Mac Starter Kit Advice

Aug 30, 2011

Melissa S.

So this year i have gotten much more into makeup, and i would like to gradually have a good makeup collection
I have recently bought five products from mac with the money that i have saved, which were
Mineralize skin finish natural,
mac fix +
tinted lip glass in Lust
tinted lip conditioner in soothing beige, for a nice nude
mineralized blush in warm soul
i would like to work on on the 15 natural palette from mac. it would be really helpful to know what products, and eye shadows i should ignore and products that i really should save $$ on and buy. because i find that MAC products can last me a long time, and i dont wear makeup everyday,
if you have any products that you think i should try and recommend please let me know

Aug 30, 2011

Soma S.

It really depends on what kind of colors of e/s you are looking to collect... BUT I HIGHLY suggest you look into purchasing ALL of their Matte^2 line... they blend so well because they are buttery soft, and great for beginners. The pigmentation is fantastic, and for the price, it's actually the best bang for your buck with the quality you receive in return.

For highlight colors, I'm a big fan of Shroom [great for eyeshadow and highlight powder for cheeks and bridge of nose] and Ricepaper.

Browns: Handwritten [Matte^2], Embark, Espresso, Swiss Chocolate

Metallic Golds: Amberlights and Woodwinked

Blacks: Beautymarked [glitter doesn't show, but shows black w/ red undertones], Typographic [a VERY dark grey/black, Matte^2 - I like this more than Carbon], and of course... Carbon, which isn't bad, but doesn't blend as well as Typographic.

Other colors: Humid, Deep Truth, Club, Fig. 1 [Matte^2 plum], Sketch

Transition crease colors: Kid, Texture

I'm more of a neutrals girl trying to branch out into bolder colors... my first 15 pan pallet filled with 75% neutrals [creams, taupes, browns, blacks] and the other 25% were plum shades.

Texture finishes you should def. get into at MAC are:

Matte^2
Veluxe Pearls
Satins

I would stay away from frost finishes... but that's my personal preference since I find frosty dupes can be found through alternative cheaper brands easily. Hope that helps, and have fun! Once you fill up your first pan, you'll quickly want to keep going until you have your own personal library of colors sitting atop your vanity! It took me 2.5 years before I filled my first pallet, and I've been collecting for a good 4 years now, and I've just filled my second. Don't be too discouraged by not being able to fill it up right away... and make sure you swatch them in person if you can! It's ok to ask the associate to try it on your eyes too... since things don't always swatch the same on your eyes as they do your hands.  =)

Aug 30, 2011

Melissa S.

Thank you Sooo Soo Much Soma! that was really helpful and i cant wait to buy my first palette and start collecting. i think that i will be able to buy two colors at a time, and its better because i dont want to break the bank, and i wont be able to try all the colors at the same time. i want the first palette to be my neutrals. thanks so much for your help i will deff look into it and keep these colors in mind <33333  

Aug 30, 2011

Sahily P.

Make sure to also look into other great brands such as benefit, urban decay, makeup forever, etc.

Aug 30, 2011

Melissa S.

@ Sahily, i have been trying some benefit products, like the samples and stuff

Sep 5, 2011

Cassandra M.

It depends what type of eyeshadow colors you like, everyone has different likes and preferences, but I have a MAC eyeshadow palette and my favorite colors in my palette are Phloof (light shimmery white/champagne), Satin taupe, crystal avalanche (shimmery white, perfect for highlighting), Sable, pink freeze (light shimmery baby pink), Silver ring (dark silver/gray). I think the best finishes of MAC eyeshadows are frost, velvet, and veluxe pearl. A lot of the Lustre finish eyeshadows can be really chalky, chunky and don't apply well. And quite a bit of the matte finish eyeshadows aren't very pigmented at all, but there are some that are. Hopefully this helps a little bit :)

Sep 5, 2011

Melissa S.

Thanks a lot Cassandra <3  

Sep 5, 2011

Megan B.

e/s that i love: woodwinked, tempting, all that glitters, coppering, mythology, bronze, trax, sumpstuious olive

Sep 7, 2011

Imani G.

I literally just did a video & blog post on this topic of MAC eyeshadows!

http://www.makeupbyimani.com/2011/08/beauty-breakdown-mac-v-wet-n-wild.html

Check it out for some MAC colors and a comparable palette :)

Sep 7, 2011

Melissa S.

@Imani, The MAC swatches are great thank you!

Oct 3, 2011

Melissa S.

THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND ADVICE! I JUST ORDERED MY MAC 15 EYE SHADOW PALETTE AND I ORDERED
-ALL THAT GLITTERS
-BRONZE

Oct 5, 2011

Karma B.

Focus on getting more nude colors and natural colors for your palette. Get crazy colors as you need them later. Also focus on getting things that you can use in multiple diff ways. For example an eyshadow as a highlight and blush or contouring. Eyeshadow you can also press onto lips for color. Liquiblast liner can also be used as eyeshadow. Get it on a blending brush and quickly work it in circles and quick strokes. Once it dries it will not move at all! Ask the girls at MAC they'll show you the most popular things to get and what can be used in different ways. That's what the MAC pro classes teach us.

Oct 5, 2011

Melissa S.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE KARMA! AND YEAH I AM STICKING TO MORE NEUTRAL COLORS