Top 5 Favorite MAC Products

Top 5 MAC Products

MAC never fails to make me feel nostalgic. It was the first “high end” makeup brand that I used, and it was the spark that ignited my love of makeup. I remember when I was a younger teen, maybe 14 or 15, I would always get so excited to unwrap a MAC gift card for my birthday or Christmas. I felt so grown up and fancy buying it! The sleek black packaging and minimalist designs still have a sense of luxury about them, even though I have since began experimenting with even more expensive makeup.

Through my long-time obsession with MAC, I have tried a LOT of their products, and there a quite a few that have become staples in my makeup routine. It took some effort, but I think I have managed to pick out my top 5 favorite MAC products. Some of these are relatively new, and some are tried-and-true favorites that I have repurchased multiple times.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer ($22CAD)

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC15

Pictured is at least my 3^rd pot of this concealer. It was probably one of the first products I bought at MAC, and I have never found anything that works as well as it. The main thing that keeps me coming back is that it is SO insanely pigmented. I started getting acne in the 6^th grade, and it continued to get worse as I got older. I’m still struggling with it today, but I’m slowly getting it somewhat under control with prescription medications and hours of browsing r/SkinCareAddiction. This concealer is the only thing I have found that can cover it, as it is completely full coverage and VERY thick. I would not recommend using it under your eyes, as it can get cakey when used over large areas. It is, however, perfect for spot concealing as it really sticks to the skin. Other concealers I’ve tried tended to make my foundation wear off of my blemishes, and then the concealer wouldn’t even stick, leaving me with zits that are even less covered than with just foundation. So when I don’t have this, I’m honestly better off just wearing a second layer of foundation than even concealing! At $22CAD, this is much cheaper than most of the concealers at Sephora. And one jar lasts well over a year of  daily use – and I have a lot of blemishes to cover. This product is a 10/10 and I will always come back to it.

MAC Powerpoint Eyeliner in Stubborn Brown ($19CAD)

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Stubborn Brown

I’ve had this pencil for ages, and it’s not my first one either. This is the best everyday brown eyeliner and it’s a staple in my makeup routine. It’s much darker and less brown than most brown eyeliners I’ve found, so it looks more natural in my opinion. I love smudging this along my top lashes to add a bit of subtle definition without being obvious that I’m wearing eyeliner. It’s incredibly long wearing and it’s probably one of the only pencils I’ve found that doesn’t smudge under my eyes by the middle of the day. It’s a little on the pricey side for an eyeliner, but the pencil lasts forever and the quality is equivalent to much more expensive products so I think it’s a great deal. Pictured is at least my second pencil, might even be my third to be honest. I love splurging on great quality basics so I will definitely be repurchasing soon, as it’s clearly almost at the end of its life!

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly ($24CAD)

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly

I need to start this by saying that this isn’t a perfect shade for me. It’s a little too dark, and a little too pink, so it doesn’t match my skin too well, but the texture and wear of this product are so incredible that I definitely ignore the color most of the time. This is relatively new to my collection - I only bought it a couple of months ago. To be honest, I had never touched a paint pot before. I assumed they were exactly like the Maybelline Color Tattoos so I figured, why pay $24 for a cream shadow when I can get something the exact same for under $10? Then I touched one. The texture is so smooth, so creamy, so blendable. It’s a completely different texture than that of the Color Tattoos! Now I do love the Color Tattoos. They are a great budget cream shadow/eyeshadow base but they can be a little difficult to work with at times. I only ended up looking at the paint pots because I wanted a matte eyeshadow base and I was blown away by the texture. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, my life was changed in that moment. I immediately purchased it and I have been in love with it ever since! All I need now is for MAC to release a matte white paint pot, or at least a paler matte shade. Then my life would be complete. I have a full comparison review of 6 different eyeshadows bases where I compare both the Paint Pots and Color Tattoos that you can check out here!

MAC Blush in Well Dressed ($25CAD)

MAC Blush in Well Dressed

Well Dressed is a cult favorite product that I waited way too long to pick up! I’ve had this for a few months now and it has become my go-to blush for everyday wear. It’s a beautiful pale baby pink, with a satin finish. I actually have to force myself to use other blushes on occasion because otherwise I’ll literally wear this every single day. It’s the perfect shade for brightening up the complexion and just giving a natural flush. I don’t necessarily find it to be the longest-wearing blush I own, but the finish and color is too pretty for md to not give it a spot in my MAC top five. I wear this more than any other blush I own and I can’t believe I didn’t buy this sooner! I finally understand the hype around it. Now that I have a couple of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blushes though, I'll have to switch up my blush a bit more often. But I have a feeling that I won’t be able to give this up too easily!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade ($37CAD)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

This is the most recent addition to my MAC collection, but I can’t leave this out of my top 5. I needed a better highlight, as my Soft and Gentle from MAC was just looking a little off on my face. I still do love Soft and Gentle, but it’s just too dark and gold for my super pale skin. After a particularly bad day at work, I stopped in at the MAC counter in The Bay and picked this up as a treat for myself and I am very happy that I did! I’ve been wearing this every day since and I am officially obsessed. It gives off a subtle, pearly white-beige sheen that looks much more natural on my skin than Soft and Gentle did. You can go very heavy-handed with this without looking crazy, which is great for me seeing as I apply my makeup half-asleep at 6:30am every day. It’s quite expensive at $37CAD, but I honestly can’t find any drugstore highlighters that I like so this was worth the splurge. Even though it’s pretty new, I would definitely consider this part of my top 5 from MAC!

What are your favorite MAC products? Let me know in the comments!