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!