Received fake MAC 187 brush in swap - what do you think?

[lanathastar]

So.. I received a 187 brush in a swap (from a VERY experienced swapper - over 400 tokens, 100% positive). Before we finalized the swap, I specifically asked her if she bought the brush in a MAC store/counter. She said yes, so we swapped. Well, I just received her end today and as soon as I saw the bristles - I knew the brush was fake. What do you girls think? My brush is the one that's dirty; that's nail polish covering the MAC lettering (I HATE worn off lettering).
I've heard that it resembles the old MAC 187's - but the quality is so poor, the bristles are so sparse and not as firm as my other brush..I just can't believe that MAC would ever produce something this terrible.

 

[Xqueeze_me]

My bet is on fake. That sucks!! :/

Geez.. now they're trying to imitate the metal crimp (to the handle). Printing is ok but still can slightly tell with the space between the M (in MAC) and the spacing of the numbers are inconsistent.

 

[lanathastar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xqueeze_me My bet is on fake. That sucks!! :/ Geez.. now they're trying to imitate the metal crimp (to the handle). Printing is ok but still can slightly tell with the space between the M (in MAC) and the spacing of the numbers are inconsistent.

I know! Surprisingly, the handle doesn't look that bad. Not shiny or anything; they basically got the paint down. But the printing is really thin compared to the brush I already owned (you probably can't tell from the pics that well). The crimping is TERRIBLE in person! You could kind of see it in the reflection, it's not smooth at all, it looks like straight lines that don't match up..kind of like this ------ all around the handle.

 

[Xqueeze_me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanathastar The crimping is TERRIBLE in person! You could kind of see it in the reflection, it's not smooth at all, it looks like straight lines that don't match up..kind of like this ------ all around the handle.

Hahaha That's funny!

So what do you plan to do now? Planning to send that horrible brush back to that swapper?

 

[lanathastar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xqueeze_me Hahaha That's funny! So what do you plan to do now? Planning to send that horrible brush back to that swapper?

YES! The items that I sent her were LE eyeshadows, LNIB, worth WAY more than this fake brush that probably cost $6 (yea, it's that bad). I'm still debating over what kind of token I should leave her though.. I mean, she did lie, but I feel extra bad for ruining her 100% positive feedback (over 400 tokens!). Plus, she could decide to retaliate.. and that would SERIOUSLY hurt my feedback more than her's (I have way less tokens).

 

[Xqueeze_me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanathastar YES! The items that I sent her were LE eyeshadows, LNIB, worth WAY more than this fake brush that probably cost $6 (yea, it's that bad). I'm still debating over what kind of token I should leave her though.. I mean, she did lie, but I feel extra bad for ruining her 100% positive feedback (over 400 tokens!). Plus, she could decide to retaliate.. and that would SERIOUSLY hurt my feedback more than her's (I have way less tokens).

Oooh.. Ouch! :/ Any chance "talking" to her about it before you leave her a token or return the brush to her? Its unfair that she lied to you about the brush. UGH, I know about feeling bad to ruin someone's 100% +ve rep but still.. Maybe give her a Neutral since that's just a.. neutral feedback. Should get her to send back all LE eyeshadows to you so you can send the horrible brush back to her. :/ I HATE it when people are so dishonest!!!

 

[redambition]

someting to be aware of - the printing of the name and number on MAC brushes is not all that high quality and can be inconsistent from brush to brush.

That said - the printing on the brush you received does look very neat, which seems a bit odd to me.

Was the brush advertised as used? 187s do tend to splay if not reshaped properly during washing. mine get very splayed through use, but regain their form nicely when i reshape them. the differences in the crimping of the ferrule could be caused by the brushes being handmade.

it looks a bit funny to me, but i can't tell for sure if it's fake or not. the biggest indicator would be the actual quality and feel of the bristles.

 

[lanathastar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redambition someting to be aware of - the printing of the name and number on MAC brushes is not all that high quality and can be inconsistent from brush to brush. That said - the printing on the brush you received does look very neat, which seems a bit odd to me. Was the brush advertised as used? 187s do tend to splay if not reshaped properly during washing. mine get very splayed through use, but regain their form nicely when i reshape them. the differences in the crimping of the ferrule could be caused by the brushes being handmade. it looks a bit funny to me, but i can't tell for sure if it's fake or not. the biggest indicator would be the actual quality and feel of the bristles.

I know that the letting can be inconsistent.. but it's weird, because the lettering doesn't wear off at all (not like ALL the other MAC brushes I owned). The brush was advertised as used once.. and I wasn't THAT concerned about splaying. I was more worried about the fact that there's clumps of white nylon bristles missing from the majority of the brush. The one that I bought from the MAC store are evenly placed, or almost evenly distributed. This one is like.. 20 nylon bristles in one area... then there's half a dime sized area where there isn't any white bristles at all.. then another clump of white..all throughout the brush. It feels not nearly as soft as my other brush, and the white parts are way too flimsy.

 

[redambition]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanathastar I know that the letting can be inconsistent.. but it's weird, because the lettering doesn't wear off at all (not like ALL the other MAC brushes I owned). The brush was advertised as used once.. and I wasn't THAT concerned about splaying. I was more worried about the fact that there's clumps of white nylon bristles missing from the majority of the brush. The one that I bought from the MAC store are evenly placed, or almost evenly distributed. This one is like.. 20 nylon bristles in one area... then there's half a dime sized area where there isn't any white bristles at all.. then another clump of white..all throughout the brush. It feels not nearly as soft as my other brush, and the white parts are way too flimsy.

from what you are describing in the difference in bristles - then there is a possibility that this one is fake. You are one of the fortunate ones who has a real MAC one to compare with

most people who swap or purchase do so for the savings and don't have the real thing around.

given that it's a very close copy, the person you swapped with might not be aware that it may be fake - especially if they've never owned one that was bought in a MAC store. i would suggest contacting the swapper with your concern and asking to reverse the swap. try to stay nice about it (at least in the beginning) until you've worked out if they are actually trying to rip you off or not.

 

[panda0410]

Risser I think did a really good 187 comparison guide here, let me see if I can find the link. The bristles seems similar to the ones described in Rissers post as well so its a good chance it may be fake. I have a 187 as well, it splays a little too, but the bristles are still evenly distributed in the brush.

 

[neezer]

PRobably a little more better if you talked it out before you go doing things...maybe she will offer you a deal or you can resolve the issue...maybe she will pay for what you sent her....idk...the brush does look scary tho

Quote:

Originally Posted by lanathastar YES! The items that I sent her were LE eyeshadows, LNIB, worth WAY more than this fake brush that probably cost $6 (yea, it's that bad). I'm still debating over what kind of token I should leave her though.. I mean, she did lie, but I feel extra bad for ruining her 100% positive feedback (over 400 tokens!). Plus, she could decide to retaliate.. and that would SERIOUSLY hurt my feedback more than her's (I have way less tokens).

 

[KimmyAnn_678]

I'm no expert with MAC, but I own 2 of Lancome's version of this brush. One of mine looks like yours and one looks like one you received in the swap. It came looking exactly how the brush in question looks (both bought at a Lancome counter). I haven't tried to wash and resape it as I like it like that... that one is my powder brush and the one with bristles closer together I use for liquid products

Other than that, I agree with the other posters that said to be polite about e-mailing your swapper.... she might not know herself, with all the scammers out there, you never even know if someone returned a fake to a MAC store in real MAC packaging and no one noticed and sold it... you just can't tell these days

 

[amber_j]

Just wanted to post and say that I've just bought a 109 brush direct from MAC (UK Pro store) and the crimping on the ferrule is also kind of gappy like you described. But the brush is obviously 100% genuine. I tried to take pics but I couldn't get the gaps to show clearly.

But I think you and others are right that the bristles seem a bit suspect. I hope you're able to sort everything out with the seller!

 

[TIERAsta]

i'd have to go with fake too. how AWFUL of them.

the printing is terrible, and the bristles seem to be a dead giveaway. i sure hope you can get something done about this. soon. GL.

 

[mommymac]

I don't know, I went to check some of my brushes and I've personally purchased all my brushes at MAC stores or counters and, I have one, my 224 lettering is spaced just like the one in question and it's stamped France, I have 2 that were made in the USA 1 from France and the rest are Japan, maybe it's just a very old brush (not used wise but manufactored wise) my 224 was my very first MAC brush I've had it for about 5 years now. If this swapper has high numbers and no complaints why would she start scraming now. Hopefully it was just made in a different region.