MAC at Target; Real or Fake?

I’m sure many of you would of heard the recent talk regarding Target stocking MAC products in their stores at discount prices. While they have been on line for the majority of this year this is the first time they are hitting shelves, and can be found (albeit in limited quantity) in most stores.

MAC hardly ever discounts their products in their own stores or in David Jones so a lot of people have been pretty excited to see it come to market in a large chain at heavily discounted prices.

At those prices – around 40% of normal RRP why wouldn’t you get excited?

Well.. the answer is, because it is all a little bit sneaky!

Look again at the screenshot from the target website, MAC products right? Notice that there is absolutely no use of the MAC logo anywhere..?

Sara-May from Make Up Utopia got in touch with Target regarding the stock and their reply was

” We wish to advise that our MAC cosmetic range is certainly genuine. They were purchased from a supplier overseas, rather than directly from MAC in Australia. We can confirm that Target have sourced these products lawfully. We hope this information clarifies your query.” 

They have more recently stated on their facebook page

“Hi everyone. We’ve paid close attention to the feedback about Target’s MAC range on Facebook, Twitter and from bloggers. The MAC product Target sells is genuine and is sourced from a Melbourne-based supplier. Our supplier has imported this product on our behalf. Wholesalers in different countries can have different packaging which may explain why our MAC products look different to others you may have seen. We hope this clears up any confusion and encourage you to give us a call on 1800 814 788 if you’d like to discuss further.”

Dollhouse Makeup & Beauty managed to get a statement out of MAC  today (View her post on the issue here)

‘MAC products are only distributed for sale at our authorised retail store accounts, or at our free-standing stores. Products purchased at one of our authorised accounts are genuine MAC merchandise of recent production. In addition, consumers can feel confident when they are serviced by one of our trained representatives, who are familiar with our product line. Target is not one of our accounts, and we therefore have no way of knowing how they obtained our products.’

(my emphasis, not theirs)

I’m a little ashamed to admit that in my curiosity I purchased a MAC blush – would I do it again – Don’t think so..

I checked the batch number of the product

This product has a three digit batch number of A51 – to determine when it was made, you can see a guide here or use a site such as checkcosmetic.net/. This indicates the blush was made in May 2011, however the batch number print looks different to others that I’ve been before, so I am a little bit sceptical this is correct..

I have also contacted MAC regarding this and will update you if I hear back.

Here is a look at the “display” set up in Target

Notice again.. No logos at all?

This display certainly didn’t encourage me to shop (the store was the one in Warringah Mall if you’re wondering) and If I wanted anything else, I’d go to the MAC store in David Jones.

There were no testers for anything and it just felt weird buying from a Target store. But everyone has a different opinion, I will never buy from strawberrynet (here’s why) but I know a lot of people do and will continue to do so.

Ultimately, of course, it’s up to you so while I would encourage you to think about it a little before this is more about trying to help you make a more informed decision regardless of  the eventual outcome.

Will you buy MAC (or Bobbi Brown) from Target? Do you want to?

UPDATED: It appears all MAC products have been removed from the target online store – there are a couple of Bobbi Brown items but certainly not the range they had yesterday, it MAY of sold out but it’s more likely something they have been forced to do. Another blogger has also done a photo comparison of target products v MAC purchased products here.

Fight for a fair beauty price – Illamasqua’s Campaign

I’m hoping I don’t sound like a broken record but Illamasqua’s petition regarding bringing Australian prices in line with our international counterparts is something that ALL brands should be looking into, especially considering the positive reception it’s had here in Australia.

“Since we entered the Australian market we’ve been frustrated by the inflated pricing of cosmetic products compared to the rest of the world. For too long now, the women and men of Australia have been forced to pay extortionate prices for their beauty products. So we have a clear message:

We are making a stand against the ruthless global giants of cosmetics, who abuse the system by forcing customers to pay up to 61% more than UK prices. It’s entirely unjust that a woman in the UK pays just $24 for a lipstick, while a woman in Australia has to pay $40 for exactly the same product.”

You can find out more information here or sign the petition here. This year we have already seen a number of brands reducing their prices to become more in line with other countries, including Nars, Biotherm, Kiehls and more.

And while I really do think this is a good thing to raise awareness of, I’ve got to put on my sceptic hat just for a minute. Because really, if Illamasqua wanted prices to be equal, surely they could just lower their prices? And once they lower their prices, they’d be more of an incentive for competing brands to do so to stop themselves loosing customers to their then cheaper rivals?

The world, and the beauty industry is a complicated place!!

My Newest Essentials.. From Arbonne Cosmetics

I love getting the opportunity to try brands that I never have before, so when one of the lovely ladies from Arbonne cosmetic got in touch with me to ask about trying some of their best selling products I  jumped at the chance!

Arbonne is a brand that uses a lot of botanical ingredients in their cosmetics giving them the “perfect balance of science and nature”.

I got to try out their Highlighter, Lipstick and Bronzer

First up, lets talk about the bronzer!

This bronzer is really lovely, light and super easy to apply because it just seems to blend seamlessly into makeup. It gives a lovely subtle bronze colour to skin with a slight hint of sparkle in sunlight.  Being really quite pale I have to be careful with bronzer but this one is my newest staple product I’ve been applying everyday. It’s perfect for contouring as well! What else is amazing about it is that the key ingredients include Vitamins A, C & E, Lavender extract, Licorice Extract and Chamomile.

RRP $48

Next up – the lipstick! This is a fabulous strawberry red shade and very nourishing on lips. Lately I’ve been using Revlon lip butters, but I find this to really feel similar on lips but with the bonus of a deeper colour payoff.  What’s even more impressive is the goodies packed inside including – Wild Mango Butter, Alpine Skullcap, Lauryl PCA, Pomegranate extract, Vitamins A, C and E.

RRP $36

You can see this amazing colour in the swatch below..

On the left side of this swatch is the Sheer Glow Highlighter, I haven’t blended it too much so you could see it and get an idea of the really pearly nature of it.

I have mixed this in with my foundation as well as using it as a highlighter and I love it both ways! A lot of highlighters I have troubles with because sometimes there is a fine line between making your skin too obviously glowy and being able to notice any effect at all. This blended really well and It didn’t seem to need as much work as others to get to that perfect glow.

RRP $55

Having never used Arbonne cosmetics before I was seriously impressed! The products are fantastic and long lasting while having the added bonus of lovely botanical ingredients.

You can purchase Arbonne cosmetics online or through a consultant.

Have you tried them Arbonne cosmetics before? And do you like their philosophy of blending science with botanical ingredients?

These products were sent to be as consideration for review, all opinions are 100% honest!!

Haul!

I love a good haul! And it’s even better when it’s something you’ve won!

The lovely Rose from Beauty of Red Roses had a one year anniversary giveaway and lucky old me won this little loot..

Little may of been the wrong word to use! This isn’t even all of it as some of the items have already made their way into my daily routine. Not pictured was the Sally Hansen Age Correct Hand Creme, Australias Makeup setting spray along with an amazing lip balm from Burt’s Bees!

Rose is holding another giveaway at the moment which closes on the 10th of July so you better get in quick!

A huge thanks to Rose for my loot, she writes a fabulous blog so definitely head over there and check it out!

xx