The MAC Essentials

 

I've had this post in my to-write pile for a good couple of months now; MAC is a brand that I'm starting to feel nervous to talk about, due to the controversies surrounding animal testing, an issue that I'm increasingly thinking about these past few weeks. However, I do know that a lot of makeup lovers consider MAC to be one of the best brands out there, and I do own quite a few of their products, so I thought I'd collate my favourites that I would jump to recommend to anyone starting out with their collection.

 

Mineralise Skinfinish in Dark/Medium, £24.50

You're probably thinking, why on earth is someone as pale as me buying a face powder in such a deep shade, right? I saw on a couple of Youtube channels that the medium/dark shade of this powder is a great alternative bronzing and contour powder, and boy were they right. This powder is so smooth and blendable, and I use it to contour and to bronze up my temples and nose (I literally cannot get enough, I think MAC are unbeatable for their bronzing products.) This natural looking powder costs £24.50, which is a bit steep for a contour product, but you do get a lot of product since this was intended to be a face powder.

 

Blush in 'Harmony', £19.50

I've gone on and on about this blush in previous posts so I'll keep this short and sweet, but this "Muted rose-beige brown" really is my favourite contour product of all time. I featured this in my round up for 2016, and its my go-to for everyday, as its the kind of ashy brown shade that suits pale skin, especially on days when I'm not wearing much of a base.

 

Nutcracker Sweet Copper Face Compact, £29

Sadly, this face compact was limited edition for their 2016 Christmas collection, but I couldn't not mention it, since the highlight is one of the great loves in my make up collection. The packaging for this is everything, and the products are so beautiful. I actually did a full review of this here, if you want to take a look.



 

 

Pro Longwear Concealer, £18

This concealer is the one for tough blemishes that no other concealer seems to be able to cover. I bought this last summer in duty free and I was so impressed with the quality; its a very thick formula, which is amazing if you're looking for full coverage makeup. I do have to say though that this is too thick for underneath my eyes, so I wouldn't recommend purchasing it just for that purpose. My shade is NC15, and I love how the yellow undertone balances out the pink in my skin tone (full review here.)

 

Prep and Prime, Face (£21.20) and Lips (£14)

I absolutely love the MAC prep and prime collection - I've tried the face primer and the lip primer and they both work a treat. For some reason, primer is definitely the one item that I find most difficult to get right; a lot of face primers break me out, so when I come across a good one I hang on for dear life. The face primer smooths out any imbalance of colour in skin tone and adds a radiant look to your skin, which is really pretty, and the lip primer? Say hello to your new best friend. If you like liquid lipsticks but feel like they put your lips through a trauma, then applying this beforehand means your lips keep their moisture, and also keeps product on longer. This is definitely in my top three products from the brand, purely because its one of the most unique and useful.

 

Eyeshadow, £13.50

I'm pretty sure that the formula of these shadows in the make up world is iconic already, but I still want to mention them, since I have a couple of shades that I just wouldn't be able to live without. I buy these in their full packaging instead of just the magnetic pan, because I think the black outerwear looks so sleek and so 'mac', you know? I have the shades Woodwinked and Mythology, which are both shimmers, and I have to say that the shimmer formula is one of the most pigmented I've found. These are pricey, and I would still admit that Makeup Geek is 10x more cost efficient, but if you want to treat yourself, these are your gals.



 

 

Lip Glass in 'Myth', £15

I know this is expensive for a gloss, but anyone who's read this blog before knows that my guilty pleasure is definitely in the lipgloss spectrum. The formula of the lipglasses aren't my all time favourite because they are slightly more on the tacky side, but I do love the shade range, and the shade Myth is just a gorgeous nude gloss with a slight shimmer, perfect for everyday wear or over the top of another lipstick. Word of warning though: don't wear this when you have your hair down on a windy day.

 

Lipstick, £16.50

How could I not mention the MAC lipstick range? I haven't bought any new shades in the past six months, but I do have quite a few shades (check out my collection here, minus a couple of new additions) and the formula is second to none. My absolute go-to is Patisserie, which is a "sheer, creamy neutral pink" in a lustre finish, perfect for applying in a rush since it isn't too heavy. By now you've probably gathered that I gravitate towards a glossy finish in my lip products. Another firm favourite in my collection is Spirit, a "Muted pinky-beige brown" in a satin finish, which looks almost matte but without the drying texture. This shade reminds me of my 18th, which is why its a special one in my collection.

 

What's your favourite product from MAC?