MAC recommendations please. got a gift voucher to spend

[ihatethecold]

title says it all really. got £25 to spend.. what do you have that you would recommend?
thanks

The cleansing oil is ace. Very light, you only need one or two small pumps of it and it lifts off grime and makeup and then rinses off so easily. Skin feels clean and soft and moist afterwards. It was £15.50 before Christmas, so you may enough for a lipstick as well. .

interesting.. i do like that sort of product having used liz earle and clinique oil for a long time..
anyone use their make up?

Face & Body foundation is water based and gives a dewy look - really nice

Their eyeshadows are the best there are IMO/E. Fantastic choice of colours too.

Their eyeshadows are fab but you'd need to go in and choose , I love orb,texture,shroom and kid as excellent neutrals.
They are about £11 each but well worth it imo

thanks, anyone use strobe cream? looks like a highlighter. i have olive skin.. that would look dodgy wouldnt it?

Strobe Cream is an illuminating cream, it's slightly opalescent. I does work on most european skin tones but if you want something to use purely as a highlighter then something like the Pearl or impropper copper Cream Colour Base is nice, slightly warmer in tone for olive skin.

It's hard to advise what to get without knowing your personal style, taste, needs etc. What I would recommend is using the voucher to book yourself a make up lesson there, the money you spend on the lesson is redeemable anyway so it's really a win-win situation!

If you can't get to MAC store, I am very familiar with a lot of their products as I worked there until 5 years ago so if you tell me a bit more about what you like I'll try and give you some suggestions.

I was going to suggest exactly the same as kittens!! I went only recently for a make-up lesson and it was brilliant. I wear make-up daily and think that I'm quite good at it but it was nice to get tips and new colours. You just tell the artist what type of look you want (day/evening) and let them work their magic. It's exactly £25 but you can then spend that amount on the products that you like.

The Studio Fix stuff is good, I use the powder (gives as good coverage as foundation) every day and the liquid foundation in the evenings when I have more time to apply it.

Studio fix is great but depends on your skin type and age. The liquid foundation is quite heavy and matte and the powder foundation is very matte so not great or flattering on older or dryer skin. MrsMeow, the powder is a powder foundation rather than just a setting powder, hence the coverage.

Make up is such a personal thing, taste wise as well as being dependent on your skin type. MAC sell hundreds upon hundreds of products to suit all sorts so it's tricky to advise based on a line of type from someone saying "I have £25 what should I buy?" when the only thing we know about you is that you have olive skin!

That's the great thing about the make up lesson, you can meet an artist face to face and chat to them about what you like, what your lifestyle is, they can see your face and what you are wearing (to get an idea of your style) etc.

Havingkittens, what is the one that looks quite dewy when on? The girl that does my nails wears it and I forget now what she said it was called! It's definitely MAC, gives really good coverage but isn't as matte as the Studio Fix.

Mind you, she is a good 10 years younger than me

I love and have as a staple in my make up bag MAC eyeshadow - Naked Lunch it's great for everyday wear and I get lots of comments asking what it is!

thanks for all your advice. im going there at lunchtime today to have a make up lesson amd will decide from that.. i love buying eyeshadow. but we will see.. i will report back later..byeeeee

MrsMeow - The Face & Body foundation looks very dewy on. It's quite sheer though but gives more coverage than you would think as you can build it up. They have brought out quite a lot of new foundations since I left though so could be something different. I'm afraid I'm not a massive fan of a lot of MAC foundations so haven't tried a lot of the new ones. It could also be the Studio Tech which is a cream foundation in a compact which can look quite dewy as it's water based. The ones I do like are the Studio Sculpt which gives really good coverage without looking too heavy (a little goes a loooong way!) and the Face & Body.

Hazeleyedbaby - Naked Lunch is one of my favorites. I've recommended it on here loads of times! It really brightens up the eyes.

Thanks kittens :) I'm sure I remember her saying that it was in a pump action bottle - I wonder if it's the face and body one? Will have to have a look.

Incidentally, why would anyone use body foundation? I can only just about bear it on my face

F&B doesn't come in a pump action, it's a giant squeezy bottle. It looks amazing on legs, like tights, if you've not had a chance to get any sun. But aside from that, we use it on fashion shoots to make sure the skin looks lovely and even. Especially if someone has an uneven suntan.

So, it's either going to be StudioFix liquid or Mineralize liquid from what I can tell. The only other one in a pump action is the SPF15 one which is very chalky looking.

Thanks again, I'll have to make a trip to the Trafford Centre and have a look - any excuse

There is a new pump action one which is pro longwear. It's excellent. Had it on for a 5am start to the end of today and it didn't budge.

Ah yes, I've been meaning to check that one out. Must go and get a sample.

If you wear liquid eye liner, MAC does the best ever, never smudges.

hi ladies. well i had my hour with the make up pro. i ended up buying the mineralise foundation.
it looked lovely on..
she piled on the eye make up.. which was a bit heavy . she put in a rust colour which i said i wasnt sure about, but she did insist.
i took that off when i got home. it was danger off looking like a bruise..
the lip conditioner was really nice and the concealer was fab but i had just bought a clinique one with my boots points last week, so couldnt indulge again..
i enjoyed it but i think an hour is a bit long.
thanks for your advice though. x