Crossdresser Makeup Tips Mac & Smashbox Makeup Haul

This weeks Makeup Monday features a Mac & Sephora Makeup Haul from my gal pal Samantha Prescott. She, like me is a makeup snob,  and spares no expense on her beauty products. I always like to learn about new makeup so this week Samantha will be showing us all the new things she hauled in from Mac & Sephora....What did you get Samantha ?? 

Me, being the girl that is always a work in progress and not quite ready to turn in my makeup brushes for a bucket of Spackle and a putty knife. My quest to tame and hide some of those fine lines that have been catching up with me, refine my highlighting and contouring, and replacing some of my drugstore brands that have seen better days has led me to fine tuning my makeup bags with an assortment of MAC and Smashbox products.
      I'll get to the MAC products first: 

Studio Prep and Prime: 

     This is exactly what it sounds to be. It is a primer to be applied after moisturizing your face. It is very silky and emollient, it is applied with your fingers and goes on smoothly. It can be worn to smooth the appearance of your face and fine lines. It is best to let it set for a bit before starting to apply your makeup.

Studio Blot Pressed Powder:           

     This powder can be used to set your makeup and also to control shine that happens during the day. It is a good product to use on your T zone to control oil and for touching up over the course of the day or evening.

Pro Longwear Concealer in NW15: 

     I bought this for 2 reasons. I read that this not only good for under eyes, covers well and is light enough to not look creased. It is also good for lightening up areas you will be highlighting. I am NW25 so I went 2 shades lighter as was recommended. A little goes a long way and I can already tell that it be a good multi use product.

Pearlglide Intense Eye Pencil:       

     Designer Purple was the color I chose,  I LOVE THIS pencil, it is smooth and creamy, glides on effortlessly, the color is bold with a bit of fine fleck in it, best of all it holds up well and stays in place. The only downside is that you will need to get a MAC sharpener or one made specifically for plastic pencils. You might also want to chill the pencil before sharpening since it is extremely soft.  

Studio Chromagraphic pencil:           

     This is a super multi use pencil. NC20/NW15 is one of the shades I chose. This is soft and blendable, it can be used to conceal and highlight, help hide fine lines, and use on the upper and lower water lines to make your eyes look wide open. If you are going for a natural eye look this is perfect. I also bought this in Pure White as it will work perfectly in my inner corners of my eyes, on my waterlines, or to even use under eyeshadow on my lids to make lighter shadows stand out and pop. 

On to the Smashbox products: 
Layer Lash Primer: 

     This primer is white of course. It is emollient, nutrient rich, and thick. It works fantastic and really adds very noticeable volume and length after just one coat of mascara is applied on top. You should be ready to apply your mascara immediately after you apply it because it dries very quickly. I would also recommend that you brush and separate your lashes prior to applying the primer

Always Sharp Lip Liner: 

     Violet was my choice, it is described as a Bold Berry. The color on this liner certainly pops, it applies well, is retractable and self sharpening. It colors in my lips well and holds my lipstick and gloss in place without feathering.

Naked Fusion Soft Lights: first in Baked Stardust which is a combination of Peach/Soft Gold/Deep Tan/Champagne /Bronze/Starburst
and secondly,
Naked Fusion Soft Lights: in Starburst which is a combination of Pale Pink/Soft Pink Shimmer/Ivory/Rose/Champagne/Stardust

     If you don't like a Shimmery product I would not recommend them. I can say they are buildable, versatile, and could be perfect for those who are blessed to be able to get away with very little makeup.

Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio: 

     My choice was Vignette, the colors are described as Parfait (Matte Ballet Pink), Amethyst (Shimmery Violet with Copper Pearl), Aubergine (Dark Matte Plum) 

     This eyeshadow looks great in the compact the pale pink is VERY light, the three together will probably work well for a subtle smokey day look. I'm not sold on this yet. I'll either work it in with my UD Naked 3 palette or return it in exchange for another lip liner, or maybe even use the pinks for some evening contouring. There's a bit of resourcefulness and thinking outside the box. 

     There you have it, I hope that this will be helpful looking to add a new staple to your makeup bags ;.)