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Go Behind the Scenes at the MAC Cosmetics Production Facility and Estée Lauder Companies Canadian Innovation Centre

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Last week my adventures in Toronto led me and a group of fellow bloggers to the MAC production facility and Estée Lauder Companies Canadian Innovation Centre, where MAC and some of the other members of the ELC family create makeup magic. Both buildings are located right next to each other in the nearby city of Markham in Ontario, about an hour from Toronto.

The tour was only one of the reasons for my trip. I’ll share the others soon, but for now, help yourself to some steel-toe boot covers, safety glasses and a white lab coat — oh, and you’ll need to stow your jewelry in your purse — because where we’re heading, it’s safety first!

The inside of the production facility looks like a cross between a hospital and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory (sans the Oompa-Loompas). The scent of vanilla fills the air, and you find yourself looking for MAC Lipsticks around every corner. As luck would have it, they are around every corner here. 🙂
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Pack It Up (I’ll Take It): Packing Tips and Greetings from the Bay Area

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The 1,815-foot-tall CN Tower in downtown Toronto

Hey, buddy! I’m baaaack. Yup, I got in from Toronto a few hours ago. I’m still hella loopy with jet lag, but I’ve been bursting out of my Spanx to tell you about the trip.

It was just a quick, two-day jaunt, but it was enough to see that Canada rocks.


A flying Canadian school bus


Toronto has beaches!


California Dreamin’…

I’m under strict instructions not to divulge the mission parameters, yet, but the trip had everything to do with a three-letter word that starts with M and ends with C.

Are you freaking out? Yeah, me too. 🙂

Until the veil of secrecy lifts (soon), I’d like to talk about a subject that has plagued me for years: packing!

Imagine your most packing-challenged friend — you know, the one who brings everything but the kitchen sink — and multiply that by two. The resulting hot mess would be me. If packing was a sport, I’d probably never take home a medal. Most of the time, I just try to bring way too much.

But for this trip, I tried some new things, and I think I actually did pretty darn well.

1. Use a beauty e-packing list

El Hub gives me a hard time for packing, yet whenever we go on trips, all he has to do is throw a toothbrush, toothpaste and contact lens solution into a plastic bag and he’s done. It’s so annoying! I’m a gal who loves her products, and one Ziploc bag is not gonna cut it for me.

This time, since I usually agonize over what to bring, I used a beauty e-packing list to stay organized. It’s basically a checklist of products divided into categories that make sense to me.

No kidding, this sucker really helped. Before the trip, I created the list on my computer and printed it out. Then, I crossed things off as I popped them into my suitcase. Because of the list, packing took me about half the time it usually does.

(NOTE: I’m kind of a makeup nut, so your list may be shorter than mine.)
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Syrup Lipstick

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Sweet! Every time I wear syrup, strangers stop to ask me what it is. Wait — that didn’t come out right. No, not corn syrup or maple syrup, although those are also great. I’m referring to pretty pink MAC Syrup ($14.50), a permanent member of the MAC Lustre Lipstick line.

Described as a cloudy pink on the MAC website, this hydrating, cool-toned lippie hides a hint of purple behind its shiny finish. I dig the way it looks, but my lips love the way it feels — not too thick nor thin. And it’s a great value, too, thanks to its versatility. It looks great with everything from dramatic smokey eyes to conservative everyday looks.


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If You Love MAC Turquatic, You May Want to Sit Down for This…

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First the dodo bird, now this?! Has the world gone mad? Last weekend I was searching for MAC Turquatic ($25) online but couldn’t find it, so I asked one of the gals at my nearby MAC counter for the scoop.

Apparently, the fragrance is being discontinued (ACK!). Um, what’s up with that? And right before summer? I loved Turquatic, and I can’t be the only one. I thought its watery notes made it a wonderfully light, sparkling scent for summer.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Blushbaby Blush

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mac blushbaby

Like many romances, this one starts with a dramatic hook: “It was a dark and stormy night…”

Okay, well, it could have been a humid afternoon, but that just doesn’t sound as good. 🙂

One fateful night about 10 years ago I stopped by a MAC counter to get a new tube of MAC Spite. One of the artists there suggested I pick up something else to go along with it, a sheer beige and pink powder blush called Blushbaby ($19.50).

Was she kidding?, I wondered, crinkling my brow. This? It didn’t look like much in the pan, just a basic pinkish beige powder, but the artist whipped out her brush, spoke some magic words (not really), and that was that. One look in the mirror and I said, “Sold!”

Before Blushbaby, I never really thought much of blush. I used to think it made me look like a tiny brown clown, but Blushbaby changed all that. Now, I’m unabashedly pro-blush — a blush ho, if you will (LOL!).

Blushbaby has MAC’s Sheertone finish, and consequently it’s super sheer. The Sheertones produce a very classic, natural-looking cheek flush. The look is gentle and soft, but the pigments can still be built up to pack a little more punch.

I think this particular Sheertone looks fantastic on a wide range of skin tones and makes a great everyday shade. I’ve seen it worn by both lighter lovelies and divas darker than me, and it has always looked good.


Swatch of Blushbaby built up using several layers


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MAC Unsung Heroes: Vex Eyeshadow

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mac vex

Wow. I just realized that my love affair with MAC Vex Eyeshadow ($14.50) has spanned almost 10 years… And you know what? I love it as much today as I did the first day we met — the first time I swiped this duo-chrome powder shadow on the back of my hand.

Vex can be vexing hiding in its pan like a boring blah gray, but it comes to life when it touches skin, gracing it with a really pretty glow. A beige with greenish pink pearl and a frosty finish, it flashes pink from some angles and green from others — almost like crushed pearls under a bright light. I think of it as the MAC Strobe Cream of the eyeshadow world.

When I first got Vex(ed), it was to wear it with smokey eyes, and I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve used it for that (usually with MAC Soft Brown, Print and Brule).

But smokey eyes aren’t the only ways I’ve worn Vex. I also love it dressed down…

  • Clean, classic cat eye: When I want to do a clean, classic cat eye with a little twist, I’ll apply Vex from the lash line to just below the brown bone, pop a matte brown shadow into the crease for definition (a few to try: Soft Brown, Saddle and Folie) and then line my upper lash line with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.
  • Glowy eyes: When I’m short on shuteye and lookin’ beat, I pat Vex on the lid and into the crease with either a MAC 217 (or my fingers if I’m in hurry), curl my lashes and add a few coats of mascara. It’s quick, easy, and I swear it’s looks like getting an extra three hours of sleep.
  • Glowy Eyes 2.0: After applying MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush to my lids, I apply Vex to the inner corners of my eyes with a MAC 219 Pencil Brush. A quick lash curl and a few coats of mascara later, I’m glowing. 🙂

mac vex


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MAC Quite Cute Is…Oh, That’s Too Obvious :)

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mac quite cute

I wish I could hop into a time-traveling Delorean with the upcoming MAC Quite Cute collection and zoom back to 1984 (to when I was in 4th grade). Even though I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup back then, I would have done flips for these pastel treats for cheeks, nails, lips and eyes.

When I was a kid, I was crazy for anything and everything pastel. My favorite colors were mint green, lavender, peach and/or baby pink (not necessarily in that order). The colors of the MAC Quite Cute collection would have driven my 9-year-old self into fits! I probably would have locked myself in my room with it, loaded Duran Duran’s Notorious tape into my mint green Casio portable radio and danced around my purple painted room like an ’80s fairy princess. 🙂

Now in my thirties, I still have a deep and abiding love for pastels, and I felt the same familiar flutter in my tummy today when I saw Quite Cute up close for the very first time.

Talk about cute overload, right? Pastels AND hearts in the Mineralize Blushes? TO DIE!

The collection will join two other new releases (MAC Primed For Perfection and MAC Bronze Everyday) on North American MAC counters this April 7 (internationally, some time in April). Yes, it’s safe to say that’s going to be a pretty big day.

The 23-piece release looks sweet like candy with a young and fun sense of style. I picture Japanese and European tourist gals in bright pink Hello Kitty bikinis walking in Louis V. heels at Waikiki Beach.

If it feels familiar, you may be recalling MAC Sugarsweet, another pastel-powered collection, that one from 2009. Sugarsweet was similar but had more pink and green, whereas Quite Cute has a thing for more purple and peach.

I also get a strong anime vibe from it and can’t help but think of lines like Tokidoki, Eyeko and the new Hello Kitty at Sephora. That carefree quality may not appeal to all, but the colors are what I think of when I think of makeup for spring.

So take a look around, and let me know if you see something you like. More to follow, of course, over the coming days… 🙂

mac quite cute
Mineralize Blushes in Giggly (left) and Sakura (right)

mac quite cute
Cutie Eye Shadow X4
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