MAC Monday: MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation

Today's MAC Monday will be rather brief and doesn't even start to explain how much I happen to love this product.

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation (0.84oz, $33) is a long-wearing, marathon-wearing foundation released in 2015.

I'll readily admit; I stumbled onto it at a local CCO outlet, but now that I've tried it, I'll gladly spend full price on it in the future.

Here's a look at the ingredients:

According to MAC, this is supposed to have a 24 (!) hour wear time, and can double as either a foundation or concealer. I certainly can't speak to a 24 hour wear time, but I know that it's usually still rocking after 16 hours (a normal makeup day for me).  I believe that it would make a great concealer- just because it's a full-coverage foundation.

Where this foundation is genius is twofold. First, the easy full coverage. It takes just a little drop from the squeeze bottle to cover my entire face. I can't speak to MAC foundation brushes since I'm hooked on my Tom Ford Cream Foundation Brush. But this blends impeccably for full coverage. Secondly, this formula wears like iron. I've sweated up a storm in it without the foundation budging one bit. It also holds up perfectly to heat and humidity- key if you're in a warm climate. In short, this foundation does it all- it leaps buildings in a single bound.

I'm going to cheat just a little bit because I don't have any new formulas to compare the shade to. This photo originally appeared in the Bobbi Brown Serum Foundation post. MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation is the second from the right. I think you'll see why it and Chanel Perfection Luminere Velvet are the most heavily used in my rotation, shade-wise.

Here's a close-up of the NW15 shade:

Bottom Line: This is currently my overall full-coverage foundation, due in large part to the flawless formula and the price. If you're looking for a great foundation that as of yet hasn't bothered my highly sensitive skin- don't pass this gem by!

MAC Monday: Hot Tahiti Glaze Lipstick

Sometimes you have plans, and other times you stumble into a post. Today is the later, as I remembered how much I love this lipstick after wearing it to work. And MAC Monday returns after a 1-week vacation! And... Happy Leap Day!


I was wearing this dress in the sold out black/red plaid and was looking for a lipstick in the red/wine family.

Nothing seemed quite right, until I pulled out MAC Hot Tahiti.

Hot Tahiti is a lipstick that doesn't seem to get a lot of love, but it's honestly one of my favorites from MAC. I'm not precisely sure why, but I have a few thoughts.

1. Hot Tahiti is one of just a few Glaze lipsticks. These are intentionally glossy, thin, sheer, but buildable. I love them because the color's buildable and they moisturize my sensitive lips. No, the wear time isn't great (3-5 hours) but let's be honest- who isn't sipping on something all day at work?

2. Hot Tahiti is the opposite of a Matte- which is what's in. Phshaw.

3. MAC doesn't do a lot of promoting or repromotion of their Glazes other than Pervette. I can't find any mentions of this being promoted within the past five years or so.

4. MAC's color description seems off for this: This is lipstick that's totally dependent on your natural lip color. On me, it's a stunning vampy rose that leans towards wine. I adore personalized lip shades.


Here's Hot Tahiti on my lips, in action:

Isn't it awesome?

Here's a swatch of it on my hand, both one pass (left) and built up (right)

Hot Tahiti is exactly why I started MAC Monday. You can grab it directly from MAC either online or in their stores. I haven't hunted at counters to make sure that it is available there.

MAC Monday: MAC Haute and Naughty Lash

For the second installment of MAC Monday, I'm going to briefly discuss the mascara I currently have in rotation: MAC Haute and Naughty Lash.

I'll be honest- I've never been a huge fan of MAC's mascara formula. I've tried my fair share of samples, but they never truly impressed me. Fast forward to a last-minute trip to the MAC store for "emergency" false lash purchase and application (hey, I was desperate!) and I discovered a new love: MAC Haute and Naughty Lash ($22). There are three versions: Black (pictured), Brown, and Waterproof Black. I've only tried the black.

It doesn't get along well with my Dior Lash Primer, so I have to remember not to prime my lashes. This mascara is a 2 in 1- you can either go for volume or for definition. The wand is the key. I tend to use it like this though:

Lancome Spring 2016 polish on nails, not sure why this shot turned out so dark!

Dry time is decent, as is wear time. I always have to work to get it off at night, usually 16+ hours after application.

Overall, I think this is an underrated mascara worth checking out. There are rarely samples available (probably due to the brush) but if you need to add something to an order or just need a nice daily mascara- check this one out.

I know this is much shorter than the average post, but please forgive me. I also know anyone coming to the blog frankly doesn't care about my health, but I'm still working through things. More exciting content will be coming soon.

MAC Monday: MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly

Welcome to the first MAC Monday! Even though I'm not particularly happy with MAC's Customer Service right now (they're fastidiously ignoring multiple emails from me despite others getting assistance within several hours on this very topic), I'm going to reluctantly go ahead with this feature as planned.

Every Monday I'll show you one of my favorite products from MAC's permanent collection. If you're even thinking of doing MAC Select, do that before making a single purchase because there is no retroactive credit. I got that off my chest.

I'm starting today with MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, something I consider a staple. It contains 0.17oz and retails for $22. MAC describes Painterly as "nude beige", something that I'd agree with. Painterly is a matte shadow, which is somewhat unique for a cream shadow.

Painterly is a fabulous shade to have in your basic kit. I use it in one of several ways.

1.  It's awesome as a smoothing base for other powder shadows. If you have any pigmentation issues with your lids, it provides a nude, uniform base.
2. All of MAC's Paint Pots are awesome as bases to anchor other MAC shadows. Adding Painterly into my routine upped my wear time on any shadow by a significant amount of time.
3. I also adore Painterly for a totally mod, dramatic look. I pair Painterly with a heavy, graphic black liner and false lashes for an a dramatic eye.

Here's Painterly against my NW15 skin. It's basic, but a true makeup bag staple. More often than not, it's a part of the glue holding my look together.

That's it for MAC Monday for this week.  I took photos of my comparison swatches for my first two Chanel Pro Longwear Vernis shades, just editing so I can post later today. Look for that later today.  I did manage to get the rest of the swatches done that I needed to do (yay!), so I have Rouge Essentiel on my nails along with Le Gel Coat. I'll be monitoring the wear time.