MAC Makeup

MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara: One for the Girls With Natural Lash Curls

August 5th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

Is the new MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash mascara right for you?

Well, if you happen to be blessed with Zac Efron-like lashes, all super curly and bee-yoo-ti-ful, then perhaps, yes. In Extreme Dimension could be the best thing since pizza-scented Febreze.

(Actually, there’s no such thing as pizza-scented Febreze, but doesn’t it sound great?)

MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Tube — Cute curvy tube

That’s because its one weakness is holding curls, but if you’ve already got ’em, you’re golden.

Other than wimpy curl hold, it delivers lots of bells and whistles for girls/guys who love dramatic black lash looks — no clumps, no flakes or smudges, and you get lots of really lovely length, separation and volume (just shy of the epic Le Volume de Chanel).

Plus, it doesn’t make my lashes feel crunchy or weighed down, and removing it before bed is a snap.

MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Stubby Brush — The stubby brush is a cinch to use

But DAMN! What’s up with the curl? Immediately after I apply the first coat, the curl from my Shu starts relaxing. In no time flat, my naturally straight lashes are back to being straight, sans any curl or lift.

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These New MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints Place Supreme Importance on Sheer, Shiny Color

August 5th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

MAC Gwi-Yo-Mi Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint, a mid-tone raspberry — MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint in Gwi-Yo-Mi, a mid-tone raspberry, one of six new shades in the MAC So Supreme Collection

Filed under THINGS I NEVER EXPECTED IN THIS LIFETIME: that I would find cat hair in my bellybutton, that I would ever gush over a panini press (“DUUUUUDE, that thing has seriously changed my life!”), that I would be trying to buy pink satin culottes in 2013, that I would ever derive such joy from a brush tip lipgloss applicator like the one on the new MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints ($20 each, and available in eight shades).

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass — Click-y pen packaging, oh yeah!

It’s not like it’s a newfangled invention or anything… Versions of these brush pen glosses have been floating around for a hot minute, but just in case you’ve been in deep space cryosleep for the past 50 years and just woke up today, to use ’em, all you do is twist the bottom of the pen, listen for the click-click-click, and watch with glee as gloss gushes from the opposite end. Then, apply to lips. 🙂

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglasses from the left: Bubble Gum, K-Wow, Simply Wow, Heart & Seoul, Kiss Kiss, Blushing Berry, Gwi-Yo-Mi and Glorious Intent — From the left: Bubble Gum, K-Wow, Simply Wow, Heart & Seoul, Kiss Kiss, Blushing Berry, Gwi-Yo-Mi and Glorious Intent

Wearing these glosses is like getting to that part in a relationship with someone when you finally feel comfortable wearing your rattiest bra around them, and no longer feel the need to don that itchy, push-up Victoria’s Secret “come hither” number every single night.

Not to say that these Sheen Supreme Tints are like old, ratty bras… They’re just really, REALLY easy and comfortable. Just twist, apply with or without a mirror, and that’s that.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipglass Swatches from the left: Bubble Gum, K-Wow, Simply Wow, Heart & Seoul, Kiss Kiss, Blushing Berry, Gwi-Yo-Mi and Glorious Intent — Swatches from the left: Bubble Gum, K-Wow, Simply Wow, Heart & Seoul, Kiss Kiss, Blushing Berry, Gwi-Yo-Mi and Glorious Intent

Maybe I’m just way too easily amused (that’s for sure, ha!), but sh*t is hella fun. WAY more entertaining than the regular old doe-foot applicators on squeeze tubes, like painting in eighth-grade art class, where looking back…I’m pretty sure my teacher, Mr. Freed, was a big-time hippy stoner.

MAC Bubble Gum Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint, a soft warm pink — Bubble Gum Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint, a soft warm pink

Anywho! You’ll have to be OK with sheer glosses to appreciate the wonders of these Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tints, because MAC purposefully dialed down the pigment level of all eight shades.

MAC K-Wow Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint, a soft cool pink — K-Wow Sheen Supreme Lipglass Tint, a soft cool pink

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Moisture Reins Supreme in This New Batch of Six MAC Sheen Supreme Lipsticks

August 3rd, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

MAC Pleasurefruit — Wearing the new MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Pleasurefruit ($17)

The first time I tried the MAC Sheen Supreme Lipsticks waaaay back in 2011 (Eek! Was it that long ago?!), I loved how shiny and smooth they looked and how creamy and slick they felt.

But man! They sucked every dang molecule of moisture from my lips! They left my pout so parched that I started calling them “the cactus lipsticks,” and whenever I wore one I half expected tumbleweeds to roll past my field of view…

Dry, dry, DRY.

Thankfully, this new batch of six limited edition shades is much improved. Or at least I think so. I’m not sure if MAC tweaked the non-sticky formula, but it sure seems that way to me. They certainly feel much more moisturizing, and no more cactus lips.

The six new MAC Sheen Supreme Lipsticks include…

Pret-a-Pretty: a soft warm pink
Gotta Dash: a clean, pale coral
Playtime: a bright coral pink
Sweet Grenadine: a bright orange
Pleasurefruit: a bright warm pink
Candy Apple: a warm mid-tone plum

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipsticks from the left: Pret-A-Pretty, Playtime, Sweet Grenadine, Pleasurefruit and Candy Apple — From the left: Pret-A-Pretty, Playtime, Sweet Grenadine, Pleasurefruit and Candy Apple

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Shimmery, Sparkly and Just Plain Fun, the Latest Limited Edition MAC Pressed Pigments Are Purrfect Pick-Me-Ups After a Long Week

August 2nd, 2013 by Karen 10 Comments

And they’re also quite handy when your fussy feline employer sends you the following office text: “I will fire your @ss if you don’t start wearing more glitter.”

Yes, sir! 🙂

The 12 new $21 limited edition MAC Pressed Pigment shades are…

Vanilla Diamond, warm yellow beige with a frost finish
Sweet Acting, a mid-tone pink with a frost finish
Summer Honey, a pastel coral with a frost finish
Lime Ice, a seafoam green with a frost finish
Rock Candy, a mid-tone fuchsia with a frost finish
Pink Pepper, a deep coral with golden pearl and a frost finish
Enlightening, a deep silver with a frost finish
Moth, a mauve with silver pearl and a frost finish
Black Grape, a deep aubergine with multicolored pearl and a frost finish
Jet Couture, a charcoal black with a frost finish
Damson, a deep brown with golden pearl and a frost finish
Midnight, a vibrant deep blue with a frost finish

MAC Summer Honey Presed Pigment, a pastel coral with a frost finish — Summer Honey Pressed Pigment, a pastel coral with a frost finish

MAC Lime Ice Pressed Pigment, a seafoam green with a frost finish — Lime Ice Pressed Pigment, a seafoam green with a frost finish

MAC Rock Candy Pressed Pigment, a mid-tone fuchsia with a frost finish — Rock Candy Pressed Pigment, a mid-tone fuchsia with a frost finish

MAC Pink Pepper Pressed Pigment, a deep coral with golden pearl and a frost finish — Pink Pepper Pressed Pigment, a deep coral with golden pearl and a frost finish

MAC Moth Pressed Pigment, a mauve with silver pearl and a frost finish — Moth Pressed Pigment, a mauve with silver pearl and a frost finish

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Era Eye Shadow

July 23rd, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

It’s always the era of Era around here. Flexible, because it flatters both warm and cool skin tones, MAC Era Eye Shadow is a fantastic workhorse neutral to have in your collection, especially if you love taupe.

Officially, MAC describes it as a soft golden beige, and yeah, I can see that, but on my NC42 skin, I’d characterize it as a golden taupe. Color temperature-wise, it’s like a perfect porridge — just right. Neither too warm, nor too cool.

I don’t know…but there’s just something earthy and natural about it. I see it and picture smooth river rocks baking in the hot desert sun…

And the finish? Satin. One of my favorite finishes from MAC.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Bronze Eye Shadow

July 19th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

So, weird fun fact, but if you look really closely at my dark brown eyes, you’ll see a navy blue ring around the iris, and I think it’s one of the reasons I like MAC Bronze Eye Shadow so much.

A shimmery golden bronze with orange undertones, it’s one of those shadows that really flatters blue eyes (even, if I do say so myself, ones with a subtle blue ring like mine).

Bronze has some great things for it, like MAC’s super soft, pigmented Veluxe Pearl finish, arguably one of the best finishes in the entire line. And it blends easy like Sunday morning, so it’s a cinch to apply. In fact, I’ve done it half awake on Sunday mornings many times, and it usually turns out pretty fly!

It’s just one of those shadows, ya know? You almost can’t go wrong.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Honey Lust Eye Shadow

July 18th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Honey Lust is my glitzy go-to glitter shadow when I want to shimmer like Tinker Bell but don’t want to deal with the drama of a pigment.

A glittery bronzed peach in MAC’s Lustre finish, it’s best described like this: glitter, glitter, glitter. 🙂

It delivers the glittery shimmer fix of a MAC loose Pigment without (necessarily) making a mess.

Now, because Honey Lust isn’t chintzy with the glitter, it does tend to be grittier than many of MAC’s other shadows, so fallout can be an issue, especially if you’re using it with a fluffy brush like the MAC 217. I try to always use it with a brush that has a flat, firm brush head like the MAC 239, with which I can really pack the powder on my lids, and keep it from flying all over the place.

This Honey brings the bling! — and I think it looks particularly fetching on warm skin tones and tans, especially paired with looks featuring summery bronzes, warm browns, golds and teals.

MAC Honey Lust Eye Shadow Swatch — Honey Lust Eye Shadow on my NC42 skin

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MAC By Request Is Coming Back With More Fan Favorite Retro Shades From the ’90s and 2000s

July 10th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

MAC By Request Is Back! — MAC By Request for Spring 2014

Apparently, retro is the new black.

At least it is according to MAC.

For the second year in a row, MAC is bringing power to the people with a collection of old-school MAC favorites hand-picked by their fans.

From now through July 21, vote for your favorite shadow and lipstick among a batch of pre-selected shades from the ’90s and 2000s on MAC’s Facebook page.

The three shadows and lipsticks with the most votes will go on sale again for an encore performance in a six-piece collection next spring called MAC By Request.

This time around, the nominees include six lipsticks and five eye shadows, all but one of which are pictured here…

I’m missing Tomango Lipstick, a matte bright orange from the 1990 Circa Pre collection, but hopefully the pics and swatches below help you decide.

Sorry, no face shots tonight… I thought they might cheer me up, but I’m just not feelin’ up to it.

Oh, you can also tweet your top picks on twitter using hashtag #MACBYREQUEST.