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If you love both Urban Decay and Mac Cosmetics, you may be wondering which makeup brand is better for certain products. This article is all about Urban Decay vs. Mac Cosmetics products and reviews. There are so many products that both Mac Cosmetics and Urban Decay do well such as their: setting sprays, eyeshadow primer and eyeshadow singles.
Urban Decay recently came out with the new Naked Cyber Eyeshadow Palette which is the latest eyeshadow palette to come out and will launch in September. Urban Decay has been innovating more than Mac Cosmetics but consider that Urban Decay is more of an everyday makeup brand and Mac Cosmetics caters a bit more to makeup artists.
Mac Cosmetics doesn’t really do big eyeshadow palettes. They are known for their eyeshadow singles and complexion products.
Both makeup brands are about the same price range so it will help to understand which products are better depending on the brands.
Keep reading to find out the best products from both Urban Decay vs. Mac Cosmetics.
Is Urban Decay Cruelty Free?
Yes! Urban Decay is 100% cruelty free. They stand by not harming animals and really take it seriously to be cruelty free. You can read about their attestation to being cruelty free forever here. This also means that they don’t sell Urban Decay in Asia.
However, just because Urban Decay is cruelty free doesn’t mean that they are completely vegan. There are a lot of vegan Urban Decay products and you can take a look at their whole Urban Decay vegan product range here.
Where Can You Buy Urban Decay?
You can buy Urban Decay in over 225 countries from UrbanDecay.com. If you live in the U.S., this is easiest way to get free shipping from UrbanDecay.com. If you live outside of the U.S., you have to go through a service that Urban Decay has partnered with called: MyUS.com.
MyUS.com will provide you with a shipping address in the United States and then your products will be shipped there and then will get redistributed to your address using this company. MyUS.com also provides all of the taxes and duties paperwork so keep in mind that you may have to pay extra on top of your order. Sometimes ordering from UrbanDecay.com can be worth it because you will get huge discounts on their items plus free gifts so even if you have to pay some duties and taxes it may be worth it in the end.
If you are in Australia, you can use the service MyUS.com when you check out on the Urban Decay website. Of course, this is going to taxes and duties as mentioned above but it can still be more lucrative if there’s something you completely desire.
It is also important to note that Urban Decay doesn’t take responsibility for anything after it has left their warehouse so if you choose to do International Shipping then you are taking a bit of a risk but mostly MyUS.com has good reviews and is very reputable.
If you don’t want to shop from UrbanDecay.com you can always buy Urban Decay from Sephora (U.S., Canada and Australia) and if you’re from Canada you can shop Urban Decay from Shoppers Drug Mart.
Is Mac Cosmetics Cruelty Free?
Mac Cosmetics as a brand is cruelty free and will never test on animals. Since it does sell their products in China, they have to test on human volunteers instead of animals. These human volunteers are just that: volunteers and they are open to being tested on.
You can read about the Mac Cosmetics Cruelty Free Policy here regarding Animal Testing.
Where is the best place to Buy Mac Cosmetics?
If you live in the United States or Canada, the best place to buy Mac Cosmetics is at MacCosmetics.com. In Canada, you need to spend over $35 for free standard shipping. If you want express shipping you have to pay $6.50 – $15.00 depending on your order total. The reason why it is better to shop directly on the website is sometimes you get free gifts or more discounts than you would if you shopped at a department store.
In Canada, the two department stores that carry Mac Cosmetics are Hudson’s Bay and Nordstrom. You can still find the same products on both retailer websites. Nordstrom does discount their makeup faster than Hudson’s Bay.
In the United States, you can find Mac Cosmetics at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. There are other department stores that carry Mac but those are the best ones.
Urban Decay Primer Potion vs. Mac Paint Pots
Urban Decay Primer Potion ($24 CAD) vs. Mac Cosmetics Paint Pots ($28 CAD)
The Urban Decay Primer Potion has been around forever! It is one of the first eyeshadow primers of its kind. Urban Decay’s Primer Potion just works so well to grip eyeshadow and helps it stay in place all day long. Trust me when I say that your eyeshadow won’t budge. The Urban Decay Primer Potion doesn’t have any colour to it so if you want something more opaque you can try the other Primer Potions in the line such as Eden which is more of a beige and Sin which is for darker skin tones.
The difference between the Urban Decay Primer Potion Original vs. Eden or Sin is just the colour. The formula is exactly the same but the fact that Eden and Sin are more opaque and can match your skin tone more easily.
The Urban Decay Primer Potion is in a tube and has a long skinny applicator that you dab on your eyes and blend out with your fingers. This tube is really easy to travel with so you don’t have to worry about the mess as you would with the Mac Paint Pots.
The Mac Cosmetics Paint Pots, these have also been around for a very long time. In 2020, they got reformulated and a lot of people are saying they prefer the old formula better. Essentially, this is an eyeshadow primer or it can be worn alone as actual shadow. Most people get the Mac Cosmetics Paint Pots in the shades: Painterly (the most common, nude beige shade), Bare Study and Groundwork. The rest of the shades are bright colours so you just wear them as cream eyeshadows. Only the nudes and beiges are meant to be eyeshadow primers.
Let me just say that the Mac Cosmetics Paint Pots are from their Pro Longwear collection which means it is formulated for makeup artists. These Paint Pots are the best kept secrets of the world’s best makeup artists and they have been and will continue to use these for years. They just make your makeup stay but also it prevents creasing in the folds of your eyes allowing the eyeshadow not to crease.
If you’re wondering which is better: Urban Decay Primer Potion or the Mac Cosmetics Paint Pots I would say that the Paint Pots are going to give you a more sturdy base because they are thicker. If you’re looking to do a very heavy eye that you want to last all day long such as a wedding you should use the Mac Paint Pots. If you have an everyday look, you’re going to want to use the Urban Decay Primer Potion because it is lighter but you’ll still get the full coverage hold you need for everyday.
Mac Fix Plus vs. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Mac Fix Plus ($37 CAD) vs. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray ($33)
In trying both the Mac Fix Plus and Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray I have a lot of experience with both and will give you an honest review. First of all, you should buy the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray from UrbanDecay.com if you can because they give discounts on bundles that you can’t get anywhere else.
With the Mac Fix Plus Setting Spray, this is actually more of a multi-purpose product. You can use the Mac Fix Plus as a Setting Spray or you can use it before as a primer or on your eyeshadow brushes to get a lasting effect. The great thing about Mac Fix Plus Setting Spray is that it softens the look of your makeup by blending everything together so you have no harsh lines.
The Mac Fix Plus Setting Spray now comes in a variety of scents and different finishes but the original one is the best and I will never buy any of the other sprays.
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray literally makes it so your makeup doesn’t budge and looks more vibrant as you can see from the photo what happens when you forget your setting spray, it really is a game changer! It is also vegan and has won the Best of Allure Award in 2020 and other years.
The Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray comes in both a full size and travel size.
The Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray is what will make your makeup NOT BUDGE. Where the Mac Cosmetics Fix Plus is a bit better at ensuring all of the makeup melts into the skin.
I find that I prefer the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray if it’s really hot out because I know my makeup won’t melt off. If I’m looking for a softer look, the Mac Fix Plus Setting Spray is perfect for everyday!
Urban Decay Stay Naked Concealer vs. Mac Concealer
The Urban Decay Stay Naked Concealer ($29) vs. Mac Cosmetics Studio Fix 24-Hour Smoothwear Concealer ($30 CAD)
Since these two concealers are the same price, you’re going to want to read this review of both Urban Decay and Mac Cosmetics Concealers to see if you can find a tie breaker.
The Urban Decay Stay Naked Concealer is a buildable formula meaning you choose how opaque you want it to be. You can start off by going really sheer or you can build up.
The reviews of the Urban Decay Stay Naked Concealer is that it is the “Best Everyday Concealer” and that it doesn’t crease or cause makeup to look cakey.
The Mac Cosmetics Studio Fix 24-Hour Smoothwear Concealer is also buildable, matte and sweat and transfer resistant.
Both concealers do not crease if you are wondering if they do! They do not crease and they bend with the movement of your face as to not settle into any fine lines.
If you are deciding which concealer to get, I would say if you use more Mac Cosmetics products go with that and the same with Urban Decay. These two concealers are SUPER similar to each other.
They are both matte and longwear concealers so ultimately you will be getting the same value for your money.
I hope you enjoyed this comparison between Urban Decay vs. Mac Cosmetics Products. You can see that some of the products are a bit different and some are better value than others.
Xo,
Beauty Reviews Daily Blog