How Do YOU Feel About MAC? Lets Discuss!
I thought it would be fun to discuss the different opinions people have about MAC Cosmetics. I mean from the store, the artists and down to the makeup. How did you fall in love or out of love with the brand? Do you love your Artists? Do you feel the makeup is a value for the price? I want to know everything!
My first expierence with MAC was when I was about 18 or so. I bought one mac lipstick but it wasnt a shade I can even remember the color to be honest. The next time I dealt with the brand was a few years back when my boss gave me $100 gift card to Nordstroms. I went into the store one day and as I was walking by one of the MAC Artists started talking to me. I sat down for a makeover and this is where it all started for me.
Over the past years I obsessed over every collection, I knew they name of every old and upcoming product and made a point to visit my store more than 2 times a week. I truly was lucky enough to work with the most amazing group of makeup artists at my local Freestanding Store.I looked forward to seeing their amazing looks as well as to get their feedback on any upcoming products or collections.
After a couple of years I started wanting less and less from each collection thinking certain products were too similar to another or finding too many repromotes, etc. So the times I went into the store were less and less for me. A few months ago I went back into the store excited for the Fabulous Felines Collection and couldn’t wait to talk to my favorite Artists and they were gone! Honestly- All of them! I swear when I went in there wasn’t a person I knew. The entire store had been replaced with new faces.
My heart was really broken. I miss this group I had dealt with for years. Even my overwhelming excitement for the collection reduced after visiting the store. I now feel like every time I go into my location its a headache. Things just aren’t the same. With all this my love for the brand has dwindled. Which makes me wonder…
Why did I buy? Did I get caught up in the products themselves or the makeup chatter? The reality is the less people I have to talk “MAC” with, the less I buy.
I go into the store now and haven’t found anyone I can connect with. I try to find a certain color and they try and sell me everything I already own, I try and pre order for a collection and a DNA check is almost required. Everything I try and do just seems like it requires more effort.
Dont get me wrong I think I will always love MAC but my spending has definitely slowed down with all the changes for me locally. I do think MAC is a good value. There are many brands that charge much more for what you get as well as brands that charge less for similar products. But the variety of products that are always available in Macs store cannot be beat. Lastly but just as important I also love the Artistry. I love walking into the store and feeling so inspired by the team as I see the fun outfits and beautiful creative makeup they are showcasing for all to see. Unfortunately even this has changed for me as well.
How do you feel about MAC? Do you follow collections? Do you buy allot or a little? Do you love your Artists? I’m curious on your experience with the brand!
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About Author
Sara
I am blogging from San Francisco, CA. I love Makeup, Skincare and Beauty in general. I am Nutrition obsessed and love movies and reality television when I find the time! Want to know more? Click on the About Me tab at the top!! Xoxo! Sara
Well, I can’t say too much about the people who work at the Mac counters, aside from having good and also not so good experiences. We don’t have a Mac where I live so anytime I purchase it’s while I’m in a different location traveling, etc. I remember twice I went to different Mac stores and the girls working where very impatient with me and people I was with who where MAC noobs and just looking for a nice lipstick. Then at another counter (Nordstrom) I met the friendliest worker. So I guess it depends on locations.
The collections are a bit overhyped though as well as the brand itself. There are alot of other great brands out there, but I do love the Mac image to be honest and their branding/packaging. Overall I know what to expect from them and that’s usually good quality for a reasonable price.
I dislike the fact that they make only a few Limited Edition items with each collection and alot of times they sell out like hot cakes.
I fell in love with the brand when I tried their lipsticks, shadows and eyeliners. They last a good time and apply like a dream (compared to cheaper brands).
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I use to be obsessed with MAC aswell. Till I started seeing alot of colors coming back and being similiar to something from the permanent line or another limited edition item. I do still however buy from every collection. There is always something that catches my eyes. It doesnt help that I have a friend that works there and shows me the book with the upcoming collections. The artists are wonderful websensation Raquel Reed is a makeup artist at my local mall and I love her work as well as the others they are all pretty fierce. I have toned down my spending from 200 and upwards per collection to now only spending 100 or 150. I love th brand but now Im experimenting with Nars and Makeup forever xoxo hautedolleyes.blogspot.com
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I don’t follow MAC at all either in their collections or new products released. I own like a 5 things from them but the majority of it I won in like contest or giveaway. I think the quality is good depending on the product but many of them are way overpriced.
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I’m still obsessed with MAC and have been for two years. I have been following collections like crazy and it has not stopped. Now this year I have cut back from getting backups and such. Also, next year I will be buying less MAC since I have to save up for a trip to Orlando. I have experiment with other brands like NARS and MUFE and I will still remain a MAC addict.
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I love MAC, but to be honest I only own a few products from there. I find it to be a little overpriced (also, here in Kuwait, we seem to pay twice the US price, which doesn’t help one bit!) But I really love the makeup artists at the store. The store nearest me is quite tiny and has only got one staff, but she’s excellent and really knows her stuff! Which really does make all the difference. However, more often than not, I’m able to find great drugstore products similar to MAC for a fraction of the price.
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M.A.C was the company that made me fall in love with make-up. I started using make-up in 2008, at the age of 15, and instantly fell in love with their bright eyeshadows, which were kinda frightening to me because I wasn’t really self-confident back in 2008. My mom bought me ‘Chrome Yellow’, my first bright eyeshadow ever and from that moment on I absolutely loved M.A.C and I totally respected their MUAs. Anyways.. times have changed. M.A.C means nothing to me anymore, the eyeshadows are poorly pigmented, their product prices are indescribably hilarious and the make-up artists are kinda untalented (I’m a MUA myself, I see it different now). Anyways, since discovering indie mineral pigment brands such as The She Space, Heatheresque, Sugarpill, Aromaleigh, Fyrinnae, etc. I’m kinda disappointed in M.A.C and their products even though I buy their special stuff from time to time (such as the Marine Life Powder from the ‘To The Beach’ collection) and I have several Fix+ products… but that’s it.
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I personally don’t buy any MAC in Australia (instore or online), I buy from US online stores and bought a tonne when I was in Malaysia. This is because 1 damn eyeshadow is like $32 here, which hurts even more considering how strong the Aussie dollar is against the US one.
Regardless, I do quite like a lot of the products they offer. I enjoy almost all the eyeshadows I have from them, and all the blushes and lipsticks. Not keen on the lipglasses though. I try to buy things that I don’t already have, and try to keep myself in check and not buy something because it’s LE and hyped up if I won’t use it.
I dont have any connection with the artists because again, I don’t buy in-store, but I do love going in for a swatch (especially if it’s for future reference to buy the product online
). I quite like the experiences I’ve had with MAC MUAs, they haven’t tried to sell me anything and will leave me alone if I say I’m just looking.
I didn’t like one experience I had in Malaysia though when I wasn’t wearing makeup and dressed casually – there was one guy in the store at the time and he legit ran away and didn’t ask if I needed help! Had he known how profitable I would be as a tourist I’m sure he would have at least given me the time of day
Instead I took my money to a nicer counter.
SilhouetteScreams´s last [type] ..There Are Secrets In These Ol Woods
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interesting post – i was thinking woahhhh ur in a for a treat with a super long post for me, though i wont bore you with the nitty gritty stuff. I have to say iv only ever had one entirely pleasant experience at mac. i was served by a lovely artist who was amazing at what she did as most are, but more importantly she listened – to me that is most imnportant, she listened to what i needed and she knew exactly for what i was looking for. Unfortunately she too is no longer there.
Saying that nearly all other times, it wasnt too great. sometimes they were ok, nothing too outstanding, but iv had a few (a few too many) occasions where i just wanted tot punch the living day lights outta them. they are rude, and abnoxious and in such a hurry to get your sale that there is no chance for them to actually listen to what you have to say.
I too have found that it is no longer the experience of the artists, but more so for the new collections and colours and creativity though recent years i have been less and less interested.
It is good value for money so i do go back for foundations and concealers and obviously because the colour range is soo great. BUT the quality not so much.
haha i said ill try and keep this short bt i guess i can go on and on…
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I have loved makeup since I was in middle school. I started using MAC in high school and loved it. I felt that a lot of the their products were a good value for the price. However, I feel that in the last few years the quality has been dwindling, and the final straw was more recently when they repackaged the pigments into smaller containers, but still sell them for the same price!
I have also experienced the holier-than-thou attitude of MAC sales associates. I was literally told by a manager at a MAC store that they consider themselves to be at a “higher echelon” than other makeup stores. Get over yourselves! I have worked as a makeup artist for a number of years (as well as at several high end makeup counters and Sephora), and while yes, it is makeup and it is fun, at the end of the day it’s STILL A RETAIL JOB!
There are SO MANY great cosmetic companies out there, and MAC is certainly not the end-all-be-all. I do continue to purchase some of their products, but I will probably let my pro card lapse and do most of my shopping elsewhere.
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I honestly never even go to my MAC counter anymore. I love the products but every time I go in the artists pay you no attention or they try to force products on me I don’t want to buy. I have also encountered a few artists that tried helping me and I told them I was just looking and were still very persistent, then when I said I would have to think about it they became rude and hostile. It makes me sad because I really do love a lot of their products but the lack of manners and good customer service is a turn off. I would go way ore often and spend a ton if I liked the people at my counter
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I think it’s overpriced, it has created so much hype over the years, and im glad a few beauty bloggers have found exact dupes of their so famous products. I do like their lipsticks, its worth every penny and I love their viva glam, helping AIDS program.
also, every time I go to a MAC store or counter, the girls always have some kind of attitude, they act like they have the best job in the world and they look down at you, never smile, or i’m waiting there looking at a product for like 10 minutes, and not once do they ask if I need help, where as Sephora or other makeup stores, ask me if i need help the minute I walk in. I don’t know how they train Mac girls but it needs to change and need a reality check, because it certainly isn’t my favorite store to shop at, I”ll rather buy online.
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My experience with MAC has been pretty similar to yours: I started with a couple of products a few years back, just to try out the brand, but didn’t go MAC crazy up until I discovered the beauty community on YT&Blogger! From then on and up until recently, I was just like you: knowing what collections were coming out, the names of all the products etc etc!
However, seeing as my beauty spending habits got out of hand, and overwhelmed by the quantity of products they release each year (spring color forecast anyone?), I decided I would only buy if I found a product I a. don’t own a dupe of or b. I know I ‘d really enjoy, because it suits me! The days of me buying every single item of a LE collection are long gone!
But I guess the true reason that I cut down on my MAC purchases is the brand’s approach: make as many LE as possible, favouring quantity over quality, not to mention their handling of the recent Rodarte incident! I ‘d rather support a brand that takes a more ethical approach on what essentially is selling makeup that just only care about their profit!
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I used to think that MAC was the be all and end all makeup brand. But over the years, i realised that it is pure hype. In Trinidad where i live it is terribly overpriced. There are a few staples like some of the brushes and other items that i dont mind having. But all the collections and limited items, i dont care for.
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I love MAC and honestly for the price i havent found anything better, yeah there are many dupes for way cheaper, but the consistency and the value of the product can not compare, that is unless u buy chanel, ysl etc.. but i think MAC is worth every penny. MAC is the reason why i feel in love with makeup as most did too… And like you said “the variety of products that are always available in Macs store cannot be beat” Although it is good walking into a counter/store where u are greeted and helped even if its just for a question on new products etc. not like one Counter that doesnt even stare at you unless you walk up with your wallet in your hand (never did i go back their again) lol i love MAC, and i love to keep up with their stuff, i used to go atleast twice a week but now i only go once a month or so for things “i really need”.. but i think i would never trade MAC for anyting out there i like the price and quality over all
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I think most things about MAC have changed the worse part. Collections are so bountiful I feel like there’s one every week and all the colors are dupeable and not all that high quality anymore. Queen of Blending did a comparison post of her old MAC Bitter and her current MAC Bitter and the difference between the two was so astounding!
Watered down products are bleh in my book.
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I got over the MAC hype back in 2007. I still own many of their products that I’ve been wanting to use up. I even threw away a few of MAC’s concealers but ironically, I think MAC makes the best concealers! I ended up repurchasing the concealers that I threw away, but other than concealers, I think many brands out there are comparable in quality, quantity, and pricing. I love Shiseido skincare products and foundations, including powders. For eye shadows, I love Dior. For mascara, I love Loreal, seriously loreal. It has beaten Dior in my opinion. One Avon mascara, by Mark, is also one of the best. I’ve bid my farewells to MAC years ago. Now, I shop all over the place. It’s the year 2011, almost 2012. Out with the old and in with the new!!!!
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