The Best of MAC

If you're a makeup fanatic, MAC is one of those brands that inevitably ends up in your collection. When you're after a particular shade and finish of lipstick or eyeshadow, it's easy to head to MAC since chances are, their wide range will have what you're looking for. Yes it's pricey, but it's kind of middle of the road, it's not drugstore, but it's not up there with Dior, Chanel, YSL, those kind of brands.

There are a lot of products from MAC in my collection (I think I'm up to 17 lipsticks, sob) but it's a brand I'm pretty ruthless with. If I don't like it, it goes.

THE HITS

Eyeshadows: Yes MAC eyeshadows are really expensive, but my word they are beautiful. Buttery soft, incredibly pigmented and they last really well on your lids. I did a full post on my palettes last week, you can read that here.

Paint Pots: I think I've rambled about these a fair bit. Super creamy but they dry on your lids to create a perfect shadow base, or even a stand alone wash of colour on the lids. I use Painterly on a daily basis as a shadow base, to intensify the colour of my shadows and make them last longer, but I also use Rubenesque and Constructivist as cream shadows on there own. I am a huge fan of these, definitely my favourite cream shadows. 

Pearlmatte Face Powder: A product that tends to be released only as part of a limited edition collection, I picked one up from the Archie's Girls one, the Pearlmatte face powder is kind of multipurpose. I use this as a blush, but I also sometimes use it as a setting powder, just by avoiding the pink bits. I love how natural this looks.

Blush: Surprisingly, I only have one MAC blush (not for lack of trying, more because I can never make a decision). These are super super pigmented, you only need the tiniest amount of product to create a pop of cheek colour. 

Mineralize Skinfinish: I love how multipurpose these are. I used to use Soft and Gentle as a highlight and Light as a setting powder, but I now use Lightscapade for both. Very finely milled powders that don't look cakey.

Studio Finish Concealer: My favourite high coverage blemish concealer. Stays put all day and covers a multitude of sins.

Mineralize Concealer: Best friend of under-eye circles. Medium coverage concealer but slightly brightening, great for disguising late nights.

Lipsticks: Like I said I think I'm up to about 17 of these now, I did a post a couple of months back where I went through my collection and talked about all the finishes, but the gist is great colours, great pigmentation and great lasting power.

Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint: These are quite a recent addition to MAC's repetoire, kinda reminiscent of the YSL Glossy Stains, or L'Oreal Glamshine Splash Stains, it's glossy to apply but leaves a stain of colour on your lips. I love this for a low fuss lip colour. 

Dazzleglass: You all know I don't love lipgloss, and this one isn't my favourite, but it's a beautiful colour and leaves a lovely iridescent sheen to your lips. Just wish it was less sticky!

THE MISSES

Eyebrow Pencil: I picked this up in duty free on my way to Italy when I forgot to pack any eyebrow products. Clever. Anyway, a member of staff on the counter 'colour matched' me, and maybe it was the lighting, the fact it was 4am, or maybe she was colourblind, but this really isn't the right colour for me, it just makes my brows look ginger. Colour issues aside, I don't really rate this, the formula just doesn't stick and by midday it's almost completely gone. I would be tempted to grab another one in a different colour, just for quick fixes, but not sure about this...

Foundations: I'm grouping these together because I've tried four MAC foundations and every single one breaks me out like nobody's business. I don't know what ingredients are in this but they just clog my pores up and cause massive breakouts. However, I do still use Studio Sculpt, I mix it into other foundations to either increase coverage or lighten the colour. If I use a heavy primer and mix it fifty fifty with another foundation it doesn't break me out!

What are your favourite products from MAC? What should I try next?

Read more about my MAC Eyeshadow palettes here.

Read more about my MAC Lipstick collection here.

My MAC Eyeshadow Palettes

When it comes to eyeshadow palettes, my MAC palettes are definitely among my most used! You got a sneaky peak of them on Monday in my Makeup Collection & Storage post, but I thought I'd show you these properly, since I don't think they've ever had a proper introduction to you guys.

So I have two quads, with eight shadows. I did think about getting a large palette (correct me if I'm wrong but I believe they hold 15 shadows?) but realistically, I am very happy with the shades I have, and I don't need any more encouragement to buy more. 

I've split the shadows in the way that makes most sense to me, I have a neutrals quad and then one with purple toned shadows.

The 'neutrals' quad contains two matte colours and two shimmers, in the shades Hush, Quarry, Mulch and Corduroy. Hush has unfortunately now been discontinued, which is a shame because I use this all the time and it's a gorgeous colour. It's a very light peachy/pink shimmery, frost finish shadow that is perfect for all over the lid for a natural look, or as a base colour, or even as a highlight. The shimmer is quite subtle on the lid which I like. Quarry is described by MAC as a soft, muted plum brown, but I would simply describe it as a matte light taupe shade. This looks great with Hush to give a little definition to the crease, but it is also a great base colour for a smokey look. Mulch is the only true shimmer in this palette, and it's a warm bronze shade, with golden shimmer running through it. This shade is absolutely beautiful alone on the lid, or as part of a smokier look. Lastly in this palette is Corduroy, which is a warm, matte, red based dark brown. This is great for adding definition to the crease, and it looks great smudged across the lash line.

In palette number two, all the shades are much darker. Top left is the classic Cranberry, a gorgeous reddy plum shade with pink flecks of shimmer, totally gorgeous this time of year. Next to that is Sketch, a deep plum burgandy veined with red shimmer, I love this shade so much. Then I have Blackberry, the only matte shade in this quad. It's a plum brown, similar to Quarry but darker. Lastly, Satin Taupe, which is just absolutely beautiful, I get so much wear out of this shade it's unreal. MAC describe it as a taupe with silver shimmer, sounds simple but it's so so beautiful.

My most used colour combinations are probably Satin Taupe with Blackberry in the crease, Satin Taupe with Sketch in the crease, Hush with Quarry in the crease and Quarry with Blackberry in the crease, but I find that most of the shades work well together!

Like I said, I am really happy with the shades I have now, and I don't really feel like I need anymore, but let me know your favourite MAC shades in the comments for me to swatch next time I'm in store.

Top Five High End Blushes

Continuing with the Top Five series slowly but surely, today I thought I'd share with you my favourites from the pricier end of the blush spectrum. Blush is one section of my collection that isn't all that big, I know what I like and I stick with it, and generally I only wear these ones. You'll see that they are all fairly similar, nothing too wild!

 Sugarbomb has been my go to blush for about a year now, it's just so easy to wear and it goes with every makeup look. The colours swirl together to create a lightly shimmery deep coral, that leans towards the pink side of things. A little of this on the apples of the cheeks really brightens the complexion, and gives a super natural flush to the cheeks. The wear time is great as with all Benefit Blushes, and it smells amazing too. 

The most luxurious of my picks has to be the Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation. I've been banging on about this since I got it but I just love it that much. I'm not big on cream blushes, I generally find them fiddly to apply and the lasting power tends to lack, but this I just adore. The colour is my perfect blush colour, it gives me a true 'just been out in the cold' or 'awww don't make me blush' pop of colour. It's really easy to apply too, I just pat this onto the apples of my cheeks and blend with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush. With a good primer underneath, this lasts all day. 

I didn't want to include a limited edition blush in this but I couldn't help myself. This is MAC's Ripe for Love from the Temperature Rising Collection at the beginning of the year. It's similar to MAC Peaches, but a little darker, I tend to skip bronzer when I go for this. This is gorgeous with a bronzey smokey eye and a coral or nude lip. It's a dark peach with no shimmer, but it still adds a fair bit of dimension to the skin. Looks beautiful with Benefit Sunbeam over the top, or the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Radiant Light.

 Another Benefit blush, because I just love them, Hervana is more of a pinky, almost lilac blush, a bit more wintery than all these corals I seem to have included. Like I said, I love the formulation of Benefit blushes, they're really pigmented and last so well on the skin. I also have Coralista which I love (obviously, it's another coral).

Well I couldn't not include a Nars blush could I? Infact, I could have included every Nars blush, but I was restrained (ha!). I'm so glad that Orgasm was in this palette, since I lost my beloved Orgasm Blush a while back. This has been one of my favourites for a few years now, it's the perfect coral, with a hint of golden shimmer. Love love love.

Have you tried any of these blushes? What are your favourite high end blushes? Are there anymore Top Fives you'd like to see?

 

October Favourites 2013

I honestly can't believe how quickly October has gone, I think because I was quite ill at the beginning of the month, and was pretty much tucked up in bed for ten days, the month feels super short. As a result, it was pretty difficult to pick my favourites for this month. In the end, I went about doing my makeup and my getting ready process, and just put aside each product I knew I had reached for more days than not, and came up with this bunch for you.

First up skincare. For the body I have been loving the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub. The scent is slightly unseasonal for this time of year, but I had wanted to try this for ages, but I needed to get through all my backups of The Breakfast Scrub first. It's a gorgeous brown sugar and lime scent which is super sickly sweet but I love it. It's not as gritty as The Breakfast Scrub, so that combined with the scent means that once I've used this up, I probably won't repurchase this til next summer. My skin needs something a little harsher in the winter, but I like this a lot.

Back in September I purchased a full size of the Origins Clear Improvement mask, after I had a tiny sample of it and was impressed with how far it went. It's a clay based mask which really drags out any nasty stuff in your skin and clears it up massively. It's an expensive product, (£23) but based on how many masks I got out of my previous sample size, I'm paying less than 30p for each use, which to me is a bargain.

Two products from Lush, although to be honest Lush in general is definitely a favourite. I'm really happy with my current skincare routine at the moment (not to mention my bathtime routine) and a large portion of the products I use are from Lush. I did pick out two to share with you though, Santa's Lip Scrub and Let The Good Times Roll. I won't say any more about these because I just did a massive post on Lush, but if you want to hear more about this product click here.

Onto makeup and the base I have been consistently reaching for this month is the L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint. I absolutely love this foundation, it might just be one of my favourite drugstore releases this year. It's super super lightweight on your skin, it honestly feels like you've just dusted a little powder on your skin. It evens out any redness, whilst looking so natural, nobody will ever believe you're wearing foundation. 

To go with that base, I've been reaching for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, which definitely lives up to the hype around it the last few months. This is a super creamy concealer (as the name would suggest) which is high enough coverage to disguise no sleep, and the pizza induced breakout on your chin, whilst again looking really natural. This has become a staple in my makeup routine, and I can't see myself without it. 

For eyes, I have been going for a darker, more autumnal look, and the star of the show for me has been this MAC Quad. I have two MAC quads and I'm going to be doing a post on them both soon, but this one holds the darker, more wintery colours of the two. In here is Cranberry, Sketch, Blackberry and Satin Taupe, and pretty much every day my eyes have been sporting two of these colours.

Lastly for eyes, I've been trying to get back into liner again. When I was in college, I don't think I ever left the house without cat flicks and kohl rimmed waterlines, but it's been a while since I've sported that look recently. I repurchased the Soap and Glory Supercat Liner again last month and have been making an effort to use it again, I think black liquid liner really finishes off a dark smokey eye look, and I like this pen since it takes all the difficulty out of winged liner! 

The last thing I want to mention is not a beauty product, but my new Yankee Candle Tart Burner. There's a new Yankee Candle store in Westfield, which is conveniently located about thirty seconds from my uni campus, so needless to say, I headed in there pretty excitedly with paycheck in hand at the end of last month. My plan had been to buy a large jar of Christmas Cookie to get in the Christmas Spirit, but this Tart Burner was reduced and the tarts were on offer, so I ended up getting this instead. I like that this means I can change up scents more often (large jars have a burn time of 150 hours, whereas the tarts are 8) and because of the deal on, this worked out cheaper in terms of burn time. Anyway, I've been loving having this burning whilst I'm working in the house, particularly with Christmas Cookie and the Vanilla Lime scent (which my boyfriend likes too!).

So that's it, October is over! Are you getting excited for Christmas yet? What products have you been loving this month? 

My MAC Lipstick Collection

Prepare yourself for a photo heavy post! I have wanted to do this post for a really long time, but if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it properly and I just haven't had the time! But just for you guys, I have finally got round to doing it.

So a bit of background, I don't own that many lipsticks, but the majority of them are MAC. I just feel like MAC has every colour down, so if you're after something in particular, it's easy just to go to MAC because 99% of the time, they will have it. Yes they are expensive, but in reality, they are much cheaper than most high end lipsticks, and I'd rather buy one MAC lipstick and know that the quality is great, than two drugstore ones. Also, a lot of these were gifts (my boyfriend is very attentive when I'm swatching away) so I didn't personally pay for all of these (if I had, I would be so broke). 

I keep all my MAC lipsticks in the bottom drawer of this Muji unit, I find it's the easiest way to store them so you can see all the names without pulling them all out.

 L-R Faux, Betty Bright, Sunny Seoul, Lovelorn, Viva Glam Gaga, Lustering, Plumful, Brick O La, All Out Gorgeous, MAC Red, Ruby Woo, Russian Red

So here goes, if I have done a separate post on these I'll link them too! Prepare yourself for a lot of pictures of my face (I'm sorry!).

 Faux is a brown toned nude that I picked up on a whim one day. I really struggled to find a good nude for me, but I quite like this one. It's brown toned but it's quite warm so it doesn't wash you out. It's a Satin finish but personally, I would say this borders on matte. I tend to reach for this if I've done a smokey eye, or if I can't be bothered with reapplying all day, as the wear time of this is excellent, and when it does fade, it fades really evenly. 

 Betty Bright was a limited edition Satin finish lipstick that came out in the Archie's Girls Collection. I love the packaging of these but a lot of people didn't (it was a very marmite collection overall). It's a very warm peach lipstick that is quite pink toned (although in the 'group photo' up there it photographed super orange!). I definitely find this a little easier to wear when I have a tan but I do really like it.

Sunny Seoul was my first ever MAC purchase, so I've got a little soft spot for this. It's a baby pink but it's definitely got a hint of peach, which makes it one of those colours that really warms your complexion. It's a cremesheen formula which is definitely my favourite, despite the fact it's probably got the lowest wear time of any of the formulas. It's super creamy though (as the name would suggest) and they're great in the winter months if your lips are a little dry, as they're pretty moisturising.

Lovelorn was the second lipstick I got from MAC (a bit stupid really when you consider how similar it is to Sunny Seoul but clearly I was in a pink lip phase). I find this a little more wearable than Sunny Seoul, though I can't quite pinpoint why. It's not as bright, it's a little more neutral, and a bit more of a true pink. It's a Lustre finish so I find that it's a little bit more sheer than it's Cremesheen relatives, but still quite moisturising. This tends to end up floating around in my handbag as it sort of goes with everything.

Viva Glam Gaga - not gonna lie, I literally bought this because it was Gaga. That was it. It's a cool blue toned pink that packs a little more punch than the previous two mentions. I lean for this on nights out because it's a bit bolder. The blue tones mean that it makes your teeth look whiter too which is always nice. It's a Lustre finish but I don't find this to be particularly sheer. I think this possibly is one of the smoothest to apply, it's almost silky on the lips.

The most recent addition to my collection is Lustering a Lustre finish (No! Really!), bolder pink choice that I am literally obsessed with at the moment. You can really notice the sheerness of this one, you can wear it like I am in the above picture, or build it up for a darker look (like here). It's got red undertones which I don't normally like, but I do in this! I just think this is a really flattering colour and I've been wearing it pretty much all the time. It's not too much if you've got a dramatic eye, but equally if you do something simple, it dresses it up a bit. Firm favourite!

 Plumful is one that I'll be wearing a lot more as we head into Autumn Winter. It's quite similar to Lustering, but it's more berry toned. Again, because it's a Lustre finish you can wear it sheer as above, or pack on a bit more. I love that the Lustre finishes are so versatile. Just as with Lustering, you can wear it to pull together a simple look, or to add a little something extra to a smokey eye. I love wearing this with MAC Cranberry Eyeshadow.

Brick O La is another one that's going to get a lot more love as it gets colder. This is the only Amplified lipstick I own from MAC and I really like it, it's got fantastic, full colour pay off from the first swatch. It's almost terracotta coloured, which is mighty strange but it's really wearable. It's sort of a browny orange, and I never would have gotten it if I'd only seen the bullet, but I had seen someone wearing it and I really like how it looks on. The wear time of this can be a bit iffy, sometimes it's fine and other times I feel like it's gone very quickly, but I love this!

Another berry toned, I think All Out Gorgeous may have been limited edition, from the Mineralize range, as I haven't seen this in a MAC store for a really long time. I absolutely adore this colour, it was a birthday present from the boyfriend and he got it spot on (impressive as well since I had literally only mentioned it once, and forgotten about it myself). I love the Mineralize Rich formula, it's sheerer than Lustre finishes, but when you build it up I actually find the colour payoff way more intense than Lustres. This is like my perfect Autumn lip shade!

Onto the Reds! I bought M.A.C. Red for when I want to sport a red lip, but my lips aren't quite in the condition to be going matte, like the other options. This is a satin finish, so it's not as creamy as some of the formulas, but that's good since it means the wear time is pretty damn good. This is your classic bright red, looks good on everyone.

I think Ruby Woo is the red lipstick from MAC that everyone has. The colour is almost identical to MAC Red, but my god it's matte. This might be my most worn MAC lippie, but I really do think this is a little too matte. Like, don't even attempt this if you haven't scrubbed and moisturised your lips within an inch of their lives before hand. This is probably my go to night out shade, I just love how it looks. It's slightly berry-y, so it's quite warming, and it's a great shade for Christmas! 

Last one! Russian Red is darker than the other two reds, and probably my favourite of the three (I left it on after taking this photo, and 6 hours later it's still going strong, not one touch up needed). Because it's darker, and not as bright as the other two, I find this one a little easier to pull off in the day. It's a Matte finish like Ruby Woo, but this is nowhere near as dry! I actually find that this applies creamy and sets matte. The wear time is excellent and it doesn't go all over your face either like some reds (ahemmm, Apocalips, Rouge Volupte, Bourjois Colour Boost). 

Honestly, if you made it through all of that, I salute you. That's no mean feat that. 

I kind of feel like I have all my MAC lipstick needs fulfilled so I can't imagine I'll be buying any more any time soon!

What's your favourite MAC lipstick?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!