I had no idea what I was in for this year. I have always loved makeup, but only recently have begun to unravel the world of everyday makeup (in contrast to the costume makeup that I was used to doing). There is a Huge(!) world of 'everyday' makeup out there! I remember buying my first purchases from Sephora several years ago, before they had any Sephora stores in Colorado (no sales tax back then in online purchases!). I believe my first purchase was the makeup forever liquid liners (still miss those, as they were such great quality and easy to use). I bought it because I was performing, and was looking for eyeliner that wouldn't melt on stage.
From that point, I would find items randomly as I shopped online. I never really knew the distinct differences between all the different brands and products (still figuring that out), and really, that's what this post is about.
In the mall by my home, there is now a MAC store one store down from the Sephora store. I have shopped at Sephora for years, now, ( I had heard about MAC from other people, of course, but Sephora has such a huge variety that I never felt the need to stray). Even after these past couple of months of intense makeup scrutiny (and countless hours watching youtube tutorials - my first view occurring sometime early in July), I still hadn't stopped by the MAC store. Before they had a MAC store near me, I used to order lipglasses from MAC online (a random gift from a friend got me hooked on those). However, I realized after about a year of using them that they were severely drying out my lips in this arid Colorado weather, so I still have a big stack of lipglasses that are probably going in the trash soon.
But the real point is that, while I had looked at MAC's online store at several products out of curiosity and interest, the only MAC eyeshadow that I own was part of that little gift set I received along with the lipglass - and the pink shadow in the gift set was really not that impressive. So, considering that I am on a tight budget, it is really no wonder that I invested in a lot of Nyx products this year, as well as e.l.f., another new discovery for me.
However, I have been wanting to stop into the MAC store to purchase the brush cleaner. After watching Tiffany D's tutorial on cleaning brushes, the MAC brush cleaner seemed amazing, especially in contrast to the different brush cleaners that I have tried (mostly Sephora, and then the e.l.f. brush cleaner). So it's been on my 'to do' list for quite a while now.
Today was the first time in quite a while where I had the energy to brave the mall in search of the MAC brush cleanser. I picked up the cleanser, and while I was there, of course I wanted to try out, touch, examine the products that I had heard so much about on youtube. I didn't have time to test out all the products, but I did open up the eyeshadow quads from the new collection, and swatch those colors on the back of my hand. At that moment, I finally understood why so many makeup gurus use MAC primarily.
There is a HUGE difference in quality - especially as I just had been using a generic 28 warm palette (which I particularly don't care that much for anyway). I still love a lot of my other products, including both 'higher' end and 'lower' end products - but in the bigger picture, there truly is a noticeable difference in texture, pigmentation, diversity, and overall quality. I didn't buy any MAC shadows (I did stop in at Sephora as I knew that the Kat Von D palettes are on sale for 24 dollars right now - great deal - and these palettes are comparable to my Urban Decay palettes), but the quality of the MAC shadows made an indelible impression on me.
The point is this: if you are, like me, a makeup lover who is looking to take your skills from maybe, 'naturally talented' to 'actually skilled,' you might want to take this into consideration. There are several youtube gurus who believe that the MAC shadows are comparable to certain drug store brands - and while this may be true for certain colors (I've noticed that certain pigments seem to be of a nicer quality across the board - it makes me think that perhaps the material to make those colors is perhaps more accessible), I now understand why some gurus do insist that MAC products really are the industry standard for professional artists.
So if you haven't actually tried several of the MAC shadows that are frequently used in tutorials, I would suggest that you actually go to a MAC store near you (if there is one) and try them out for yourself. A couple of gurus specifically really made me think that MAC shadows were not that much better than other brands - and these are very respected, highly subscribed gurus. Based on their reviews, I did not realize the quality that I was missing out on. I am not saying that MAC has the best quality in every regard - however, going to the store and trying some of the products have changed my entire understanding/view of the hierarchy of quality in products.
I think, of all the gurus, MissChievous probably explains things in a way that makes the most sense to me, now that I have tried the MAC products. For instance, she says that the Ben Nye grande lumiere palette is comparable to MAC in regards to quality - and having bought that palette, I would concur. So I am not saying that one has to pay premium prices in order to get premium quality - however, I would suggest to any other individuals who have relied primarily on youtube reviews, as I had done, to actually test products out for yourself. After all, people have different ideas of quality and different needs from different products. But then, I guess that is just part of the learning process. :)
