Birthday Gifts: Mac Maleficent

Normally, when it comes to my birthday, I pick out my own gifts and let my kids pretend they gave them to me. (Hey, they're little. If I left it up to them, I'd get rocks and cereal.) This year, my lovely husband completely surprised me by sneaking down to Macy's and grabbing me two pieces from the new-ish Maleficent collection from MAC.

I'm a Maleficent fangirl from way back. (check out my first bit of nail art inspired by the Disney version here.) She was always my favorite. So completely badass and fabulous. I wanted to be her when I grew up. I was a weird kid. 

I had originally wanted the lipstick and the sculpt powder, and had given my info the the MAC counter associate so he could call me the day it was available. He failed, in an epic fashion. No call, no nothing. My heart broke a little...and my husband knew it. Somehow, he managed to make his way down there and pick out two of the collection.

Flaming Rose Nail Polish

I'm keeping the box

Look at the packaging! Those wings! I know, I know. I am easily swayed. But loooook! Aren't they fabulous? Fangirls are easily pleased.

two coats + seche vite

It applies like a dream. It has a rich cream formula and I only needed two coats for complete and total coverage, even on my slightly longer nails. I had no issues with the brush, or even the weird round handle. Before this, I had never tried a MAC polish before, and honestly had no idea what to expect. I am always a little skeptical of predominantly makeup companies producing nail polishes...but this one ticked all the boxes for me. It also lasted beautifully. I wore it for 8 days, and I only had minimal tip wear (I type with my nail tips) until the very last day, when my right hand began chipping. The only drawback to this stuff was the staining. My nails look like I recently murdered someone. Oh well, small price to pay for this wonderful red.

two coats + seche vite + sexy box

Pro Longwear Lipglass in Anthurium

The second piece he got was the Prolongwear Lipglass in Anthurium. I have only ever had one lip gloss-like product from MAC and it was nowhere near opaque, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one either. Most "pigmented" lip glosses I have tried in the past were anything but, settling into lines and making my lips look like they had dipped striped pajamas into red wine. But this stuff...wow. It packs a punch. It lasts fairly well, for a lip gloss, though it transfers to everything and anything. I don't even care. Its an amazing, glass-like red. I feel like my lips were painted with vinyl. This might be my first lipglass from MAC, but I doubt it will be my last.

natural light

And here it is on my head! I really do love it, though I feel a little conspicuous wearing it. I didn't apply any sort of lip liner under it, so this is really the color you will get after a coat and a half. It does feather a little, so if I were leaving the house I would definitely line the perimeter with clear liner. I tried to keep the rest of my makeup kinda simple, to let the lips do the talking.

One thing about this that makes it extra wearable is the stain left over after it wears off/gets blotted off. It is a lovely natural pink flush that would be flattering on anyone. Here it is, on me, with my normal face on. 

And for the curious, here is my product list:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Lorac Pro Eyeshadow palette: cream, taupe, nude, pewter, and espresso
Stila Stay All Day liner in Black
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
Nyx Studio Perfect Primer in Green
Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 01
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony
Tarte Amazonian Clay Brow Mousse in Rich Brown
Nyx Blush in Taupe
Nyx Stick Blush in Tea Rose
Nyx Concealer Jar in Fair