Mac Cosmetics

[Guest]

^ glad to see I'm not the only one who gets the cold shoulder from these MAC counter employees. Every time I ask them to grab me something, they'll get it then scowl, "Is there anything else?" Um... no? I'm afraid to ask you now

[Morena_p]

I have never actually tried MAC (shock!). It's partly because of the price (for that price I tend to stick with a brand I have previous experience of), but also that the only counter near me is horrible. It's really messy and dirty. The last time I went there I couldn't get a feel for any of the products because the testers were all messed up and broken. The staff are also all really snotty. They tend to focus on the teen girls and I feel I get ignored.

Really? Every MAC counter or shop I've been to is lovely. The girls who work there are all lovely and helpful and enthusiastic! They get very excited about makeup so I feel like I fit in there because I do too :B

Yeah one thing i will say is that they have amazing customer service!

I do think that MAC is going downhill, there are a lot more options to choose from.

[loopyloo]

I have never actually tried MAC (shock!). It's partly because of the price (for that price I tend to stick with a brand I have previous experience of), but also that the only counter near me is horrible. It's really messy and dirty. The last time I went there I couldn't get a feel for any of the products because the testers were all messed up and broken. The staff are also all really snotty. They tend to focus on the teen girls and I feel I get ignored.

Really? Every MAC counter or shop I've been to is lovely. The girls who work there are all lovely and helpful and enthusiastic! They get very excited about makeup so I feel like I fit in there because I do too :B

You're definitely in the minority there. In most stores / at most counters, the girls are stuck up and condescending and horrible. I've been to dozens of different MAC retail locations and I've only come across two girls and one guy that weren't completely useless jerks.

I'm so glad I am not alone! I feel the staff have a fixed view of what they want their customers to be and if you don't fit it you just get ignored. A colleague and I went in and we were both wearing business suits and it was like we were the invisible women! I have mostly gone to counters in dept stores rather than the standalone shops so maybe that makes a difference.

[incognito]

^^ Agree w/everyone who has bad experiences with MAC. I always order online from them now and just return whatever I don't like in the mail. I don't even bother with the counters anymore because it's always 20-30 minutes of me being ignored while they focus on the customers wearing tacky overdone makeup (or sometimes just talk/text amongst themselves), and then another 10 minutes of their bitchy attitudes. They work retail at the mall ffs, they need to get over themselves.

[lacrymosa]

The girls at my store are pretty bad too, one of the reasons i don't really like going in there. And they're always absolutely caked in make-up, enough to put you off wanting to buy any of it!

[artsy323]

What are your thoughts on their Fix + Spray?
Does it really help diminish the look of a powdery face? And if any of you are acne prone, sensitivity, or oily skin, did the pray make things worse? I appreciate your thoughts

[BornThisWay94]

Some of the workers are really bad, to be honest. Some ladies are super nice, but there's definitely been a few times when I've had a sour experience. One time, one of the workers sold me the wrong product and it was hell returning it because whenever I went in to exchange it, they never had my item in stock. I eventually just had to keep it I bought it 2 years ago and it's still not even half empty.

[spongecookie]

The girls at my store are pretty bad too, one of the reasons i don't really like going in there. And they're always absolutely caked in make-up, enough to put you off wanting to buy any of it!

This. I've probably only ever seen one nicely done MAC girl in my life.
I love the MAC Cleanse Off Oil, and I liked their Prep+Prime serum but I actually don't use any of their makeup lol. Seeing those orange faces at MAC counters has turned me off ever trying their foundations, which has kinda gimped me in that everyone seems to reference MAC shades when comparing or describing foundations. Oh well. I'm just going to assume I'm NC20-25.

[Guest]

^ yes, I totally agree! Their faces are done up like clowns I've never seen any other makeup counter have such gaudy employees. Every single girl looks orange and their eyebrows are painted on soooo dark. I kind of freaks me out.

[GretchenWieners]

I think the price point of MAC is actually very good, especially their American prices.
I was super annoyed that a few products seemed to have a price increase of 50 cents quarterly for a few years, but I checked their Canadian website a month ago and I noticed the pro-pan eyeshadows actually had a price decrease!! They're only $12 now! I couldn't believe my eyes, they were $14 last year and $13 in 2011.

I do agree that MAC's quality has declined over the years, and like most people, I'm super annoyed that they insist on quality over quantity and come out with 20+ lackluster releases a year. It's definitely hit and miss with MAC and I don't feel confident just going into a store and buying what I think looks nice, I always read reviews before I purchase from them.

That being said their lipsticks, eyeshadows, gel eyeliners, mineralize blushes, brushes, pressed powders and twist-up eye brow pencil are staples in my collection.
I've never been impressed with their liquid foundation, their powder blushes are too average to warrant a $25 pricetag for me, most lipglasses are poor quality, their concealers crease and oxidize on me like crazy and their regular eyebrow pencil is waaay too waxy.

I've heard really good things about their skincare line and I plan on trying it out soon.

[lyssa123]

Did they change the formula of their pro-longwear concealer? The first tube I bought never creased. But the new one (bought about a month ago) creases like crazy! Like within 2 mins of putting it on..

[wanderer]

I love MAC, it's one of the few high end makeup companies whose products I can really trust. With companies like Benefit, I feel like you are paying for a gimic, but many of their products are average at best. I recently purchased the MAC Studio Fix Powder and it is by FAR the best foundation I've ever used-- it's extremely lightweight and has amazing coverage. I don't have an incredibly large MAC collection, but I use almost everything I have purchased from their, and I have multiple empties laying around. I also think their price point is right, and if you want high end you really can't beat it PS. Totally agree with everyone saying that interacting with the people who work there is really unpleasant and uncomfortable a lot of the time

[daaayum]

for the price, i think the products are good, i especially love the blushes! but i agree about the staff...i've only encountered one girl that was actually helpful and i hoped to buy from her again, but i never saw her after that one day :'( last time i was at mac during the holidays looking for the new punk couture lipsticks the girl was showing me all the stuff swatched on her hand and didn't bother to ask me if i wanted to try it on or at least swatch on my hand...like thanks you're about 5 shades paler than i am we must wear all the same colors!!! i got it anyway and luckily it looked good phew!

[whereicomefrom]

MAC Employee wise, I tend to encounter more nice employees than rude ones, but that's happened in the past as well. They're not nearly as terrible as the sales ladies in the drugstores, though, so at least there's that. I actually had a really good experience the other day, the loveliest make up artist helped me try on a lipstick and put two blushes on either side of my face so I could decide which one I liked best. I definitely want to buy from her again!
Product wise, I used to use their foundation back in my teenage years as I had terribly oily skin and it worked quite well. Nowadays my skin is quite different and whatever I was using back then doesn't work for me anymore.
I do still love and use:
- Studio Fix: Both as a powder and as a mineral foundation, this is my second compact because I adore it for summer.
- Pro Longwear Concealer: A fairly recent discovery, this is hands down the best concealer I currently own. The key to prevent is creasing is use a light hand - I've actually depotted mine as I found the pump on the tube dispenses way too much, and this way I can pick it up with a little brush and get to work.
- MSF: I've been using Lightscapade EVERY. SINGLE. DAY since I got it for my birthday a year and a half ago, and will never be sick of it. A perfect highlight.
- Blushes: I own Melba and Stay by Me (which I got this week). Definitely love both of them, but am really impressed by the latter's staying power - it is a Pro Longwear Blush.
- Lipsticks: Currently I own Angel, Coral Bliss, Patisserie and Peach Blossom. The wishlist for more is miles long though...
- Mascara: My sister once got me a purple mascara from MAC. This is unfortunately all I can remember about it, so I don't know what the formula was called, but it was the perfect shade of purple, subtle and yet very complimentary to my brown eyes.

I also really want to get eyeshadows, but can't quite justify it since I prefer cream formulas anyway (but they're so darn lovely! Sable, I'm looking at you) and some brushes - which are so expensive I can only hope to be given them for my birthday or something. Specifically, 217 (duh) and 138 (Tapered Face Brush - saw this in action and I NEED IT.)

[xyewrminex]

I decided today to purchase MAC online from now on. 2 MUA's were matching 2 customers while leaving 8 people including me to wait 20 mins to be served. One had already announced she'd be leaving to floor and "one of the other girls will see to you" and walked off. I asked if I could just take my product and pay at another till to which she replied she would need to log in to the database on the iPad with an attitude saying I'd rather not. You're earning commission based on sales why wouldn't you want to serve me? Other times you're happy to be pushy to get sales. One of the Chanel girls had to serve us and locate the product for each customer and the MAC girls didn't even help to show here where the products where which shows a lack of general respect whether it's a colleague or a customer. The Fix+ spray does get rid of that powdery/dusty residue after powdering.

[Glamourexic]

MAC's service in their stores has gone WAY down. I stand in the store and I'm not even helped...an associate was actually TEXTING while the store was super busy and I was waiting to be assisted!! I would never act like that at my job. I don't know how they aren't fired. Especially because there are so many people who would kill to work at MAC and would actually do a good job.

Anyways, Stereo Rose MSF is my favorite blush of all time. I'm so happy I bought a backup from the Fantasy of Flowers collection!!

[v_illa]

wow i'm glad the associates at the 2 stores I frequent aren't like the ones mentioned! Personally i've never had anything but a positive experience at MAC (probably a reason I don't try too hard to find similar products from another brand). The girls (although they definitely wear too much makeup) have always been really nice/helpful and I don't feel like i'm being pressured to make a purchase

[alysse011]

What are your thoughts on their Fix + Spray?
Does it really help diminish the look of a powdery face? And if any of you are acne prone, sensitivity, or oily skin, did the pray make things worse? I appreciate your thoughts

I have sensitive dry skin. I like Fix+ to wet brushes for a metallic eyeshadow look, to spray if I feel too powdery, or as a refresher spray. It isn't my favorite setting spray though - I prefer urban decay Chill. I would repurchase Fix +, but in the smaller size.

I'm not MAC obsessed. I like the stuff I have but got rid of a lot too during my purge. I like some of their lipsticks but am not super into the smell of them. I do like my eyeshadow palette but it has their best colors (IMO) like all that glitters, nylon, smut, twinks, woodwinked, naked lunch, etc.

I also agree with everyone else who said that the MAC associates are generally rude and have ridiculous makeup. I do like the face and body foundation for a light base though...but then again, I use a neutral shade and it's so sheer it doesn't look orange or cakey. Any time the girls who work there try to tell me about a foundation or give me application tips I'm like "oh that's okay, thanks anyway". I cannot take advice from someone who looks like they dipped their face in paint and with eyelashes worthy of a Halloween party.

[Swarley]

^^There's a woman who seems to deal specifically with makeup at my local Walgreens. I live on the east coast.

I like Mac. I only have one lipstick and one eyeshadow, but they're both really nice. I have Ruby Woo in retro matte and am in love with it. Retro mattes are the best things ever haha. I don't use foundation, so I wouldn't really know, but I am pretty sure that they started out as a company catering to makeup artists that needed good cakey stage stuff, which might explain why they are so thick.

[Tsubaki]

From my experience, MAC service is not that good and the collections don't particularly appeal to me either. I have a few MAC brushes and recently got two of their lipsticks. I have bought makeup from MAC for friends as well when they request for specific items. I've tried their foundation and it was horrible. Great for people who want makeup to look like makeup but I don't want to feel like I'm suffocating under a thick layer of foundation. I hate it when people give me the cold shoulder and frankly, I don't want to waste my time waiting around so I'll only go if I intend to grab a specific product and I intentionally travel further to go to MAC stores where there aren't as many customers to be served because they're crankier when it's busy... or visit them at an hour or day when it's not as busy. Though I gotta say, when I was at IMATS, the girls at the MAC pro stall were a lot friendlier than what I usually get despite all those crowds of people. I hate how it's so expensive in Australia. Ever since the recent price reductions in Mecca, some NARS products are actually cheaper than MAC and I'd much rather head there if I want any advice or get colour matched. I never thought I'd see the day when NARS is cheaper than MAC.