July 12, 2009   ∗   24 Responses   ∗   by Chrissy

Are Your MAC Brushes Authentic?

Ever been duped by a seller on eBay claiming to sell a set of 30 “MAC” Brushes for as low as $30, and when it arrives you realize that you bought cheap knockoffs? I have, recently. So after doing some research, I found a number of ways you can tell whether or not the supposed MAC brushes you’re looking at online are authentic.

1. The Seller

Just because the seller has 99% positive feedback, doesn’t mean that they are selling authentic products. Most of the good feedback is based on delivery time or made by buyers that don’t know the difference between real brushes and fake ones. Pay more attention to any bad feedback they have gotten – even if the seller only has 3 bad reviews, they are usually the most truthful.

2. Look at the handles.

Most people, if they’re smart, won’t buy anything that isn’t accompanied by a picture of what the actual product looks like. So the first thing you want to look at is the handle of the brush.

Authentic MAC brushes have silver necks on the handles and are made of black wood. The ones I bought recently, and many that I’ve seen online have black plastic necks.

To the left are fake brushes similar to what I recently received. As you can see, the necks are black plastic, and there are no numbers next to the MAC logo. Also, the logo seems a bit off if you look closely.

I have also seen fake handles that are glittery and made of cheap plastic, and ones that are unmarked and don’t even say “MAC” on them.

3. The Label

Real MAC brushes are labeled with the tiny MAC logo followed by the number of the brush (ie “205″ for the Mascara Fan Brush). Many fake brushes do not include the number of the brush, or there is something wrong with the logo. You may not be able to see this in a product picture, but this is something you could easily look out for once you’ve received the brushes.

4. Origin

Okay, let’s face it. Most knockoffs, whether it’s purses, shoes, or makeup, are made out of countries like China or Taiwan. It’s a bit sad, but don’t trust anyone that doesn’t appear to be fluent in English. You can tell by their product description, or any correspondence you’ve had with them.