Slow day at work today...so my co-workers and I compiled a list of makeup tips. All product names mentioned are obviously all MAC...and even more obviously you don't have to use MAC products for these tips but you can check out maccosmetics.com for reference of the product colors we're talking about. And I elaborated a little on MAC skincare products most people don't know about. I always love hearing makeup tips from other people (you can never have enough tips, right?), so hopefully someone finds something here useful.


The best way to wear bright eye shadows is to use a neutral brow highlight (like Shroom), a mid-tone brown in the crease (like Kid), and the bright eye shadow only on your lid. Very subtle!

Having trouble blending your eye shadow? Apply your crease color first, and then work from there. This will soften the harsh lines of the crease color.

Still having trouble blending eye shadows? Dip your blending brush is a little loose translucent powder before blending.

Use colored eyeliner (navy, dark purple, bronze) to line your top and bottom lash lines, then use jet black eye kohl to line the "outer V" of your lash line.

Bright pink blush (like Dollymix) is flattering on everyone! Just apply it very lightly.

A bronze smoky eye is 100 times sexier than a traditional black and gray smoky eye. Best bronze smoky eye products: Vanilla eye shadow (highlight), Honesty eye shadow (crease), Bronze eye shadow (lid), Naked Lunch (tear duct), Smolder Eye Kohl eyeliner, and two coats of mascara.

Use Shadesticks and Cream Color Bases under eye shadows and Pigments to modify the color.

Use iridescent powder to highlight cheekbones, brow bone, and tear duct. Instantly wakes up your face!

Apply bronzing powder underneath your chin and jaw to make your face appear thinner.

Use Paints and Fluidlines as eye shadow bases.

Using a contrasting color to line your lower lash line always make your eyes stand out!

A subtle wash of color is sometimes prettier than constantly wearing dark shadows. Try wearing Vex eye shadow on your lid, Beautiful Iris eye shadow in the crease, and Vanilla eye shadow to highlight.

Liquid eyeliner is ultra glam- but sometimes tricky. To fix any mistakes, use a Q-tip dipped in a non-greasy eye makeup remover and then use another Q-tip to fix any holes in your eye shadow.

Your brows are sisters, not twins! They don't have to be identical, just similar.

Use a brow powder and an angled brush to fill in brows. Looks more natural than brow pencils.

Be weary of using eye shadow to fill in your brows. Eye shadows commonly contain more oil than brow powders, so it is more likely to smudge and smear.

Mulch eye shadow + Blue Herizon Liquidlast Liner = HOT. Trust me.

Easy contouring: apply bronzing powder to the hollows of your cheeks, then blush to the apples of your cheeks, and an iridescent powder to your cheekbones.

If you want to add a little sparkle to your eyes but are weary of using shadows to line your eyes (or in my case, you believe that Softsparkle Pencils are gritty glittery sticks of evil), apply your regular non-waterproof eye liner, and then use an angle brush to apply a dark shimmery shadow (like Black Tied)...it will stick to the liner and give you a much more subtle shimmering eyeliner without being globs of glitter.

Never neglect your brows!! Always make sure your brows are well-groomed. Clean up, shape, fill in any holes with brow powder/pencil, and keep in place with brow wax. A nicely groomed brow really emphasizes your eyes and frames your face.

Cremestick Liners are so overlooked! These are cream-based (not wax-based!) highly pigmented and moisturizing lip liners. Apply a Cremestick Liner all over lips before applying a Lipglass.

In a hurry? Essential steps not to ignore: define brows, highlighter/iridescent powder beneath brow bone and tear duct, concealer, bronzing powder, and mascara.

Avoid the overuse of shimmery and frost-finish eye shadows. Use at least one matte or satin eye shadow in your everyday look.

Use Fix+ to set makeup.
(MAC Fix+ is a water based spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, and cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup)

After picking up eye shadow with a brush, spritz some Fix+ onto the brush before you apply the shadow. Really intensifies the eye shadow color!

Lip Conditioner can be used on dry spots on your eyelid and eyebrow. This really works!

Mix Strobe Cream with Blushcremes to make your cheeks glow.
(MAC Strobe Cream is a lightly moisturizing lotion packed with potent botanicals; de-snoozes, de-stresses, moistens, freshens and boosts the look of dull, flat or tired-looking skin with a fully loaded vitamin zap and a mega dose of green tea. Brightens and clarifies with iridescent particles and antioxidants. It enhances the effects of light on all skin and in all lighting conditions from sunlight to spotlight. Use Strobe Cream on top of your moisturizer; it really shouldn't replace your face lotion.)

Mix Strobe Cream with your foundation.

Use Gilded White Eye Kohl on your eyelid and place eye shadow on top to intensify your eye shadow.

Also another use for Lip Conditioner (clear) is to use it on your brows to groom them and make them appear a little darker rather than filling them in.

Use clear packing tape to remove any oil spots you may get on your Studio Fix compact foundation or other compact face powders. Just place the tape over the spots, rub over gently and lift away

To help ensure your lipstick doesn't bleed, after you apply your lipstick, dip a Q-tip in loose powder and trace the outline of your lips

Use a highlighter above your cupid's bow (the spot above the center of your upper lip) for a plumper lip look.

Instead of contouring, trying just highlighting, as it looks more natural. Add a slight line of shimmer down the bridge to make it appear thinner.

Iridescent blue, pink, lavender, silver, or gold powder in the inner corner (tear duct) of the eye = well-rested eyes, no matter what else you're wearing with it.

When setting your foundation with powder, swirl your brush in the powder, tap off excess, and blot on face softly, don't "brush" it on... it really makes a difference.

For blending in the crease, use a circular motion. When you just drag the brush across the crease, you end up with a big racing stripe...not so cute. So start with running it across, but on the outer edge, use small circular motion to blend, blend, blend.

Sprinkle some Vanilla pigment in Fix+ spray. Makes your face look so supple!

Mix metallic eye shadows. Use a charcoal silver eye shadow (like Silver Ring) in the crease with shimmering gold eye shadow on the lid (like Retrospect). Absolutely gorgeous and so sexy.

Use Cleanse-Off Oil before using your facial cleanser. It removes all makeup without drying skin. It's oil-based but does not contain mineral oil, so it would clog pores or irritate skin!

wow, fix+ sounds sooooooo good. my wallet is definitely not thanking me.

i read its reviews on mua and some pple are using it before putting on makeup too. does fix+ help makeup go on smoothly?

I don't use it before my makeup. I like to apply my foundation when my moisturizer is not completely dry...that makes it go on very smoothly. I use Fix+ for everything though... To set my makeup, to refresh my makeup throughout the day, spray it on my brushes before applying eye shadow or pigments, spray it in my hair to make it shiny and smell fresh, spray it all over myself to freshen up....I basically bathe in the stuff. And so does everyone else at the MAC store I work at. I'm a little obsessed.

o gawd o gawd.......breathe breathe.....i need to go get meself over to the mac counter. so many products i'm lemming for.

What products are you lemming for??

thanks for the tips

how is MAC's prep+prime? inside info?

You want the inside info about MAC Prep + Prime?

Well....

Don't waste your money. Prep + Prime is honestly unnecessary. Unless you truly like using a foundation primer. It is unneeded as long as you use a good moisturizer. There is SPF 50 in the foundation primer, although you don't need anything higher than SPF 20.

The general consensus of all the MAC artists in my area is that Prep + Prime is kind of stupid. Except for the lip primer, which is great for anyone who wears lots of matte lipstick.
The eye primer creases. It's not supposed to...but it does.
The skin primers are a little heavy, especially if you use them after moisturizer, which you are supposed to becaus they are definitely not sufficient moisturizers.

Just my take on it.

Other brands make much better priming products.

- prep+prime: but you kinda juz killed it. lol
- fluidlines: especially blitz&glitz,
- technakohl liner: greyprint looks hot.
- select tint
- brow set. i have black hair and black eyebrows. i don't think any of the tinted brow sets fit me, all look so light in color. so i'm thinking about clear. i wanna get ur professional opinion on brow set vs. brow finisher. which one's better in terms of grooming n holding hair in place?
- and a sheer rosy pink lippie: any recs?
- and lastly, a shimmery body tint/highlighter to apply to shoulders, arm, leg, etc. how about glimmershimmer? recs?

wow. i'm fainting from euphoria!!!!! love

ahh, thank you so much

is there a certain primer you suggest? clinique pore minimizer instant perfector has a good rating on makeupalley, but then so did MAC prep+prime. clinique's rating is better though

i used a clinique pore minimizer, tinted. i thought it was pretty good. it's like spackle that covered up pores. but any dry patch will show up, so make sure to moisturize. and yea, make sure your skin can take a large concentration of silicones. they make me feel uncomfortable and smothered, and i suspect it caused several pimples days after.

mm =/ that's kind of scary.

i hate to put more stuff on my face than i already am, but my skin is soo oily and my pores are kind of big..

I use the Clinique Pore minimizer every day on my cheeks ( where my large pores are) I LOVE IT. I personally haven't broken out from it and I've been using it for a few months now. I usually put it on before my make up but I've some times put it on after and it works just as well that way. And if you get the shade to match your skin you can easily wear it without make up too. My skin is on the normal/dry side so yeah I do need to watch it cause it can be drying.

I just printed those tips out, I loooooooove eye makeup tips! Rush you are my new best friend!

Okay....

1. Prep + Prime is not bad. Just a little unnecessary in my opinion. Customers absolutely love it. And you might too. I don't want to add another step to my face after BP and moisturizer. Unless you want to use it for sunscreen, which is great. Just don't get the Prep + Prime for eyes. It truly does not work with eye shadow. It does not prevent your eye makeup from creasing. If you want an eye shadow base, try a MAC Paint. Or even better, Urban Decay Primer Potion. That is the best stuff on the planet to prevent creasing.

2. LOVE Blitz and Glitz Fluidline. Sweet Sage and Macroviolet are great as well.

3. Techahkohl in Grey Print is really hot. If you want something a little more pigmented, check out Eye Kohl in Phone Number.

4. Select Tint is phenomenal for anyone who can get by with very sheer coverage. I wear it in the summer...it literally feels like you've got nothing on.

5. Brow Finisher is better (in my opinion) for grooming and holding brows in place. It is wax-based, which won't make your brows look ultra shiny and/or wet like Brow Set has a tendency to do. And Brow Finisher comes in a color called Wheat, which is made for people with dark brown or black hair...it adds a little color to your brows but is very sheer (not like a crayon or anything!) so you probably won't have to fill in your brows with powder or pencil. The Brow Finisher shades are a little darker than they look. When you go to the MAC counter or store, ask them to apply Brow Finisher in Wheat on one brow and Brow Set in Clear on the other brow as see which on you like. Then ask for a wipe and clean off one brow and add whichever one you decide on.

6. Lipsticks: check out Lame, Please Me, Midimauve*, Lovelorn*, Sweetie*.
*These are lustre formulations, so they are fairly sheer and very wearable. So don't be intimidated by the appearances in the tube...you must try them on!!
Lustreglass: Star Nova
Plushglasses: Fulfilled, Big Kiss

7. Glimmershimmers are too pigmented to be used all over the body. Actually, you're just going to have to try this for yourself because I'm completely biased about the Glimmershimmers...I absolutely hate them and I think they are the worst product MAC has made in the past five years. I use Strobe Cream, or I have a Fix+ with a lot of Vanilla pigment in it, which I spray all over my legs and arms when I'm going out. I also have a mixture I made myself for my shoulders and chest...I combined Select Sheer Loose Powder, Iridescent Loose Powder, and I crushed up a Refined Golden bronzer and put a little of that into the mixture. Then I spray Fix+ and dust that mixture over the top to make it adhere a little better.

Sorry I don't have any recs for foundation primers since I personally have never (and probably will never) use them. They are just too thick for me personally, and I don't think I need anything over my moisturizer.

If have super oily skin, so I usually apply MAC Blot Powder (great for oil absorption) in my T-zone before AND after my foundation. Works like a charm.

I've heard really great things about Clinique Pore Minimizing though.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo-Rush-Thank you so much! Those are great tips!!!

These are the things I really want from MAC if I had a lot of money:

-Brow finisher
-fluidline
-about 5 brushes
-Studio Fix Fluid
-Blot powder
-Brave lipstick
-Prrr lipglass
-Fix

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thank u soo soooo much! i think i'm gonna write a email to mac cs!!!!!!!
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No problem!

I just came from work and I had to pick up a new Select Tint, just because you mentioned it, Elle!! I forgot how much I love that stuff.

hmmm This is practically pin-worthy. Any chance you could unMACify it? Like, replace brand name product w/"foundation" or "setting powder" - that would be super cool!