Urban Decay Naked Palette: Real vs. Fake

When Marianne told me she'd bought the Urban Decay Naked2 palette 60% off on a flash sale site*, I was excited for her. That was a DEAL, especially considering how often sites like Ulta list Urban Decay as an excluded brand when it comes for code. (You can still use sites like Ebates, though, and get cash back. Sephora is currently offering 8% back on eBates purchases.)

When Marianne's palette arrived, she mentioned that the mirror was loose and kind of wonky. I was concerned, but didn't think much about it until another friend (who'd also bought the discounted version) mentioned that she suspected they'd been sent a fake version. FAKE. MAKEUP. Yes, this exists. Pretty much any popular product is faked these days and makeup is one of them. This is just crazy to me, but it happens. 

So, when I visited Marianne in Knoxville last weekend I brought my palette with me so we could compare them. First, a side-by-side:

Real on the top, counterfeit on the bottom

 

You can see that they're slightly different colors and the font is a little different. But not much! The biggest tell was weight: 

I'm heavy! And real.

Wussy lightweight fake.

The real palette is slightly bigger and much heavier and more substantial. The brush was also different. The real one was longer, both the bristles and the handle. And, you can see in that the font on the colors is a bit different:

Real brush, left. Fake brush right. 

 At first glance the colors looked pretty similar: 

Real on top, fake on bottom.

But in the fake version the pans are only half-full (which I found very offensive. Those cheap bastards!)

And the texture is different. Marianne said that the shadows in my version were softer:

The overall construction of the fake was shoddy. The mirror in the fake is thin and warped and the palette itself is badly made: 

Real on top, fake on bottom. 

Oh! And finally, the real deal should come packaged with a mini lip gloss, like this:

If it doesn't you've probably bought a fake. The best way to avoid buying fake makeup is to avoid buying it on places like eBay, or on any site offering it deeply discounted. Also, if you buy on Amazon, make sure the seller is Urban Decay or Sephora. Not to say that some of the other Amazon sellers aren't selling the real deal, but some aren't. Basically, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

Marianne is (obviously) sending hers back, even though she said the shadows were pretty good, because with counterfeit products you have no idea what's actually in them. If a company is shady enough to produce a counterfeit, they're shady enough to use cheap/harmful ingredients in the actual product. (Don't go putting lead in your eyes, is all I'm saying.)

So, what do you guys think? Have you ever bought a product that was fake? 

*Marianne bought the counterfeit through a site called Sharing Spree, who works with outside vendors. They have offered her a full refund.