Beware of Fakes, Think Before You Buy

I went through my old make up pouch and found some things that I bought when I was a teenager and found Ebay for the first time. And everything was so cheap. Like I could get a mascara, eyeliner, blusher, etc for 1 €??? I didn't really look where they were shipped from, either. China, fine. I'll sort everything by price. I'm saving so much by getting the cheapest deals!

... Of course I'm now very appalled by my thought process. And of course not everything from China is bad and fakes are everywhere.  But it is very likely, that a fake MAC blusher you order for 1  €, is not going to be tested or made from quality ingredients. In fact, quite often the cheap fake deals are made from whatever they have at hand (quite toxic stuff) and not in a hygienic environment.

That being said I never got an allergic reaction despite trying different cosmetics from Ebay even though I did have several mascaras, powders, blushers and eyeliners. Never tried any lipsticks. One BB cream gave me horrible cystic acne though and I threw it away, not understanding all the hype about BB creams. That BB cream I had found by searching "bb cream" and sorted everything by price, surprise...

I am embarrassed now but I did not know better back in time. That's why I want to write this blog text, in case there still are people who haven't thought about the origins of their cosmetics:

* Always check and double check the item you're buying, the website you're buying from, the seller ratings.

* Is the deal too good to be true?

* If something seems dodgy, shop somewhere else.

* Google the Ebay sellers you're buying from. Are you buying Korean/Japanese cosmetics? Is the seller shipping from Korea/Japan? When you receive the package, check the shipping label.

* Is there something wrong with the packaging of the product? Does it smell weird? Is something missing? Google what the packaging should look like.

* Can you find the product's ingredient list anywhere? Do they mention any ingredients? Does the packaging have INCI?

* Is it some general brand, no brand name that you could google? Does the brand have their own website? Is there any contact information?

* Are there reviews of the brand/website/products? Is the person who's reviewing them reputable?

* Do you want to risk for example an eye infection that could lead to being blind?

* If it's about money (like for me it was), are there other affordable options?

* Do you absolutely must get 3 blushers off Ebay or 1 from a store by a reputable brand?


Skin and health are important. The teenager me just didn't quite understand.

In case you're interested, here are the fake MAC blushers I found. Especially the orange shade was something I enjoyed. It was so bright and out there and looked good with copper dyed hair. I'd like to find something similar again. (As these are going to trash!)