I've been thinking of some good posts to do to ease me into the wide world of blogging and I decided that just a run through of my favourite make-up items may be a good starter. When I was trying to decide, I noticed that it may be too hard to narrow it down to just one because of the massive collection I have (I have problems) so I decided to narrow it down to doing my favourite products within one brand. Today, I'll begin with MAC cosmetics!
I first heard of MAC when i first joined the make-up community and it seemed like it was the only brand that anyone ever spoke about so of course being the junkie I was I had to try! The first thing I ever bought was the select cover up concealer in NW20 which is still going strong today and that was about 3 years ago. Nowadays, I have built up a bit of a collection but have no means got as much as a lot of people and I haven't got something from every branch of make-up type such as mascaras or eyeliners. MAC is deffinitely one of my favourite brands of all time, up there with Estee Lauder and my all time love BeneFit! Anyway lets get to it...
Eyes-
Eyeshadow - My favourite eyeshadow from MAC and possibly favourite out of any other brand is Satin Taupe. It is a gorgeous cool toned purpley browny taupe and suits my cool toned skin beautifully and the browns and purples bring out my blue eyes. The colour looks beautiful with any other eyeshadow really (i like to wear it with MAC Soft Force) and is interesting enough to be worn alone.
Base - This is a bit of a cheat because it is the only base I own from MAC, but Painterly Paint Pot is such a wearable and diverse colour that I don't feel I need any other. I wear it when i want to cover up veins in my eyes, and it works well doubled up as a concealer. It creates a blank canvas but has enough stick to allow the eyeshadow you apply to adhere to it and intensify the colour.
Face-
Foundation - My favourite high-end foundation has got to be Face and Body. I own N3 which matches me perfect (NW20) even though it is slightly more yellow-based than other foundations. It is a very sheer foundation and I can only use it alone when my skin is behaving. My main use for this foundation is to use it over another foundation that is either too matte (this adds a gorgeous glow), not enough coverage, or I want my make-up too last (once set this is waterproof).
Powder - My favourite powder from MAC is their loose set powder. The colour I have is Lilac which I'm pretty sure is a pro colour. The actual colour on the skin doesn't translate as lilac but it gives a brightening effect to the skin. The actual powder is very finely milled and once briskly swiped across my face with an ELF bronzing brush it sets my foundation without giving my very dry skin a flaky appearance (this is something I struggle with in most powders).
Concealer - This is a bit of a tricky one for me because I adore every single MAC concealer and I think they all work perfectly for different areas; for this reason I'm allowing myself one for spots and one for under-eyes ;). My choice for spot concealing or redness would probably be Studio Sculpt (NW20) because it so opaque and creamy that it just completely masks any imperfection so well. The choice for my under-eye would be Pro-longwear (NW20) because it is light enough for it to not crease but it is enough coverage to cover my heavy darkness and blue veins.
Highligher - I am a complete highlighter whore, not just with MAC but with any brand; highlighter is probably my most bought product after foundation and the one I can never resist. I put this down to my dry skin which leaves me dull and needing a pick me up. Most of my highlighters are from MAC which makes this decision tricky, so again I will give myself two quotas - Powder and Cream/Liquid. For cream/liquid, I love my Cream Colour Bases. I own Shell, Hush, Luna and Pearl which are alllll equally as beautiful - I just close my eyes and reach in to my container and which-ever I pull out I am happy to use for the day. I don't really favour one over another but the one that gives the best glow would have to be Luna. This is a pure white based highlighter than gives the most noticable GLOW, I don't look like a big glitter ball with this. My favourite powder highlight would probably be my beauty powder in Too Chic. This comes as a suprise even to me, because I lusted after the soft and gentle mineralised skinfinish for the longest time. I do absolutely love the soft and gentle for giving a sheen to the face, but it is much more glittery than Too Chic; whereas Too Chic just gives a sheen to the tops of my cheekbones without adding glitter particles.
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| Sorry for the weird face - the best pic to show what Too Chic looks like |
Bronzer - My favourite bronzer would have to be sunny by nature mineralised skinfinish. This bronzer, to be fair is a more orange based one than others but it still looks natural and gives that 'sunkissed' look which I love because I'm so pale. It is nicely pigmented, not pigmented in the way that you have to be really careful, but pigmented in the way that you don't have to use a lot.
Blush - Up until maybe a month ago, I didn't own very much blush from MAC at all. Over the past month I have gone on somewhat of a blush craze and shamedly bought too many to count. My favourite would have to be Sweetness which I think is a Limited Edition beauty powder blush (don't ask me what collection this came out with). It is a cool toned pink with blue undertones and it is sooo very pigmented you need the tiniest bit to get a barbie pink look.
Lips -
Lipstick - I love the MAC lipsticks and I buy them mostly for their packaging and smell (I'm so naughty!). I'm not really a lipstick wearer because my lips are so small it looks a bit pathetic when I put anything on so I tend to not bother unless it is a special occasion. That being said, I will occasionaly bust out my Viva Glam GAGA which is definitely my favourite from MAC. It is a cool blue toned pink (I'm seeing a trend here!!) and compliments my skin tone better than any other lipstick I've tried (the blue also brings out the white in your teeth - always a bonus!). It may be weird to know that although I don't wear lipstick, when I do, I wear the brightest I can lay my hands on. I bought 'lickable' to wear on my birthday and I completely fell in love. It is a fuschia pink with noticable purple undertones (see picture), I've heard it being compared to 'Girl about Town'. The actual formulation of Lickable (cremesheen) is what I enjoy the most. It is quite dry (bare with me!), but in a good way... In the way that it sticks to the lips and doesn't budge for a very long time.
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| Me wearing MAC cremesheen Lipstick in 'Lickable'. |
