This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.
Waxing philosophical about my favorite MAC cream shadows in a series called “Crazy About Creams” is the right and proper thing to do because I am, indeed, crazy about the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots.
I almost can’t believe I’m saying this because I remember when I fell in love with them in the mid-Triassic Period (It was actually the Fafi collection in 2008, so it’s been — GULP — more than a decade!) The Paint Pots are staples in my MAC collection, and I restock them ALL. THE. FREAKIN’. TIME.
They’re $22 cream shadows that come in a glass pot, and you can wear them by themselves or layered with other products.
If you have fine lines on your lids like a vertically challenged beauty blogger/cat lady we know, they’re lovely because you can get a lot of color on your lids with them (or a little if you sheer them out) without losing a natural skin-like texture. The Paint Pots are just pure color without any thickness or heaviness.
My favorite way to wear them is on their own, and they last all day long for me — yes, even without eye primer.
Obviously, since the Paint Pots are creams, you can use your fingers to apply them, but I prefer brushes because they’re more precise.
For simple, fast, fresh looks, the Paint Pots are great. I’ll start by laying down the shadow where I want it using a flat brush before buffing out the edges with a tapered blending brush. Then I’ll do a little liner, then mascara, then brows (of course!), and I’m done, which is what I did for these pics where I’m wearing Groundwork in my crease and Indianwood on my lids.
Also, if I’m feeling up to it, I’ll dab a small amount of face highlighter on my brow bone and in the inner corners to make my eyes look bigger and less hooded.
Never underestimate how much a little highlighter on those two areas can open up your eyes.
The Paint Pots come in a bunch of neutrals shades, and I’m wearing my faves here. Groundwork is a matte taupe, and I use it to sculpt my crease so that my eyes look deeper set. Indianwood is a golden bronze with shimmer, and it’s perfect for a sheer wash on the lids.
Both Groundwork and Indianwood, incidentally, go perfectly with MAC Coffee Eye Pencil.
Oh, and here are two pro tips! Store your paint pots upside down to keep them from drying out (you can also see the names more easily), and if you’ve had a Paint Pot for a while and discover one day that it’s dry (like if you can see the edges of the cream pulling away from the jar), you can revive it by swirling a drop or two of your favorite face oil in the pot with a brush.
Then you can buff that brush loaded with your Paint Pot and oil mix on your lids for a sheer wash of color.
Sometimes I actually also do this when the pots aren’t dry because I like to sheer them out.
Anyway, these are great, and I love, love, LOVE THEM. If you happen to find any of the discontinued brown shades like Quite Natural or Constructivist (because MAC heartbreakingly discontinued several of the colors) at, say, a Cosmetic Company Store, grab them with a quickness because they’re fantastic.
Rainy days and Wednesdays…
You gotta play if it’s raining, OBVI
I’m not normally phased by the rain when it comes to being out and about. I’ll throw on my raincoat and my boots and bundle up the baby, and we’ll be the first ones out the door splashing in the puddles and looking for rainbows, and speaking of rainbows, I’ve never lived anyplace with half as many rainbows as Novato…
My point is just that rain and I are usually totally down with each other, but I could not deal today. When I opened the front door and saw that it was pouring this morning, I was like NOPE! So Connor and I stayed inside and painted our nails matching colors.
I realize now that I was probably making a mountain out of a molehill when I debated painting her nails the first gazillion times she asked me, but after hearing “PLEASE, PLEASE MAMA!” a few more gazillion times, I gave in. Now it’s a fun thing we do together.
Is it raining where you are right now?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I adore the MAC Paint Pots, much better than all the drugstore “dupes” and so easy for a quick wash of color.
I used to really like bare study… I should give it a go again. It doesn’t have all day wear for me and I find it has an unflattering texture when used on top of another eyeshadow primer. But for short days, I should give it a go.
Although I have heard so much about MAC Paint Pots, I have never tried them. I used to wear Bobbi Brown’s cream shadows in the pot (my fave was shore) all the time. I recently received an eye set from Laura Mercier as a holiday grab bag which included a mini caviar stick in Au Naturel. I have been wearing that on my lid with the lightest shade of my Chanel Clair Obscur palette and Espresso waterproof pencil. I like the convenience of cream shadows as well.
So, I was in my local Trader Joe’s and checked out the line of beauty products. I picked a Rosewater Facial Spray Toner (which I’ve never used before). So far, I am loving it.
Be well!
Your daughter is beautiful!!!!!
Looks interesting. Have to check them out at The Bay.
Noemi
Thank you for the reminder that dried or drying out Paint Pots can be revitalized, as I have a few in these stages.
Have you ever tried Inglot’s Duraline? It is AMAZING and has given new life to dried out gel liners and cream brow products that I was *thisclose* to tossing in the garbage before I came across it. Adding it doesn’t sacrifice wear time, nor does it change the consistency of the product at all, with the exception of making it much easier to apply. I highly recommend it and will now give this mixture a go with my Paint Pots!
Indianwood is my jam. I also loved Rubenesque, I wish they didn’t discontinue it. I need to dig mine out. Remember the paint tubes? I still have one and refuse to recycle it.
BTW – Connor is getting so big and she’s just so lovely!
Look at that sweet baby!! She’s getting so big!!! ??? And yes, Paint Pots make my life better. I can’t put eyeshadow on without a nice layer of Painterly to smooth everything out. I pat a little under my eyes too instead of concealer most days because I’m lazy, LOL!!
Absolutely love the MAC Paint Pots! I use the shade Camel Coat (light grey) everyday as a base for eyeshadow. I love Painterly as well, and I used to have both Quite Natural & Constructivist back in the day (I had a feeling they were discontinued since I haven’t seen them online in ages).
Love cream eye shadows. I have a few Charlotte Tilbury’s Eyes to Mesmerize and like them a lot. I bought a couple of the Revlon ones you mentioned a while back, but haven’t tried them yet.
I also like Mally’s cream eye shadow sticks. I think they are easier to control and less messy than the cream shadows in the pots, but I use both.
Love the pics of you and your daughter!! So adorable!! She’s really growing up!!
Aww, thank you Sherry! She’ll be three in March. I can’t believe it! The time has really gone by so quickly.
Happy Friday to you, btw. What are you up to this weekend? Doing anything fun? My daughter has a dance recital on Sunday so that’s the big news for us.
I was just thinking of buying some of these – cream shadows are often better for my eczema, although the powder ones I have without talc don’t seem to be a problem, fingers crossed ?
Showing my age here, but ugh! The Fafi collection! I’m pretty sure that was one of the first MAC collections to really send me on a crazy buy-the-whole-collection spree. I think I only *just* threw out the last paint pot i was keeping for sentimental reasons, in a mad konmari cleanse last year.
Love MAC Paint Pots. Not sure how many times I’ve repurchased Bare Study and Painterly.