MAC's Mac me over collection Review and Swatches

I know I haven't done swatches and reviews for a while now.. I have a couple of items lined up to review and others I'm still testing.
I was so excited when I first checked out the official information and photos of Mac's Mac me over collection. 
I got a couple of items, not much from the collection since I already had similar items or the same product purchased from previous collections.

Lipsticks:

 Prince Noir (Limited Edition)

This lipstick is actually darker than it appears.It's a deep burgundy color with red and purple hues. In real life it looks more purple than red. It's a tad too dark for me. In the picture the color looks lighter and better!

The lipstick has a matte finish, but not as matte as Ruby Woo.

I don't think I'd be using it since it's a tad dark for my liking.

Runway Red. (Limited Edition)

This lipstick is also darker in real life. I absolutely love this lipstick. It's a blue based dark red, in the picture it slightly gives a fuchsia hint which you don't see in person. 

This is my favorite lipstick from the collection,

Peachstock (Permanent at Mac Pro)

I got this lipstick last year from Mac pro. It's a medium nude lipstick with a hint of peach. On my skin tone it looks like I have concealer on, like most nude lipstick it's best paired with a pink lipgloss.

Rebel (permanent)
This lipstick in an old favorite of mine. It's a Purple/ Dark Fuchsia lipstick with a satin finish.

Left: Runway Red. Right: Prince Noir

Left: Peachstock Right: Rebel

Above Price Noir. Below: Runway Red.

   

Eyeshadows:

Above: Moleskin. Bottom: Creamy Bisque
I bought 2 eyeshadows, and I love them both.
Moleskin: Is a nude caramel beige color. Very close to my skin tone (NC30). This eyeshadow has a matte finish.

Creamy Bisque: Is a creamy Ivory eyeshadow with a frost finish.

I love the texture of this eyeshadow. It's beautiful for highlighting the brow bone and inner corners.


Brushes:

Right: Mac 226. Left: Sigma Small Tapered Brush

I've been dying to get my hands on Mac's 226 brush for so long now. And I'm glad they finally decided to release it in one of their collections. 
This brush was sold out within couple of minutes when the collection was released in the UK website! I was gutted! I found a legit seller on amazon and didn't hesitate for a second to hit the buy now button.
The brush was not even released online in the US due to popular demand and limited stock!
I LOVE this brush, definitely my holy grail crease brush.

It's great for lining your crease and it blends amazingly. Even though the brush released in this collection is not as tapered as the ones released in the Blonde Brunette Red Head collection, It's definitely an easy brush to work with. This brush does not spread out color as much as the 224 since it's more tapered and It's great for highlighting the brow bone and the inner corner of the eye.

As you can see I own the Sigma version of a small tapered brush. 
Comparing these two I prefer the Mac's even though it's not as tapered but it's much better at blending.
When it comes to Mac or Sigma Brushes I prefer Mac's to be honest. Mac has higher quality brushes and I believe it will last longer. 
I find Sigma's a tad mediocre in my opinion as a make-up artist! 
What I don't like about Sigma is you can order the same two brushes and you'll receive two different looking ones! This happened when I ordered two tapered brushes! and let me tell you this wasn't the last time this happened. I later found out I wasn't the only one who has faced this problem!
I can't deny the fact that for the price you pay you are getting amazing brushes so close to Mac's. I would totally recommend them for those who want a good set of brushes for personal use, nothing professional!
To me I'd rather invest in good brushes that will last longer.

How to: Transform your Mac eyeshadow palette from 15 pans to 21

I know how annoying it can be going through all of your eyeshadows or look for a specific one. Arranging your eyeshadow can save so much time and what better way than categorizing and arranging them your way. Plus, it can be fun..
Now, the palettes available in Mac carry only 15 eyeshadows, I'll be showing you how you can fit 21 or even 26 in one palette.
You can also save up money by buying the eyeshadow pro refill which is cheaper than the regular eyeshadows, In addition they come with magnates which makes it easier to place in the palette.
Now, the down side is you can't always find the shade you want in refills, if you don't there is a way. You can detach the shadow and place it in the palette.

 

So here are the steps:

That's how the palette looks.

what you have to do is remove the plastic cover that eliminates the amount of shadow you can place.

Unfortunately I already had mine removed.

All you have to do is lift the plastic definer, place a knife under it and pull it off.

Please make sure to be as careful as you can.

what I do after removing the plastic piece I glue the magnet so it stays in place. You can now easily place your refill eyeshadows.

Here's how you can transform your regular eyeshadow: 

Here's what you need:

Your Mac pro palette.

The eyeshadow/s you want to transform.

Cutter.

Scissor.

Lighter.

Permanent Marker.

Double sided tape.

Place the cutter on the edge of the shadow and pull it upwards to separate the piece containing the shadow from the case.

(please excuse my shipped nails. I have manicures on a weekly bases, the brand of nail polish I happened to use, which is Sephora, is so bad that it chipped within 2 days. )

  secure the eyeshadow with a scissor. Make sure you get a firm hold of it. (not too firm though, I don't want you breaking it)

Pleas try to be as careful as you can with this step. After securing the eyeshadow with the scissor lit your lighter and start burning the lower part. What the fire would do is melt the glue holding the shadow which will make it easier for you to pull the eyeshadow out.

Move the lighter in a circular motion for 10 seconds. Don't over burn it

once done with melting the glue. Grab you cutter once again and try to gently remove the eyeshadow. Be as gentle as you can for you can easily break your eyeshadow. Be careful not to burn your hands as the eyeshadow will still be hot. Lift the eyeshadow and place it on a flat surface to cool down for a minute. If you find difficulty in removing the eyeshadow it might be because the glue is not melted. Repeat the step. 

Doing this step might be slightly difficult at first but once you get a hold of it, it'll get easier.

Once the eyeshadow has cooled off grab you double sided tape and stick a small piece on the backside of your shadow then place it on the palette. Viola..

Another hint, you can also use magnets instead of double sided tape. I never found the right size.

This step is optional. I came up with a way of organizing my palette. The refill ones come with a label on the back but the ones you'll stick obviously don't. What I do is I number each row and place each shadow's label accordingly. 

Some people don't mind having them all mixed up or have their own way of remembering. In this case you can fit up to 26 eyeshadows in one palette.

Please excuse how messy my palette looks. It's so hard to keep it tidy as the excess powder gets all over the place =)

I separate my mattes from my shimmers. You can do yours the way you desire.

Don't throw away the cases. Save them up, and as MAC recycles for each 6 cases you get any lipstick of your choice for free. 

Any case from MAC will do lipsticks, eyelash containers, Blusher,....

Hope you found this post useful, and hope you enjoyed it. 

Got any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment...

I'll be starting giveaways as of next month, my first will be one of my must have make-up tools that I absolutely love and can't stop raving about, which is the infamous Beauty Blender..
All you have to do is follow my blog. 
Stay tuned...

xoxo