How to tell if your MAC Blush is a fake

I thought I would write this post after my bad experience with fake MAC products which you can read more about here. After I suspected my purchase was fake I went and googled it to find comparisons however I found it very difficult to find posts that included pictures. As you will see I bought Harmony Blush from cheapsmells.com which when compared with a shop bought blush, was completely different in packaging, shade and texture. Now, I am no MAC expert however this post is just from what I have experienced and seen.

Left: Real,  Right: Fake

The main thing that gave the fake blush away was the packaging and especially the use of slightly yellow tinted writing compared to the more grey toned genuine product. Also, another big giveaway was the code on the fake one (A59) shows that the blush was manufactured in 2009 which seems very old whereas as you can see from the picture, the real blush was made in 2012 (A12). Apart from these two main differences the packaging was very similar.

Left: Real,  Right: Fake 

The MAC logo on the fake was pretty good if only a little larger and thinner than the real. The camera shows up the colour difference quite well as when I got the fake, it was more orange toned compared to swatches I had seen online. The real product is cooler in tone and more rose based which is what makes it such a great contour for pale skinned girls like myself.

Left: Real,  Right: Fake

Another massive giveaway was that the ingredients on the fake didn't correspond with the real product. This shows that you shouldn't be ok with buying fake products for their name just because they are cheap due to all the nasty chemicals that may have been added to them to make it look like the real thing.

Left: Real,  Right: Fake

Last of all, another killer giveaway was the fact that the product name and  barcode on the fake were stuck on whilst on the real thing, they were printed. The stickers just seem like a lazy and cheaper option compared to the real MAC packaging.

I really hope this post was helpful to anyone who suspects a fake product or anyone who wants to get wised  up on what fake MAC blushes look like for the future. Anyone had any other experiences with any fake products?

Hayley xxx

My Current Wishlist #1

Top Left: Zara T-Bar Wedge Top Centre: MAC Harmony Blush Far Right: Zara Leather-Look Trousers Bottom Left: MAC Soft and Gentle MSF Middle: Naked Palette Middle Bottom: Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes

My Every Day Make-up Bag

So, what is in my everyday make-up bag? I thought I would do this post to give you a little insight into me and what I put on my face every morning all bleary eyed and half asleep :) This is one of those if-you-buy-many-no7-products-then-you-get-a-free-make-up-bag-filled-with-make-up bags and as you can see it is fit to burst. I switch up the content from time to time but this happens to be what is in there now.

First of all I start by giving my face a good moisturise which the Olay day cream with SPF 15. I have incredibly dry skin, especially in the winter months, and i find it really helps my foundation to glide on as well as giving me a little bit of sun protection. The foundation I am using at the moment is Bourjois healthy mix serum in the colour Vanilla and it describes itself as a semi-matte finish. I find it is perfect for a nice light coverage used with my elf powder brush. In conjunction with this I use the healthy mix correcting concealer which really helps to cancel out the blue tones under my eyes. I seem to always neglect powder which I probably shouldn't do. I haven't found one that copes well with dryer skins to help set my base. Any suggestions?

To the right are the tools I use. The elf powder brush for foundation, the elf stipple brush for a light dusting of bronzer (as I am so pale I find this brush really helps to deposit a small amount of product) and the elf complexion brush for blusher. The one item I could not live without are my eyelash curlers (RED at Boots) which just help to give me that wide eyed, fresh faced look.

You've all seem this bronzer before. It's the Bourjois powder bronzer aka the chocolate bronzer. I have been using this for years and some days I love it but some days I hate it as it can look a bit orangey on my skin tone. As i said this before, I use it will a stippling brush to apply minimal product. I often skip blusher as I get very very rosy cheeks and I don't like to emphasise it. However on that odd occasion when I do reach for it, I usually go for more peachy/coral colours such as the elf mineral blush in coral.

Up to now my daily make-up routine is very similar, however when I get to the application of eyeliner, it changes daily as I never seem to be satisfied. One day it is no eyeliner, then its just eyeliner on the top water line, then its Kohl smudged into both top and bottom lashes. For the water line and winged liner I love the elf cream eyeliner as it glides on effortlessly and hasn't dried up in the four or five months I have owned it. For pencil, I regularly use the Bourjois eyeliner- black with purple reflections. I find the hint of purple really brings out my brown eyes.

Lastly is mascara. If there was only one product I owned it would be this. Maxfactor masterpiece max is the best mascara I have found to date. It really volumises whilst holding curl which I really look for. For my bottom lashes I need something more waterproof so at the moment I am using Loreal waterproof telescopic. I really don't rate this mascara for top lashes because I find they go spidery however it doesn't budge, even when I use make-up remover which can be quite frustrating. To finish my face off I use the MUA clear mascara just to brush through my eyebrows as they don't really need any filling in.








I love to read blogs about a persons daily make-up as it gives me inspiration to use different things. Comment if you have any views on any of the products I use or if you have any recommendations :)