MAC Monday: MAC Satin Taupe Eye Shadow

Satin Taupe was the first MAC eye shadow that I bought. It was a couple of years ago and I wandered into the White City Westfield MAC Store and asked them what I 'needed'. I had heard beauty bloggers mention Satin Taupe as a must have so it seemed a good place to start!

As it was my first MAC eye shadow I bought it in the single pot because I didn't have my larger pro-palette at this time. Nowadays I always choose the pro palette format as I find them much more convenient for travel. I also find that just like Woodwinked (which I also bought as a single pot - see my swatches HERE) my single pots tend to get lost amongst my expanding make up collection and I just reach for my palettes instead. What a waste! (Obviously I really need to improve my make up storage!).

At first glance, Satin Taupe doesn't look like much. But it is more than just a cool toned taupe. Satin Taupe is a Frost finish and this gives the eye shadow a slight iridescence and a silver shimmer. It also has a pinky colour to it in certain lights.

MAC Monday: MAC On Hold Lipstick

I bought MAC On Hold when I visited the MAC store in Birmingham recently. I'm always a sucker for a new MAC lipstick and I'm starting to exhaust the usual colours I would choose. Slowly I'm being more adventurous with colour and I think this is what lead me to buy On Hold.

On Hold is a Cremesheen finish so it is opaque and creamy. It lasts quite well - not as long as a matte but longer than a glossy lipstick. The lipstick is packaged in the usual MAC black plastic bullet and like all MAC lipsticks has that lovely vanilla scent.

MAC On Hold - has a golden shimmer to it

On Hold is quite a bright colour on me. It is a pinky red or coral with a slight gold shimmer to it. Looking at swatches and photos of it on other people it can look quite subtle, but on me I think it looks quite bright red. Although if you are a regular My Beautopia reader you will know that I always panic about a bright lip! Perhaps I wouldn't pull it off as a daytime shade but it would be perfect for the evening.

MAC Monday: MAC Woodwinked Eye Shadow

In my opinion, MAC eye shadows are the best out there. This perhaps goes some way to explain why I have so many of them! So this week's MAC Monday is dedicated to an eye shadow I have been wearing a lot recently - MAC Woodwinked.

I bought Woodwinked a year ago when I passing through an airport. I normally buy MAC eye shadows in the pro palette format - they are slightly cheaper and fit into my big palette. But in the airport they only had the single eyeshadow pots. I must admit that when I returned from that holiday the single pot got lost somewhere amidst the chaos of my make up collection. It was a case of out of sight out of mind for a while, until someone mentioned it online and I had to dig it out!

Woodwinked is a veluxe pearl finish eye shadow, so it has some shimmer to it - but not chunky glitter. It is very soft and easily blendable. Colour wise it is an antique gold colour with hints of a yellow toned bronze. It really brings out the blue of my eyes but would also look good with brown or green eyes.

MAC Monday: MAC Ravishing Lipstick

After my recent foray into the limited edition MAC Osbournes collection, I have returned to the permanent range for this week's MAC Monday. Lipsticks are always my weakness, because I am always searching for the absolute perfect specimen which works for all occasions (mind you I came pretty close with this one but I keep on looking just in case...). So in my most recent MAC visit I couldn't help but pick up Ravishing as a perfect summer colour.

Ravishing is a pale peachy coral colour with an undertone of warm pink. It is a really wearable colour for day or night. The colour is buildable so you can wear it a little bolder with a couple of coats or blot it for something more natural. It is not as orange or bright as Vegas Volt, not as coral as Costa Chic, but brighter than Shy Girl. At this time of year I love the orange and coral colours for lipsticks. I don't really wear anything too bold, so something like Ravishing is a great choice for me.

MAC Monday: Sharon Osbourne Collection part 4 - Peaches & Cream Powder Blush

This week's MAC Monday post is dedicated to my final purchase from the recent Sharon Osbourne collection. It is the much hyped Powder Blush in Peaches & Cream. When I read some pre-release posts about this collection it was this blusher that everyone was getting excited about. I will admit that I was so keen to get my hands on this collection that I gave into the hype and added it to my online shopping basket without much thought.

I think the name is a little misleading as this is a rose blush rather than a peach one. I assume the name references the idea of creating a 'peaches & cream complexion' - with a natural rosy tone. On me it is quite close to the colour that I turn when I blush. A make up artist once told me this is the shade of blusher you should aim for. (I will admit that I'm not sure about that seeing as I am prone to blushing and don't really want to emphasise it). However it is a pretty shade.

MAC Monday: Sharon Osbourne collection part 3 - Mineralize Skinfinish in Refresh

So here it is - my third installment of my recent MAC Sharon Osbourne Collection haul. This was a collection that I was really drawn to because the products are just so pretty! As you will know from my previous posts, I really indulged myself with the beautiful Duchess Eye Shadow Quad (review HERE) and the Patentpolish Lip Pencils (review HERE). But this week's MAC Monday post is dedicated to the MAC Sharon Osbourne Mineralize Skinfinish in Refresh.

Normally I'm not fanatical about bronzers, highlighters and blushes. I will buy them if I think I need the shade but I don't have the same irrational need that comes into play when I am choosing lipsticks (where I need ALL of the lipsticks in the same shades...). I chose the Sharon Osbourne Mineralize Skinfinish in Refresh because I liked the idea of a bronzer and a highlight in the same pan. I will admit that a certain element of shopping frenzy came into play when I ordered, as the collection had literally just gone live online and I didn't want to miss out!

Like the rest of the Sharon Osbourne Collection, the packaging is red instead of the standard MAC black. The clear plastic lid also has Sharon Osbourne's signature across it in lilac. The lid clicks shut so I would be confident that the packaging is sturdy enough to protect the product if you kept it in a make up bag or a handbag.

MAC Monday: Sharon Osbourne Collection Part 2 - Patentpolish Lip Pencils

If you read last week's post you will already know that I had a MAC splurge on the new Sharon Osbourne Collection. Last week I reviewed the Duchess Eye Shadow Quad (HERE). This week I wanted to show you the two MAC Sharon Osbourne Patentpolish Lip Pencils that I bought.

A few weeks ago I snapped up four Patentpolish Lip Pencils when MAC first released them (which I reviewed HERE). The name is quite misleading as they are actually chunky lip crayons that deliver sheer lip colour with a balm type feel. When I bought some of the original Patentpolishes I read that there would be some additional colours as part of the Sharon Osbourne Collection and I made sure I pounced on them as soon as they were released! These are the same formula as the original Patentpolishes but the packaging is red with Sharon Osbourne's signature in lilac.

The two colours that I chose were French Kiss and Ruby. The Sharon Osbourne Collection also has Patentpink (a cool toned Barbie pink) and Innocent (a sheer almost clear nude) which were part of the original release. But I skipped past those as it was the new colours that I was excited about.

MAC Monday: Sharon Osbourne Collection pt 1 - Duchess Eye Shadow Quad

Aside from my well documented MAC obsession, I was really excited when I first saw details about the MAC Osbournes collection. This wasn't because I hold any particular fascination with Sharon or Kelly Osbourne, but because I thought the Sharon Osbourne collection looked really amazing. Quite often in a MAC collection there are one or two stand out items, but this time I wanted nearly everything!

Having a habit of waiting to see swatches online before taking the plunge I often miss the boat. This time I already knew exactly what I wanted by the time the collection released online. I even continually scoured the internet for a couple of days waiting for the moment that the products appeared online. The big UK launch was in Selfridges last week and the collections were available on their website exclusively for the first day. I always resist buying online from Selfridges as I hate paying the huge delivery charge and I don't live close enough to click and collect. Luckily Debenhams sprang to my rescue the next afternoon and I immediately ordered my selection. Thank God I did! By that evening some of the products were already out of stock.

MAC Monday: MAC Teddy Eye Kohl

When Anna at Viviana Does Make Up asked her readers for the perfect warm brown eyeliner, the overwhelming response was MAC Teddy Eye Kohl. I had forgotten that I had this in my stash as one of my first MAC purchases. This was a great prompt for me to rediscover it.

I always use eyeliner and I always go for a brown. Somehow black eyeliner just looks too harsh on me, the only exception being if I was going for a really dramatic liquid eyeliner look. Oddly though my mascara is always black - its just a combo that works well for me. If eyeliner has too much of a grey or cool tone to it it accentuates the dark circles under my eyes and makes me look tired. But a warm toned brown with hints of red, gold or bronze works really well and brings out the blue of my eyes. MAC Teddy Eye Kohl definitely has that warm golden undertone which looks better on me. It also has a pretty pearl type finish to it which makes it a little more interesting than a matte brown.

MAC Monday: MAC Please Me matte lipstick

I was raving about MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick recently (which I reviewed HERE) when one of my lovely readers asked whether I had ever tried MAC Please Me Lipstick? Both of these are from MAC's matte range. I love Kinda Sexy so much that I have been keen to try some other matte colours. I was convinced and immediately went online and ordered it!

MAC Monday: MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil

MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencils

As a fan of Chubby Stick style lip balm crayons and pencils, I have been looking forward to the release of the MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencils. Recently I have found myself wearing balm sticks more and more and they are an especially great product for summer time.

MAC Monday: MAC 217 Blending Brush

MAC 217 Blending Brush

The MAC 217 Blending Brush has to be a make up kit staple for so many people. If you only own one decent brush then this really should be it! I think this must be one of MAC's most cult products and I know that some people actually own several of them.

The MAC 217 Blending Brush can be used to apply or blend eyeshadow or cream eyeshadow. The fibres are densely packed and arranged in an oval shape. The brush has a long wooden handle, feels nice in your hand and is easily controllable.

MAC Monday: MAC Greenluxe Veluxe Pearlfusion Eyeshadow Palette

The MAC Greenluxe Veluxe Pearlfusion Eyeshadow Palette is a little compact containing 5 eyeshadows. Greenluxe is the green palette amongst the 6 MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Palettes that came out last summer.

The individual shades don't seem to have names, but they range from shimmery champagne shadows to greyish-khaki greens through to browny dark greens. Don't be afraid of it being green, even if you don't normally wear green eyeshadow this could be for you. The greens are warm yellowy brown tones and certainly not blue, cool pastel greens (in case the idea of green eye shadow conjures up an image of 80s horror!).

MAC Greenluxe Veluxe Pearlfusion Eyeshadow Palette swatches in artifical light

MAC Greenluxe Veluxe Pearlfusion Eyeshadow Palette swatches in natural light

MAC Monday: MAC Pressed Blot Powder

The Make Up Artist I used for my wedding first recommend MAC Blot Powder to me. At my trial she suggested a few things I should buy to use throughout the day and Blot Powder was one. This was a few years ago now and to be honest I wasn't really interested in make up then. But I dutifully trotted off to Selfridges and bought the powder.

To be honest I don't recall whether I actually got round to using it on my wedding day - as I said I wasn't really into make up back then and I was too busy enjoying myself to care about a shiny nose! So after the wedding it was relegated to the back of a drawer - I even recall considering throwing it out a few years ago... Thank goodness I didn't!!

MAC Monday: MAC Swiss Chocolate Eye Shadow

Seeing as it is Easter weekend, what could be more fitting than MAC's Swiss Chocolate eye shadow? This week's MAC Monday looks almost good enough to eat!!

MAC's Swiss Chocolate is a matte shadow, it doesn't look like much in the pan but is nicely pigmented, soft and blends well. It is a great crease or transition colour depending on how bold you want to go, or you can use it over the whole lid for a simple look.

I bought Swiss Chocolate a few months ago when I wanted a darker brown matte shadow to use in the outer corners of my eyes or as eye liner. MAC's Espresso often gets mentioned in this category, but Swiss Chocolate is a warmer toned brown with more of a red undertone. I had been so impressed with MAC's Soft Brown eye shadow (a lighter but similarly toned brown matte shadow - see my review HERE) that I knew the warmer tones complement my blue eyes better and so it was an easy decision. I bought it in the pro palette form to add to my growing collection of MAC shadows. They are slightly cheaper to buy this way and easier to store and transport (I also find that if I have shadows in the single pots lurking in my drawer I tend to forget about them!).

MAC Monday: MAC Chroma Copper Cobra Nail Polish

MAC Chroma Copper Cobra Nail Polish

I don't know whether 'vintage' make up is a thing or not, but this week's MAC Monday choice is definitely vintage! I mentioned this nail polish a few weeks ago during the weekly #30sbloggers Twitter chat (Sundays 9pm UK time), so I just had to review it soon. Not only that, but this nail polish was my first ever MAC purchase!

I bought the MAC Chroma Copper Cobra nail polish on a trip to London back in October 2000.... yes 2000 (I did say vintage!). To put in context how ancient this is - I was visiting the Millenium Dome when it was still an exhibition and not the O2 Arena as you know it now. I went with some friends and part of our adventure was a little shopping trip to Harvey Nichols. Desperate to buy something, I found myself on my first ever visit to a MAC counter - and it was this nail polish that caught my eye.

MAC Monday: MAC 210 Precise Eye Liner Brush

MAC 210 Precise Eye Liner Brush

You can have the most fantastic products, but you also need the right tools to get the best from them. This couldn't be more true for something like eyeliner. So this week's MAC Monday is all about one of my favourite MAC brushes.

I wear eyeliner every day, sometimes pencil for a softer look, sometimes liquid liner for a sharp defined look, or very often gel liner for something in between. Gel eyeliner is a fantastic look for everyday - precise but soft at the same time. I have always been a fan of good old liquid eyeliner - but it is not for the faint-hearted. To apply it right you must be bold and fast to make sure that line doesn't waver. It is also a struggle to get it even on each side - after all they do say 'never ask someone wearing liquid eyeliner why they are late'....

In contrast gel eyeliner gives a similar look to liquid, but you can apply it slowly and build the line slowly. The key to this is finding the right brush. Many gel eyeliners don't come with a brush when you buy them, so you need to make sure you have the right one in your toolkit. For my money, the MAC 210 Precise Eye Liner Brush is it!

MAC Monday: MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick

MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick

You will know from last week's post that I had a little MAC haul last Sunday. I managed to get my hands on the beautiful new Warm Neutral Eyeshadow Palette (see my post HERE) which I absolutely love. I also picked up a beautiful new lipstick whilst caught up in the shopping frenzy of it all. I am so glad I did because MAC's Kinda Sexy is already my new favourite!

MAC's Kinda Sexy is a matte formula lipstick. Usually I favour a glossy neutral lip and a matte bold or bright colour. So - I guess I broke all my normal rules on this one, but it works! Initially I was trying on peachy neutral shades such as Shanghai Spice and Peach Blossom. I had seen beautiful swatches of them online. But on me they really didn't show up at all. So I reached for Kinda Sexy and instantly loved it.

MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick swatch

MAC Monday: Fantasy of Flowers Part 2 - Mineralize Blush in Petal Power

MAC Mineralize Blush In Petal Power

Now for Part 2 of my Fantasy of Flowers reviews!

Staying on the theme of blusher and more specifically the recent Fantasy of Flowers Limited Edition Collection - this week's MAC Monday is dedicated to MAC Petal Power Mineralize Blush.

Last week I reviewed the Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose (HERE) which is also part of the Fantasy of Flowers collection. When I bought this I just couldn't chose between Stereo Rose or Petal Power and in the heat of the moment ended up with both!  So now I have them both I wanted to compare the two! 

L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Lip Colour - Incessant Russet

L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Lip Colour - Incessant Russet

Last Saturday I had quite a beauty shopping fiesta! I only popped into Boots to pick up a few bits and suddenly I was loitering around the L'Oreal stand looking at some of their newer releases. I must've been living under a rock as I hadn't picked up on any blogger hype about them either! Usually I like to read reviews before I buy new products but I was really intrigued and just wanted to give them a go.

The products in question are the L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Lip Colour and the L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche. I'll save the latter for another post but safe to say I love them both!