I bought my first MAC product in the 90s, which probably tells you everything you need to know about both my age and my loyalty.
Back then, MAC felt different. It wasn’t delicate. It wasn’t polite. It wasn’t trying to make everyone look the same. It had attitude. It had pigment. It had proper makeup-counter drama. And for those of us who came of age in the 90s, walking up to a MAC counter felt a bit like being invited into a cooler, smokier, more interesting version of ourselves.
Three decades later, I’m still here.
And no, it’s not just nostalgia. Although obviously there is some of that. I am not immune to the emotional power of a lipstick shade that makes me feel like I’ve got my life together.
What keeps me coming back to MAC is the texture, the smell, the (cool toned) shade range, the finishes, the way the products feel like actual makeup rather than just another beige thing in pretty packaging.
I love that I can talk about the difference between Studio Fix Fluid and Studio Radiance Serum Foundation. I love comparing NC and NW shades. I love knowing which lipsticks pull pink, peach, brown, cool, warm, muted or “why does this look amazing on everyone else and slightly corpse-adjacent on me?”
That’s the kind of detail I enjoy.
And now that I’m in my late 40s, I’m looking at MAC differently. I’m not trying to recreate my 90s face. I’m looking at how the products work on mature skin, dry skin, hooded eyes, fine lines, changing texture, and a face that has lived a bit.
Some products still absolutely slap.
Some need a lighter hand.
Some look better with a serum foundation underneath.
Some lipsticks I loved years ago now need a different liner, a different blush, or a slightly less chaotic life stage.
This blog is partly a love letter to MAC, partly a practical guide, and partly an excuse for me to talk far too much about lipstick undertones.
But I’m also not here to pretend MAC is the only makeup worth buying. I’ll be comparing it with budget products too, because sometimes the £4 eyeshadow is shockingly good, and sometimes the high-end product wins because the formula really is doing more heavy lifting.
That’s where things get interesting.
So expect MAC reviews, mature skin tests, cool-toned lipstick comparisons, foundation wear tests, budget versus premium experiments, and probably the occasional dramatic overreaction to a shade being discontinued.
Because after 30 years, I’m still obsessed.
I’ve just got better lighting now.