MAC Holiday Collection 2012

I am a huge MAC fan. At the end of the day there is no denying they supply fantastically pigmented shadows, dark and intense eye-liner, and brilliant blush and bronzer. That said like all brands, some things I like, some things I don't. In a recent post 'Top 10 MAC Must Haves' I highlighted all the MAC products I can't live without, but I have had my fair share of bloopers when it comes to MAC too (to come in a later post!). However what didn't make it into my Top 10 MAC lists, mostly because it wasn't available yet is the Holiday range they release every Christmas. I really look forward to this time of year, mostly to see what packaging genius the nice folks at MAC have dreamed up. Well this year they certainly didn't disappoint. The packaging is absolutely fantastic! These sets are always great value in contrast to buying the products individually.

Fabulousness Holiday Eye Kits (€49)
5 Warm Eyes
5 Natural Eyes
5 Smokey Eyes

I have to say although I absolutely love the packaging of the MAC Eye Kits this year, I'm a little disappointed to see there seems to be a whole lot more packaging and a little less shadow. This year there are only 5 shadows in each palette compared to the usual six. Also 2 of the 5 shadows are significantly smaller than the others. All in all the ranges in colours are good, but for €49, this set isn't as good value as it was in previous years.

Perfectly Plush Brush Kits (€65)
Set 1: Mineralize
Set 2: Advanced 
Set 3: Essential

I picked up a set of the Perfectly Plush Mineralize brushes. I have all the brushes in the other two sets so this one seemed like the sensible choice. I'm delighted with the brushes, the bag is cute and a good size for travelling. The inside has a section for holding your brushes and a section for holding a few eyeshadows, or maybe an eye-liner and mascara.

There are only four brushes in this set, however this set of brushes are are made with duo fibre (soft blend of goat and synthetic fibres). The set included the 187 Duo Fibre Brush, the 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush, 286 Duo Fibre Tapered Brush, 282 Duo Fibre Shader Brush. The other two sets (picture below) are also fantastic brush sets, I particularly love the Essential set which feature brilliant blue bristles and are a great range of brushes for starting out.

MAC's holiday collection is now available at your local MAC counter. In Ireland these sets are available in all Brown Thomas Stores, and some BT2 stores.  There are face and lips kits also available in the Holiday range, so have a look on the MAC website for full details. Beware these brush and eye shadow sets sell out every year, so pick one up sooner rather than later!

E-D's Links

MAC UK Website
MAC US Website


E-D Does It Give-Away
Remember to enter my Make-Up Mania Give-away for your chance to win a 'Make-Up Mania Collection'....including a GOSH palette for free! What's the catch you ask? There is none! The competition is open to everyone, everywhere. Click on the link (right) to see the details