Like all the eyeshadows in the Iris Apfel collection, Early Bird is a limited edition shade which means if it sells out it is unlikely it will come back again.  It is in the normal black packaging for an eyeshadow and costs the same too. It contains 0.05oz and can be bought from www.maccosmetics.com

The eyeshadow itself is a matte finish shadow.  Usually I don’t do well with matte eyeshadows because they take quite a bit of work.  And when I first swatched Early Bird I was slightly worried at the lack of colour payoff.  However to really see this eyeshadow you must swatch it with a brush.  For some reason a swatch with a clean finger or Q Tip doesn’t work so well.  Once I did swatch with a brush, MAC 239, I saw just how lovely the colour was.

Early Bird is a coral shade that leans quite pink toned.  It reminds me quite a bit of Free To Be eyeshadow which is also from MAC, however the colour payoff on Early Bird is much better and takes less work.  Early Bird is however quite a dry matte shadow and because of that it becomes quite dusty so you do get a little fall out when working with it.  However if you use a sticky base – like a MAC Paint Pot this does help matters greatly.

I also discovered a love for my Coral Crepe Paint Pot and it has become my go to base for this eyeshadow.  Sadly Coral Crepe was limited edition but it is an orangey coral shade that really makes Early Bird shadow pop.  If you have these two products from MAC I suggest you try them out to see what you think too but in my mind it is a winning combination.

As much as I like Early Bird I don’t think it is a shadow that everybody would want or need.  In fact it might look odd against some skin tones or if not worn with certain colours to compliment it.  I have found that wearing coral coloured eyeshadows it is best if I team them with blues and teals.  Otherwise it can make my eyes look irritated rather than like i’m wearing makeup!  I am very pleased with my choice though and it fills a gap in my collection.  If you have any questions then please just ask below in the comments.

Like all MAC Lipsticks Flamingo cost £13.50 and contains 3g of lipstick.  The finish is a lustre which means it isn’t as full coverage as other lipsticks but it does have a lovely glossy look to it.  MAC describe Flamingo as a ‘light, milky, bright coral’ shade and I don’t really agree with that.  In the tube is looks like a super bright coral.  However as you can see that it looks totally different when swatched and worn on the lips.  The pink tones really come out and because of the lustre finish it sheers out and therefore tones down how bright the lipstick is.  So therefore I don’t find this lipstick to be ‘bright’ and I certainly don’t think it has a ‘milky’ appearance either. However I do feel that Flamingo has much better coverage than other lustre finish lipsticks that I own – I would say it is semi opaque and after a couple of swipes on my un-pigmented lips I get a very even coverage.

Why did I pick Flamingo out of the other super bright shades that were released with this collection?  In all honesty I am not sure!  I was all set to get Scarlet Ibis and then last minute I switched and got Flamingo.  I must say I am very happy with my choice purely because I think I will get more use out of Flamingo.  It’s not too bold of a lip colour to wear to work and because of the glossy finish the up-keep isn’t as high as a matte finish lipstick.   I have also found that in the winter months when my lips are slightly dryer a lustre finish lipstick is much better because it feels smoother and less drying on my already dried lips.

I’m sad to say that MAC really did create a special collection with these lipsticks and most are now sold out.  It was only released online in the UK however some people have managed to call up the Pro line and got the lipsticks they wanted that way.  If you do manage to see Flamingo in stock online then i’d snap it up quickly if you like what you see.  I have been very happy with my purchase and although Flamingo isn’t going to become one of my staple lipstick shades, I will still be enjoying wearing it on these cold winter days to cheer myself up.

Firstly I must warn you that the Daphne Guinness collection is limited edition so this means you need to grab the items you want as early as possible from www.maccosmetics.com.  The Pigment itself cost me £16 / $20 and of course contains the usual  0.15oz of product.  I won’t moan about the tiny jars anymore – they are obviously here to stay and i’m just going to have to put up with it!

Aurora is such a beautiful name and it really suits this Pigment well.  I feel that this colour would look beautiful on any skin tone.  The shade is much more than a standard neutral shade – the base colour is a cool toned brown shade that has a lovely rose tint to it.  When you combine the rose tint with it’s slight metallic and frosty finish you get such a stunning colour.  It’s very shimmery but by no means over the top and of course like all Pigments you can wear Aurora wet as well as dry.  I have swatched it dry just for reference because unlike some Pigments, Aurora doesn’t really change much when swatched wet – it becomes a touch darker and more metallic but that is all. I much prefer to wear it dry – less mess and fuss that way.

The texture of Aurora is something worth shouting about too.  Recently I have found some MAC Pigments to be a little dusty in texture and not as smooth as they should be.  Aurora however is perfect in every way.  It’s very smooth – so much that it glides on your lids and doesn’t drag or even have any fall out.  Plus it’s very opaque – you don’t even need a base for Aurora.

So far I have only been using Aurora with some other neutral shadows however I will start to experiment with it next week and try it with different colours like blues and greens.  I have been so happy with my purchase of Aurora and urge everybody to at least swatch it and see for yourself just how beautiful it is.  I think this will soon become a staple in my neutral shadows collection.  If you have any questions then please ask in the comments below.

There were only two lipsticks released with the Gareth Pugh collection and I decided to buy the nude shade called Restrict.  Sadly the entire collection was limited edition though so if you want to purchase anything i’d go to www.maccosmetics.com without any further delay!

The packaging for Restrict is very sleek.  Unlike the regular lipsticks from MAC that come in a black bullet shaped tube, Restrict comes packaged in a glossy piano black square tube.  It has the MAC logo and Gareth Pugh name on one side of the tube and the lid has an interesting pattern on the end – it’s like an X has been cut out of the tube.  The lipstick itself contains the usual 3g of product and is a Cremesheen finish which is one of the regular lipstick finishes that MAC produce.  This lipstick cost me £20.50 or if you are in the states $22 which is much more expensive than the regular lipsticks.

So why was Restrict a must have buy for me?  I have plenty of nude lipsticks, Hue being my favourite, but there was something about Restrict that made me want it.  The overall colour of the lipstick is creamy pink that is very light in colour.  But what I simply love about this shade is the fabulous grey cast and tones that it has.  The pink and grey really pull together to create a very light and nude lip that looks like it has a hint of mauve.  Now some would say I was brave for buying this lipstick.  In fact when my husband saw it he said it would make me look dead.  However when worn with the right makeup this lipstick doesn’t create a ‘dead’ look.  More an ultra modern take on a nude lip.  Personally to highlight the lightness of the lipstick I like to wear it with smokey eyes – blacks and silvers look fantastic with this lipstick.

Restrict is also a pretty full coverage lipstick and because it’s a Cremesheen finish it looks slightly creamy and glossy on the lips.  I also find that this finish lasts quite a while on my lips before I need to touch it up.  The Cremesheen finish also feels nice on my lips and is quite non-drying.

Overall I am happy I bought Restrict and I have been playing with it for many weeks now and it has become my second favourite nude lipstick – nothing overtakes Hue i’m afraid.  I am now looking at what other Gareth Pugh items I would like – the Pigments look stunning so I need to make a decision before they are removed from the MAC site.  Did you buy anything from the Gareth Pugh collection?  Let me know what you bought and your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for watching and once again have a fabulous new year!

The Careblend powder was released about a year ago from MAC.  It is available in eight different shades to suit most skin tones.  It comes packaged in a sleek black compact which also comes with a mirror inside the compact.  The compact contains 10g of powder and costs £17.50 / $23.00.  MAC say that this powder gives a fresh finish and is blended to provide the skin with extra care, nourishment and comfort.

My skin type is very dry at this time of year, with the odd oily patch on my forehead, so it is important that a powder doesn’t look cakey when applied.  Sometimes pressed powder can be applied too heavily and it creates a mask like look on the skin.  However the Careblend powder is so light that it doesn’t look cakey and equally it doesn’t make my dry skin look flakey or draw any unwanted attention to it.  In fact it really does feel like i’m not wearing any powder because the finish is so light.

The powder is very finely milled and when you touch it with a clean finger you can tell it is not as ‘heavy’ as other pressed powders.  The shade that I use is Light which is a very good match to my NC20 skin tone.  Because the coverage of this powder is so light I don’t use it on it’s own to even out my skin tone because the application isn’t heavy enough.  However I use this to set my foundation and also for touch ups throughout the day.  The powder is also very long lasting on my skin and does help in delaying any oily patches appearing on my forehead area.  But the provided powder sponge is perfect for dabbing more powder on throughout the day.  You can buy replacement powder sponges from the MAC site because I don’t recommend using the same one over and over for hygiene reasons.

Overall I really like how this powder applies and how smooth it feels.  It delivers what it says it should and makes my skin feel really soft and lovely.  It is quite a pricey powder but I shall certainly re-purchase when mine runs out… which will be very soon! What are your opinions on this powder from MAC?  Let me know in the comments below.

MAC produce gel liners called Fluidline.  They work the same way as a liquid liner but are a gel formula which makes them a little easier to apply.  I sometimes struggle with liquid liner because my eyes twitch when applying it and liquid liner leaves little room for mistakes. So if you are a beginner with liquid eyeliner I would suggest working with a gel liner first to see how you get on.  MAC’s Fluidlines come in a variety of colours and cost £13.50 and contains 3g of product.  They come in a jar similar to a Paint Pot but are much smaller.  You will also need to buy a liner brush separately as they don’t come with one.  I personally use the 209 brush from MAC.

The liner that I love for softer looks is Blitz and Glitz and you’ll be pleased to know it is part of MAC’s permanent line so you can buy it at any point.  It’s still a black liner but it’s not an intense black which is mainly due to the very subtle golden sheen that it creates.  As you can see from my swatches the golden sheen is subtle but it helps lift the black.  The liner is extremely pigmented and I only have to line my eyes once, rather than going over them a couple of times until I get the effect I want.  Plus one of the best things about Blitz and Glitz is that it lasts all day without smudging or fading.

The one thing I will warn you about is how small the pot is.  When I first got mine I thought it wouldn’t last very long.  But I have had mine for over a year now and as you can see there is still plenty left and it is still creamy.  A little goes a long way with this product.  Overall I recommend Blitz and Glitz if you are wanting a softer black liner or even if you are new to using a liner that isn’t of the pencil variety.  Let me know in the comments below what your favorite Fluidline is from MAC.  To buy one go to www.maccosmetics.com

Thanks for watching!

I hope you enjoyed watching the video and if you have any requests then please let me know in the comments. Coming up next week is another tutorial as well as a look at my Zoya nail polish collection.

Unlike mineral shadows from previous holiday collections, this year MAC have decided to create mineralized shadows that are actually a solid shade with veining rather than the trios and dupes we had seen over the past couple of years.  I’m super happy about this because the past holiday ones with the glitter strips always seem like a waste of money to me because I can never use the glitter section.  So this year I can actually use the entirety of my shadow!

Shimmermint shadow cost me £16.50 / $21 and contains 0.07oz of product.  The packaging is different to the usual mineral shadows because instead of the black casing this one sports a lovely shiny white case which fits in with the rest of the holiday collection.  Being a mineral shadow you can use this wet or dry without damaging the product.  Personally I like to dampen my brush with Fix+ from MAC and then apply the shadow. Then once the shadow has been ‘foiled’ on my lids I pat some dry shadow over the top just to seal it in.

So what makes Shimmermint special and why did I have to buy it?  Of course I love greens but I have so many green shades now that I feel like I don’t have to buy each one that is released.  However this is the first minty green mineral shadow that MAC have created.  It is a very cool toned mint green which also leans a little blue and grey, especially when used wet.  It is also filled with silver and green shimmers that really add to the frosty finish of the shadow.

Like most mineral shadows you really need to use Shimmermint wet to really get the full effect of the shadow.  As you can see from my swatch that when used dry the shadow is extremely sheer and also has quite a bit of fall out due to the glitters in the shadow.  I also find that it is best to use a base like a Paint Pot or at least a primer to make sure that the shadow lasts all day long without  creasing.  I do still get a little fall out but by using the Paint Pot it helps the shadow adhere to the lids.

Overall I enjoy using this shadow and think it is super pretty for the winter months.  Of course it does take a little effort to make sure you don’t get any fall out but the effort is worth it to me.  Grab Shimmermint while you can from www.maccosmetics.com because it is limited edition with the Glitter and Ice holiday collection.  If you bought shimmermint let me know how you like to wear it in the comments below.