Thursday 9 October 2014

Collective MAC Haul | All MAC Everythin'.

Nope, your mind is not playing tricks on you. I am, in fact, uploading a blog post. I feel like the past month has been nothing but "ahhhI'veBeenSoBusyErhMaGawdSorry" but it's so true. I haven't been bogged down with many assignments or exams, but finding the time to blog when I have tonnes of reading to do is a struggle. I promise Autumn FOTD and FOTD posts in general are coming soon, very very soon.. I've been itching to put makeup on my face and photograph it for you guys!

ANYWAY. I went back home for my birthday at the end of September and this post is pretty much the result of several things. 1) I wanted one (ONE) eyeshadow from MAC for a long time and had tried 3 different MAC counters on 4 different occasions but the results were fruitless (more on that later!). 2) Having wanted only one (ONE) thing from MAC, I of course took my birthday as a good enough excuse to treat myself to said item and a lipstick (if you follow me on Instagram you'll probably have already seen my "Happy Birthday to me" self pity purchase). 3) My mother was going to Berlin and ended up texting me that she was in a MAC Pro Store.. and sure when your mother is in a MAC Pro Store don't you grab that opportunity to text her a list of "Pro only" things you'll reimburse her for?! 5) I had 2 fellow makeup junkie friends staying over for my birthday (one actually has the Youtube, so check that beaut out here) and we ended up getting into each other's makeup bags.. whoops.. terrible thing really. So, as a result of product enabling, I wanted several shiny new MAC things (also more on that later) and the girls wanted Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade... can't blame them really, it's pretty feckin' deadly! 6) I had a couple of things to Back 2 MAC and finally, 7) I had recently (ish) read a Viva Adonis post featuring some comfort shopping MAC items and decided that retail therapy was definitely a thing. Definitely. I hadn't bought quite a lot of stuff from MAC's permanent line in ages - I JUST WANTED TO OKAY :(


In short, this post could have been called a number of things; "Collective MAC Haul", "MACalackin", "I Am A Broke Student And Am Now Eating Baked Beans For The Next Month", "My Boyfriend Knows Exact Locations and Opening Hours Of Every MAC Counter In The Country" or "Product Enabling Is A Real Thing SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY" ... you get the idea.

I think you'll all agree the lipsticks look a lot nicer with the lids off! ;)


1. Pro Longwear Eyeshadow - Uninterrupted. 
Ehm, maybe I should start this post with the thing I originally went into MAC for. If you follow ANY MAC girl or most makeup-y related people on Instagram then I'm sure you've heard talk of this eyeshadow. Let's take a moment... it's not very pretty is it? It's actually quite ugly. It's okay, you can admit it... it won't know. It's a dirty mustard brown shade that seems like it would look like poo on the eye but my gaaaah this is such a useful and pretty blending/transition colour. I've been using it non stop since I got it. It's one I would have included in my previous Autumn Eyes post because it goes so well with those kind of colours. I never pay attention to the Pro Longwear eyeshadows but this has really sold me, I can't recommend it enough. Fun fact; my boyfriend saw this at the MAC store and said "Why would you want that? it's such an ugly colour" to which I replied "UGH you wouldn't understand" - the girl at the counter shook her head and added "they never do understand" #SheGetsMe



Uninterrupted. 
2. Nylon & Indian Ink Eyeshadows.
Not too long ago, I did a post on my top 10 permanent MAC eyeshadows (link here if you're interested!) I mentioned in that post that I never really reach for my shadows in the single pots, I forget about them constantly and just like the convenience of having palettes with the shades in front of me. I hadn't much intention of branching out to more MAC shades (although I did have a list not too long ago of shades I would eventually like to purchase if I ever decided to build a palette!). However, when my friend was over for my birthday I saw her palette in progress and just got the urge to make one of my own. So, my mother kindly agreed to pick up the palette and insert on her recent trip to Berlin. I suppose I'd include those things in the haul, but I think the eyeshadows are the most important part! I said on Instagram that I was 100% happy with the palette because it isn't very cohesive in colour scheme. I left a space so I could take out the brighter shadows and move them into another palette when I eventually fill this one up with all neutrals. Would anyone be interested in a MAC palette swatch post? Let me know! In the meantime, I'd love to know your eyeshadow recommendations for things to fill my palette up with :)


Before the depotting antics!
Nylon is a beautiful and very very shiny shade. If you watch any Jaclyn Hill video I'm sure you've heard about this shade. I used this as my inner corner highlight on my birthday (Thanks, Aishling you big ride!) and fell in love. The swatch really doesn't do it justice - it almost looks silvery/white on my hand but when applied to the eye it's a beautiful warm white gold. This shade is so pigmented it's insaaaane.
Next up is a Pro shade that I'd been wanting for ages. Indian Ink is a blue based purple violet matte. It's definitely a stiff matte shade like a lot of MAC mattes are, but you can definitely build up the colour and I think this could be incorporated into a lot of different looks - neutral, bright or smokey! Although this is a Pro shade, you can easily purchase it from their UK website. If you wanted something similar in the permanent range, I'd go with Fig 1 (pictured to the right of Indian Ink) It's slightly more red, but very similar and a matte texture.
Nylon.
Indian Ink (Fig 1. on the right)


Nylon, Indian Ink.

3. Mineralize Blush - Warm Soul.
This. Blush. If you watch Sam from BatALash or any beauty blogger really, you've probably heard tale of this shade. It's a cult favourite among many and I had never really felt the need to own it. That is, until my enabler of a friend came over and I wore it for my birthday. Oh my god, I put it on and just felt so happy.. it sounds stupid, but it's so true! There's not a lot of colour going on, it's a bronzey peach that just works with absolutely everything you wear on your face. It doesn't compete too much with the eyes or lips, and is just a super easy "don't have to think" colour to wear. My only gripe is the new packaging for the mineralize products.. how fake eBay mac does it look?! so horrible!



Warm Soul.




4. Patisserie Lipstick (Lustre)
Patisserie has been on my to buy list for ages now and I finally got around to getting it. It's a pretty sheer shade, but one that makes the lips look nice, plump and slightly 'nude' but without being a real nude. It's a peach colour that just adds a really nice sheen to the lips. It's hard to explain, and looks like a lot of lipsticks out there but it really isn't. One of my new favourite MAC lipsticks... maybe I'll have to regularly update my favourite MAC lipstick list!

Patisserie.

5. Kinda Sexy (Matte)
Kinda Sexy was a bit of a random one for me. I had a couple of things to Back 2 MAC, the counter was super busy and I was stuck for a colour. I picked this up and remembered hearing about it a lot from Sharon Farrell's youtube videos (QUEEN). The girl at the counter tried it on me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I thought it would be too much of a brown peach, looking weird on my skin, especially with the opaque matte texture. It looks similar to Patisserie but it definitely has more of a beige to it, which is why I wasn't too sure I'd like it. It's a very "I feel like Brigitte Bardot and want to pout my lips out" shade. These are quickly becoming my favourite types of nudes to wear, especially this time of year! This would look great with copper/gold tones on the eyes. I think the name is super appropriate for this one, it is just Kinda Sexy!


Kinda Sexy.
6. Viva Glam Rihanna I (Frost)
This was a teeny bit of an impulse buy. I got this along with Uninterrupted because I saw it at the till, looked at the newer Viva Glam Rihanna (ew is all I will say to that) and thought "it'll probably be discontinued soon with the new release, the money goes to charity, I'm being a good person"... or something. In fairness, it's not a bad lipstick, it's just not something I would pick out among the permanent line. I will always support Viva Glam, though, so I will find a use for this sometime. I'm not a huge fan of the gold and red frost running through it but it would make a beeeeautiful holiday colour for Christmas parties. Reminds me of ruby slippers a la Dorothy.


Viva Glam Rihanna I.

7. Heroine (Matte)
This shade is another one that's been on my list for a while. Since being made permanent last year, it's generally always sold out whenever I go to buy it. I was so happy to hear it was in stock and got this as another Back 2 MAC shade! Heroine is a clean, bright matte purple. I honestly can't decide whether it leans more blue or red, I think it depends on the person, the light and how you wear it. I do know that it's absolutely bad ass, though. Purple lips look so good particularly around this time of year, so I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of it. I feel like it's not a colour a lot of people would wear, which makes sense, but I love seeing people rock purple lips on the street! I'm excited to play around with different lipliners to see how it changes this colour.


Heroine.

8. Sin (Matte)
Last but certainly not least is Sin lipstick. Sin is another Pro shade that can be bought at any Pro store or online by anybody at any time! It's definitely comparable to Diva which is in the permanent range (I rave about this shade constantly so you know I'd have to buy any colour similar!) but I feel it leans slightly more red/brown than Diva (which is ever ever ever so slightly more purple). Just from initial swatching on my hand, it seems like a really dry matte.. I actually checked the back of the bullet to see if it was a retro matte because it feels really similar to Ruby Woo! That's something I definitely enjoy though, because the retro mattes last like no other. This is a great shade to get if you're visiting a Pro shop any time soon or like buying off the site. If not, they're actually releasing it later this month as part of the Rocky Horror collection for Halloween. I completely forgot about this so I'm kicking myself I didn't get it then. Something worth looking out for if you want the shade and want it in super cool packaging :)

Sin.

L-R: Patisserie, Kinda Sexy, Viva Glam Rihanna.
L-R: Heroine, Sin. 
Aaaand that's everything! I can't see myself buying anything from MAC in a while, now. I rarely do big MAC buys like this - I blame being too easily influenced by other people's makeup bags! With so many (often mediocre) limited edition collections with so much hype, it's easy to neglect the really great quality items in the permanent line. Do you own any of these items featured? Which lipstick is your favourite? Let me know below, and tell me your favourite permanent items at MAC, especially eyeshadow recommendations! As always, if you have anything you'd like me to post about in the future, let me know here or tweet me @GraceyOConnell. Keep up to date with me on Instagram, too! I recently reached over 500 followers on there, which is a small Instagram milestone to most but big to me. I post there almost daily about my life... which sometimes consists of more than just makeup, food, and cats... but not too often ;) x

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