I'm officially bored with MAC. It's not hard to resist the spring collections when there's not a thing in any of them I find appealing, and I have absolutely no time for their LE games. I don't like special packaging or celebrity collaborations and I already have a solid base of their best items (for me). Despite the frenzy, many of their LE collections are near dupes of perm items that I can BTM for (particularly lippies and glosses), their powders/highlighters aren't as flattering on my skin as some other brands and I can't get more than a few hours out of their blush. I'll keep buying my favourite staples (P&P lip, Blot Powder in the summer, makeup wipes, eye makeup remover, brush cleaner), but more and more of them are being slowly replaced by other brands as I use them up.
Liked: MAC Studio Tint
Replaced by: Bobbi Brown BB Cream (lasts longer, provides better redness correction and doesn't even require primer)
Liked: MAC Pressed Translucent Powder
Replaced by: NARS Light Reflecting Powder, Hourglass Ambient Powder in Diffused Light
Liked: MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
Replaced by: Urban Decay Anti-Aging Eyeshadow Primer
Liked: MAC Paint Pots (one and done summer looks)
Supplemented by: Benefit Creaseless Cream shadows (now have as many of these as MAC)
Liked: MAC Prep & Prime Skin Protect
Replaced by: Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base (good under Face and Body to even out skin tone) and Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (for great oil control). Neither required under Bobbi Brown BB cream which lasts for many hours without oxidizing on its own.
Most of my favourite lip products are MAC (they're good and I haven't really ventured to many other brands) and my neutral MAC e/s palette is a staple I reach for a few times a week. I have a lot of their blush as well. They've been my go-to for almost 20 years but as I add to my stash in a more limited way, I'm increasingly finding that other brands are edging them out.
I love my new LM Artist Palette and Naked 3, for instance, and I'm having fun getting to know my new Inglot palettes. These purchases have made it far less likely that I'll purchase additional MAC quads or shadows. There are better options for less money. I like a few of my EDES, but I won't pay that much again for a single shadow because it's just not worth it. If I'm buying a new blush, it will probably be NARS (my current gold standard), Hourglass or perhaps another BB Pot Rouge (used as a base under other blush, greatly increasing wear time).
MAC will always have a special place in my heart, but I've started seeing other people and I don't see that changing.
