MAC Cosmetics

This stand alone store is located on a fairly quiet street. But this doesn’t mean that this store is quiet. It’s the opposite in fact. Every visit I make always involves queueing for service, and again to pay.
Appointments are required for makeovers, and there is a charge (redeemable against purchases). Depending on who you speak to, and which day you want to go, sometimes appointments are needed for the simplest of things (such as foundation matching).
I do find that I can be ignored by staff here from time to time when they are busy. It does put me off, and I do get pushed to order online instead.
As this is a stand alone store, the MAC Pro Card is accepted here, unlike the concession in Selfridges.

Did you know… If you take in 6 empty packagings of MAC make up to any MAC store… then you get a free MAC lipstick worth approx £16.50. I took 6 in the other day and I got ‘creamsheen crosswires’ colour. It’s beautiful.

I have to go to this MAC when I’m in Birmingham as the concessions don’t accept my Pro Card. That being said, I would always choose to come here as the staff are so lovely, exceptionally helpful and always seem far less stressed and hassled compared to the concession stands.

I think MAC is overrated, as are some of the staff in the Birmingham branch. I notice recently that the store has moved, so let’s only hope they found the secret to good customer service in there.

I really like MAC cosmetics in general. Despite their terribly boring, flat advertisement, which hasn’t been interesting in the US since the Barbie collection (and has never been interesting in the UK), I still recognize the high quality of their ingredients.
All their powders and blushes stay where you put them, which is a feat with my rather oily skin. Their foundations do exactly what they say on the tin, whether mattifying your skin, making it more luminous or peeling back the years and spackeling in the wrinkles.
Their eyeshadows were high pigment before anyone else on the high street was paying attention to that.
The MAC store in Brum is a decent size, with all of the collections I’ve seen in London, NYC and LA, so why travel or shop online when you can just head into Brum?
The staff are particularly helpful here, really friendly and good for a laugh. It may be that I’ve just had bad experiences with MAC staff, but I’ve usually found them a bit too haute for my taste. If I ask, «do you have this in a more crimson shade?», there’s no need to flounce off and hand it to me without a word. But the girls at the Brum store are down-​to-​earth, stylish and fun.
You’ll pay through the nose for MAC, but you won’t regret it.

This is my favourite MAC store. They have, it appears, a wider selection of cosmetics and a lot more space!
The staff are friendly, professional and very helpful.
MAC products are of the finest quality and lost ages, so a good investment methinks :)