MAC Makeup

The MAC Giambattista Valli Collection: Florals, Femininity and Fabulously Bold Matte Lipstick

June 16th, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

“Like, totally rad to the max! I want to be a Valli girl!”

I don’t even know where to start with the MAC Giambattista Valli collection.

Gah! Between the practical packaging (the color of each tube reflects the color of its corresponding lipstick, making it easy to find the shade you’re looking for) and the corals, pinks and reds?

YAAAAS! I’m a little beside myself…

Bold lip lovers who live for classic colors (this includes at least one crazy cat lady/lipstick-loving blogger), this six-piece collection is for you.

mac giambattista valli — The MAC Giambattista Valli collection Matte Lipsticks ($17.50 each)

First, who the heck is Giambattista Valli?

I’m glad you asked. 🙂 He’s an Italian fashion designer known for his dramatic dresses, feminine designs and his use of floral embellishments.

Very girly-girl stuff — and I’d wear his clothes in a HEARTBEAT if ever given the chance (assuming I had a reason to wear a full-length, floral-print strapless dress with a thigh-high slit).

The MAC Giambattista Valli collection evokes the designer’s affinity for femininity, florals and color, and each of the six lip products in it are inspired by his dresses.

Five full-coverage Matte Lipsticks ($17.50 each) and one potted lip gloss ($23) comprise the collection, which arrives online and at MAC stores and counters July 9 through August 6.

The MAC Giambattista Valli collection includes…

MAC Matte Lipstick in Bianca B — a pale white pink
MAC Matte Lipstick in Tats — a bright hot pink
MAC Matte Lipstick in Margherita — a yellowish bright peach
MAC Matte Lipstick in Charlotte — a rich yellowish red
MAC Matte Lipstick in Eugenie — a dark cherry with blue undertones
MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Lena — a clear gloss with multicolored flecks of pearl

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MAC Matte Lipstick in Dangerous, and a Few Thoughts on Red Lipstick

June 16th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

mac dangerous lipstick — That’s MAC Matte Lipstick in Dangerous ($16), available now online and at MAC stores and counters in the MAC permanent collection

From whence, I wonder, does red lipstick derive its magical power? That’s what I’d like to know. It’s the rainbow pegasus of lipsticks, and whenever I wear it, I feel like a magically imbued, larger-than-life version of myself.

Like, if I were flying off into the sunset on the back of a giant dragon, a la Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, I would not be wearing pink lipstick, or coral lipstick or — gasp! — a nude gloss.

HELL NO. I would definitely be wearing something red. 🙂

As a kid growing up in the East Bay suburbs (which wasn’t exactly a high-fashion hot spot), I didn’t have much direct contact with red lipstick. My mom was/is more of a Chapstick gal, so the closest I ever got to red lipstick was when I saw it on the models in the pages of the fashion magazines at the dentist’s office.

I didn’t know anything about makeup at the time, but I did know that I wanted what those ladies had on their lips.

And I wanted it badly.

And now, even after all these years, I still love red lipstick, and I have a drawer filled with them — blue-based reds, creamy reds, neutral reds, glossy reds — enough to satisfy my every red lipstick craving.

One of those cravings that never stays away long are matte reds. Like a 1940s screen siren, they’re timeless and beautiful, and I love how they can look elegant and bad-@ss at the same time.

My current crush/matte red in rotation is MAC’s new warm orangey red Matte Lipstick in Dangerous. It makes me feel like I’m in charge and runnin’ sh*t, you know? Like when people hear my heels click-clacking down the hallway, they get a little scared.

Dangerous is one of the new $16 Matte Lipstick shades recently added to the MAC permanent line, and you can find it now (and hopefully eternally) online and at MAC stores and counters.

PRICE: $16
AVAILABILITY: Permanent, available now at MAC counters, stores and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Speaking of Game of Thrones…

**SPOILER ALERT**
**SPOILER ALERT**
**SPOILER ALERT**
(I’m serious! — don’t read ANY further unless you’re OK talking about the last episode.)

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Heads Up! The New MAC Website Debuts MONDAY!

June 7th, 2015 by Karen 5 Comments

mac cosmetics — Checking out a preview of the new MAC Cosmetics website

Prepare your eyes (which I’m sure are lined purr-fectly with Blacktrack) and your makeup-loving heart for a feast of Monday MAC marvelousness, my friend, because that’s when I hear the new MAC website will launch.

I gotta warm up my shopping muscles! — but let’s keep that between us. El Hub does not need to know that I’m eyeing MOAR LIPSTICKS. 🙂

Check out maccosmetics.com Monday morning to see the new and (I think) improved site.

mac cosmetics blush — The new blush section…

mac cosmetics lip gloss — Gimme dat gloss!

mac cosmetics artists — The new MAC Artists page…

Let the fun commence! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Unsung Heroes: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

June 3rd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

MAC has a looot of face powders, and I think many of them are rock solid performers (see: MAC Blot and Careblends Pressed), but if you and I were at a counter at this very moment, and you asked me, “What’s your favorite, best-of-the-best, most natural-looking, comfortable MAC face powder available now?” I’d say one thing: the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Naturals.

I got this particular pan of MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Tan shortly after MAC revamped the packaging last year, when they swapped out the old see-through lids for the new black compacts with the mirror, and since then I’ve brought it with me on every trip. It’s pretty much been the only powder I keep in my purse now for touchups.

Depending on which color you choose, you can use the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural line of baked pressed mineral powders for a number of different things, like cutting down on shine, evening out your skin tone, blurring pores, bronzing, and setting your foundation and/or concealer.

They have a semi-matte finish and a moderate amount of pigment, but they can be sheered down. They’re available in the permanent line in 15 shades for $32 each.

In MAC parlance, I’m an NC42, and I have combination skin that ventures between oily and dry. I wear the color Medium Tan as my face setting powder daily, and I also use Give Me Sun sometimes as a bronzer.

mac mineralize skinfinish medium tan — MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Tan on my NC42 skin

I love so many things about this powder! — but I’m going to try to keep this short (yeah right, Karen), because otherwise we’d be here ’til next Tuesday. 🙂

The gist of it is this: in powder-land, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is my current favorite powder across the board — not just from MAC — for casual, dewy, natural-looking skin.

I’ve worn it for everyday makeup looks, big events, pictures, HD video, daytime work meetings, dinner dates and taking Tabs out for his walks, and I think it looks just as good on camera as it does in real life. Unlike many pressed powder formulas, the Mineralize Skinfinish Naturals look more like loose powders than pressed powders when they’re sitting on the skin.

After having taken a zillion pictures over the years, I think that loose powders generally look better than pressed powders in person and in pics — softer, I guess. Less like makeup and more like real skin. But MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural bucks that trend. When I wear it, my skin looks even toned, smooth, and it doesn’t look shiny (nor does it look severely matte). The powder also doesn’t look super obvious.

The effect reminds me of Chanel’s Loose Powder, which is absolutely beautiful, but Chanel’s powder is also 1) much more expensive ($52 vs. $32 for this), 2) available in fewer shades.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Persistence Matte Lipstick

June 1st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

mac persistence lipstick — MAC Matte Lipstick in Persistence ($16)

With lipstick, life and cats, persistence pays off. If you’ve struggled to find your perfect cat soulmate, just keep feeding your next-door neighbor’s awesome kitty. Give her a can of something gravy-ful every day until she decides that you’re much cooler than her current people (j/k only; don’t do this), and that she’s welcome to make your house her new home.

Persistence, y’all! It’s all about persistence. 😉

On the lipstick front, I’ve been searching high and low for the right ’90s-style warm matte brown (so trendy right meow), and it feels like I’ve been searching forever…

I figure that I could revert back to wearing my ’90s jam, MAC Paramount, but I’d rather find something newer, fresher and updated.

Plus, it’s almost summer, and the last thing I want to be wearing in summer with my ~~booty shorts~~ short shorts is dark brown vampire lips. I dunno… That combo just doesn’t sound right.

MAC Matte Lipstick in Persistence ($16) sounds much better.

mac persistence — Wearing MAC Persistence Matte Lipstick

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SNEAK PEEK: New MAC Website!!! Coming Early June 2015

June 1st, 2015 by Karen 49 Comments

Playing “Fill the Shopping Cart” on the MAC website — which, I’m not gonna lie, is a game I play almost daily– is about to get that much more awesome and easier, because the MAC Cosmetics website is about to get a makeover.

Yes, the website that zillions of us know and love is about to get completely revamped! — and here’s an exclusive sneak peek. 🙂

First, welcome home…

Behold! — The new maccosmetics.com homepage

(Click the image to open a larger version.)

I recently spent some hands-on time exploring the new website in its almost-ready/beta form (it’s scheduled to go live any day now; expect early June 2015), and finding my way around it was easy-peasy.

When you arrive on the new MAC homepage, you’ll see a long screen that scrolls down with bigger pictures to showcase MAC’s luscious visuals and artistry (this makes my inner photo geek nerd out).

For me the bigger product pictures, much bigger swatches and more side-by-side product comparisons will make the new website much more helpful. Oh, and the new site will also be mobile-friendly.

Head up to the new black navigation bar at the top to find what you want/need. The category names are short ‘n’ sweet and pretty self-explanatory, so it’s easy to get around. Each of the options has a drop-down menu. Or, just do a search using the little magnifying glass in the upper right.

Now when you unexpectedly run out of Costa Riche one hellish day and start full-on panicking (it’s OK; happens to the best of us), a replacement will be easy to find.

Um…not that I’ve ever panicked about running out of Costa Riche before.

No, nothing like that’s ever happened to me (yeah, right). 😉

Collection/limited edition product pages

YOU GO, GLEN COCO, and stalk that new MAC collection page errrrday like a boss! (You and I both know that we’re guilty of doing this.)

Product pics will be on a white background now (unlike the current/old black background, which makes it harder to see things, yeah?). Both the product pics and the color swatches are much bigger, too, so it’ll be easier to see what’s in each collection.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Brownluxe

May 29th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

mac brownluxe palette — MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Brownluxe ($40, available now in the MAC permanent collection)

One of the downsides of deep-cleaning one’s office (yes, Operation Get My Sh*t Together is still ongoing) is finding a huge mound of stale cat treats behind a box of eye palettes and realizing, “Holy freaking crap! I’m the woman who had a pile of stale cat treats in her office and has no idea how long they were there!”

It could have been days, weeks or even years, and frankly I’m surprised that Tabs didn’t find them, because I’m sure he would have “removed” them for me.

T-Money insists on being hand fed when it's snack time — Hey girl, haaaay!

Before you click away thinking, “This woman is crazy,” I do have a point, and it is this: one of the upsides of deep-cleaning one’s office is rediscovering long-loved and lost gems like MAC Brownluxe Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow.

If you like wearing eyeshadow but feel like your blending skills are lacking, and/or you’re often in a hurry to get out the door, and/or you can’t bear the thought of buffing out three layers of Soft Brown with your 217, YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE.

“Five complementary shades that glide on and blend beautifully for infinite day-to-night looks: egg shell, frosty orange gold, light yellow chocolate, deep bronze, blackened plum with pearl. Matte to highly pearlized finish.”

— maccosmetics.com

MAC Brownluxe belongs to the Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow family, a group of powder shadow palettes in the MAC permanent line. It’s one of eight Veluxe Pearlfusion palettes available now for $40 each.

A few of the MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadows…

The MAC Veluxe Pearlfusions have a different formula than the regular MAC powder shadows that come in the round pans. Softer and silkier, they feel almost creamy to the touch.

Each Veluxe Pearlfusion palette (Plumluxe, Copperluxe, Peachluxe, etc.) has its own distinct color theme, and within each palette, you get five Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadows hand-selected to work together in that particular theme.

Browluxe, one of my favorites in the Veluxe Pearlfusion fam, has a soft, shimmery eggshell beige; a satiny, medium golden tan; a glittery, orangey gold; a shimmery chocolate; and a shimmery, deep plummy brown — all colors that I could happily wear daily for the rest of my life based on how I’ve been feeling lately, ’cause I’ve been all about #datneutrallife.

But it’s not just the Brownluxe colors that I like. The Veluxe Pearlfusion formula is also just plain fab. It’s really, really easy to blend. Even if you’re completely new to eyeshadow, I think you could do a look incorporating two or three (or maybe even all five!) of these colors, and have it turn out looking like you know exactly what you’re doing.

I don’t know what kind of cosmetic witchery is at work, but it’s probably related to the creamy formula. Erasing edges between the colors and creating diffused gradients that seamlessly transition from light to dark, which are telltale signs of someone who’s been blending for a while, is easy with these shadows.

Brownluxe is the best if you’re always running late (story of my life). I wore it yesterday to a meeting in the city with some beauty folks, and I only had 20 minutes to do a full face of makeup from start to finish. Brownluxe helped me quickly do a neutral cat eye, which I paired with a bright hot pink lip (MAC Pink Pigeon), and I think it turned out looking like I spent 45 minutes instead of 20.

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MAC The Matte Lip Collection: A Quick Reminder…

May 27th, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

mac matte royal lipstick — MAC Matte Lipstick in Matte Royal ($16)

Heads up, buttercup. If you’ve been counting down the weeks/days/seconds until the MAC The Matte Lip collection drops, the wait is almost over.

Some of the shades in the release are re-promotes from the permanent line, but most of them are brand-spankin’ new.

And they’ll be available bright and early starting tomorrow on the MAC website (and then a little later at MAC stores and counters June 11). Whoop-whoop!

More details, swatches and pictures here, but here’s the quick and dirty…

22 shades, most of them new (but a few are current permanent collection re-promotes)
Some of them have MAC’s Matte formula, and others have MAC’s Retro Matte formula
All of the shades are being added to the MAC permanent line, so none of that limited edition funny business…
They’re all $16 each
Available on the MAC website starting May 28, 2015 and at MAC stores and counters June 11

The colors I’m wearing here are some of the brighter — I guess you could call ’em “edgier shades” (and by edgier, I mean that the first thing El Hub said when he saw me wearing the dark blue in the top pic was, “Your lipstick looks scary…”), but there are also a lot of wearable colors coming, like Whirl, Men Love Mystery and Runway Hit (which you can see in the top picture in this post).

mac pink pigeon — MAC Matte Lipstick in Pink Pigeon ($16)

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