MAC Matters (March 2013): Build A Core Collection with $21 per month

Hey there. This is  new blog series that was originally started by Pammy Blogs Beauty. I decided to jump on this bandwagon and do this series with her. You can see her original post here and follow her series as well. You can check out my January purchase here.

The idea of this series is to take the $21 a month one would spend on a beauty subscription service (Pammy chose to cancel her current subscription, I am choosing to opt into this as a "new subscription") and instead use it to buy Mac products in an effort to build a core collection of Mac items.

These are the rules (borrowed with thanks from Pammy):

Goal: Build my core MAC Collection using an average of $21.00 per month.

• Purchase at least one item a month: If the item is under $20, I can save the remainder for the next month. While there are many items priced under $20, there are plenty that are over the $20 range that I can save for. 
• Do a monthly blog post to share what I got! My goal is to continue this series for 12 months to see what kind of core collection I can build! 
• To coordinate with my "Build a Core MAC Collection" purchases, I will also be posting "MAC Matters: From the Stash" reviews! These "stash" items are MAC items that I love that are already in my makeup collection. Some months, I will be "saving" my $21 to go towards a bigger MAC purchase. This is when you will likely see the "stash" posts. Or, I might include a "stash" item mini review within my "Build a Core MAC Collection" posts because if you are reading this because you want to build your own MAC collection, you might enjoy reading about what I am already using and loving! 
• If this series is popular, I will repeat the series with another brand upon completion of 12 months with MAC.

You can see Pammy's last installment (February) here.

 Check out what I got for March! 

It's the Mac Prep + Prime Highlighter! I have been wanting this for awhile and I'm not exactly sure what held me back. It is a lot like the other pen highlighters on the market right now (such as YSL Touch Eclat), but it is much cheaper and in my opinion it doesn't crease under the eyes like I think the YSL does. 

Mac says this is "a pen-style highlighter that efficiently brings a soft sheet wash of color to the skin. With its precision application, adds radiance just where you want it. Goes on smoothly for cushion-soft wear. Use over makeup for highlights, touch-ups or under makeup to brighten and prime."

This comes in three different shades: Bright Forecast, Light Boost, and Radiant Rose. I bought this in the lightest shade, bright forecast. I had a Mac makeover done in December and the makeup artist used this under my eyes and I have wanted it ever since. It looks fantastic and when set with a little powder, lasts all day without creasing. It just really adds a brightness to your eyes. I have used it every day since purchasing and I am in love with it! I think anyone who loves any of those under-eye pens will love this too, and it is so much cheaper than many of those currently on the market!

This was $24 and I had $37.50 left over from February so that leaves me with $34.50 for April.

Anyone have any cool suggestions on what to buy in March or other future months? Feel free to share in the comments.

Mac cosmetics can be bough in a Mac boutique, Mac in Macey's or on http://www.maccosmetics.com.