Guide: MAC Foundations

If you are new to MAC, sometimes the shop and the whole set up can be very daunting. There are so many shades and numbers and letters and types and bottles it can get confusing, so I've made this guide to sort it out (I hope) :)

So, most of the time, there are two types of MAC foundation; NW and NC.

NW means 'Neutral Warm' and NC means 'Neutral Cool'. NW shades have undertones of RED in them, NC shades have undertones of YELLOW.

Now, the undertones in foundations can work differently for different people. Generally, MAC advise that if you have red or rosy undertones in your skin, you should choose a foundation with red undertones, ditto with yellow undertones, etc. But sometimes if you have a lot of red, (for example; someone with

rosacea) probably wouldn't want more red in their foundation and they might choose an NC shade that has yellow. It all depends, but that is how it usually works :)

The number on a MAC foundation stands for the shade. The lower the number the lighter the shade. MAC have a large range of both NC and NW shades that usually run from 15 to 55.

If you are having trouble matching yourself, ask to be colour matched. They will apply some on your jawline and then its a good idea to go out and see how it looks in natural light. Store lights can be deceptive.

Also, keep in mind that colours can change with formula. So if you are NW30 in Studio Fix Fluid, you may not (and probably won't) be NW30 in Mineralize Satinfinish.

If you aren't sure about a colour or formula don't be afraid to ask for a sample. Most of the assistants will happily give you a sample for you to try yourself.

Here's a quick run down of each MAC foundation :)

Studio Fix Fluid: Probably the most well known MAC foundation; medium-high coverage, powder based formula, SPF 15, matte finish, oil-free.

Studio Sculpt: MAC's newest foundation; medium-high coverage, gel based formula, SPF 15, satin finish, hydrating.

Mineralize Satinfinish: Luminous foundation; quite low coverage, mineral based formula, SPF 15 UVA and B safe, satin finish, hydrating with vitamins to nourish the skin.

Select: Medium coverage, water based formula, SPF 15, matte finish, oil-free.

Face And Body: MAC's 'professional' formula foundation; low-medium coverage, water based formula, satin finish, hydrating.

Studio Moisture Tint: MAC's tinted moisturiser; low coverage, has SPF 15 but only comes in five shades.

Studio Fix Powder: MAC's powder foundation; medium coverage, matte finish, absorbs oil. I would not recommend on-going use of the sponge that this comes with because it is impossible to clean and can breed bacteria, which you don't want on your face.

Mineralise Loose Powder: MAC's loose foundation; medium coverage, mineral formula, SPF 15, satin finish, hydrating.

Studio Stick: MAC's stick foundation; medium coverage, cream formula, SPF 15, non-oily.

Studio Tech: MAC's cream-to-powder foundation; low-high coverage, matte finish, dermatologist tested.

Select Moistureblend: MAC's cream foundation; medium-high coverage, SPF 15 UVA and B safe, satin finish, hydrating, dermatologist tested.

I hope this has helped anyone who was wondering, or just really, really confused about MAC foundations!

Happy shopping :D

-Em

Mini Haulage

I did a bit of hauling this weekend and I wanted to give my opinion on a few things I got.

So a good while ago, I got some MAC brushes that I really had no use for, so this weekend I finally got around to exchanging them. I went to the MAC counter in Brown Thomas on Grafton Street. I have mixed thoughts about that particular counter; sometimes (rarely) I come out feeling like I got exactly what I had wanted in the first place; most of the time I either feel like I've been convinced into buying something else altogether; or that the sales assistant has no idea what's going on and I leave with nothing.

But actually, I am generally happy with what I walked away with this time.

I had been eying the Studio Sculpt foundation for a long, long time (it was released in Feb/March with the Well Defined Collection) and I wanted to pick that up. It is supposed to be super hydrating and like most MAC foundations it's got SPF 15. I personally think the shades run a bit dark; I was NW15 which is the lightest I've ever been in a MAC foundation, so it's a good idea to get colour matched. It's early days yet, but I overall I like it. It's got kind of a mousse-like consistency and IMO you need to use far less of it then Studio Fix Fluid to get the same result. The only negative I'm noticing is that to me, it feels slightly heavier on the skin, but that doesn't really bother me.

The rest of the stuff is really blah. I got Studio Fix powder in NW20, Select Cover-up in NW15 and Fast Response eye cream. Nothing to write home about.

Something else I got was a Barry M nail paint in 304 Mint Green. I know, I know. I'm waaaay late on this product. I always meant to jump on the 'Peppermint Patti by MAC dupe' band wagon but I never got near a Barry M.

It's a nice mint green and the consistency is good. You need two coats for it to be really opaque, but for €4.50, I aint complainin'. It would have been nice to wear during the non-existent summer; if only to cheer me up :)

This last thing is a bit fashion-y. I saw this in Dunnes and I had to have it;

It's a grey military style duffel coat with a kick 'skirt'. It may be 'so last season' but it is love :)

-Em

An Oldie but a Goodie

Around 5 years ago I got my first GHD hair straighteners, and I still have 'em.

They're a bit bashed around and have more then a few scuffs, but I think they still work as good as day numero uno. Personally, GHD's are my favourite. I've tried all different brands, from Remington to Toni&Guy, and none of them have performed nearly as well or lasted nearly as long as my GHD and lived to tell a hair straightening tale.

They can still be found at Peter Marks salons and some online places. I think I paid around €150 for mine, but that was waaay back in the day so they could be more or less expensive now, it's a good idea to check.

My set have really stood the test of time and believe me when I tell you they have been through the mill (literally) and are still hanging in there. Sure, the words have faded and the holographic woman has been melted away but that stuff adds character :D

It still takes 30.4 seconds to heat up (I timed) and it still gets just as hot. So, to demonstrate it's awesome power, here is me before; (eek no makeup)

To be fair, my hair is naturally straight so I'm not in need of a 'heavy duty' iron but I love the sleekness and shine that straightening gives. Plus, I think it's a much faster way of curling hair then curling tongs. Here are curls, the GHD way; (sorry, I'm looking down)

To create curls, take a small section, clamp near the root, twist 180, and pull through. The more you twist, the more 'ringlety' your curls will be. The less you twist, you'll have more wavy hair :)

And from curls to straight;

To straighten, take a section, clamp near the root and just pull though.

My one critique of the GHD's is that mine (probably version 1) didn't come with the fail-safe thing that knocks it off after 30 minutes. I've often run out and left it on to come back to singed sheets and white-hot straightener handle :/ To save from fire hazard all new models come with the fail-safe.

The thing I love most about the GHD's is that when I use them, my style (curls or straight) stays all day without the need to touch up, even if I don't use styling products.

Holy grail stuff for me and if they ever did break, I couldn't live without one :)

-Em

Quick Tip: Get More From Your Moisturizer

Moisturizers work by absorbing water from the air and imparting it into your skin. If you notice that your skin gets drier in winter, it's most likely because the air around you is drier too; there's no water to be absorbed from the air.

One thing you can do to help keep your skin hydrated is fill up a spray bottle with water and spritz your face before you moisturize. This substitutes the water lost in cold weather and keeps your skin supple.

Sorted ;)

-Em

How To: Stop Your MAC Numbers From Wearing Off

MAC brushes are notorious for having numbers that just wear away with the slightest of use. I'm sure there are other ways but this is what I do to stop it, and I haven't lost a number yet ;)

To do this you'll want to have;

the brush(es);

a roll of sellotape; and

a clear nail polish or top coat.

First, cover the area you are working on with kitchen roll or newspaper. This is not necessary but brushes are round and if they feel so inclined, they will roll all over the place :)

Next cut off a strip of tape and stick it onto your top or trousers. Pull it off and stick it back on again. Doing this a couple of times will pick up lint from your clothes on the strip, taking some of the 'stickyness' away. If you stick tape straight on the brush handle, you could strip the paint off, so just be careful.

Now the idea here is to tape around the number so that you can 'paint' some clear polish right over it, stopping it from wearing away. Taping around it makes it neater but of course you can skip the whole taping off bit and just paint straight on if you want it a bit more rustic :)

Put a strip of tape along the bottom, top and both ends; this should create a rectangle where the MAC symbol and number are free. Smaller brushes are a bit finicky and you may need to cut the tape to fit. You'll probably find its easier to tape larger brushes like the 150 or 187.

When your brush is taped and ready, you can then paint over the number and the MAC symbol with a clear polish :)

Leave the brush to dry and set for 10-20 minutes. It's important to leave your brush to fully dry before you try to peel the tape off. When it has set, peel the tape off slowly piece by piece.

This has never come off for me, and I wash my brushes religiously.

I think it goes without saying that it will come off if you put acetone (the ingredient in most nail polish removers) on it, and probably take your number with it; so no mani/pedis near your brushes girls :)

Obviously, you can do this with any brush that has it's numbers stamped on like MAC do.

Brushes With Coloured Ends??

Also, if you have ever seen MAC brushes with coloured ends, and wondered how?? where?

Use this same technique and wrap the tape around your brush, about a centimetre from the end of the handle. Paint the end using any coloured nail polish that takes your fancy et volia! Coloured brushes!

MUA's use the coloured ends to distinguish their brushes from other artists'; especially if they are doing a big show like London Fashion Week.

Well, I hope this has helped somebody, happy painting! :D

-Em

Minimizes Hair You Say?

Whilst I was wandering the aisles of Boots in the market for a new deodorant (the oul nivea one was like dabbing yourself with talcum powder) I stumbled across this little number

'For underarms that look and feel hair free for longer!' Happy days.

Now I should mention; this is not new, it has been out for a while now and I have used it once before but I never bothered to check if it was actually 'minimizing'.

So I thought I'd give it another whirl and see if all the fuss was worth the buck - I can't remember exactly but I'd guess it goes for around €3.50.

It comes in two 'flavours' - wild rose and nature fresh - and has all the usual jargon like 'lasts 24 hours' and '0% alcohol' and all that good stuff. So;

The Plan of Action

So the jist is I'll use the minimizer on the right, normal dove on the left and in a few weeks I'll report back and see if there is a difference. Coolio :)

I'm not sure what I'm expecting from this. I think two options;

a) absolutely nothing will change and I'll have odd smelling armpits;

b) it will make it seem as though I have less hair and I'll have odd smelling armpits.

Yey for useless experiments! :D

-Em

What I'm Using Right Now 'Tag'

I say 'tag' because I wasn't actually tagged but I love reading these types of posts so I thought I'd share!

Shampoo: Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect - I love this shampoo even though it's a tiny bit blah.

Conditioner: Now conditioner is a funny one for me - I don't use it everyday and I sometimes feel that it stops working for me if I use the same one twice in a row. So right now I switch between Tresemme Moisture Rich and L'oreal elvive Nutri-Gloss.

Styling Products: I occasionally use a spray of L'oreal Elnett Very Volume hairspray, but only if it's being uncooperative!

Shower Gel: Palmolive Aroma Therapy - the orange one. It was on sale :)

Body Moisturizer: The Body Shop's Body Butter, the cocoa one. It's for super dry skin and it smells good enough to eat :)

Deodorant: Some nivea one that leaves horrible white marks.

Fake Tan: I'm Irish, I don't mind being pale!

Cleanser: Boots essentials makeup remover wipes to take off the majority (not the cucumber kind, i hate the smell) and then Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2-in-1 wash and mask. Luckily, I don't really get acne but I use this to stop any that might be thinking about making an appearance.

Exfoliator: A sample I got from Clarins of their one step exfoliating cleanser and I really like it. I may have to invest in a full size!

Primer: Smashbox Photofinish. Personally, I like the way it smooths out everything but I know some people have problems with it causing milia on the skin, which are small little white marks that are harmless, but really annoying.

Foundation: Right now it's MAC Studio Fix Fluid, but I don't think that the powder-based formula works for me in the winter. I need a foundation thats more moisturizing.

Foundation Brush: The MAC 187 brush - maybe it's me, but i just can't get any other brush to work without looking really streaky.

Concealer: Concealer from the Benefit Realness Of Concealness palette for under my eyes and Benefit Erase Paste on any redness.

Powder: MAC Mineralize Skifinish Natural.

Blusher: It changes but I've been reaching for Nars Orgasm a lot lately. I love the colour with my skintone but I sometimes wish it was more pigmented. Benefit Coralista is pretty much the same colour with more pigmentation.

Bronzer: Nars Laguna.

Highlighter: I almost always neglect highlighter...but if I remember I would just use whatever shadow I used on my browbone! So lazy...

Eyeshadow Base: UDPP - when I bought this I didn't know that it works better on oily lids but all the same it does what it says on the tin.

Eyeshadow: Well they change everyday but today it's a neutral eye using a cream colour on the lid, taupe in the crease and a matte dark grey to deepen - they all came from an old No.7 palette that I had long forgotten about and found today :)

Eyeliner: MAC Fascinating Eye kohl to brighten up my lower waterline and Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on the upper waterline, which if you haven't done it before sounds odd but it makes lashes look thicker.

Curler: I have an eyelash curler by Mister Mascara set that I got in Boots, but I rarely use it!

Mascara: Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara - I'm in two minds about this. I don't see the point in the wand; it's just a gimmick IMO. But I don't hate the formula. I wish it made them thicker, but it's good at lengthening.

Lipstick: Barry M lip paint in 132.

Lipgloss: MAC Pinkarat Lusterglass.

Nail Colour: Even though autumn is about deep reds and purples, I'm still in love with pastel shades. I can't help it :) Right now I'm wearing a 17 nail polish in Pinking Shear which is an opalescent pastel pink.

Of course I tag anyone who wants to join in :)

-Emma

Well...it's a blog!!

Erm...

...ehm...

Now that I have the fecking thing what to say, what to say??

:)

Well for starts, this blog will be mainly posts regarding makeup, hair, fashion, skincare, nails; pretty much the entire superficial world and all who dwell within it ;)

Um, so yep thats kinda all I got for the time being!

-Emma

*Em's Amazingly Awesome Blog 'Coming Soon!'*