An Introduction to Mary Kay

Mary Kay might not be a brand you have come across, but if you have some American beauty lovers on your Social Media, you will quite quickly find out that they are very likely to be well aware of the brand. For those of us in the UK, we have something similar (and I mean similar, not the same) with Avon. Mary Kay has a team of independent consultants who sell the brand at makeup parties and via door-to-door. Until a few months ago I had never come across the brand before and nor did I really appreciate what a huge collection of makeup and skincare there was to get to acquainted with and you can buy it online.

With everything in the makeup range from lipsticks, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, eyebrow pencils, Lash Primer, foundation, bronzer, highlighter, blusher, lip liner to tools to apply and products to remove it there is just so much more.

I am lucky enough to have been a few products from the range which I have spent the last few months playing with and I am really quite impressed. First up is the Limited-Edition Pure Dimensions™ Eye Palette called Maui Gardens and as well as the outer packaging being simply stunning, the four colours which make up the quad are just incredible. 

Described as being a palette which 'evokes a tropical forest of lush, iridescent colour where nature is always in bloom, and sunlit pools reflect breathtaking beauty' it features a three-dimensional design expressed in four artfully harmonised shades to inspire new heights of makeup artistry, the four shades are matte shimmers and as you can see there are two neutral shades alongside a more daring navy blue and green.  One swipe of my finger onto each shade gives an amazing swatch of colour with no need to rub my finger back and forth, in fact in the swatch, this is exactly what I have shown and each shade is incredibly beautiful.

If these shades are not for you, there are two further palettes named Moroccan Dunes which feature soft, sandy neutrals that are matched with rosy pinks to deliver subtle shimmer or Paris Starlight palette captures the romance of the city with luminous blacks and silvers for a touch of sparkle, while soft lilac and radiant stardust perfect this exquisite palette. Each palette retails for £28.

Then we have two lipsticks and we all know what an obsessive I am when it comes to these products.  The two lipsticks that I have come from the Gel Semi-Matte range and the shades are Rich Truffle and Crushed Berry.  These are the first full-coverage lipsticks from Mary Kay which feature a gel microsphere technology which gives a rich, stay-true colour that lasts for hours on the lips without drying them out. Encased inside a black bullet with a see through window at the top, there is a pretty silver Mary Kay logo in the middle where the bullet opens and closes.  

On the lips, the formula has the feeling of a balm and the transfer of colour is quite incredible, I love how smooth it feels and I love how lightweight it is on the lips and I almost forgot I had applied anything.  Rich Truffle is best described as being a Warm rosy caramel and isn't a shade I would usually opt for because I am not good with my nudes, even ones as warm as this one is but there is something about the shade I just adore.  Crushed Berry is definitely more my shade and it is a soft plum shade which is my go to shade whatever the weather and of the two it is the one I have worn the most.  These lipsticks retail at £14 each.

As an introduction to the Mary Kay brand, I am really impressed and the quality of these products is so much more than I ever imagined it would be. 

Have you tried anything from Mary Kay? 

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise