What is Your Favourite Make-Up Brand Ever?

I am a huge make-up fan/collector/wearer/whatever you want to label it but I do have a handful of favourite brands; select companies that I find myself constantly throwing money towards should a new collection land, and forever forgiving any dud products. It's acceptable to have a favourite, well unless it is a child (a child that isn't me that is).

In case the above photograph doesn't quite offer a large enough clue, I am indeed a MAC girl - through and through. There was a time, not so long ago that I literally purchased every collection released and lived for the first Thursday of every month - often referred to as MAC day. Through fear of bankruptcy, I have scaled back my MAC spending habits; to be blunt one of everything from every collection going was becoming excessive and wasteful. Nowadays I can visit my local MAC counter without worry of having to sell a kidney to afford my haul, rather I pick up the odd piece from the new collections and tend to gravitate towards the MAC core collection - really can you ever have too many MAC lipsticks?

What is Your Favourite Make-Up Brand Ever?

I guess the real reason I am such a hard core MAC fan is partly due to quality (there are far more hits than misses) and of course good, old fashioned nostalgia. My local MAC counter was my first real taste of the upper end cosmetic spectrum and a gateway into the world of beauty halls. I can still recall my first MAC purchases: MAC Creme d' Nude Lipstick, MAC Dollymix Blush and MAC Scene Eyeshadow - I'm not really sure what look I was going for but apparently I was all about pale nude lips, bright pink blush and of course a wash of cool grey eyeshadow. Sexy. The trio of black encased products were made all the more special as I had saved up and purchased them on my own like a real grown up, or so I thought at least.

I do hasten to add that there are several beauty brands that I adore and enjoy just as much, the main difference is I don't really follow their every move and tend to dip in and out of their collections - opposed to once circling and noting down MAC launch days. MAC Rihanna anyone? Good Lord that spate of lipsticks and powders near enough ended me.

So tell me what is your favourite beauty brand and why?