Ok, lets talk MAC brushes, more importantly lets talk fake vs genuine.
This is a subject which interests me greatly, I use Ebay a lot to source my kit, therefore I want to be clued in and spot the baddies, right?
Its a subject that has been analysed to death not only on Ebay guides but You Tube videos. And you know what? They all make my blood boil. I personally think if you are gonna take the time to sit down and make a video that other people out there are going to use as a reference to a potential purchase, then the least you can do is get your facts straight. And unfortunately most of the ill informed helpful reviewers have just regurgitated what they heard from some other You Tuber, wrong information might I add. Aaaaarrrgghhh.
So anyway, deep breath. Here it is. What everyone needs to know about how to spot a fake MAC brush, wait for it………. drum roll please………..
you can’t!!!!!!!!!! Thats it! If you claim to be able to you must have made the brush yourself. That is the only possible way, trust me. Barr if the handle says NAC on it, I’ll give you that 
The reason is that even within the genuine brushes there is no hard and fast rule. No 2 brushes are identical.
These are my MAC brushes, all 100% genuine and bought online from www.maccosmetics.co.uk
Common Myths:
- The handles are matt black, if they sparkle they are fake – WRONG, all the handles glitter under light
- They are all made in the USA – WRONG, 2 of my brushes say made in Japan, 3 made in France
- The “made in” is always a certain font and size – WRONG, mine all vary, some bolder type than others
- The ferrule (metal bit) is always flush to handle – WRONG, certain brushes are curved here, see pics
- The handles are pure black – WRONG, My 217 is much blacker than all the others (2nd handle down) yet bought at the same time as the brush above it!
- Real MAC brushes have plastic handles – WRONG, the handles are wooden but coated and will feel quite light
Here is a much better way for working out if the brush is fake or not, if you pay £5.00 for a £25.00 brush on Ebay then you are kidding yourself its the real mccoy.
And if you want to be sure you’re getting the real thing buy it from a MAC store or MAC online
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The handles sparkle on real and fake MAC, this is true. But if you compare a real to a fake, you will see that the fake is always smoother and a deeper black. There is more texture to the finish of a real MAC brush, and the color is a bit more greyed out. To spot the fakes, you really have to compare to real MAC to be sure. There are real MAC 213, 217, and 222 brushes that come close to what the fakes are like, but they all say JAPAN on them and there is still a difference.
Also, the fakes have more of a lacquer smell, while the real MAC has a very light smell or no smell to the handle.
The real MAC brushes usually stay softer and do not splay as much as fakes, although the fakes are not at all bad brushes to use. I bought some fakes on purpose to compare, and was surprised that for most applications, they do a good job. It's just, you don't know what the heck they're made of!
is it also fake if the metal part is black? or are real mac brushes only in silver?
Hi Kitty, the only set I'm aware of with black handles & ferrules were the LE Short Handled 5 piece sets from the Colour Form collection released last summer xx
Brill article.
I have some real ones and bought some off ebay and realise these are sooo fake.
You are right the handles smell on the fakes other than that they look almost identical. BUT WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM….. scares me thinking they could be human hair or animal. So I am very upset that I bought them from ebay and wish I hadnt.