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

NOTD #5: Jubilee Nails

For the Queens Diamond Jubilee I decided to join in with the festive spirit in the best way I know how... Nail polish! I didn't do a full Union Jack on my accent nail because it was just too fiddly and I thought it turned out pretty well for my first attempt at nail art. I used my favourite red (No7 Ruby Charm, Limited Edition) over the majority of my nails then painted both my ring fingers with a Collection 2000 Hot Looks nail polish in 13 Vogue for the royal blue. The only white I had was old and gloopy so I used a grey which worked fine (No7 Tip Toes, Limited Edition). For the red in the center of the flag I poured a tiny amount of polish out and used a toothpick which worked well, a nail art pen would have made a smoother line however I kind of like the effect it gave.

I hope you like my festive nails and try it out for yourself :)

Hayley xxx

Recent Beauty Buys

In Superdrug at the moment they have a three for two deal on all beauty products so I decided to get a few things I had been lusting over for a while. 

The first item is the  L'Oreal Color Infaillible in 021 Sahara Treasure. I was intrigued to try this as apparently they are similar to the Giorgio Armani eyeshadows as they are both pigments which have a similar stopper design to make the whole pigment experience much more hassle free. This is a great shadow on its own however teamed with the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 40 Permanent Taupe it looks amazing. Initially I wanted the Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze however it was sold out in both Superdrug and Boots so I settled for the Taupe which I am now really please with. That isn't to say I still want to get the bronze colour :P I will include swatches of both at the end of the post.

Next up are the two mini nail polishes from Maxfactor. I included the colour Soft Toffee in a recent NOTD post so check that out if you are interesting in buying it because it looks different on the nails to what is in the bottle. The other shade I picked up was Cool Jade which also looks different in the bottle to on the nails. I thought it would be the perfect mint colour however when applied it was a bright jade. This disappointed me at first however I have grown to love it and am still on the market for the perfect mint. Any suggestions?

Smoked Peach is the very first Revlon Matte lipstick I have tried and I really love the formulation. They stay for a good amount of time and aren't too drying. I like the colour however it is very orangy which can look a bit harsh in contrast with my skin tone but blotted out a bit and it looks perfect.

Lastly, I was excited to try the Sleek eau la la liners because they are both smudge proof and waterproof. I picked up the colour 317 Molasses which is a deep brown which I like to use smudged into my lash line. Once applied, there is a bit of time before the product sets before it stays all day which puts it ahead of any other pencil eyeliners I own. The only downside I have found so far is that the pencil is so soft that when I took the lid of, the suction pulled the actual liner out of the inside of the pencil so it is now broken and I have to carefully slide it back in. Despite this, I would like to try other colours including the black and the pinks. Pinks?! I hear you cry. No, I am not using pink as an eyeliner but as a lip liner as these pencils are branded to be multifunctional.

Hope you enjoyed this post on a few bits and pieces I have picked up recently and below are the swatches I promised :)

Left to right: Permanent Taupe, Sahara Desert, Molasses and Smoked Peach

Hayley xxx

Nails of the Day #4

There was lots of talk on these little nail polishes in the beauty world, especially the colours 'Fantasy Fire' and 'Graffiti'. I went into Superdrug and there was three for two on everything (seem familiar? ;) so I decided to buy two of their shades which included 'Soft Toffee' which is pictured above. Fantasy Fire was a beautiful duo chrome purple/blue which I was going to get but I though that I wouldn't wear it so much in the summer compared to this. As the name suggests it is the perfect creamy brown nude and I have been loving it on my nails recently. It takes two applications for an opaque colour and dries really fast which is something I always look for. The one downside is the brush as it's quite thin but it's nothing I can't work with for such a nice subtle and classy colour.

Recently, I have loved painting my nails as it is a therapeutic break from revision. Are there any other colours from the collection you can suggest? 

Hayley xxx

GLOSSYBOX, May 2012

This is the first month I have been a subscriber to Glossybox and I knew it would be a good'un as this month is the companies 1st birthday. 

The box came beautifully packaged slightly differently than usual with printed tissue paper and as soon as I

                                                            unwrapped it I got excited.

As you can see from the picture, these samples are really decent sizes with the above containing 75ml. The Noble Isle Summer Rising bath and shower gel  is described as inspired by the natural and cultural riches of 

     the British Isles. I've had a little whiff and it smells so fresh and summery! I can't wait to use this.

Next up are the Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum and Si Lolita and I haven't worn them  yet so I can't comment on notes however from what I have read they are heavier musky scents which are probably more appropriate for evening wear. From an initial smell I like them both but prefer the Eau de Parfum. 

This is the Apivita  Express Beauty mask and this is where Glossybox really impressed me as when you subscribe, you fill out a beauty profile where you tell them your hair colour, skin type etc.. My skin is dry so they sent me a moisturising and nourishing mask which my skin will probably really benefit from. I have really high hopes for this product and isn't too overpriced at £3.50 per sachet. As a bonus this product also contains no parabens, silicones or propylene glycol.

Now, this is definitely the product that made the whole box for me. It's the Berber Oil Hair Treatment which contains argon oil. I have wanted to try hair oils/serums for so long however it is quite an investment to get a good quality one that improves your hair and not just coats it to make it look shiny. The full size is £19.99 for 100ml which is a lot however it might just be worth it. I will definitely be testing this out asap!

These Eldora false lashes were probably the most disappointing item in the box. As you can see they are comically long and blingy which really aren't my style at all. Maybe other boxes had more wearable lashes? These won't go to waste though as I am thinking of trimming them down (a lot) to achieve a more natural subtle look. 

Lastly, there were a few added bonuses to celebrate Glossybox's birthday with the first being a compact which a double mirror inside and the second being a balloon. Both are really nice gestures and I am sure I will get a lot of use out of the compact (and maybe less so out of the balloon.)

I amm really impressed with the service Glossybox provides and I am excited to use all the products I received this month. I will definitely keep my subscription and I am already excited about next month! Which monthly boxes are you subscribed to?

Hayley xxx

Losing My MAC Virginity

As the title of this post suggests, I have only recently just purchased my very first MAC items. Now, I had put these off for a long time for a few reasons. The first being that I am only in my first year or so in really getting into make up so wanted to experiment with cheaper makeup first and not just waste my money on lots of expensive pieces that I may have not liked. The second is that I will soon be a poor uni student and lastly because I knew once I got one thing, I would want everything. And boy is the last reason true! I debated long and hard for what items I wanted to get first. I wanted something that could be multi-functional as well as something that hadn't got many other really good cheaper alternatives. I ended up entering the MAC store in my nearest Debenhams with two make up pieces that I had in mind. One being Harmony blush and the other being Soft and Gentle MSF.

I have heard from numerous people that the MAC staff aren't always very helpful but my lady was lovely and took the time out to help me. Harmony powder blush was £17.50 whilst the MSF was £21.50 and when you spend over £40 in Debenhams you get a Beauty Club Reward Card with a £5 voucher on it. Because I had only spent £39 I decided to get a pencil sharpener for my eyeliners which the lady said was a really good quality one which keeps the pencils in good shape.

 When I said I wanted Harmony for a contour she MAC lady said it would be perfect because I am fairly pale but it would also work for me in the summer for when my skin gets a bit darker which I thought would be good as I can use it all year around and not just seasonal. So far I have really loved it because it's not too orange toned and warms up my complexion without looking unnatural. I have also experimented with this in the crease of my eyes to contour and it really works to give some dimension and warmth when you have cooler shades across the lid.

I have heard so many good things about this highlighter and thought it was a great item that I could use for many different things. So far I have used it to highlight my cheekbones, inner corner of my eyes as well as my brow bone and I really love it. I can imagine it would be a good colour to just have swept across the eyelid to make me feel a bit more put together if I am in a rush. I also knew I wanted a highlighter as I was yet to find a good high street version.

Above are a few quick swatches and as you may have already figured out the one on the left is Harmony blush and the one on the right is Soft and Gentle. The camera is showing Harmony to be a bit more orangey than it is in real life however you can probably still tell that it is a great contour colour as it's completely matte. Soft and Gentle has a little bit of pink running through it which is great as it doesn't look so stark white on the skin so it makes it more natural. In saying this it isn't as natural as other highlighters as there are a few chunky bits of shimmer here and there which makes your face look very healthy and radiant.

I am really happy with my first few bits from MAC and now I think it's a bit of a slippery slope as I am already eyeing up other pieces. Any recommendations? 

Hayley xxx    

Online Cosmetics Website Review: Cheap Smells (Beware!)

I had heard of  cheapsmells.com from a number of blogs and YouTube videos over the years and I recently decided to purchase an item from their website. I decided to purchase a MAC item and I wont say which yet because I will be writing a blog post on it soon. I will however say that it is the first MAC item I ever bought. The reason for this is that I am young and will soon be a poor student living in halls. 

Cheap Smells is an online website in which you can buy perfume, make up, hair care and skincare for discounted prices. I had a bit of another look today and the most discount I saw was £25 off the RRP! You may be thinking- 'yeah, but the stock is probably older stuff no one wants'- but there's everything from items in MACs permanent collection to Clarins skin care to OPI nail polishes. Too good to be true? Well.......

That is probably where the good points finish. I ordered my item pretty late in the evening and chose standard delivery because I didn't mind waiting a bit longer for free shipping. I got an email straight away telling me that they'd received my order and it got dispatched the next day. The website stated that you should wait 3-5 days which I did and when it didn't come I decided to wait a few more days as it said to wait for up to 8 days before emailing them. I did this and got an apologetic email back straight away and my order came 2 days after that.

I was so excited to receive my MAC item however when I opened the packaging I had reservations about the authenticity straight away. This is saying a lot as I have never owned a MAC item before. The colour of the product didn't seem to fully match the swatches and pictures that I had seen from the internet and the packaging seemed cheaper than I had expected. In saying this, these details were only very small and the item could easily get away with being genuine. I did more research about Cheap Smells and their MAC products to find that quite a few people had the same problem as me. Some had even emailed them and got a reply saying they were 100% genuine when it was clear they were not. I also read a blog post (which I can't find sorry!) saying that they thought maybe the packaging was different because it was old stock however the company emailed back saying they never sell old stock. This seems strange as the code on my item refers to 2009 which I would class as older stock.

Because I didn't want to waste my money, I sent the item back for a refund which I eventually got after two weeks of waiting. With the email of confirmation that they had received my return came this from the Customer Service Team:
'We’re very sorry to hear you weren’t satisfied with your MAC purchase. We’ve spoken to our supplier who has offered a 100% assurance that all our MAC stock is completely genuine. Despite this assurance, and in response to a small number of customer comments, we have decided to remove all our current MAC stock from the website for further inspection and internal testing to ensure it meets our strict quality guidelines.' 


To me, this shows that they have had a lot of other people complaining about fake MAC items and surely not all those people were wrong? I am glad to see that Cheap Smells are going to test the products for authenticity however such a well know website should really do this before they sell the items instead of just taking the word from their suppliers.

If you are worried about fake MAC items the I will be doing a comparison post soon of how you can tell if your MAC purchase is real or not.

I know this post has been very negative however I can say that the customer service is very good. The free shipping as well as the long returns policy is also brilliant. Keep in mind that this post is only about MAC products from Cheap Smells and other items on the website may be completely genuine. Will I buy from the website gain? No, I would rather just pop along to MAC and pay a few pounds more.

Hope you have found this post helpful and tell me about any other discount beauty sites that you have had good/bad experiences with!

Hayley xxx