Making It Big in Bollywood with the MAC Mickey Contractor Collection

You might not know this, but Tabs and I are BIG Bollywood stars. Yeah, I don’t know how he got into it, but my obsession with B-wood developed over countless hours spent watching music videos on Namaste America back in the ’90s, usually after I’d get home late from dancing. I couldn’t understand what the singers were saying, but that didn’t matter to me. I was too busy drooling over the colorful costumes, exotic makeup and dizzying choreography.

Needless to say, I’m pretty stoked about the upcoming MAC Mickey Contractor collection, which scoots across North American dance floors and makeup counters January 6 (and internationally some time the same month). The 27-piece release for face, eyes, lips and cheeks, handpicked by MAC Director of Makeup Artistry for India Mickey Contractor, includes limited edition products, as well as repromoted items from MAC’s permanent line.

Thematically the collection is based on Bollywood cinema. It’s a look characterized by performance products — which I’m taking to mean products able to withstand hours of dancing under bright stage lights — natural skin tones and little accents of exotic color. These are products that should then, by that definition, be able to last through a full day of dancing on the set, AND the afterparty.

The foundations and concealers in the release are designated as NC in MAC parlance, meaning they’re yellow-based. It’s not altogether surprising that MAC chose to go this direction, since many Asian and South Asian women tend to wear NC shades well, but I wonder what it will mean for gals with very dark or light skin and pink undertones (MAC’s NW designation).

The four Select Moisturecover Concealers in the collection, as well as the three Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundations, are repromoted items from the MAC permanent line, but there’s no rule that says a gal can’t skip these and opt for a different shade family from MAC’s line of foundations and concealers.

For more info on MAC’s NW and NC designations, check out Choosing the Right MAC Concealer

I’m glad to see MAC included a few of my all-star faves in the release, like the two new Fluidlines, the repromoted Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder and the 239 Eye Shader Brush.

I’ve been a die-hard Fluidline fan for years. They’re one of a handful of liners able to stay put through crying fits. (What can I say? I’m an emotional gal) They’re like the Terminators of the gel liner world and will stop at nothing — NOTHING — until you’re dead, LOL! Or until you remove them with an eye makeup remover. 🙂

Prep + Prime Powder, by the way, is the powder I wear for all of the pictures I post here on the blog. It’s weightless, melts right into my skin, and produces a flawless soft-focus finish in photos and HD video (I like to buff it into my foundation using MAC 182 Buffer Brush). I’ve gone through at least three jars of this stuff because I think it’s THAT GOOD.

The 239 is an all-purpose eye shadow brush that works great for both application and blending. If I were stranded on a desert island with Ryan Reynolds and only had a handful of eye makeup brushes with me (ya never know…it could happen), the 239 would be one of ’em. It’s soft, yet dense, and handles cream and powder products like a champ.

MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer also makes an appearance in the collection. I was wearing it daily up until a few years ago, but I quit when I started needing more coverage than it offered beneath my eyes. I do still like it, though. It’s easy to blend and works great if you have dry skin, and/or only require a little coverage for dark circles.

Official PR pictures of the release came out today, and here are a few things that jumped out at me:

I collect the MAC Fluidlines and can’t wait to try Siahi (a frosty deep turquoise) and Ivy (a frosty bright green).

Now my dark circles and I are REALLY interested in this lil’ dual ended gizmo! It’s the Select Moisturecover Concealer, which comes with a coral corrector on one end and a yellow corrector on the other.

Love the bright pop of fuchsia here! I’m guessing this is Gulabi Lipstick…

The Eye Shadow X 4 — Athma Quad contains two repromoted shades, Folie (a matte reddish plum brown) and Carbon (a matte black); and two new limited edition colors Jaan (a shimmery light neutral with soft golden pearl) and Vivah (a shimmery brown with golden pearl).

The MAC Mickey Contractor Collection…

Lipstick, $14.50 each

• Yash — a deep neutral (matte)
• Mehr – a dirty blue pink (matte)
• Gulabi – a bright fuchsia (amplified)
• Mocha – a peachy yellow-brown (satin)

Lipglass, $14.50 each

• Flesh — a dirty nude brown
• Lust — a soft muted pink

Eye Shadow, $14.50 each

• Saffron — a deep coral caramel (satin)
• Rani – a bright fuchsia with soft pink pearl (frost)
• Marvel — a deep purple with soft pink pearl (frost)
• Oomph – a forest green with soft gold pearl (veluxe pearl)

Eye Shadow X 4 — Athma, $36

• Folie – Reddish-plum brown (satin)
• Carbon – Intense black (matte)
• Jaan – Light neutral with soft gold pearl (lustre)
• Vivah – Brown with gold pearl (lustre)

Fluidline, $15 each

• Ivy – a bright green (frost)
• Siahi – a deep turquoise blue (frost)

Select Moisturecover Concealer, $16.50 each

• NC23
• NC43
• NC44
• NC45.5

Select Moisturecover Concealer, $21 each

• Coral Corrector / Yellow Corrector — Coral, a slightly dirty coral/ Yellow, a banana yellow

Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation, $26 each

• NC41
• NC43.5
• NC44.5

Powder Blush, $18.50 each

• Gana — a bright white gold (frost)
• Sur — a dirty rosie brown (satin)

Brushes, $24.50 – $32 each

• 219 — pencil brush
• 239 — eye shader
• 116 — blush brush

Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder, $22

Stay tuned for more coverage of the collection. There’s a lot coming down the pike. From what you’ve seen so far, what do ya think? Does it make you wanna dance, or will you sit this one out? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen