Mac-is it really that good?

slowmoe

I've never bought mac make up but i know so many people that swear by it. it seems to be mega expensive but is it really that good? or has anyone else found any really good make up? thanks!!!

ULgirl2010

i have to say, i swear by mac... but for me its more of a guilty little pleasure.. im not big into shoes or bags etc so when i fancy a little treat i head to mac... re its quality i have to say i find it quite good certain things are wort the money and others are not! for instance i could not live withour my blot powder, but i could take or leave their foundation as ive definately had others which were just as good!

tbh i think it varies from item to item

slowmoe

thanks a million for that.

are there any particular products that you would or wouldn't recommend?

i've dry skin

ULgirl2010

like i said im not personally mad about their foundation but i have pretty clear skin so any oul foundation tends to do me fine, but i do have a friend who swears by studio fix.

for my oily skin, i could not live without blot powder.!!

i think its very hard to tell with mac, i have on or two blushes which are extremelly good quality and pigmented, so they will last me forever and then i have one which seems to have v.little pigmentation so i need to use quite a lot of it.

i dont see any point in paying for their lipsticks/lip glosses etc but thats just my opinion, i dont know about thir quality sorry.
their brushes are amazing tho and definately worth the investment overtime! they make putting on make up effortless in my opinion.

like i said i think it really varies from product to product and from person to person.
from what i hear they're eyeliners are pretty good but ive never tried them.

hope this helps!

pikachucheeks

I love Mac!

Their eye shadows, powders, blushers and brushes are the best I've ever tried.

Lipstick wise, they're also good in the sense they have a huge range and the lipstick itself is very soft and in my experience, nourishing.

Foundation? They have a good selection of colours and they are pretty durable, so one application will last you most of the day, but unfortunately, the lightest colour (NC15) is too dark on my skin ... I think a lot of Irish women have that problem

Eye shadows and eyeshadow brushes are great. Long lasting, good quality and very easy to apply.

OP, if you're interested in testing out any of the Mac products, just go to your nearest counter! I always pop in to see what's new and try out new things.

If you want your make-up done, it's 25 euro (redeemable on products) and it's well worth it ... I've always learned something new ... tips, tricks etc which helps me to improve my make-up application at home

slowmoe

i think i will do that. anyone have any experience of the mac in dundrum?? its in bt2 i think

thefireinside

I dont get all the fuss either! i think theres much better brands out there. having said that i've only ever bought a mac foundation and lipstick... foundation was pretty rubbish and the lipstick was grand really with the right colour its pretty hard to get a lipstick drastically wrong!

apparently their brushes are really great, but anything else imo could be gotten just as good in any other od the quality brands.

blahhh

They're a bit of a hit and miss for me I think.

I got studio fix about a year ago, asked the girl to help pick out a colour for me, NC25... Wayyyyy to yellow for my complexion, never use it. Then a few weeks ago, I asked (at a different bt) if the mineralize liquid foundation would suit my skin (combination, tends to get shiny). She said yeah absolutely, tested it in store with powder, bought both foundation (NW20 this time) and powder. An hour later oil slick city! Although I now use the mineralize skinfinish powder with other foundations or on its own and it's fab. I just didn't suit the liquid mineralize.

OP, Myself and a friend were in Dundrum BT2 Mac, very helpful actually. My friend is a red head and has extremely pale skin. The girl was very honest and said that the foundations would not suit her, but suggested a concealer and a nice powder, which blend perfectly with her own natural skintone.

I have a few lipsticks, they're nice but I'm not a big lipstick person anyway. Love their eyeshadows, quite pricey but lovely colors and longer lasting than cheaper brands.

Larianne

Eye shadows are fab.

I used the Face and Body as it suits my skin.

Mascara is crap though.

Blushers are nice but you can get some really nice cheaper brands like Bourjois and Maybelline (Dream Mousse blush is FABBO!)

Their eyebrow pencils are the biz too.

Giselle

Their mascaras and foundations are rubbish. Its the same as any other brand, with hits and misses, but more misses than hits in my experience. The shadows are good, but so are Barry M ones, at a fraction of the price.

I think its popularity is more to do with fashion than anything else, some brands just have a buzz about them, and they don't always live up to the hype.

thehairshop

Their face make up is too thick but their eye shadows are amazing.

lala stone

ya I think I agree with everyone,, foundation isnt great... but LOOOVEE their blush!!

Orlee

pikachucheeks wrote: »

I love Mac!

If you want your make-up done, it's 25 euro (redeemable on products) and it's well worth it ... I've always learned something new ... tips, tricks etc which helps me to improve my make-up application at home

It's gone up to €40 now!

I dream about having one of every eyeshadow ...

Larianne wrote: »

I
Mascara is crap though.

Although you're right ... their mascara is a bit on the crappy side

punkindrublic

I swear by MAC, well everything except their mascara (nothing beats Diorshow by Dior) I love the studio fix fluid foundation, I have good skin but sometimes it dries my skin out a little (& yes I moisturize before using it) but I love the finish of it. Love their blush, brushes, lipgloss, eyelashes, everything!

carolinespring

slowmoe wrote: »

I've never bought mac make up but i know so many people that swear by it. it seems to be mega expensive but is it really that good? or has anyone else found any really good make up? thanks!!!

In one word ...YES!!!

I find it great, I have used the studio fix for years and love it, when I ran out a while ago I did get Bobbi Brown as no MAC counter near me. I love the fast responce eye cream and the lip glosses are fantastic. The strobe cream is brilliant. I have toi say it is costly but good and the brush range is great.

moonflower

I like their lipsticks a lot, and their blush but my favourite MAC products are the paint pots, paints, Metal X eyeshadows and fluidlines, they're quite unique to the brand so it's worth shelling out on them.

I used to be a big fan of their eyeshadows but I've come to realise they're overhyped. Urban Decay and Fryinnae do much better eyeshadows, and even very cheap brands work as well over a good base.

The price increase and reduction in size of the pigments annoys me and it's really put me off the brand

LivingDeadGirl

It's my favourite brand overall, they don't have the best of everything, but I use more MAC than any other brand. The liquid foundation shades are too dark and also too yellow for my skin tone, so I just use their concealer (Select Cover Up under my eyes and Studio on blemishes) and some Mineralize Skinfinish Natural for my base and it gives a beautiful natural finish.
Their eyeshadows are famous for their huge range of colours and textures including both neutrals and brights; they also have some very unique shades that you won't find anywhere else. They come in a lot of different finishes, some of which are better than others. For example, I adore their Matte2 shadows, but veer away from Lustres as they're kinda chunky. Eyeshadows I'd recommend: Vanilla, Scene, Quarry, Club, Shroom, Fig. 1.
MAC blushes are absolutely lovely. They way they apply to the skin is so much smoother than others I've tried, which have been too powdery, chalky and difficult to blend. I have a couple of powder blushes but haven't tried their cream blushes, which I've heard are quite oily. I do however have one Cremeblend blush (different formulation from the ones in the permanent line)from the MAC in Lillyland collection and find it excellent, both on it's own and as a base for powder blushes. If you can get your hands on one of those it's well worth it!! Blushes I'd recommend: Well Dressed, Coygirl.
I love MAC lipsticks. It's great that they're all separated by finish/forumlation too, so you really know what you're getting once you familiarize yourself with them. I tend to go for very pigmented lipsticks so I stick to the heavier formulas like Matte, Amplified Creme etc. I don't see the point in paying 17.50 for a lipstick you can barely see, but the option is there, if you want it (Glaze). Lipsticks I'd recommend: Russian Red, Lickable and Captive.
I've never tried their mascaras, but have heard they're fairly rubbish. They seem to be releasing new ones lately however, with Studio Fix Lash and Opulash coming up soon I think.
One of the best products MAC have ever put out in my opinion are the Mineralize Skinfinishes. They can be used to give your make up a glowing, luminous finish, or as blushes/bronzers when more heavily applied. Most of these are limited edition and sell out extremely quickly, because they're just plain fantastic. Petticoat is my favourite and is being repromoted soon! Go get it!
So, to be brief, I think it is most definitely worth the hype. It's the high end brand that isn't dull, boring or repetative, or doesn't only focus on achieving a natural look. MAC is edgy and fashionable and at the same time gives an enormous amount of choice. It's almost like a make up junkie sweetie store! :P

Dudess

Fantastic eyeshadows - in terms of colour range, quality, finish... but other than that, I personally wouldn't opt for their eye pencils, mascaras, foundation, lipsticks (as I consider these just functional, and not worth spending a lot of money on, so I stick with No7 etc for such products - but that's just me).

Novella

Personally, I really like Mac. It's their lipsticks I am most fond of, but I also use their foundation, eye shadows, eye liner etc. Actually, come to think of it, their Liquid Last eye liner is the best liquid liner I've ever tried. Doesn't budge.
Yeah, I pretty much just like Mac in general.

jenizzle

Way too over-rated IMO. I can find eyeshadows that are much better at a cheaper price, foundations do nothing for me and well... everything that they have can be found better and cheaper (for me anywho!)

MissHoneyBun

slowmoe wrote: »

it seems to be mega expensive but is it really that good?

To be honest, no. I have tried most of their foundations after hearing great things about them and in general I think their colour selection seems to be based around the skintone of Marge Simpson. The MAC Sculpt foundation gives decent coverage and feels light on the skin but the Studio Fix was awful. Far too matte, looks like a thick mask when applied and wears off in dirty, uneven patches. I like their Face and Body foundation and it's a handy product to have and great for doing a 'no make-up' make-up at weekends.

I heart pretty much all their lipsticks, even if only for the amazing colours as they don't tend to stay put for too long (but show me a lipstick that does?!) My staple nude lipstick is MAC's Kinda Sexy and I adore Lady Danger for doing a classic red lip.

Other than that their Lip Conditioner is an ok-ish product and their primer Prep and Prime is adequate. Overall I guess most of their products that I've used do an ok job but certainly don't perform to the standard that their price tag suggests. HTH

xxzaraxx

slowmoe wrote: »

I've never bought mac make up but i know so many people that swear by it. it seems to be mega expensive but is it really that good? or has anyone else found any really good make up? thanks!!!

To be honest I've tried all sorts of foundations. .. from armani, clinique, bobby brown to avon but the best foundation I've ever invested in is maybelline dream satin liquid foundation. It is amazing and you can get it in boots stores for like 13euro! I get alot of dry skin and this keeps my skin moisturised all day! It doesnt rub off during the day so it looks the same as when you first put it on when you take it off at night! I swear by it now! I use it most days as its so light but gives you good coverage nonetheless. Also it doesnt clog your pores which is a bonus for me as I used to wear foundation when I was going out but I'd suffer a breakout for the rest of the week! Check it out online, I havent come across a bad review about it yet!

Twee.

I use that foundation too, it's great. I've found the perfect colour after being through the Mac, Bobbi Brown, Dior, Benefit.

proletarian

I would normally be of the opinion that MAC is a bit overhyped, BUT their fluidline eyeliner is fantastic if you can get the hang of using eyeliner brushes (it's easier than liquid in my opinion) and stays put. It's fantastic. I use blacktrack and it's the blackest black eyeliner I've ever used. I tend to get mean and buy cheaper ones but keep coming back to the fluidline!

slowmoe

thanks so much for the reponses. i've tried the mineralise compact foundation and to be honest i barely notice a difference in my face other than colour and i tried the moisturise compact one which my oh says looks 'too' make upy. got some nice eyeshadows alright and will probably get some more. i think i will try that maybelline foundation is it about 15 or so? i'm really bad at eyeshadow experimenting, can anybody recommend me types or shades? i've blue eyes with apprently flecks of green(i've never seen this but some people insist i have green eyes) and if anybody has a good eyeshadow technique i'd love to hear it. i use a light colour all over and then an actual colour just across lash line and the crease and put a blending colour over the crease colour, but the colour of the eyeshadow always looks faded

dudara

I use their eyeshadows - they are truly excellent. Great colours and finishes.

I could take or leave their foundation. It's OK.

I love their lip conditioner - I have 3 or 4 tubes floating around in different coats and bags.

laurak265

When choosing foundation...for oily skin choose a water based foundation and blend it well. For dry skin choose and oil based foundation. Estee Lauder have brill foundations, Love master piece mascara couldn't be without it! Never clumps. Think mac is more about the name than quality although they eyeshadows are fab! Hope that helps!

dcfc

The bronzers are really good too as are the lip glosses (lipglass).

Gal44

Hi ive heard the MAC studio sculpt foundation is good for dry skin and is long lasting... anyone used it?
im thinking of purchasing... cheers!:)

Asphyxia

Yes Yes Yes! If you have the extra cash to spend then get yourself some MAC you wont regret it. I love buying the brushes even if you never purchase any of the make up get yourself MAC brushes it makes a huge difference and if you keep them well you will have them for life.

Extrasupervery

Loads of people do swear by it, but I'm highly allergic to some of their eye shadows, and never found a foundation I liked. Boo. Benefit ftw (Although I wouldn't recommend their excuse for foundation either...)

squeakyduck

I like mac but I wouldn't swear by it! I do love the little eyeshadows that I do have. I think I have a few fakes but what ever they are they stay better than the cheapy miss sporty stuff anyway!

I do love Urband Decay's eyeshadows! They are so in your face! Still as pricey as MAC though. Also, as someone else said Barry M is very good but my eyes sometimes react to this eyeshadow for some reason!

ABajaninCork

slowmoe wrote: »

I've never bought mac make up but i know so many people that swear by it. it seems to be mega expensive but is it really that good? or has anyone else found any really good make up? thanks!!!

MAC's especially great for people of colour like me. I swear by MAC. The only thing I don't buy from MAC is mascara as I swear by Lancome/Chanel. Very expensive, but absolutely brilliant!:D

Emmsy

I don't like their foundation. I have a full bottle of NC20 sitting in my make up bag, it's just far too dark! It can be very oily and, as someone else pointed out, it comes off in patches. I'm fortunate to have quite clear skin so I just use gosh foundation and bare minerals mainly. Mac is brilliant for it's range of eyeshadows. The colours are far more usable than Urban Decay and they last all day. Don't like their mascara. The lipsticks are great too!

ams

Emmsy wrote: »

I don't like their foundation. I have a full bottle of NC20 sitting in my make up bag, it's just far too dark! It can be very oily and, as someone else pointed out, it comes off in patches. I'm fortunate to have quite clear skin so I just use gosh foundation and bare minerals mainly. Mac is brilliant for it's range of eyeshadows. The colours are far more usable than Urban Decay and they last all day. Don't like their mascara. The lipsticks are great too!

You should try the beauty swop shop on beaut.ie - its a good way of getting rid of stuff that doesnt suit you

bills

MAC is very good but i suppose everyone has different issues with their skin so you may not like it as much. I like their eyeshadows & studio fix foundation. I also just discovered fluidline eye gel liner & love it.

sashafierce

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