The MAC Makeup Thread

[fashionista-ta]

^ Yes, I've used several of them ... right now I have Mylar, and I've had Gesso in the past. I think there's one called Vanilla? I forget what else ... I use them as a base & used to get a different color every time, but I'm pretty happy with Mylar--this is at least my 2nd. I am very fair, so it works ... it just looks like my skin except brighter.

 

[daisybella]

Yeah Rose Romance wasn't really one for the MAC fanatics, but Style Warriors is, and Naked Honey is apparently amazing.

I honestly found Rose Romance perfect for me, but then I'm super pale, and the soft colours suited my skin tone perfectly.
I didn't buy a lot,
only Of Summer e/s, Mutiny Pigment and Et tu, Bouquet? e/s
but my favourite MA used the beauty powder and one of the lipsticks on me (way to love, I think) and argh, I could have bought it all!
The only thing I thought was a let down was the gel blusher, I had high hopes, but it was too...red. I think a deep pink would have been better.

I'm quite excited for Style Warriors too, though my bank acct isn't.

 

[Trista]

I am lucky as I got a $50 MAC giftcard for my birthday. I am definitely getting Bright Future and Fierce & Fabulous, and I am considering Eversun. The gel blush isn't really my thing-a lot of people love it though.

I went to the CCO today and sadly the MAC was the last priority on the shipment-but I did pick up You Say Tomato (a Mattene) and I love it. It's the perfect warm red, and the texture is amazing as well. I'm also going to have to track down 40's Pink.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ How ever did they guess what you wanted?

You really should have a career in makeup, Trista ...

 

[Trista]

I am considering a career in makeup...while I don't know about all the foundations, and I need help with application of things (I rarely do makeup on others), I had a couple MAC artists tell me that I should consider working there.

As far as the giftcard, she is one of my best friends, who had never even HEARD of MAC before she met me, and I took her to the Cult of Cherry launch event last August.

When it comes to whites, I mainly use Crystal Avalanche but I need Dazzlelight too. Vanilla (the shadow) is not that good from what I heard. My friend loves Blanc Type and swears by it. Vellum (now a PRO shade) is also really good-but I stick to my main three: Crystal Avalanche, Solar White (in the Rose is a Rose quad), and Rose Blanc.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I think you definitely should ... I've done other people's makeup before & it looked much better than what they did themselves, it's not that hard And, I absolutely know you would be better than the MAC ... I think they call them business managers ... who recently left me looking like someone had punched me out to the point people were staring The bar is not that high, fear not

Vanilla has a slightly yellow cast to it ... just depends on whether that's what you want. As someone I used to work with was fond of saying, "I liked Thousand Island till I tried honey mustard" I have used Vellum too & like it.

 

[Trista]

My thing is that I need to get experience with using more of the brushes because I actually haven't used a whole ton of them, believe it or not, and I need to practice the application as well as get a portfolio made. I also can't do a smokey eye to save my life, I tried doing one yesterday and it was terrible-and at MAC, the smokey eye is the look you're probably going to be doing the most for appointments. I do hope to apply by the end of the year though-maybe goad some friends into having me do their makeup for practice.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

I think you would be a great makeup-artist, as you seem so enthusiastic about makeup. I have two makeup artist friends (one I met on the job, and she was so talented and nice I kept going back to her), and this is what I've gathered about becoming a mu artist: You don't necessarily have to go to school for it, but some seminars on technical issues are important. They mainly teach you the correct professional behavior for a mu artist; primarily hygeine procedures, which are quite different from when you apply makeup on yourself. They also teach you application techniques for different mediums (theater, television, indoor/outdoor events etc.), not all of which are easy to learn on your own. Oh, and any kind of art training or art history background is very helpful, as you learn about color, light, and proportion in a way that can be applied to anything (makeup art, fashion styling, interior decorating etc.) Best of luck to you

 

[thesiren]

mylar is my go-to white as well, and i'm also very fair. i also like nylon, but it's more yellow-white with some shimmer, but i find the shimmer is drastically reduced after blending.

trista - you seem to know more about makeup than most MAC SAs i've worked with, so i think you have a strong chance!

thanks to this thread and the countless youtube videos i'm addicted to, i want to run out and buy a whole boatload of items, especially brushes, shadesticks and shadows. i have a strong collection of makeup (not all MAC, a mix of it with nars) and i need NO MORE colors for my eyes. brushes, i could use though imho. i do have the basics, but i'd eventually like one brush for my blues/greens, one for neutrals, one for charcoal/black shadows, etc.

 

[fashionista-ta]

My thing is that I need to get experience with using more of the brushes because I actually haven't used a whole ton of them, believe it or not, and I need to practice the application as well as get a portfolio made. I also can't do a smokey eye to save my life, I tried doing one yesterday and it was terrible-and at MAC, the smokey eye is the look you're probably going to be doing the most for appointments. I do hope to apply by the end of the year though-maybe goad some friends into having me do their makeup for practice.

It seems like it would be OK just to use the brushes you want to use, right?

I do a simple, low-key smokey eye by applying (say for grey) silver all over, angling a mid-grey in from the side as usual, and then putting black just in the corner. I'm sure all you need is a little practice. I'd let you practice on me, but I think we live about 1500 miles away from each other

Not sure what the licensing requirements in your state are, but it seems like weddings would be a good place to get some practice. Not for smokey eyes but I know wedding parties do come to the counter to get their makeup done.

I have Kevyn Aucoin's book ... he used to practice on his mom & sister & they are right there in the book

 

[Trista]

Yeah my mum is rarely ever home but I'll try and practice on her, if for no other reason the she needs to start using some MAC. Practice is definitely something I need a lot of, the brushes that I use on myself are different from the ones I would use on other people, that's for sure. I'm sure that I will be able to get mascara and eyeliner down fairly quickly, and foundation will take awhile longer because I haven't worn foundation in years and I've never worn concealer. All in due time though. I would want to go in and be able to hit the ground running because I've dealt with a lot of people who don't have the product knowledge.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ We have no fears for you on the product knowledge front

 

[Trista]

It also helps that I wouldn't be looking at it as "oh, just another job". I think you can honestly tell when people have a passion for what they are doing and especially with a brand like MAC, you need to have people who are truly passionate about the products.

 

[Trista]

So guess who went to see Style Warriors today?

Honestly, this collection is for MAC fanatics what Hello Kitty was for the average person. I picked up On A Mission, Bright Future, and Fierce & Fabulous. As with Rose Romance, the lipglasses are the standout BY FAR. The Lustre Drops are a very concentrated liquid highlighter-I recommend mixing some with your moisturizer. I almost got some but I really wanted F&F. Bright Future is very, very close to Bright Sunshine, which is good since I just hit pan on my thing of Bright Sunshine. On A Mission is a plummy shade, however I don't need to worry about Eversun so much yet because I have Spaced Out as well as several other bronzey shades from other brands. I have a long list of other things to get-the rest of the lipglasses, Sunsational (such a pretty peachy-gold), Vibrant Grape, Solar Riche, and so forth.

The dud? Soft Force. It's like Solar White meets Rose Blanc as far as colour goes, but it's really chunky.

 

[thesiren]

ahhh! lucky!

i NEED bright future, but that's my only for sure purchase thus far.

strongly considering tribalist and brave new for lipsticks, and the two neutral nail polishes because i think they'll look gorgeous with a tan later in the summer.

i'm kind of wanting strong force, but i have plenty of neutral whites/beiges.

 

[Trista]

Definitely skip Soft Force. It's a horrid VP and highlight shades are a dime a dozen. The nail polishes will probably sell out as will Bright Future. I am going to have to get at least one more of it, potentially more-because I love yellows that much. I swatched it next to Bright Sunshine and Bright Sunshine is frostier and a smidge brighter, while Bright Future is a smidge darker and more "glowy".

 

[thesiren]

hm...that makes it more wearable, so it will definitely sell out.

you're right about strong force. i currently have vanilla, two nylons, the semi-shimmer neutral side of nars misfit and a neutral stila pan. neutral overload, imho.

do you think nylon paired with bright future will be too shiny overall? i'll likely pair it with vanilla or the neutral nars (which is more peach neutral than white neutral)

 

[Trista]

Not at all. The most logical way is to do a wash of Bright Future with Nylon from the crease to the brow, but you could also do a wash of Nylon with Bright Future in the outer corner. The highlight shades I mainly use are Crystal Avalanche, Rose Blanc, and Solar White, plus I have Nylon (in the Manish palette), Hoppin' (from Heaterette Trio 1), and then Helium, Lark About, and Jardin Aires pigments. I have hit pan on Solar White, but I am getting the Nordie's quad so I'll have another Solar White I mean, today I am wearing a wash of Bright Future with Gold Dusk on the inner corner, Gold Mode in the crease, and Gold Stroke on the outer third. It definitely isn't too shiny-then again, I do not own a matte, and very few satins.

Because the last time that there was a yellow in a collection was two years ago, people are going to go crazy over this. After additional testing, the payoff is way better than a shadow like Bright Sunshine. I would say texture-wise, it's very close to Aquavert.

 

[Psst!It's...Evie]

I just bought an empty Pro Colour Pallatte X 15. Is there a place where I can find blush and eyeshadow refills that are not as expensive as the ones MAC themselves are selling?

 

[Suburban Snob]

Urban Decay and Jane makes eyeshadow that fit into the 15 palette