was full of gunk. Grossss!

 

[zori]

I'm really sorry to hear this! If you did get it from the lipstick, that was a pretty quick reaction but these things are unpredictable.

I am cautious with testing makeup since everyone's standards is just not the same. I usually swatch makeup on my wrists provided that the makeup is in 'good' condition. If it's nasty looking, it is not I would not bother touch it!

 

[Taj]

Be careful when you guys try on shoes as well. Remember to wear socks/stockings !

 

[Holly]

Im sorry that happened to you

 

[Ambi]

Hmm, if I'm not completely mistaken, alcohol kills bacteria but not viruses, as in the lipstick may be clean of bacteria but only boiling kills viruses [and sometimes even boiling is not enough].

I know there's probably nothing anyone can do to make you feel better, or make the problem go away but I hope you at least receive some kind of response from MAC, it's really disgusting what happened to you [assuming it was the lipstick that caused this].

 

[Raerae]

And people wonder why some peolpe buy/return instead of trying stuff on at the counter lol...

 

[Beauty Mark]

Many people suffer from coldsores. It sucks that you got the virus, but you aren't alone in it.

There are ways of preventing them, like reducing stress or observing what seems to cause outbreaks.

 

[*Stargazer*]

According to the National Herpes Hotline (1.919.361.8488 ), herpes is not transmitted through inanimate objects, such as soap, towels, clothing, bed sheets, toilet seats, and spa surfaces.

Sucks that you have it, but it may not be MACs fault at all.

 

[MACForME]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladybug10678 According to the National Herpes Hotline (1.919.361.8488 ), herpes is not transmitted through inanimate objects, such as soap, towels, clothing, bed sheets, toilet seats, and spa surfaces. Sucks that you have it, but it may not be MACs fault at all.

LadyBug is correct. The herpes simplex virus lies dormant in your body sometimes for years before popping up. The virus wakes up from either stress, sunlight or other activators and then the process begins. First your lip will tingle/itch, then small bubble shaped blisters will appear. The blisters then break, and the healing process begins. You won't go to bed tonite with nothing and wake up tomorrow with a full blown cold sore. The entire infection process takes 10 to 14 days. Sometimes, these are confused with canker sores too. And most cold sores won't show up for 20 days after exposure.

 

[semtexgirl]

OMG that is terrible! I always test the everything on my hand for that reason.

 

[SELFstyled]

Sorry that happened to you! Hopefully you'll be able to control the outbreaks.

I've never tried anything on, I'm a total germ-phobe & swatch everything on my hand then immediately wipe/wash my hands after. Better to be safe than sorry I guess.

 

[maxcat]

Might be the lipstick, might not... (you can pick it up anywhere and it can lay dormant for years before you get a flare up...)

BUT... that MA had no business ramming lipstick on you if you didn't want her do do it. We're trained insideoutandbackwards to always have the customer's permission to do ANYTHING, even help another person... if you're "just browsing" I gotta ask you if it's okay if I help someone else while you do that.
So... yeah. You should bring that to someone's attention.

 

[SHOEGAL]

Oh you poor thing! Those things take for ever to go away too! Alcohol doesn't kill virus's anyways, that's why I never try any lip products on at the counter. I'd rather buy it and try it at home! Hopefully you'll hear back from them!