Spending the Holidays at the MAC Counter

Christmas is not Christmas without MAC unleashing the Holiday Collection, and here it is. I spent one Friday at Glorietta since it was their theme day, and I photographed the collection

I like how ultra-feminine the displayer looks with the pink, purple, and silver schemes with lots of sparklies. The displayer was quite bare when I took this, as the store was just being set up.

Here are the palettes I've been telling you about. The Smoke and Mirrors eyeshadow palette caught my eye because of the neutral colors that could be used for brides. Plus, these are classic blacks and browns that never go wrong regardless of skin color. It goes on quite sheer though so I recommend a MAC eyeshadow lover's best friend: a nude paint pot color before eyeshadow.

Traditional brush sets for the collector. The case is pretty cute, taking on a silver theme this time. The 227 takes on a short handled form, but I found it too soft for me.

Pigments were the most sellable items, due to the high color delivery. Although they come in mini-containers, a little goes a long way with these babies. I like the Sexpot set, which feature smoky colors for a highly pigmented smoky eye. The downside of pigments is that they can be tricky so our best bets with these are: a dense 239 brush, patience and layering, paint pots, and loose powder to catch pigment fallout. Pigment "stains" could be cleaned with Studiofix.

L-R: Under Your Spell, It's a Miracle, Mayhem, and Midnight Madness

Here are swatches of the mineralize eyeshadows. They come in two colors per pot, one in a plum/gold/gray shade, and a metallic one. The main color comes out really pigmented when swatched (for Mineralize, I recommend a dense brush such as a 242 or 239 brush). The metallic is more of an accent, and comes out like a topping of glitter. Suggestion to wear this: as a highlight on cheekbones or on top of pigmented eyeshadows for contrast.

Lippies come in glaze and lustre finishes, putting the focus on the eyes. Dazzleglasses are sheer and sparkly and are great to add moisture, shine, and sparkle to the lips. Cremesheen glasses glide smoothly when swatched and on lips.

From L-R: Dazzleglass: She-Zam, Phiff!, Jingle Jangle, Cremesheen Glass: Boy Bait, Ever So Rich, Lipsticks: Total Wow!, Utter Fun, Pervette, Surprise Me

I actually like She-Zam on top of a rich matte red lipstick like Ruby Woo, since the silvery sparkle gives it a festive sparkly touch. Another thing I recommend is Surprise Me, which is a corally pink color. If it's too sheer, I suggest using Spice lipliner before Surprise Me, so there's more color.

Since I spent Friday documenting the products, Saturday, I worked as a MAC guest artist at Mall of Asia. It was also the theme day so I got to wear the shirt as well.

Me, guest makeup artist and Frances, who happens to be one of MAC Marionnaud's artists. My eyes happened to be plummy and smokey that night. I got to spend an entire day in black and high heels. :) Sales was really good that time. Looks like everyone's in a good mood to shop.

I'll be posting a more in-depth review on an eyeshadow palette plus a tutorial soon.

Anyone grab a MAC Holiday item yet?