• MAC products that I got for my birthday •

On the 16th March I reached the ripe old age of 22 and I was lucky enough to receive such lovely gifts including some new Nikes, LUSH goodies and so many bunches of flowers that I could start a small florist business (I really love flowers). I was so excited to unwrap these presents in particular - I had an inkling that I'd receive some new MAC products as I've been on a spending ban recently. I haven't been into a MAC shop for about 4 weeks (aren't I doing well?) and I'm a real drugstore product kinda gal if I'm honest, so receiving high end products like these really is a treat! I've not tried any of the above products, apart from the lipsticks of course, and even then I've never tried a Viva glam lipstick. This excites me, so I've been really looking forward to writing this post.

I've been leaning more towards dewy skin lately as we're fast approaching Spring and I think skin looks beautiful with a slight glow to it in the warmer months, but that doesn't mean to say that my skin behaves accordingly; quite the contrary. My oily t-zone loves to play up around this time of year (heck, most of the year, since we're being honest) and I'm constantly searching for the perfect powder to keep the shine at bay. The MAC Colour Correcting Compact in Adjust looks like a great colour for me to just swipe over my t-zone and eliminate any oiliness and I've read some wonderful reviews about it - I will just need to try it now to see how it holds up. There are 4 shades; Neutralize (yellow based), Illuminate (lavender based) and Recharge (apricot based) and the shade I have, Adjust, is described as peach-beige. I will definitely be reviewing this soon as I'm really interested in how the colour correcting pigment works.

I've not tried anything from the Prep + Prime range as I tend to think of MAC as more of a base, lipstick & eyeshadow store, so I wouldn't think to go for some of the skincare items. The MAC Skin Brightening Serum looks interesting and can be used just before make up to prime the skin or even in the evening as part of your skincare regime. I'll be trying both ways and will report back. It'll be interesting to see how I feel about MAC skincare items as opposed to their make up products, which I lurve.

Aaaah, the lips. Absolutely amazing and definitely "me" colours. I'm not usually one for lip gloss but the MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam 1 is so pigmented, so creamy and not at all sticky. It's beautiful worn alone and equally as stunning when paired with a darker lipstick. The scent is the typical MAC scent, slightly vanilla-ry and hardly detectable and a scent that I really quite like. Unfortunately I can't find a direct link for this product although I have had a hunt, but the link provided is to the Debenhams MAC Lipglass page.

The MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam 1 is so gorgeous and a dupe for a drugstore product that I own - a post on this will follow shortly! It's a deep red with which is slightly plummy and is also matte, one of my favourite formulas. I'm looking forward to pairing this with smokey eyes and a little bronzer for an evening look as the pigmentation is amazing, and not something I could get away with for school. This little duo make the perfect sexy, modern red lip and I absolutely love them together.

Again, I'm very lucky to have received these gifts and every other gift that I received. A little disclaimer - I'm in no way boasting, I just wanted to show you my new pretty beauty things and thought you'd like to read it. I also love reading these sorts of posts so was excited to write my own!

Have you tried any of the products mentioned? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm planning on trying them all this coming week!

Daniela