MAC Haul (Duty-Free and Selfridges)

I should have put this post up ages ago but a few things got in the way but it's here finally . If you are regular reader of my blog, you'd know I travelled to Nigeria in May which meant I went to Duty Free stores in both Amsterdam and London Heathrow and I picked up a few MAC goodies. I own quite a fair few MAC products; mainly lipsticks which I got free via their Back to MAC programme and others I just love and can't find any suitable dupes for e.g. MAC Brow Pencil in Stud. I already had a wishlist at hand and I actually checked in early at the Airport because I wanted a nice little wander in Duty Free. Sadly, the MAC counters both in Amsterdam and London did not have the eye shadow for the flat palettes i.e. the ones that don't need to be depotted.. They also did not have MAC Lipliner in Cork which I really wanted to try. Anyway,  I still picked up other items I had been lusting after and the good thing with duty free is discounted by 20%..:-). I also went to Selfridges a few weeks back and bought a few items as well. I was going to wait till Debenhams had their 10% discount but I knew that may take ages so I just took the plunge. I went in originally to just get another free lipstick via the Back to MAC programme but doing  just that seemed a little impossible when I was surrounded by beautiful beauty and skin care products..you all know how Selfridges Beauty Hall could be so enticing!!









                                                         Duty Free MAC Haul

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Dark

I had been lusting after the MSF (as it's called) for a really long time especially after reading and watching many sterling reviews on blogs and videos respectively. It has to be one of the best setting and finishing powder. It is very pigmented and gives good coverage although it does not give you a cakey look. However, for best results, it's always smart to go with a light hand. I got the shade Dark which I think is perfect for my skin. MSF's can also be used as a bronzer and for contour (if you get a darker shade) and a highlighter(if you get a lighter shade). I love it!! I promise a full review soonest; I feel like an absolute tease as this this has been featured in more than a few posts; I just love it!!

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC50

This has been my HG concealer for a long time but something strange happened. It just seems a little dry for my skin especially when I came back to London. In Nigeria, it was okay but I just don't know what has come over it. However, I moisten my concealer brush with a Makeup Fix Spray (I am currently loving the Kuddy Cosmetics Makeup Fix Spray for this) and they are amazing together. Apart from its strange dryness, it is a full coverage concealer and it completely hides any blemishes no matter how unsightly this looks. Best to moisturise really well before application but I still love it although I think I may try other MAC concealers soon. I know this is a little dark for me but I apply it with a really light hand and it completely covers my dark blemishes which are super dark and annoying :-(

MAC Lipstick in Spirit

Would you believe this is the first MAC lipstick I have purchased although I already had 4 before this which were all free via Back to MAC. I wanted a nude lipstick because that's the look I prefer especially for everyday/work. I chose this over Freckletone/Shy Girl/Velvet Teddy because it just looked better although I think I may pick these up as well. The thing is I have not really heard/read/watched many reviews on this shade but I really like it. You definitely need a lip liner for this especially if you have a similar skin tone to mine but it is lovely. For my skin tone, I would describe it as a true Nude/Brown with a very slight hue of flesh pink and it has a Satin Finish.

MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Stud

I have gone through at least 15 of this brow pencils through the years because I just love it. I can't find any dupes for this at all and it's just in a world of its own. Of course, it's annoying that it is in a characteristic MAC Opaque packaging so you can't really tell when it is going to finish. One day, you'd discover it's gone and that's a bummer!! Other than that, it is super and my HG brow pencil.  My shade is Stud which is a dark brown shade and it matches my brows really well.  It can used to outline and fill in the brows. It's amazing!! I am keen on trying other products for my eyebrows like the Hourglass Brow Pencil and Anastasia Dip Pomade.

                                                                Selfridges MAC Haul 

MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo

I don't think this needs any introduction because everyone and their mamas have Ruby Woo or have used it at some point. It is a True Red that matches almost everyone's skin tone; it's like magic and I am in awe as to how MAC has managed to pull this off. It is Matte which means it can be a little drying on the lips and it is  very unforgiving on cracked lips (you really don't want that happening, trust me). I always make sure I Exfoliate (Lush Lip Scrub in Popcorn is perfect) and use a nourishing Lip Balm (Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm is divine for this) underneath to curb any uninspiring dryness. I did not purchase this; I got it back through Back to MAC so it was free.

MAC Lipstick in Love Lorn

I was googling MAC lipsticks suitable for dark skinned ladies and I came across Love Lorn and I liked what I saw. Although I have Girl About Town which is more of a deeper pink/purple, I wanted something more sheer but still pink and suitable for a muted everyday look. When I swatched it in-store, I fell in love with it and I know we would have a nice time together.  It has a Lustre finish so there is no need for any Lip Gloss although it all depends on preference but I don't usually pair this with a lip gloss. I would describe it as a sheer pink shade with slight hues of lilac which  think should be flattering for a range of skin tones and it is one of my favourite shades this Summer.

MAC Eye shadow Duo Palette

This was another item I wanted from duty free but they also did not have it. I already have the Quad which was reviewed here. I wanted the Duo to store my crease and brow bone eye shadows and for ease of travelling. Not much to talk about here but it's very travel friendly and makeup bag friendly. The lids click really easily and it is transparent so you can see what eye shadows you have. I think it looks cute!!

MAC Eye shadow in Sumptuous Olive

I first came across this Eye Shadow from Black Pearl Blog and it looked stunning on her. Although, we have very different skin tones, I knew this would be equally flattering on me because it seemed like a universal shade and I was not wrong. As the name implies; it's an olive shade with insane pigmentation as expected with all MAC eye shadows. It can be layered for a deeper olive colour or applied with a light hand for a light olive shade. Either ways, it is beautiful and after Cranberry and Amber Lights, this is my favourite MAC eye shadow.

MAC Eye Shadow in Rice Paper

This is also another Eye shadow  I have had on on my wish list for ages and it always seems to be out of stock on Debenhams website. I bought this mainly to highlight my brow bone and it does this really amazingly. Of course, it can be used as a normal eye shadow especially if you have lighter skin but to be honest, I have the sneaky feeling it would be flat on my eye lids. It now lives in my duo palette with MAC Cork which is one of the best transition and crease eye shadows I have tried.

That's it folks. I hope this has helped elongate your MAC wishlist if you don't have any of the products mentioned. See you in my next haul and apologies for a super long post but c'mon, it's MAC and a long post is the only option to do justice to it..xxx