Better than or equal to MAC

[Diviniti]

Greetings...


Don't misunderstand me folks, I love MAC just as much as the rest of you (that's why we're here, right?), but I'd like to expand my horizons and try some other lines of cosmetics. Besides MAC, what other brand products do you use most, and why? Be as specific as you like...I'm using you all for my research! :-)

Thanks!!

[more_please]

While I think that MAC's e/s cannot be topped, I do use a few other brands. Most of my non-MAC stuff (only about 1/4 of my total mu) is Laura Mercier. Her concealers are the best! I have secret concealer and secret camoflauge, and her tinted moisturizer. I also use Urban Decay Primer Potion, and a few of their e/s too. As for mascara, I started using the Max Factor Lash Perfection (the new one with the cool brush). As for skincare, I use neutrogena and bbw pure simplicity line.

HTH!

[aziajs]

I just went to a Smashbox event a couple months ago and picked up their Skin Tint. It is amazing. I use it as blush but you could really use it wherever. Their Photo Finish is also pretty nice. So I may wander over there and try out a couple of other things. Nars has some nice cream eyeshadows that I would like to try and they also have nice blushes. And of course there is Bare Escentuals. I love their shadows (tons of colors! & they're loose powder so you can make your own colors and wear them wet for a more opaque finish or dry for a more sheer wash), their foundation, and I like their brushless mascara. Oh and I forget about their all over face colors. They just have tons of really nice stuff.

[user3]

Dior, Chanel, smashbox and LORAC have some great e/s
Chanel, Paula Dorf, DuWop and Nars have wonderful blush

As for lip products I know we all have different taste but I adore anything from Lipsmackers and Bonne Bell.


Now if you don't mind the kind of lipgloss that is SUPER DUPER sticky but will last for hours Make Up For Ever has some good stuff!

I also enjoy using Urban Decay's XXX Shine gloss. Carney is my fave.

Now if you like more smooth gloss and don't mind reapplying Benefit's gloss is great and smells really good! GloMinerals has great gloss too for that smooth feeling.

Almost forgot about Lancome Juicy Tubes! This can become an addiction!

Now for mascara I like some high and low ends. YSL luxurious (faux cils), DiorShow, Max Factor lash perfection, 2000 Calorie & lashfinity, MAC X & Fibre Rich, Covergirl thicklash and professional washable one, Maybelline full'n'Soft.

I don't really have a pick when it comes to e/l. I've never really bought a bad one.

[user4]

i love dior's mascara and their lipgloss

i love bare escentuals foundation and their blush and stuff... really nice

my cousin got a smashbox set with e/s and stuff... and it's nice. the pigmentation is pretty good. not as good as mac, but really what is???

nars had good e/s too. very pigmented. and their blushes are good from what i've seen. i need to buy some, i've tried my cousin's orgasm blush... i love it!!!

[Diviniti]

You all are the BOMB!!! Thanks for the info. I can FEEL the money leaving my purse already... ;-)

[Isis]

If you were to open up my kit you'd see (besides WAY too much MAC):
From smashbox: All of their brushes; Photo Finish Primer (absolutlly the best IMO); several lip glosses; Soft Lights in Soft Shimmer; the Winter Whites Cream Eye Liner Duo; & Cream Eye Liner in Black.
From NARS: Lipgloss in Turkish Delight, Orgasm, & Gothika; Black Orchid mascara; Angelika, Nico, & Orgasm blush; Parrot Cay pencil liner; & several eyeshadow duo's and singles.
From Lancome: Color ID foundation, lots of Juicy Tubes, & L'Extreme mascara in black.
I also have lots of Urban Decay shadows that fit fabulouslly into my 15x palettes

[Juneplum]

Dior l/g, Chanel l/s & l/g , NARS l/g, Stila lip glaze, Armani foundation, fluid sheers and powders, Bobbi Brown lip stains & gel liners.

I just started getting into Make Up Forever and their stuff seems pretty good so far..

Lancome Juicy Tubes!

Now for mascara I LOVE DiorShow

[Hikaru-chan]

NARS is one of my favorites for blusher.

[fairytale22]

NARS and Stila are two of my other fav. brands.

[nyrak]

Armani shadows and lipsticks (esp Matte Silk) are great, and I also use Nars blushers, shadows and lipgloss (esp XXX - great clear, non-sticky but long-lasting gloss). Nars shadows work best if applied with fingers IMO, otherwise they just don't show up.

[Ambi]

I love Estee Lauder's eye shadows, too bad most of them make my eyes itch, but they're definitely worth checking out quality and color payoff-wise :]

[d_flawless]

nars has the most fine-milled powder ever; and their blushes STAY...of course we all know about orgasm, but angelika is gorgeous too...i agree with whoever said that...and also they have a good color intensity to their powder/cream e/s, so those are worth a try
clinique has the best foundation, hands down. MAC offers amazing coverage, but their superfit foundation goes on super smooth with your fingers, and you don't need to set it with powder to avoid shine
benefit has really nice stuff, but their shawdow selection obviously have nothing on MAC's...highbeam, moonbeam, and the gilded pencil are faves...ooh, and hoola bronzer
dior has fuckin awesome lip products, and i've heard good things about their diorShow mascara
and lastly, chanel. damn good staying power on their eyeshadows and liners, the only products i've used from them. i also like the selections of colors in their quads and limited sets.
whew, hope i helped!

[anuy]

shu uemura lash products.... eyelash curler, mascara, u name it!


i've also used nars, cargo, and have been pleased w/ the outcome

but mac is still the winner when it comes to eyeshadow.

[Diviniti]

Thanks so much for all of the input!

[beyondhope1024]

I love all of Estee Lauder's lipsticks, but they can be a little pricey.
For cheaper make-up, I love Revlon Super Lustorous Lipglosses, Wild and Crazy eyshadows (88 cents!) and Prestige Eyeshadow Singles.

[Christina Victoria]

Chanel is actually my top brand of make-up, MAC is my second. I find that while Chanel products are expensive, they are top quality, and create flawless-looking makeup. I also find that Chanel works better on my skin (Normal/Dry) and stays on all day.

Foundation // Powder :: I start with my MAC 'SPF Tinted Moisturizer', and wait about 5 minutes or so for it to absorb. Then, I dab on some of my Chanel 'Base Lumiere Illuminating Makeup Base', which gives me an instant healthy glow. I then put on a bit of my Chanel 'Teint Fluide Universel Multi-Vitamin SPF 15 Natural Makeup' foundation, and blend it gently into my skin. This foundation is amazing, and covers up any flaws or imperfections. For dark circles under my eyes, I use MAC's Concealer powder. For touch ups for the day I use Shisedo's 'Powdery Foundation'.

Bronzer // Blush :: I take a lot of time to contour my cheeks with the 168 Brush, and my MAC Bronzing powder in 'Bronze'. Once I get the contoured, bronze-beauty look that I want, I put a bit of my Chanel Powder Blush in 'Mocha' on the apples of my cheeks, towards the temples. To highlight, I use my MAC 'Shroom' eyeshadow on the tops of my cheekbones. I also brush on a bit of my MAC 'Shimpagne' Mineral Skin Finish, along with 'Gold Deposit' and 'Porcelain Pink' (Applied with the 187 Brush). If I'm going to a formal party, I use a bit of my NARS 'Outlaw' blush.

Eyes :: I usually just do smokey eyes, using MAC's eyeshadows :: 'Shroom', 'Phloof', 'Smut', 'Black Tied', and 'Scene'; and my Chanel single eyeshadow, 'Tatou'. I line my eyes with my MAC Powepoint Eyeliner in 'Engraved', going along my lower lash line and waterline. Then, using my Playboy Liquid-pencil liner in 'Size 2, Right?' (Found it at Henri Bendel's in New York City!) along my upper lash line, extending out a bit to create a subtle wing. I then create the smokey effect by using Smut as an all over base, blending with Scene and Black tied, and adding a little Shroom and Phloof for a frosty effect, and to highlight my browbones, and inner corners of my eyes. Then I use my Jordanna (99 cents, haha!) brow pencil in brown to fill in my brows. For Mascara, I use Victoria's Secret 'Very Sexy Lashes Intensifying Mascara' in 'Black'.

Lips :: For lipstick, I use MAC 'Myth'. Then, I go over my lips with MAC 'C-Thru' Lipglass, or Chanel 'Whisper' Glossimer. For lip gliner I use Chanel's Precision Lip Definer Crayon in 'Nude', MAC's 'Stripdown', 'Spice', or 'Oak'.

Hope this helps.

[Beautiful1]

I Use NARS, Bare Escentuals, Kevyn Aucoin, Laura Mercier, Sephora, CARGO, Delux Beauty, Victoria Secret, Shiseido, That's All I Can Think Of For Now

[citytolove]

NARS makes wonderful eyeshadow (though I know some people who don't like it), blush, bronzer, and pressed powder. While NARS definitely tops MAC blush, it doesn't top their eyeshadow. Also, NARS brushes are fabulous (the Push Brush for shadow lining is so good). Chanel makes nice lipgloss and it's as good as MAC if not better. Lancome mascara beats MAC's by a mile and is better than most mascaras I have tried. I like Clinique's eyeliner for brown and khaki shades, it goes on easily and doesn't smudge. Smashbox, Becca, Dior, and Guerlain also make high quality products.

I can recommend shades if you want.

[sara13]

My favorite brand is Stila. I love their eyeshadows, powder blushes (for fairer skintones) and convertible colors especially. The clear color lip tints are also an underrated part of their line.

I also like Armani. Their powder and cream blushes are winners, as are their eyeshadow singles. Also, I have yet to find a lip product of theirs that doesn't rock, and their eyeliners are awesome, too. Beware, though... all of their items are expensive.

Scott Barnes blushes are also awesome, though the color selection is limited.

[BuyMeLipGloss]

brands to check out for...

e/s: UD, Scott Barnes, Stila, Shu
blush: NARS, Chanel, Pout, Scott Barnes chic palettes
l/g: Guerlain, Chanel

[xiahe]

Dior, UD, Estée Lauder, or Chanel...even though Chanel is uber expensive. an eyeshadow [quad] palette is about 55 USD. o_O;;

[glamella]

Favorites that I always go back to:
Nars blushes and lip products
Bare Escentuals foundation
Stila has great stuff all around
Flirt blushes (comparable to Nars)
Tarte gel stains for cheeks
Laura Mercier (awesome stuff all around)

[luxette]

I adore the NARS powder eyeshadow duos. They have fantastic colors and the consistency and pigmentation are wonderful. I also like Stila and Urban Decay shadows.

Clinique makes my favorite mascara. I'm addicted to High Impact.

I'm also a fan of the CARGO lipgloss duos, but a lot of people dislike them so you should try them out and see if they work for you before you buy them.

[MeganGMcD]

Palladio at Sally's had an eyeshadow that is comprable to MAC pigments. I kid you not, they are highly pigmented, beautiful, and stay on my oil lids for HOURS!