Back in summer 2010, my parents took me to a MAC counter in Nordstrom and let me loose for my 15th birthday. I had just started [seriously] getting into makeup and was ecstatic to be getting my first few MAC items. That summer was when the Semi-Precious collection was released (do y'all remember that??) and on my wishlist was the Mineralize Skinfinish in Rose Quartz. I got the LAST ONE they had, which apparently sparked an unhealthy obsession with limited edition skinfinishes-and 5 years later I have collected 9 of them. Wow. I have a problem.
Now that we have cleared that up, I want to tell you how I store mine. Below is a picture of my cheek drawer (in the Alex 9 unit from Ikea). I wanted to show you this because I have struggled for the past year to find something that would fit my MSF collection perfectly, and it came to me in a completely random way.
My cheek drawer
I was reorganizing my collection, dumping some Q-tips into one of the drawers when it hit me-the Q-tip box would fit them perfectly! Not only was it a great size to hold them width-wise, but it held all 9 plus a Physician's Formula highlighter comfortably-Hallelujah! If you're looking for a way to store bigger face powders in your makeup drawer, go get yourself a big pack of Q-tips, everyone needs those anyways.
Now on to the MSF's. Disclaimer-8/9 of my collection are limited edition, some you can find online or in a Cosmetic Company Outlet, some are a little more hard to find. I really just wanted to share swatches and my back-story because A) I love them and B) some of you may love them too C) swatches are always fun!
Overview of my collection
Lightscapade
Lightscapade
Lightscapade, swatched
First up is Lightscapade. This is the one MSF I have that is permanent. It's not in the new packaging because I got it back when it was still LE at a CCO. I really love this for a camera-friendly natural highlight. It gives you the perfect sheen without being too much, and it goes with every skin tone and makeup look.
Light Year
Light Year
Light Year, swatched
Both Light Year and Center of the Universe (below) are from the Heavenly Creatures collection from summer 2012. I haven't come across MSF's quite like these since this launch. This one in particular is a beautiful peachy-rose color with antique gold ribboning throughout. I used to use this a lot on my eyes for a warm look in the fall. The finish is beautiful!
Center of the Universe
Center of the Universe
Center of the Universe, swatched
Center of the Universe is a deep coral with gold and metallic burgundy ribboned throughout. The whole reason I got this one was because I had heard that this was very similar to Stereo Rose, which I was coveting at the time (and is one I ended up getting anyways). This is probably my least favorite in my collection as it doesn't suit my fair skin. However It is a beautiful color and I'm keeping it around to use on my darker-skinned ladies!
Rio
Rio
Rio, swatched
Rio, along with Lust (featured below) are from the Tropical Taboo collection for summer 2013. I wasn't planning on getting Rio until I went to the counter, planning to buy Lust and Adored, swatched this, and knew I needed this instead of Adored. This is an intensely soft and shimmery warm bronze with a warm hot pink threaded in. This looks incredible on the cheeks especially during the summer, and especially on fair skin. Double win for me. SO glad I got this one.
Lust
Lust
Lust, swatched
Next up is Lust. Also from Tropical Taboo, this is a shimmery light pink marbled with shades of cranberry. This has a really unique reflective finish on the skin-the cranberry stands out over the pink. My favorite way to use this is as a blush topper because, in my opinion, it's a little too sheer to use as a blush. The only problem I have with this one is that it doesn't last very long, I find the sheen dimming not too long into the day.
Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz
Before moving on with the swatches, I wanted to show you a side-by-side comparison between my first ever MSF (2010) and my most recent (late 2014) for some usage perception.
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As you can see, I have used and loved the crap out of Rose Quartz, so much so that it has lost its little dome. While Perfect Topping looks young and still new!
Moving right along...
Left: center and outer, Middle: just center, Right: just outer
Like I said, this was my first ever MSF. She started the love and addiction, and I loved her to death. The outer ring gave me the prettiest flush for my pale skin, although getting just the outer portion on a blush brush was a daily struggle. I've tried using this a multitude of ways. Outer as a blush, middle as highlight, both mixed together, just the middle with another blush, etc. To this day, I still prefer to use JUST the outer part. The inner highlight-ey part is pretty flakey and looks close to glitter on the skin-not a fan. I don't often have the heart to use this anymore because I never want to run out.
Perfect Topping
Perfect Topping
Perfect Topping, swatched
Since I just mentioned Perfect Topping, I thought I would show swatches and talk about this one next! I had been wanting this one for a long time and had been stalking Instagram sales for the original from the Sugar Sweet collection. I wasn't having very good luck until I went to a CCO one day and found it! I was poor at the time so my mom was nice enough to buy it for me and put it in my stocking :-)-Thanks mom. I have to say that this is my favorite in my collection. The marbling is such a unique combination of purple, pale orange, and yellow-white that comes out as a perfect champagne color. It's currently my go-to highlighter!
Stereo Rose
Stereo Rose
Stereo Rose, swatched
Can you understand the hype now? Everyone on the internet raved about this MSF about 3 years ago and fought to get it. Since then, I think we have moved on to bigger and better things, but I still love and use this a lot. Definitely prefer it over Center of the Universe. This color works well on a wide variety of skin tones, and is also one of the longer-lasting ones of the bunch. This is my favorite cheek product to use in the fall-winter transition period. So glad I found this at a CCO! Can you tell I shop there a lot?
Petticoat
Petticoat
Petticoat
Oh the trouble I went through to own this. I searched for MONTHS on Amazon, eBay, random blog sales, and finally found a sweet user on Instagram who sold it to me for $25. Seriously?!? $25?? It was meant to be. No doubt. I'm not sure when I decided it was a dire need to have this, but I'm pretty sure it was when I watched Elle Fowler's makeup collection and saw that she had 2 backups...Petticoat is pretty similar to Lust, but the sheen and undertone is a little different, but it lasts much longer and works as a stand alone blush. This is definitely a makeup-hoarder collectors item for me
We're finally done!! What did you think? Do you think I have a problem? I definitely used to, but I don't go crazy anymore. I think it was just a phase, I've also been pretty underwhelmed by recent MAC releases. I do still (obviously) love the MSFs I have. I think that overall, they are really versatile, unique products. If you don't have one or have never tried one, I definitely recommend them. Their permanent collection has recently expanded, so I would go on over to a store to see for yourself what colors you would like. I recommend Lightscapade, Soft and Gentle (even though I don't own it), and Perfect Topping if you can find it.
That's all I got! I hope you found this interesting/helpful!
Have a beautiful day~
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