Counterfeit or Fake Mac

I have had so many people tell me that they know of someone or the other selling Mac products at ridiculously low prices and I have a difficult time pointing out to them that these products are most probably fake as Mac does not sell to individuals for resale.

Mac, being a high end makeup brand is very expensive and due to its high price tag has become a bit of a social symbol(to many). We have people preying on unsuspecting souls who cannot afford Mac by taking advantage of their weaknesses and sell them fake products at a fraction of the original price. I myself had fallen prey many years ago only to come home and realise that the pigment was powdery and chalky(what else did I expect for R50 lol). I have encountered such people at flea markets and fairs that sell these counterfeit makeup claiming to have purchased them from overseas blah, blah, bah....

Apart from this being a criminal offence, you put yourself at risk by purchasing such products as you never know what ingredients are being put in, how sanitary it is and, would in all probability, be made under poor hygienic conditions(logically, why would anyone manufacture fake items in a factory that is registered and stringent on quality???)

Many beauty bloggers have touched on how to spot fake Mac products and what to essentially look out for but in the process end up educating these unscrupulous manufacturers on how to get their products to resemble the authentic goods almost to perfection. So how do you protect yourself from falling prey to such predators? The answer is simple...buy from legitimate Mac counters and stores that are licensed to sell Mac.

This is what Mac has to say about the sale of Mac products via private individuals...

"M·A·C Cosmetics does not offer its products through individuals, street vendors, flea markets, internet auctions, independent boutiques or unauthorized online retailers. M·A·C does not sell its products at wholesale over the internet."

And what do they have to say on private sales....?

"While we appreciate your interest in M·A·C products, please be advised that our products are  for sale only at our authorized retail store accounts, the majority of which are located in major department stores or international perfumeries. While there are other points of sale, we are not seeking to expand our distribution network at this time. We do not offer franchises." Source: http://www.maccosmetics.com/cms/customer_service/counterfeit_education.tmpl Picture source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/a-team/easy-ways-to-spot-fake-mac-make-up/328499383906237 Have you ever been duped into buying fake Mac products? Tell us about it...

Mac Dupes- NYX

For most people, paying R190 for an eyeshadow is just being lavish. For others, it's feeding an addiction and who would sell a kidney to feed this addiction....lol. However, we should always bear in mind that not everything that comes with a low price tag is poor in quality. NYX is a range of makeup that has certainly carved a niche for itself in the makeup industry for its quality and affordability. There are several colors in the NYX eyeshadow range that are very similar in color...in fact the similarity is just uncanny.

So I have done some intense research and have come up with these Mac dupes from the NYX range. Ok, ok...you can all thank me later lol. What is a dupe: a dupe is a duplicate of a makeup item that matches the others quality, performance and color....and in our case, at a more affordable price. Basically, it's a brand wannabe...hahahaha.

Here's a list of pictures and names of some of the colors. Since these were taken off various sources, there may be a couple of repetitions.

 

The following pictures are courtesy of 'itscarlasampson'

                                                     

Do you have any Mac dupes that you would like to share with us? We'd love to hear from you....

Review- Coloressence 8 Palette Pearl Eyeshadow, EP2

Coloressence is a sub-brand of the company Natures Essence which has its roots in India. It has been available in South Africa for quite a while now but I had never really given much attention to it until a few weeks ago when I happened to see it on display at a local beauticians shop. I was attracted to the intense depth of the dark colors on the 8 shadow palette and it's satiny feel to it. I placed my order for both palettes and received them last week.

 A bit about the cosmetic range of Natures Essence- all products manufactured by Natures Essence are 100% natural ingredients and have NO animal content in them. They have a vast range of beauty products used for facials etc and a complete range of makeup products from foundation to lipsticks. They are well within the reach of the average and below average consumer but as I always say, makeup is a personal choice and what may work for one, may not necessarily work for another.

Having said that, let me tell you about my experience with the Pearl 8 eyeshadow palettes. The packaging is sleek and classy being black in color and slim and light enough to slip into your handbag without causing an unsightly bulge. It comes in a similarly designed box and the eyeshadows are nestled in a plastic casing. When you open it, you have a large mirror, a firm double ended sponge applicator and 8 eyeshadows of 3.5 gr each. The shelf life of the palettes are 2yrs.

I loved all the colors on this EP2 pearl palette with the exception of the light yellow gold and lime green colors. I found that the majority of the colors in this palette are highly pigmented and they scoop up quite a bit of product in a single swipe. They have a satiny, pearlised finish which I love. It packs on perfectly but certain colors move out of place easily leaving certain areas uneven & patchy. You would have to go back and pack on a bit more if this happens to even  it out.  The duration of the wear was about 3-4 hrs after which it started to fade. When applied without a base primer, the lighter colors were sheer and a bit powdery. A good base primer is a MUST.

The white & gold shimmer colors I used as a highlighter in these pictures.

So to sum up my pros & cons.....

Pros

• Darker shades are highly pigmented
• Has a beautiful satiny finish with a lot of sparkle and fine glittery look
• Excellent packaging
• 100% natural ingredients
• R250 for 8 x 3.5gr eye shades(now that is a steal even if 1 or 2 colors  turn out to be not your favorite)
• It has lovely, shimmery bridal colors
• Doesn't really have to be paired with a second color to give it a rich glamorous look(check pictures above) but looks even better when paired with a second shade.

Cons

• Doesn't stay on as long as I would like it to(3-4hrs max before it starts fading)
• Lighter shades are a bit sheer and powdery- BUT this can easily be overcome if you use a good base primer that will grab the product and give it some intensity and depth
• Not as blend-able as I would prefer... takes a bit of time and patience. If you are using it as the lids main color, and another product color to blend out the edges, it will work perfectly to give you the desired look. 
• Slight fallout- but not much more than I've experienced with some Mac and Inglot Matt shades

Would I buy these again? I don't want to be quick to jump the gun just yet and commit to either a yes or no without having another go at it but I certainly am eager to try out their other products eg the eyeliners and jumbo pencil eyeshades.

What do I rate it??? 7 out of 10

What have your experiences been with Coloressence eyeshadows? Let us know if it's worked any better for you than it did for me....

Eastern Bridal Fair 2013

Last night was the first day of the Eastern Bridal Fair at Kendra Hall. The last that I attended the Bridal Fair was about 4 years ago as having attended it many times previously and saw that there was a lot of repetition with the same companies advertising year after year. I decided to use up my two VIP tickets that I received and found that although the decor styles with the stage and lighting companies had advanced, and some where really breathtaking might I add,  the advertising businesses itself remained pretty much the same. I was hoping to see new and younger businesses showcasing their work but was a bit disappointed at seeing that they hadn't changed much. The number of business stall holders had significantly decreased  from the initial years when I would make a concerted effort to attend it every year. I can't help wondering if its the cost of taking up a stall that is preventing new businesses from joining this expo or is it other contributing factors. I can't deny that the attendance of the fair certainly had not waned... Having said that, the items on sale were of high standards and quality unlike the India/Eastern fairs that we are so used to and if you are shopping for jewelry or clothing in particular, you are certain to pick up some great deals and bargains. BEWARE of the fake MAC products being sold here- I noticed at least 2 stalls that were claiming to sell authentic MAC makeup...remember, if its not directly from MAC, its fake! Simple as that...

Outfit from the Dadar Paaneri stand

The planning and layout seemed a bit unco-ordinated especially for the main attraction which was the fashion show. Directions were poor and seating the huge number of attendees was poorly organized. It left many people standing in the aisles for the duration of the show which was more than an hour.

However, I must compliment the co-ordination and quality of the fashion show that showcased the work of fashion designer Mansi Malhotra and Dadar Paaneri of India, dances(choreographed by Shampa Sonthalia of Jalak Dikalaja & Smitha Maharaj of Nateshwar Dance Academy) and  the stage acts of 'Gudda' and 'Guddi' who introduced each segment with some excellent comedy who for me, were the highlight of the show.

The performance of Mrinalini Tyagi(Teju) and the hunky Shakti Arora(Onir Dutt) of popular TV series Pavitra Rishta was brief and I'm sure everyone would have appreciated a longer performance from them. Their interactions with the audience was however, outstanding!!!

All in all....for me it was a good Friday night getaway from home. If you need to while away some time this weekend, then maybe this will be a good alternative to the mall, if not, don't fret....you are not going to be missing much or not seeing anything that you haven't seen before.

Review: NYX Jumbo Pencils

I am generally not the type of person who buys makeup on a whim or without constraint. If its a color that is missing from my collection or if its a real deal and I find the color attractive, I may spend but not without the 'should I, shouldn't I?'...lol. But that doesn't mean that I have never splurged on makeup in a moment of weakness. Having been an ex e-bay shopaholic, I had once made a purchase of ALL the NYX jumbo pencils after watching many makeup gurus using them. I made a bit of use with the pencil in Milk but the rest was tossed away at the back of my draw and was soon forgotten. After doing the review on the NYX eyeshadows, I decided to dig up these long forgotten babies from their hibernation and give them a chance to impress me once more.

I have mentioned previously that I am a die hard Mac fanatic, and anything not Mac always slipped under my beauty radar. Having said that, I also realized that not all products in a brand range will be definite hits....u will get a few misses amongst them, be it Mac or be it Rimmel. I also learned that if you give a product a chance, you are sure to find items that are worth much more than what you've paid for them and which you will find yourself really treasuring. One of those products are the Essence range of Long Wear cream eyeshadows that I've reviewed recently and another is the NYX makeup range.

I have swatched my long lost beauty budget friends and the results were quite pleasing. Check out which ones were a hit for me and which I would give a miss....

Pros

After swatching all of the colors that I own, there are a few colors that I would definitely be making more use of. I found that they were astonishingly pigmented and the texture of the pencils were creamy and very blend-able. They were easy to apply with no tugging and pulling of the skin like most shadesticks or pencil eyeshadows. It is soft and glides evenly without much pressure. Most of the colors had a radiant shimmer to them especially the darker shades. For me, the big plus is that it doubles as a sticky base when you need something for your eyeshadow to grab onto. Also, if you have a very sheer shadow which is not well pigmented and you want to deepen the color, these will be an excellent buy. I found whilst washing it off in between swatching that it did not come off easily with water and soap and that I needed a cotton wool ball soaked in hand wash with a pressured rub to wash them off. For me that's a quality we all want in an eyeshadow or base. 

Cons 

The only problem I foresee with these is that creasing is a possibility especially if you have very oily eyelids. I for one would not want to wear it as an eyeshadow on its own but for those that donot have a problem with oily lids and creasing, it provides a foolproof application and may be a good buy for those mornings where time is of the essence and you need a quick slap of color on your lid. Some of the lighter colors applied were very sheer and looked somewhat blotchy- so watch out for that if you intend buying one of the light, pastel shades. To overcome the problem of creasing, make sure you blend it out well try not to apply it past the lid crease. The other problem I foresee is sharpening the pencil. I would suggest placing it in the fridge for a few minutes to harden before sharpening to prevent it from breaking. 

Overall for me, this is a win . The colors that I loved were Horse Raddish, Pacific, Bronze, Baby Blue, Black Bean, Milk, Gold, Rust and Hot Pink.

Indian Bridal Looks 3

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Review: Inglot Eyeshadows DS#491, #492, #493, Pearl #415

Recently at our free standing Inglot store, I noticed that they had a few items that were reduced by more than 50%. I often walked right past it for fear of purchasing something that I didn't really need. Well, what do you know....I gave in to temptation yesterday and decided to check out their discounted items. I managed to pick up a few colors that was absent in my collection and I must say that I am glad I made those purchases. I picked up 4 full eyeshadows at a ridiculous price of R45 per shadow(toothy grin...). Inglot has discontinued their round eyeshadows for a square look. The consistency and quality of both remain the same- the only thing that has changed, is the packaging.

Inglot shadows come in 4 different textures and are labelled accordingly with a shadow number.

Matt- this is a flat finish that has no shine, sparkle or shimmer
Pearl- this finish is more pigmented and has a satin, frosty finish
DS(Double Sparkle)- a Matt based shadow with a hint of reflective sparkles or fine glitter
AMC(Advanced Makeup Component)- semi- Matt finish with some sparkle and a bit less glitter than the DS shadows
AMC Shine- this is a highly pigmented, pearl, frost, satin finish shadow

To see a look created using the shades of purple, click here

DS#493- is a sparkly matt, light mauve, lilac color that has a hint of lavender to it.
DS#492- is also a matt, sparkly pinkish, purple color but quite different from #493 when placed on
                skin.
I found that #492 & 493, when used without a base was a bit too sheer and lacked the vibrance that I expect from an eyeshadow. But this was easily overcome when I paired it off with my NYX jumbo pencil in MILK as a base.
DS#493- is a deep purple color that has an underlying black hue, perfect for creating a
                purple smokey look.
Pearl#415- I almost didn't get this one as I was a bit unsure of the color when applied. I am glad I
                    didnt leave it behind as it is the most gorgeous blue and when used over a black base,
                    has a slight blue green hue which makes it such an attractive color.

From the 4 colors that I bought, my favorites are the 491 & 415. I can see myself making good use of these colors. I did however find them to be a bit powdery but nothing that a little tap on the side of your container can't sort out. With a base, you will get at least 5-8hrs of use. They are extremely blendable and for me, at R45 a piece, I'm prepared to overlook the ever so slight fall out that one may experience.

Review: NYX Eyeshadows

I can't exactly recall when my obsession with eyeshadows began but I do remember the time when my makeup draw just consisted of a few basic shades from Yardley. I guess as I started earning my own money, I splashed and splurged on any shade that was attractive to the eye and not really focussing on a particular brand. After being introduced to Mac in 2003, I became incredibly loyal to the Mac range of makeup and didnt bother with any other makeup brand. I do however recall buying a few shades of a makeup brand called NYX(and was reasonably happy with its performance) which was not available in South Africa at that time(2003). Then on my visit to America in 2005, I noticed that NYX was extremely popular there. Recently, I was thrilled to see that Clicks carried the ENTIRE range of NYX products.

Part of Clicks NYX range 

I decided to swatch a few of their eyeshadows to see if there was any improvement in their quality which would break my loyalty to Mac, lol. What I did find, was pleasantly surprising and therefore decided to add these products on my 'less money, more makeup' list.

The eyeshadows that i swatched felt smooth, creamy, intensely pigmented and there was consistency in the performance of majority of their colors. They have a range of about 50 some odd eyeshadow colors coming in textures of matt, shimmer, sheer, frost, glitter and metallic. There was sufficient product in a single swipe and the need to go back to the shadow to pick up more product was really not necessary.

I always apply eyeshadow over a primer and base. Having said that, I found that there was a POP in color and it felt really soft on the skin.

In terms of the duration of the wearability, for the price, I think that it is excellent giving you a wear of non creasing and caking for a minimum of 4-5 hours which is pretty good considering I have oily lids which are ever so slightly hooded:(

I did however find a slight bit of fallout, but this I experience with a lot of Mac eyeshadows as well.

Finally, the price.....the pressed or flat shadows are priced at R79, with the pearl flat shadows at R89. Their pigments and glitter come in 5ml bottles and are just R44. This may look small but will definitely last you a long time. Their trio eyeshadow palettes are priced at R120. Not bad at all

What I also noticed was that they have a lot of colors very similar if not identical to many Mac eyeshadows. I will be swatching them and creating a list of NYX colors that can be used in place of the Mac shades.

So follow me as I compile my NYX- MAC dupes(duplicates).

Less Money, More Makeup...feeding your makeup addiction on a budget!

Building a makeup kit can be quite an expensive affair. Not all of us have the privilege of being able to pay exorbitant prices for makeup, especially in times when people find it tough to provide bare essentials and necessities. Clothing and makeup are definitely luxuries that we spoil ourselves with to look and feel good...

And.....dont we all love to look and feel good. But is it possible to look good without feeling guilty or breaking the bank? This question has got me looking for affordable, quality makeup that can stand up to the performance of many branded, expensive makeup houses. It was then that  'Less Money, more makeup' was born to me. This idea has got me trying any makeup brand that is inexpensive and affordable BUT that which did not compromise on its quality or put its user into into harm. I must say, having opened up myself to other products, I have definitely found products worth mentioning and placing in my 'less money, more makeup' category.

Join me on my journey of discovery, through trial and error, as I bring to you affordable beauty buys that can fit into the tightest of budgets.

Come and check out my beauty budget buys, where looking good does not have to be a grudge purchase....where you  can feed your makeup addiction guilt free...!

Every girls dream....nothing is impossible!

Review: Essence Stay All Day

Less money, more makeup...!

We often judge makeup by their brand popularity and their price tags. In sure that we've all had some experience where we've broken the bank to invest in a single piece of makeup only to come home and realize that the product turns out to be a complete and total dud. Top rated eyeshadows range anything from and above R190.00. If you are like me, then you've definitely splurged well over R300.00 for a single eyeshade which turned out to be an absolute beauty buy bust. Lesson learnt, I now know never to judge products by its price tag. Apart from that, we all now-a-days cannot afford to be lavish with our hard earned money. There are many quality products that is being introduced into the South African market making it accessible to everyone as it can fit even into the tightest of budgets.

I accidentally came across one such product yesterday whilst browsing at my local Clicks store. I found myself swatching one product after another from this brand and left there with my hand looking like I was in a pre-scholar who was just introduced to painting.

The brand I am raving about is called ESSENCE. Most of us will be unfamiliar with this products but after much research last night, I  learnt that it is a European brand that has hit over 50 countries including U.S.A and Switzerland. Its manufactured in Germany. They pride themselves in keeping up with the latest makeup trends and their products include eyeshadows, mascara, nail polish and liners to name a few. And, and, and...what's even greater is that their prices start as low as R30.00.

I couldn't help but grab a few items that impressed me and with what I have swatched, I have no regrets and feel that some of their products could give some high end makeup brands a run for their money.

I will be reviewing more of their products, so keep watching this blog if you want to learn of other quality makeup at affordable prices.

Today, I review ESSENCE'S creme eyeshadow from the STAY ALL DAY range in No 08.

Thicker swatch is product applied alone as eyeshadow & Thinner swatch is used as a base with a  lilac pigment.

PROS....

*What initially attracted me to this eyeshadow was its pearly, dazzley effect that it has as I twisted and moved it around. I found that true to the range name, it certainly was long lasting and stayed put for over 5 hours. It  could be used alone as a creme eyeshadow and still have super color pay off or  as a base which serves a dual purpose of allowing your dry shadow to last all day AND also intensifying its color as can be seen in in picture above. After leaving it on for over 5 hours, I literally had to use a sponge and soap to scrub it off.

*It has a soft, silky feel and texture.

*It only costs R31.00 and you will certainly get many, many uses out of it- so it's definitely worth the buy.

CONS....

*The packaging is not that great and looks like its meant to target teens but their products ARE suitable for all age groups.

*Can get a bit lumpy if not applied evenly.

All in all I feel that this is certainly a must try and would rate it an absolute 8 out of 10.

Indian Bridal Jewellery- Pink