Mac Vs Alternative: All that Glitters is not Gold

This is a Blog for the GIRLS=Make-up Bargain Hunters:) 

Like many girls I Love Mac Make-up, in particular Mac eye-shadows, but I thought I'd do a quick blog on some cheaper alternatives to Mac that I personally find are just as good  or better and don't brake the bank ;)

Lipsticks

No17

Mac Ruby Woo

I spent ages trying to find a good Matt Red Lippy... I wanted one which firstly was a nice shade of red but also had staying power, didn't have sparkles and wouldn't rub on your teeth... I thought this would be worth the investment so I gave RubyWoo by Mac a try....

Aprox. 15e

At first I was happy enough with RubyWoo-it was a nice shade of red, it was a matt lipstick and it didn't rub off too easy. What I didn't like about it was that it was difficult enough to apply and it would also harden and chip as time went on leaving a dry lip feeling meaning you would have to keep reapplying or using gloss.

Nevertheless I carried on using rubywoo until I found No17 'Lasting Fix Showcase lipstick' which I discovered after trying a friends; I actually thought it was a Mac lipstick and went to check which one when I discovered it was no17. You can get it in boots and you end up saving aprox.10e... Bargain ;)

5e

In my opinion No.17 is better than Mac when it came to these two lipsticks-In colour there is really no difference and no.17 has the same matt effect and lasting power but it is easier to apply and doesn't dry on your lips. I still own both versions but I always grab the no.17 when going for a red lippy look, ha. 

Mac Satin Myth

Rimmel 700 Nude Delight

Another cheaper alternative which I found better than a more expensive one was in a good Nude lipstick-Mac Satin Myth Vs Rimmel 700 Nude Delight... For me the Mac nude lipstick was a lot cakier and fake looking and I much prefer the Rimmel version :) Rimmel: 6e Mac: 15/16e

Rimmel

Mac

Powder:
Powder is an investment I think all girls should make: It sets make-up which means it won't sweat off and it also takes shine away and gives a fresh-face matt finish keeping your make-up perfect for the day "Start as you mean to go on" ;) I have gone through and used a number of different brands looking for one which acts as a powder but doesn't give a "powdery" look, ha-For this reason I've been drawn to translucent powders. Mac prep & prime is a great translucent powder and gets great reviews however on a recent photo-shoot I noticed Samantha Craughwell (make-up artist) using a different translucent powder 'Essence Fix & Matte' I was amazed at the results-my skin looked and felt better than it had with many other powders and the make-up stayed on my face long after we finished shooting. For me it was just as good as the Mac version but much cheaper ;)

The Mac translucent powder is aprox.25e while Essence is only 4.50e and you can buy it in Pennys/Primark ;)

Sammie used the essence translucent powder on me in this photo shoot and it withstood the lights, flash and all that goes with a photo shoot :) To see more pictures from this shoot click here

Gel Eyeliner
Bargains all around today ;)
Another Great one is the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner I love Gel eyeliner for that 'Cat-eye' look. It's my typical going out look. I have the Mac Gel liner which I found good but again, in my opinion, the cheaper version, this time in Maybelline, is better... I find it is easier to apply-sometimes I found myself having to wet the Mac gel liner as it would become too dry, and with liner to get that perfect wing I think its essential that the product is fluid to apply yet doesn't budge for the night-This is why I love the maybelline version! It is also much cheaper and comes with the perfect little eyeliner brush which saves you having to find a good one ;) 

Maybelline Wins over Mac @12euro compared to aprox.18 ;)

                   

Blusherrrrrrr 

The last cheaper and better ;) option is No.17 Pink blush in 'Candy Pink' this is my FAVOURITE blush to use ;) It's a bright dolly pink but it doesn't translate to the skin like that: I think it's THE perfect girly colour for a blush and personally I would never want to spend a lot of money on blusher as I don't think it's worth it, given you only use a tiny bit at a time :)

Adding some More Bargains I forgot about: 5th/Feb/11

I've just remembered some more make-up preferences and bargains that I thought I'd let you in on ;)

EyeLiner:

When it comes to eyeliner my favourite is Gosh. Second to Gosh is Mac's Kohl liner but I find that Gosh's Kohl liner beats Mac hands down as it lasts a lot longer and I genuinely prefer it :) The reason I go for a Kohl liner is because the signature eye makeup that I do on a regular basis is a 'smokey eye'-therefore I like to be able to smudge my eyeliner and a kohl liner allows you to do this :)

Gosh eyeliner is aprox 9/10e while Mac is aprox. 15-Every euro counts :) as that 5er could get you a no.17 red lippy ;)

For an even 'smudgier' eyeliner (great for smokey eye but does wear quicker) you could also try Gosh Velvet Touch:

Foundation Brush:

I used the Mac 187 brush for a long time and I did like it a lot-but what I found was that the hairs would keep shedding and it didn't last very well despite the fact they told me at the mac counter that it would "last forever" and that"its an investment".  I carried on using this brush-which was great in terms of make-up application but then I found the Kabuki Brush by 'Ecotooles'- My new love :) I find that the make-up application is just as good as the mac brush but the hairs don't come off: I've had mine for ages and it's still as good as new! :) I use it every day-for regular day time make-up, going out make-up and sometimes when I do my own make-up for modelling projects :) 

Mac 187

Ecotools Kabuki Brush

You can buy the Kabuki Brush in boots & from what I remember it's  12-15e (the fact that I can't remember shows you how long I've had this brush for and how good it really is :) ). The mac brush is 45e-So this is definitely a good Bargain and in my opinion a better option all-round ;)

Happy Bargaining!!!!! ;)

If anyone is interested on a blog that includes the rest of my make-up kit essentials post a comment or email Shahira_@hotmail.co.uk and I'll get posting :)

Have you any make-up/Beauty Bargains?

Lots of Love

Shahira x o