As an absolute beauty lover, M.A.C limited edition collections are some of my favourite things to purchase. I see them as collector's items and just obsess over the collabs and various packaging they do with each new collection. They have recently launched two collections, the Fruity Juicy range (no longer available, sadly) and the Steve J + Yoni P collaboration. I quickly jumped onto the M.A.C US site and made a pretty decent order using YouShop to get it to me in NZ (a lot cheaper doing it this way!)

The matte liquid lipstick trend is not showing any signs of slowing up; more and more brands are releasing their take on the lip product, with M.A.C now extending their range of Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolors*. There are now 12 new shades in a range of muted neutrals and deeper tones that have got me so excited for Autumn/Winter!

If there is one M.A.C collection you should check out this year, make the Make Up Art Cosmetics Collection it. For the first time, they have collaborated with three famed makeup artists around the world who are pushing the boundaries of 'traditional' beauty and basically creating art in their work. Kabuki Magic, James Kaliardos and Diane Kendal have each created their own capsule collection of products based on things they use or products that they wanted but previously couldn't find in other products, hence creating the perfect selection for them in their signature style. I am so excited about these products and the whole idea of the collaboration.

When I first started my blog I didn't own a single M.A.C product - would you believe it?! Of course, I was always fascinated with the brand and would have loved to own some things from them but at that point in time, it was a little out of my budget. Jump forward 3 years and I am so lucky to be able to be sent products from their PR (still shocks me every day), as well as spending my own hard earned cash. Now I have quite the collection! I recently did a little order from the US site and used NZ Post YouShop to get it to me which is something I do often and shipping works out to only be about NZD $22. My main reason for doing this order was when they launched the beautiful Mariah Carey collection and luckily I got my hands on a couple things before a lot of it sold out!

For my last beauty post of the year (I'll be taking a little break over Christmas and NY, more details on Sunday), I thought it would be oh so appropriate to share some other products from the extensive and gorgeous M.A.C. Nutcracker Sweet Collection. I recently reviewed the Nude Mini Lipstick Kit here, which my Dad bought back from the US with him, but a surprise parcel arrived last week filled with these products from the range.

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to be one of the first in NZ to try out the brand M.A.C Technique Masterclasses and experience their newly launched app to go along with it. The event I went to was held at Westfield St Lukes in Auckland, where they had a very sleek black and glass box set up, with makeup stations and a stage where the demo was done. Although I do know a fair bit about makeup application, there is always something new to be learnt, especially from one of the top M.A.C MUA's Kiekie Stanners who ran the class. Along with the app launch, we were also able to test out some brand new products that have launched which I can't wait to tell you about.

Each year the M.A.C Christmas/Holiday collections just get better and better, and also bigger. The 2016 Nutcracker Sweet collection is absolutely stunning with so many products available, including singles and a large array of gift sets, all packaged in the pink/purple/gold theme. One of the sets they have is the adorable Lipstick Kits containing 4 popular lipstick shades.

Every single month, I am always left surprised by how many products I finish up. Last month I seemed to finish an excessive amount of things all at once! It also was helped along by the fact that I had a big clean out and I've included some products that had to go in the bin (a bit of old makeup!) So prepare for a longish post, or skip to certain products to see what I thought of them.

I've gotta apologise as I should have got this post up sooner, but sometimes life just gets in the way, ya know? Anyway, I thought it was better late than never because this limited edition M.A.C Good Luck Trolls Collection* is just too cute to not share. I have a feeling it's not in stores anymore (I could be wrong though) but if you can track it down (might be a case of ordering from the USA), you definitely should! Despite that, I'll still give you a rundown of the products and what I think of them.

Lipstick lovers unite, the limited life M.A.C Blue Nectar Collection released last month in NZ is full with a large array of lipstick and plushglass, with some really interesting shades. I'm not quite sure where the 'blue nectar' thing comes from, but the imagery for the collection is stunning, and to be fair, I always love a good M.A.C collection!