MAC Cosmetics

Oh makeup, you intimidate me oh so very much. I originally went to Sephora to try out some other makeup lines. I’ve been a huge Mac fan since I was a teenager and wanted to try something different. After a horrible experience there I decided to return my purchase and venture back home to where I’ve always been comfortable… Mac.
Being a girl that doesn’t have a ton of knowledge about makeup and I consider myself pretty modest with what I wear, I wasn’t sure how it would go over coming in. I didn’t have a list of things I wanted and wasn’t sure what I needed, just knew I wanted the perfect red lipstick.
The store manager, Julian, was an absolute doll and made me feel so comfortable! I let him know why I was in and he was really patient with me and showed me the ropes! He let me try on different lipstick colors until I found the ones I liked and got to know more about my makeup routine to recommend other products.
I ended up leaving a few hundred dollars out of my pocket but oh so comfortable and confident in the purchases that I made. I would gladly shop here again and recommend this store to anyone.
Thanks for taking the time and patience with me Julian!

I’ve mostly had horrible experiences here. Most recently, I went in and forgot my Pro Card and couldn’t find my driver”s license. I had a business card with my face, my name and my title, but the guy working refused to honor my discount.
I understand that there are rules; that’s fine. But Alfredo was incredibly RUDE about it. Not to mention the girl working with him decided to chime in with her irrelevant comments. When I finally found my driver’s license, I made my purchase.
To my dismay, I opened my bag and was missing 3 brushes. The Assistant manager was super awesome and rectified the situation, but I can’t believe he still has a job at MAC. He is the MOST UNPROFESSIONAL artist I’ve ever met.

The store and staff are top notch. I love shopping here because it’s so organized and usually they have the products I need in stock. Alfredo is my favorite!

I love it when I walk into the store and they tell me where the sample section is because «those are the actual products and you can’t play with them». I was not even touching the product. How nice!
The staff will decide if you are deemed worthy of their time or not. While I am a big fan of their concealer and lipstick, I will not be coming back to this particular MAC store anymore.

I absolutely do NOT recommend this store! Alfredo (one of the employees) is just too rude!
He was too intent on talking with the other clerk to even LOOK at me while ringing my purchase! This is NOT my first experience with him. He is much to snooty and abrupt to work with clients!
I totally do not go in this store if I see he is working!

I do not recommend this location. I found the staff to be rude and the service to be terrible. I paid to have make up done on me for New Year’s Eve and they made me wait a whole hour and did not even apologize, by the time they got to me they didn’t do a great job the make up artist was in a hurry and seemedvlike he just was wanting to rush me out the door. Where as women who got their make up done before me, left looking fantastic. My make up job was mediocre At best the cat eyes were something you could’ve easily done at home with liquid eyeliner I was not impressed. i will not go back to this location.

Had a great time and great friendly service with the MAC Cosmetics staff at UVillage. MAC products were great that I was introduced to and techniques as well! Erica J. and others made it an experience that I will never forget. Thank you!

Ya Ya Ya, every makeup artist has worked at MAC at one point or another… but this company holds a special place in my heart as it was the place where I got started when I knew nothing; it was the place that taught me my first Smokey eye… so I have certain expectations of the staff.
Back 7 years ago, it was always about technique, artistry and the passion that come with it. NOW it seems it is all about sales, pushy tactics and less than honest opinions about product.
I came in for my staples (brush cleaner and Viva Glam 5) and to check out the Rocky Horror collection. I was greeted by an older gentleman who I had seen at other MAC counters, so I’m guessing he was a regional artist. Although I expressed interest in the Rocky collection, he tried to steer me toward the Brooke Shields collection… drab, cheap looking products with terrible packaging and insisted that this was the «best bronzer he had ever seen» — ya right…
At checkout, he more than insisted I try on more products and I had to be EXTRA FIRM that I didn’t want to. After that, he was incredibly cold and didn’t make any polite conversation… just rang me up without a word or eye contact. RUDE.
I get that MAC is known for a certain attitude, but if they plan to keep their customers and compete with the growing market, they desperately need to learn to appreciate their customers better.
The 2 stars go to the cleanliness and the products I listed. That’s it.

I love all the bright creative colors MAC has, and their lipsticks and eyeshadows are actually pretty reasonably priced compared to the brands at department stores/​Sephora.
I came here looking for a foundation. I told the SA what I was looking for — something not too thick or cakey that would work with my oily, acne-​prone skin. He put Pro Longwear on me (the version in the compact), which is a sort of putty-​like consistency. It looked good with the brush he used, so I said I would buy it, and the brush as well. Together they were over $ 70, which is on the upper end of what I’m willing to pay, but I figured it would be an investment and I’d have it for a while, instead of trying lots of different drugstore brands trying to find something that would work for me. I was happy and excited when I left the store and was all ready to come on Unilocal and give it a rave 5-​star review.
But…
As soon as I tried to start using the makeup at home, it was a whole different story. It didn’t blend into my skin, just kind of sat on top and looked cakey and orange. Plus, it accentuated the dry patches around the bottom of my nose. I’m still wondering if this was actually what he used in the store — I didn’t see the shade name on that product. (He gave me NW20, for those in the know of MAC lingo.) It looked pretty bad, was far too dark compared to my neck, and was also much too pink (my skin is more yellow-​undertoned than pink, even though it’s light, which some helpful makeup experts online helped me realize.)
I was also really having trouble using the brush, and it felt smaller and with less stiff bristles than the one the SA used in the store. I ended up looking it up online, and the #159 (which is the one they sold me) is mainly marketed as a blush brush, while the #187 is the larger foundation brush. I tried to use it anyway but it was bad. Despite being $ 35 for ONE brush, this thing was behaving worse than some of my much cheaper brushes — it was falling apart after only a day or two and I was having to pick loose brush hairs off my face constantly!
Basically, it was a disaster. If MAC didn’t have a good return policy, I would probably have dropped the review to one star at this point — I was feeling unhappy and ripped off, like I’d gotten swindled by a used car salesman. Fortunately, with a receipt MAC will take returns for up to 30 days. I took both the brush and makeup back. The employee I interacted with this time was an older employee who did not have the brush apron that the SAs did, so I’m guessing he was some kind of supervisor or manager. I explained the issues I was having, and he basically said it was because I needed to use a moisturizer. I don’t use a moisturizer currently because I have yet to find one that doesn’t cause me to break out even more. (of course, he tried to steer me into buying THEIR moisturizer, which may be awesome but it’s also $ 33 for a tiny 1.7 oz bottle!)
They do also give out samples of their products, which in this case is helpful. I asked to try a lighter shade of Pro Longwear, as well as a different foundation formula, Face and Body. He gave me the next shade lighter, NW15, in the Pro Longwear (though it’s liquid, rather than the creamy-​whatever stuff, because the cream apparently doesn’t go as light as I would need) and Face and Body in N1. These are a better match – marginally – but still not good. They look orange and odd, due to still having too much pink in them for my yellowish undertones. I’m wondering if he even really looked at my skin (beyond the basic «oh, she’s pale») before he picked them out? You’d think someone who works at a makeup specialty store would understand undertones.
I bought a drugstore foundation that is a better match for me (L’Oreal True Match in W1 if anyone’s curious) and it’s much more affordable, so I’m going to just use that instead. I didn’t feel like the sales people at this store were pushy, exactly, but kind of ill-​informed, I guess? After explaining that the previous color was too pink, they *still* gave me pink-​toned samples that make me look awful.
I might end up buying a lipstick or something here at some point, but the whole experience was deeply disappointing.

I’m reviewing makeup artist Chanté at the University Village location. I was very nervous about getting my makeup done at MAC since the only other time I’ve done that was 10 years ago and it was just too over the top. Chante created a 1920s look for me and was AMAZING. I want her to do my makeup for every special occasion going forward. Also she was very kind and down to earth, and so were all the sales people in the store at the time. She focused on my makeover and didn’t try to do a ton of sales with me, though she knew her products well. I will be back!

Let me start by admitting I’m a man. I know literally nothing about makeup and wanted to get something different for my wife. I’ve driven by this store several times and finally pulled the trigger and walked through the door.
As I walked in the door I was immediately greeted by two members of their team. Normally MAC people are intimidating but I felt comfortable at this store. Yes they looked great but not over-​the-​top. Jennifer ended up helping me and boy was I impressed.
She was very knowledgable and helped explain things to me in a way a guy could understand. Who knew there was so much involved in makeup?!
End of the day, y wife was thrilled. Thanks MAC!

I love mac and a lot of their products but the customer service and condescending and annoyed glances of the staff makes me regret going there. I’ve been in there numerous times and had a bad experience every single time. The products are great, but the sales associates are rude and act like they’re annoyed by my presence.
Yesterday my friend and I went into mac because my friend wanted to try out fix+ so she was about to buy the small $ 10 bottle. The male SA seemed so annoyed by it, his tone was so rude and annoyed as he said «It’s for your face, that’s why it’s so big.» And when she told him that she wants to use it to make loose pigments stick better, he seemed even more irritated as he told her to get a primer. Sweetie, if you work at Mac and don’t know that fix+ is versatile enough to use for shadows, then I don’t know what to tell you. But what he was saying was not even as bad as his overall attitude and tone, he was so condescending, kept rolling his eyes and made it obvious how he did not want to help us. We get it, you live in Seattle and work in an upscale makeup store, but you don’t have to be a condescending jerk.

Not pleased with this experience.
Reading the reviews, I guess I got lucky that the SA did approach me and ask me if I needed any help. But honestly, her makeup was so awful that I almost didn’t want to ask her for advice. Honey, have you ever heard of blending? You have a whole jar of blending brushes, how did you not think to use one of them?
I asked to see a brush (the 138 and the 150) and she tried to show me eye brushes. If you know anything about MAC cosmetics, you know that the 100s are all face brushes, and the 200s are all eye brushes. If you are a sales representative for a cosmetics company, you should know your products. And even if you’re new and don’t know the products, why is there not another SA in the store who can help you until you do know all the products? It’s unacceptable. How does a customer know more about the products than the sales rep?
She checked me out with a smile, but the level of unprofessionalism displayed (and lack of knowledge overall, she didn’t seem to know very much about the products in the store in general) was unacceptable. Just not okay at all.

If I was ornery and had too much time on my hands, I would review every MAC store and counter I’ve been to with a one-​star rating. It must be company policy to be rude, dismissive, and unhelpful. Any time I’ve ever visited a counter or a store, I have to chase down employees for help, even when they’re slow. There are times when I happen across some friendly people, but that’s rare. Super rare.
The last time I was here at thr University location, I came in and was ignored. Completely. I puttered around the eye makeup while employees came up beside me, rummaged for something and left without a word or even eye contact. I don’t want red carpets or anything, but I expect to be acknowledged where I will ostensibly spend money. I was working at another subsidiary under the parent company Estée-​Lauder at the time, and only when I revealed this did they bother to help me. Too bad. I’ve never been back. There are better products sold with better service so no loss for me. MAC will continue to thrive without needing to step their game up, but they are coasting on their hype.

MAC has always been one of my favorite cosmetic lines since I first discovered makeup in jr high. To this day wearing their lipstick brings back nostalgic memories of high school. That being said this place is pretty busy. I came here to get my free lipgloss /​lipstick after having 6 old Mac items to recycle. I knew exactly what color I wanted and a quick what should have been 10 minute trip took well over 35 minutes. The staff is usually friendly but you can tell by their quick «hi’s» their level of stress. If you are looking to be matched or to try our a new foundation– I recommend coming on a weekday or early in the day as this place gets so busy you’ll be standing around like a fish out of water waiting for someone to help you.

I had my wedding make-​up done here. Fantastic! I got so many compliments. thank you!

I love MAC– always have. I like coming to this store over other MAC counters for the following reasons:
–They have a wider variety of stock
— The Back-​2-​MAC program allows you to redeem more than just lipstick
— Better hours
— This store allows Dogs!
Their customer service is a bit hit or miss. The great thing is most of the staff know what they are talking about, so you can trust the majority of their recommendations. The managers at this store are awesome; they all emulate MAC culture and check in with me to make sure I have a great experience.
You’ll find me here at least once a week, usually not wearing make-​up…

I can’t believe I’ve ever wasted money at this place.
PROS:
1. Wide selection of make-​up for various skin types and skin tones.
2. Lots of store locations.
CONS:
1. Horrible make-​up. I have friends in the make-​up industry who told me (too little, too late) that the ingredients in the make-​up have changed from bad to worse. The ingredients include toxic chemicals that are drying, irritating, hormone-​disrupting, synthetic, etc. That explains why I broke out constantly. The day I switched to bare minerals from Sephora, my skin turned back to normal.
2. Horrible return policy. If it’s beyond 30 days, unopened or not, they don’t take anything back.
3. Horrible customer service. Whenever I walked into a MAC store, the reps stood around and stared at you, rarely acknowledging my presence.
4. Expensive.
Do yourself and your skin a favor. Get your make-​up from Sephora or Nordstorm.

Joel is awesome!
He noticed the brown eyeliner I was buying and gave me a fabulous new way to apply it (which there’s no way in hell I would of come up with an idea like that on my own!!!) also proceeded to give me great make up advice!
He’s charming and cute and I really enjoyed him!

The people that work here are extremely bitchy and standoffish. Whenever I go in, they either glare at me, ignore me, or treat me like a shoplifter. One time I asked for help finding a lipstick that suited my skin tone, the person helping me had no idea what colors would look good on me. If you work at a makeup store… you should probably be able to help people find flattering colors. I like MAC but not this store.