Mac Mineralise Skinfinish in Light Year

Already a big fan of the concept of Mac Mineralize Skin Finishes, and a daily user of the shade Soft and Gentle (review here), I often find myself gazing admiringly at whatever new offerings Mac have created. When the Heavenly Creatures collection came out, I was particularly drawn to them, largely due to the fact that they are just plain beautiful. However, I held off on purchasing any because I hadn't long got my hands on Soft and Gentle, and was able to convince myself that one was enough.

Until now.

The Mac MSFs are really soft, finely milled highlighting powders, and Light Year is no exception. A light peach shade, with both soft pink and gold shimmer running through it, this translates onto the skin as a beautiful peach-bronze. While I would usually use an MSF as a highlighter on top of a blush, with Light Year there really is no need, as this gives you a gorgeous flush of colour as well as a healthy glow. If anything, I find that pairing this with a blush is a little too much, but if your skintone is of the darker variety then this would probably work well layered up as a highlighter with a more highly-pigmented blush. 

As for the gold shimmer, I do find that I pick up some glittery particles on my brush, but these are not hugely noticeable on the skin. In fact, I didn't realise this would contain any sort of glitter when I bought it online, as Soft and Gentle certainly doesn't. I'm not a glitter person, so I was a little bit worried when I first swatched this, even now tending to avoid the gold veining when using it.

In all, this is a really beautiful, subtle shade, and one I'm very happy to have welcomed into my collection. I can also imagine that this would look stunning on tanned skin in the summer, although I'm already finding myself reaching for it on most days, regardless of the colder season we are currently in.

Sadly, this shade was a limited edition, but Mac have just brought out a couple of gorgeous new MSFs as part of their Glamour Daze collection, so if you like the look of this then do go over and check those out on the MAC website (click the link to go straight there). You can also find Soft and Gentle, which is part of the permanent collection and retails at £21.50.

If any of you saw my Beauty Haul post on Saturday then you will know that I have picked up a few other goodies lately, so expect some FOTD and day to day makeup posts featuring those coming up very soon.

Hope everyone's having a good week so far.

xx

Mac: Heavenly Creatures Collection

Mac's beautiful out-of-this-world  Heavenly Creatures Collection, inspired by outer space, hits the shops this month, and having seen these stunning promotional pictures, I have to admit I'm really excited about it.  Why not explore a galaxy far, far away with stunning Mineralise Skinfinishes and eyeshadows, and let the marbled blushes and bronzers take you on a tour of the solar system? Sounds good to me.

Mac says: Discover a whole new, gorgeous galaxy of supernova shades. On the surface they look marbleized, but on the skin they blend for stunning celestial effects. The M·A·C Heavenly Creature colour collection features 4 Mineralize Skinfinishes and 4 Mineralize Blushes, orbited by 5 Lipsticks and 5 Cremesheen Glass.

Mineralise Skinfinish

• Earthshine: Tarnished bronze with gold pearl and pink reflects
• Star Wonder: Plummy-pink with multi-dimensional pearl
• Light Year: Pinky-peach with gold shimmer
• Centre Of The Universe: Coral with gold shimmer.

Mineralize Blush

• Stratus: Amethyst and gold brown melange (frost)
• Solar Ray: Peach and gold melange (frost)
• Ring of Saturn: Terracotta and gold melange (frost)
• Supernova: Magenta and burnished gold melange (frost)

Mineralise Eyeshadow

• Aurora: Peach, green, brown melange
• Bright Moon: Grey, silver, icy-green melange
• Earthly: Beige, peach, cool brown melange
• Invincible Light: Icy white, lavender, warm gold melange
• Magnetic Attraction: Orange, pink, gold melange
• Neo Nebula: Cream, warm amethyst, warm pink melange
• Sky: green-gold, turquoise, cobalt melange
• Universal Appeal: Gold, bronze, violet melange
• Water: Yellow, lime green, blue melange

Skincare

• Mineralize Charged Water Cleanser
• Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator
• Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Gel
• Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream

Lipsticks

• Pleasure-seeker: Creamy peach (Glaze)
• Venus: Sheer yellow pink with pearlised pigments (Lustre)
• Cusp of Dawn: Beige Pink (Lustre)
• Cut A Caper: Mid-tone peach pink (Lustre)
• Fire Sign: Red pink (Lustre)

Cremesheen Glass

• Astral: Bright yellow pink
• Celestial Kiss: Pale cool peach
• Galaxy Rose: Mid-tone violet pink
• Meteoric: Mid-tone vibrant coral
• Strictly Plutonic: Mid-tone pink brown

Personally, I'm pretty blown away by the gorgeous selection of marbleized eyeshadows. I'm not usually one for purchasing individual eyeshadows, as I find that I am too indecisive and am constantly changing my mind about what shades I want to wear, plus I like to have palettes of complementary shades as I just find it a lot more practical when it comes to application. But I'm definitely willing to make an exception for these little beauties, particularly Earthly, Invincible Light and Magnetic Attraction.

But what has really drawn me into this collection is undoubtedly the beautiful selection of blushes and skinfinishes. While I have found myself wearing eyeshadow less and less over the past few years, mostly saving it for nights out and special occasions,  blushes and bronzers are way up there on my most used makeuo products, and I just can't seem to get enough of them. Mac has become a particular favourite of mine for these, and I would happily snap up every last one of their skinfinishes, including these four gorgeous offerings. In terms of the blushes, they all look hugely appealing, but due to the marble-effect, I'm unsure which of these would be up my street as I'd need to swatch them to be able to decide. Luckily, I won't have to wait long to do so, so I will certainly keep you updated on which of these treasures come home with me!

I must admit, I'm not hugely excited by the lipsticks or glosses. I'm a huge fan of Mac lipsticks, but nothing about this little lot particularly jumps out at me, and none of the shades seem to be anything hugely different from those available in the main range.

I'm quite intrigued by the skincare range though, as I have never tried anythng of that sort from Mac. I don't think I'll be purchasing any at the moment, however, as I have just ordered some Caudalie products to try out, as well as still having my trusty Liz Earle favourites, which I use every day.

Does anything catch your eye from this collection? If so, which pieces do you think will end up sneaking their way into  your shopping bag when you're not looking?

Hope everyone has enjoyed their Saturday!

xx

Mac Mineralize Blush in Gleeful: Review

This was another one of those rushed, jet-lagged airport purchases, and like the foundation and lipsticks I've mentioned previously, I came away with the wrong colour. When I say wrong, I mean that I am usually more of a rosy pink, peach or coral kind of girl, and this one immediately seemed as though it would be much too dark for me.

Described by Mac as a 'deep, dirty blue-pink with gold pearl', Gleeful is, for me, much more of a reddish, plummy colour than I would usually go for. It's really finely milled and has a lovely soft texture.

With Gleeful, I find that a little does go a really long way, and due to this I think it's going to take me forever to actually hit pan! It requires only a light dusting on the cheekbones and gives a lovely, healthy flush.

It is buildable, but I can't see that you'd really want to layer it up too much, as the effect would be much too harsh. However, this shade would be really pretty and flattering on darker skin tones, and those of you who fall into this category could definitely afford to be a bit more adventurous with it.

Here it is swatched on tha back of my hand (left) next to the MSF in Soft and Gentle.

I do like to use this blush along with the highlighter as I feel that it creates a softer look. While this is a pretty blush, it's not something I usually go for when it comes to every-day looks, and I feel that shades such as Dainty, Warm Soul and Merrily would be the blushes I would reach for more often.

I have actually ordered myself Dainty, so I will be sure to do a review and comparison whenever it arrives.

Do you own any of Mac's Mineralize blushes? What do you think of them? Do you have a favourite shade?

xx

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Soft and Gentle: Review

When I was about fifteen, I went through a bit of an obsession with highlighters. I just couldn't get enough of them, and would constantly be picking them up in various shades and forms. My favourite was a cream stick, in a gorgeous pearlescent pink, and I wore it religiously every day. Sadly, the label wore off over time, and as at that age I was a little bit less aware of what brands I was choosing to buy, when the time came to purchase a new one it was nowhere to be found. I had bought it from a tiny local Boots, so had been sure it would be easy to find the next time I was after one. Alas, I was wrong, and though I have continued to buy highlighters on and off over the years, I have never really felt the same way about one since.

I had really high expectations when I decided to pick up Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. To be honest, the shade wasn't one I would usually go for, as I tend to be drawn to highlighters with a subtle hint of bronze or pink, but having seen Louise (Sprinkle Of Glitter) wearing and talking about this in some of her blog posts, I was swayed. She looked so healthy and glowing in those photos, and who would say no to that!? So, on a recent trip abroad, I decided to pick one up in duty free. Just a side note really, but I also got myself matched for a Mac Satin Finish foundation, and it turned out to be completely the wrong shade. Note to long-haul travellers: Never get matched for makeup when you've just stepped off a twelve hour flight! I always look super pasty after flying, so I ended up with a foundation that was too shades too light and I can't use it, which is a bit rubbish, as it does give a beautiful dewy finish to the skin, which I love.

But anyway, I digress.

Onto the review.

Soft and Gentle is one of the few Mineralize Skinfinish shades in the permanent core collection, and is described by Mac as a 'gilded peach bronze'. It's a really finely milled powder and is marbled and baked. To be honest, this was one of the things that drew me to it in the airport, as although I wanted it anyway, it just looks so pretty. It's not the cheapest of highlighters, at £21.50 on the MAC UK site, but it looks expensive and elegant in it's sturdy signature packaging, and you do get a large amount of product (10g).

The highlighter comes out as a pretty champagne shade with a subtle gold shimmer when swatched. Upon closer inspection, you can spot some tiny little flecks of gold glitter, but what I like about it is that you really can't notice them unless you are looking for them, and they just give a gorgeous overall shimmer effect. Personally, I find getting glitter on my face to be really unflattering, so I much prefer a nice glow than full on sparkle.

You can use this product in lots of different ways (much the same as any highlighter, though the subtle shade definitely makes it more versatile), but personally I tend to just stick to my cheekbones and my browbone. This is actually subtle enough to include in your everyday makeup, as it's buildable, so you can go to town when you are after a more dramatic evening look. Luckily, with this, there is no risk of accidentally walking round looking like you've either been tangoed or have serious sunburn, as can sometimes happen when using an all-in-one shimmery blusher or bronzer. I find that with those, many people tend to layer up a bit too much, as either they want more of a golden glow but forget about the extreme shimmer that comes with it, or they want a bit more shimmer and forget about the colour. Best to use separates, in my opinion, as you can then make sure that you get just the right amount of each.

That said, you do still need to be careful with Soft and Gentle and try to apply it in natural light, as a little does go a long way, and it's easy to over-apply thinking that you can't really see it, when as soon as you step outside it will be blindingly obvious! One of the things I wasn't so keen on with this product is precisely that - while I've seen photos of other people wearing it and looking amazing, I always feel that I can't really see it or notice much of a glow when I put it on myself. But I know that it's just the lighting and that other people looking at me can see the effects, so fingers crossed it looks nice!

Hope everyone has had a lovely day. Just think, we are more than half way through the working week now, the weekend is in sight!

Hurrah.

xx