MAC Sharon and Kelly Collection

Okay, so I know in my Birthday Shopping Haul, I said I wouldn't be shopping for a little bit, but then MAC came out with their Sharon and Kelly Osbourne Collection! Damn you, MAC!! I'm that much of a fan of the Osbourne's, but some of the pieces in this collection were too pretty to say no to. So, of course, I picked up a couple of pieces.

After searching for some swatches and reviews of this collection (thank goodness for Karen from makeupandbeautyblog) I ended up going for Kelly's Mineralize Skinfinish in Jolly Good, and Sharon's eyeshadow quad in Duchess.

I've always wanted to try the MAC eyeshadows, as you always hear people rave about them! But, it put me off a bit, having to buy everything separately if you wanted to create a palette, so I thought that this was a great opportunity to try them out, and it also worked out cheaper. The colours are so me, aswell. I love warm, neutral colours for the eyes, especially gold colours, as they go well with my skintone and blue eyes.

The quad is made up of four colours: top: Sweet Eyes (Veluxe Pearl finish), Sexy Eyes (Veluxe Pearl finish) bottom: Femme Fatale (Satin finish) and Embark (Matte). 

Sweet Eyes is a light, golden nude shade which has a lot of shimmer. A lovely lid colour.

Sexy Eyes is a warm rose-gold/copper shimmer colour.

Femme Fatale is a lovely warm golden brown shade.

Embark is a red-toned chocolate brown colour.

For more information about the MAC eyeshadow finishes, check out Sarah's (from Eyeshadow Addicts Anonymous) post.

I'm really impressed with this quad. The shadows are really soft and creamy (especially Sweet Eyes). My favourite shade has to be Femme Fatale. The only negative point is Embark is quite powdery compared to the rest, but that's nothing new with matte eyeshadows.  

I wasn't sure which of these to get, Kelly's version or Sharon's, but I eventually decided on Kelly's hoping to use both shades as a subtle-ish highlighter.

MAC's description of this Mineralize Skinfinish:

"Two luxurious formulas in one compact. Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in light cool beige, a luxurious velvet-soft powder with natural finish and Mineralize Blush in soft pale pink. Adds buffed-up highlights to cheeks and brows, or an overall polish to the face."

This shade is called Jollygood, and the above colour description is perfect. It is very cool-toned, and also very light in colour. Texture-wise, it is very fine-milled and silky, soft. I could see this being a good bronzer and blusher on fair skins, and a gorgeous highlighter on darker skintones.

Out of the two products, I am definitely more impressed with the eyeshadow quad. I'm not totally sure how I'm going to use the MSF, or the best way to apply it yet, so I need a bit of time to play around with it.

Unfortunately, both of these products are now sold out online, but there may still be some on counters. So, if you wanted anything, I would recommend ringing your local counter up, or taking a visit, and seeing if they have any in stock.

Did you manage to pick pieces up from this collection?

MAC Groundwork

Today I bring you my third ever MAC purchase. I researched a lot before I purchased this, as MAC is expensive, and I wanted to make sure that it was something that I would like and use a lot. So, I chose a paint pot, as I thought this would be the perfect product for me, as I don't wear eyeshadow on a day-to-day basis, so this is a quick and easy way of evening out my eyelids and adding a bit of colour.

Paint Pot's are basically highly pigmented cream eyeshadows. Once applied they set quickly, and once set, they do not move! This makes them perfect as a base for eyeshadow or used by themselves as a easy eye look. I have heard mixed reviews on the MAC Paint Pot's, some saying that they creased and didn't last, but I can honestly say, that this doesn't crease on me, and lasts most of the day.

Groundwork is a matte mid-tone brown. I find that it's the perfect no-makeup-makeup look for the eyes, that I am a big fan of. It evens out any discolouration or veins on the eyelids, but looks very natural, and also adds depth to the eye. I wear this by itself as an everyday makeup look, but also wear this as a base for other eyeshadows when I want something extra, firstly because it doesn't crease on me, and secondly because I find it makes the eyeshadow colours pop more.

I use my ring finger to apply this, and then blend it out with a Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush, and find this works great. I would say though, be careful how you replace the lid and store them, as if the lid is not screwed on tightly, it will dry out quick.

I am really pleased with this product, and am tempted to try out some of their more snazzy shades.

Have you tried any Paint Pot's? What's your favourite?

MAC Hue

I have been dying to try out one of MAC's famous lipsticks, so while I was recently out running errands in Chester, I nipped to the MAC stand, and picked up a couple of things; one of which was Hue lipstick.

Hue is a soft pale pinky-nude shade with a glaze finish, making it a perfect everyday lipstick, that you don't have to worry about wearing a lip liner with, about it smudging up your face, or about reapplying it with a mirror throughout the day. The glaze finish offers a sheer, glossy finish, making it a great lipstick for lipstick-newbies as it is basically mistake-proof.

Hue has a creamy finish, and offers the perfect amount of coverage. I think that this is one of them lipsticks which will look slightly different on every person. On me, I think it looks a bit more peachy, rather than pinky. As for wear time, it's not the most long-wearing lipstick out there, but that's one of the downsides to this finish.

This being my first ever MAC lipstick, I am really impressed. I love the way it finishes off my everyday look, and I think this will now always be in my makeup bag. I would highly recommend you swatch this shade if you're ever in a MAC store. You can buy the lipstick here.

What shades do you recommend I try next?

Yes to the Fleur Power!!

So, the other week, I went shopping. (Don't you just love sentences that start like that?!) I went to Chester, a place I never usually go shopping, but I was feeling adventurous so took the plunge and went, and I have to say, I'm so glad that I did. As usual with me, I researched what shops were there, and more importantly, what brands were sold in Debenhams. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there was a MAC concession stand there! I didn't realise there was a MAC so close to me. I thought my nearest one was Liverpool (an hour - hour and a half drive away).

Once I found out that, I knew it was the perfect chance to finally go see what the fuss was about, and maybe start my MAC collection off. I did a bit of research as to what sort of product I wanted, and decided on a blush. I went to swatch some of the colours and finally decided on Fleur Power.

Available: here

MAC describe Fleur Power as a "soft bright pinkish-coral," and I feel that this describes the colour exactly. It is a Satin finish, so it's not quite matte, but leaves your cheeks slightly glowy (I personally don't like blushes with lots of shimmer in, they don't look good on me).

My only issue with this blush is, for the price (£18), the plastic on the compact seemed quite fragile, it didnt feel like the best quality, and would maybe break easily. I don't know if that's just me, but that's the impression I got.

The blush is soft and blends very easily, but be careful, as you only need the smallest tap of your brush as the product is very pigmented. I feel that this is a perfect transitional/Autumn shade, as it's not a full on bright pink or coral, but somewhere in the middle, which can look quite natural if it is sheered out.

As for this being my very first MAC blush and first proper MAC product, I am very pleased, and glad i brought it. I hope to expand my collection in the future, maybe investing in one of their blush palettes, and then just bying the blushes in the pan, rather than the compact blushes.