Why I fell out of love with MAC Cosmetics
I love makeup. Not only do I love makeup, but I also spend a lot of money on makeup. My infatuation with makeup began in 2011. I would buy hoards of drugstore makeup and watch hundreds of YouTube videos and try to figure out how to make my face look like a human Barbie. After about 6 months I became obsessed with MAC.
There was no MAC store near my university, so I would go to the MAC counter inside our local Macy’s. On holiday breaks I would go straight to the MAC store, even before I went home to see my family. I had a problem. Fast forward to 2016, I think I’ve been to a MAC store one time in the last two years.
Boring products
The main reason I don’t shop at MAC is because they don’t create innovative makeup. Everything is a copy of what another company has already done. They are even starting to copy some of their own past products. The celebrity collections are predictable and bland. The holiday collections are even worse. The most interesting products are “pro products” and if you don’t live next to a pro store there is a complicated process to get them.
Customer service
Some of the rudest makeup people I have ever met have been MAC employees. The culture of their stores is negative and off-putting. The sales associates have bad attitudes with customers who don’t understand makeup and they get upset when you understand makeup and know what you’re talking about.
No customer loyalty program
I’m sure there is no MAC Cosmetics customer loyalty program on purpose. They don’t even have good customer service, so why would they want you to save money? If MAC wants to be seen as a “high end” brand, they should at least keep correct records of past products I already purchased. They should also have a website that way customer can access the information online and can easily repurchase products they need.
It’s not all bad
There are some good things I could say about MAC. One thing I like about MAC is that it has always had foundation shades that are representative of women of every color. Most makeup brands do not carry dark or deep shades, which is very disappointing. Another thing I love about MAC is that almost all of their sales associates are makeup artist. The MAC employees are usually the most knowledgeable about products, compared to Ulta and Sephora. Also, some of my favorite lipsticks also come from MAC.
Even though there are some positive aspects about MAC, I don’t see myself shopping there that often in the future.