MAC Techniques Class

So remember this post where I went into MAC for the first time EVER!? Well, I thought I might as well immerse myself in the brand, so I booked in to one of their MAC Techniques Classes at the same time. The idea of these classes is to run through a few looks with the MAC makeup artists and then have the opportunity to play around with some of the products. We also got to be in Myer after hours (I’ve always wanted to be in a department store after hours!) so it was like a little private party. The class cost $120 BUT every cent was redeemable for products on the night so I think it was well worth it.

Here’s a little overview of the night and what I ended up walking out with (besides a head full of new makeup techniques!).

The Class

It was a very intimate class, I think there were only about 8 ladies there plus 5 or 6 MAC makeup artists. We all trooped upstairs to one of the Myer meeting rooms where the MAC ladies had laid out a lovely spread of nibbles and drinks for us. We also all received a little Techniques Class book with face charts and handy tips. 

The wonderful Chloe working her magic

The first part of the class was led by Chloe, one of the lovely MAC makeup artists. She took us through creating a stunning purple smokey eye for daytime and then how to turn that same day look into a night look. There were a lot of questions throughout the session and a team of the MAC ladies were on hand to provide input. I was really impressed with the product and technique knowledge, not just from Chloe but from the whole team. They knew their products inside out and were really happy to show us every tiny step along the way to creating the beautiful end look. They also threw in heaps of handy hints from the best types of brushes to use to the exact order to apply the products. 

The beautiful purple smokey eye that Chloe created

After this part of the class, we all made our way back downstairs to the MAC counter where we had a chance to play with all the products (I was giddy with joy at that idea!). The lovely Sophie was my makeup artist for the second half of the class and together we talked through which products I wanted to try. I was fitted for the Mineralize Mouisture SPF15 Foundation in NC25 (neutral cool) and Sophie talked me through MACs skin tone system. Confusingly, cool = yellow for MAC where for most other products cool = pink BUT the MAC ladies can explain it all to you and make sure you walk out with the right foundation. I also grabbed a Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Bare Study because Chloe used it as the eye base when creating the smokey eye and it is the most gorgeous champagne colour. I explained that I had recently picked up Woodwinked and would love a complimentary colour to work with and ended up with a matte eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown. Sophie expertly made me up using my selected products, while explaining what the best way to work with each of them was. I was thoroughly impressed with the end look and very happy with my products.

The look that Sophie created for me using the Mineralize Foundation in NC25 and Woodwinked + Charcoal Brown

In the end, I walked out with:

Mineralize Moisture SPF15+ Foundation in NC25 ($49.00 for 30ml)

A newer foundation for MAC, this was recommended as a more moisturising foundation going into winter. It’s a beautiful creamy, medium to full coverage foundation but I love how natural it looks. I was also worried, as most oily skinned girls are when hearing the word moisturising in a foundation, that I would end up looking quite shiny but I’ve been assured that a with primer and powder, this will remain dewy. It just made the model’s skin glow and I hope it does the same for me.

Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Bare Study ($35.00 for 5g)

As I mentioned before, this is the most beautiful champagne colour. The Paint Pots all have an amazing creamy texture and absolutely glide onto the eyelids and dry to a very nice matte finish. I could happily wear this on its own because it’s that nice a colour but it also looks great as a base colour to build up from. I’m feel very proud of myself for picking this one up and I can’t wait to have a good play with it.

Matte Eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown ($33.00 for 1.5g)

Woodwinked was my first (ad very recent) MAC eyeshadow and while I thought the purple eye look created at this Techniques Class was stunning, I feel much more comfortable with neutral shades. I wanted to pick up something else to compliment Woodwinked and Charcoal Brown fit the profile. It’s a fairly standard medium brown with a really nice colour payoff and blends likes a dream. I just hope I can manage to recreate the stunning look that Sophie created on me.

Foundation Sponge ($13.00)

The MAC ladies used sponges quite a lot, especially for blending and touching up under the eyes. This sponge is actually a foundation one but most sponges are multitasking. It’s very soft and seems like a very nice sponge.

From top to bottom: Eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown, Paint Pot in Bare Study and Foundation in NC25

Overall, it was a really good night! I learned a LOT of new techniques and a few sneaky tips and I feel a lot more confident about doing my own makeup now. If you ever have the chance to go to one of the MAC Techniques Classes, I would highly recommend it. It’s a great way to learn more about makeup application, with the added bonus of being able to walk out with a bag of lovely new MAC products.

Stay beautiful!

Dani xx