Review: Mac Paintpot in Groundwork

Two things before we even begin to go into my thoughts on this product: 1. Yes, I was an impatient blogger and cracked this open on a weekend away, meaning I didn't get to photograph it before use - hence it now looking more than a little bit gross. 2. Adding to the grossness is a delightfully placed hair, which I can assure you is from a makeup brush. You have my apologies for both.

On my last visit to my local Mac shop, I went in with two things in mind: A new spring lipstick, and a Mac Paint Pot. Despite being an avid Mac shopper, this was one product I had yet to try, perhaps owing to my - until fairly recently - reluctance to branch out from palettes when it comes to eye colours. Generally, I'm far too greedy and indecisive to ever go for a single eye shadow or pigment, be it cream or powder, but I'd seen these little gems floating around the blogosphere for a while by then, and had noted how lovely both Groundwork and Painterly seemed to look just used on their own.

So, what exactly are these Paint Pots, for those of you who have never tried them before? They are highly-pigmented cream eye colours which set with an intense finish, and the neutral shades among them  work well as a primer/base for powder eyeshadows as well as looking pretty darn good worn alone.

I picked up the shade Groundwork, which I must admit doesn't look all that exciting in the pot. It's described by Mac as a mid-tone neutral taupe, but while it does look pretty matte before application, on the eyelids it does have a bit of a glossy, sheeny finish. The best thing about Paint Pots is that they are really long-wearing - this one doesn't budge all day, and I have to make a point of removing it especially when it comes to my evening skincare routine. It doesn't crease at all either, which is one of the reasons it does make such a fabulous eyeshadow base.

Personally, I've been wearing this solo all over the lid for a really easy, day-time neutral eye. For me, it seems a shame to cover it up with layers of eyeshadow when it looks so pretty on it's own, and since the day I bought it I think I have pretty much reached for it every single day. It's such a quick and effective step to include in my morning makeup routine, and it's handy for travel too as it's such a small and sturdy pot.

Of course, for evening looks I do take full advantage of  Groundwork's power as a base for a more dramatic look, and that works really well too.

 The only downside to the Paint Pots, I would say, is that they do tend to dry out slightly, so it's a good idea to keep the lid screwed on really tightly and, as I was advised at Mac, to store it upside-down. Saying that, mine only looks slightly drier in the pot, but it's still just as easy to apply with a fluffy eyeshadow brush.

Overall I'm really impressed with this, and am looking to get my hands on a couple more very soon. I only wish I'd discovered them sooner!

Paint Pots are available from Mac at £14.50 a pop.

Have you tried any of the Mac Paint Pots? If so, which one is your favourite?

xx

New in: Birthday Beauty Bits

Hello everyone, I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about all-things birthday-related by now, but I have one last post to share with you, and that is the beauty bits I was lucky enough to receive. Now, I have already uploaded a video on this to my Youtube channel, but as I know that some of you prefer to read about things instead I thought I'd pop up some pictures and tell you all about them here, too. If, however, you do fancy a cheeky watch of the video then here it is below. If not then keep reading :)

Video:

First up, I finally got my mitts on the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. I actually ordered this one well in advance, as I've had my eye on it for the longest time. It contains lots of lovely ingredients like avocado oil, and smells of vanilla and mandarin, which frankly is just divine. It's really a moisture mask, but the anti-bacterial properties of the manuka honey make it great for blemishes, too.

Continuing on the theme of skincare,  also got the Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir, and so far I'm absolutely loving it. It's so rare to find an eye cream that offers to fight dark circles, puffiness and fine lines all in one go, let alone one that actually delivers, and so far this one has definitely impressed. Plus, it has a lovely herbal scent, which is always a bonus in my eyes.

Lastly for skincare, my lovely mother got me the Elemental Herbology Weekend Facial set, which consists of their Facial Detox mask, Facial Glow Radiance Peel and Biodynamic Souffle, which is an overnight moisture mask. So far I've only used the first two once, so I will keep you posted, but so far I like them a lot.

Moving onto makeup, the hubby took me birthday shopping at the weekend, so it was only natural that I'd pop into Mac. I went in looking to come away with a Paint Pot in either Bare Study or Groundwork, and in the end I went with Groundwork. If you're not sure what these are then they are basically cream pigments which can be used either as an eyeshadow base or on their own, and I've been enjoying using mine solo as an easy every-day eye colour. While there, I was inevitably tempted by the lipsticks, and soon foun myself in the possession of my first Cremesheen lipstick in the shade Coral Bliss, which is a lovely sheer, pinky coral. It has quite a glossy finsh, meaning it won't cling to any dry patches, and the colour is buildable, so you can vary the level of intensity. All in all, a lovely, easy to wear lipstick for Spring.

Last but not least comes a Sheertone blush in the shade Peachykeen. I actually had no intention of getting a blush at all, but the sales assistant had popped some of this onto my cheeks while I was in-store, and after I left I kept finding myself admiring the pretty, healthy glow it had given me whenever I passed a mirror, and in the end I just had to go back and snap it up. I'd say it's somewhere between a peach and a coral, and in the pan it does seem to contain some glitter particles, but these don't transfer onto the skin at all as it leaves only a luminous glow.

So that's my lot! I may well be doing a second part to this post at some point, as I know I've been sent a few  other beauty-related bits as presents which haven't arrived yet. 

Hope you enjoyed having a little nose at the latest additions to my beauty cupboard and that you're all having a great week.

xx