mac

Butterflies, Blooms and MAC Vera Collection Pics and Swatches

February 8th, 2012 by Karen 45 Comments

Just a few NC 42 swatches and pics of the new limited edition MAC Vera collection, which comes in for a landing on MAC counters, in stores and online in North America February 16 (and internationally next month).

“Brilliant butterflies, flashy florals and gorgeously geometric graphics… A colourful collaboration between MAC and the artist known worldwide as Vera, who merged fine arts with linens, murals, textiles and silk scarves in her punchy, painted patterns. Now in shades plucked straight from her most lavish prints, MAC Vera embraces the luxe, lighter-than-air spirit that delivers the kind of startling, look-at-me-statement that defines what it means to be an instant classic.”

— MAC Cosmetics

Let me know what you think. Does it brings out your inner butterfly (or your inner grouch)?

Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flower Fantasy, $28

Pearlmatte Face Powder in Sunday Afternoon, $28

Plushglasses from the left: Confetti, Fashion Fanatic and Pretty Plush, $19.50 each

Crushed Metallic Pigment X4 in Strawberry Patch, $34
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Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj Join the MAC Viva Glam Fam

February 2nd, 2012 by Karen 47 Comments

Viva la Vida Glam, Barbz! The new Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj for MAC Viva Glam collection just danced onto my desk, and I’m in the mood to celebrate.

Both the yellowish pink Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick ($14.50) and the clear Lip Conditioner ($15) just feel so springy and fun! Plus, like all Viva Glam products, 100% of the proceeds of Viva Glam Nicki and Lip Conditioner sales go to the MAC AIDS fund, which helps women, children and men living with HIV/AIDS.

With just one tube at a time, millions have been raised since the program’s start in 1994. Gotta love that. 🙂

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Club Eyeshadow

January 31st, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

mac club eyeshadow (2)

Hmm… Clubbing used to be a lot less complicated.

The last time I went clubbing, let alone wore MAC Club Eyeshadow ($15) out to a club, was at least a year ago. And it’s funny — I used to be able to just roll out of the house around 10, get to the club by 11, and then dance until the wee hours in 4-inch heels, no problem. Sometimes, we’d even go out for fries afterward.

Now, though? Whole different story.

mac club eyeshadow (3) It seems like right around the time I hit 30, the prep work involved in staying out past 10 doubled.

Now, on those rare occasions when I do go out dancing, I try to carbo load the night before, take a power nap in the afternoon, slip some inserts into my heels (so my arches won’t hurt), and throw a Lara bar into my purse to eat on the way home (since my tum can’t handle late-night greasy food like it used to).

See what I mean? Complicated. 🙂

But one thing that hasn’t changed is my mad love for MAC Club…although nowadays I’m wearing it to the movies and grocery stores, and not out to clubs to go dancing (at least not often).

Club was one of the first colors I fell in love with at MAC, and I’m so glad we met. If I’d judged this nondescript reddish gray-brown book by its cover — by the way it looks in its pan — I might have never given it a chance.

And that would have been a shame.

On skin, I think MAC Club looks downright multidimensional, as if someone had pressed all of the colors of a peacock’s feather into a single eyeshadow. One minute, it’s a gunmetal gray with teal highlights; the next, a bluish chocolate brown with an iridescent green glow.

mac club eyeshadow (1)

And beyond Club’s dynamic personality, it also loves layers. I like that I can coax different things out of it, like green, by wearing it atop green pencils or cream shadows, and teal, by wearing it with — you guessed it! — teal.

Easy to dress up or down, sometimes I’ll layer it on top of black liner for a quick smokey eye, or, for a twist on a traditional cat eye, I’ll wet an angled brush like the MAC 266 with some Fix+, sweep it across the pan, and apply Club wet along my upper lash lines.
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A MAC Must!

January 31st, 2012 by Karen 11 Comments

MAC Club eyeshadow, you’re my everything.

The MAC Metal-X Eyeshadows Say to Powder Eyeshadows, “Let’s Work Together”

January 27th, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

mac metal x (3)

What’s that saying about peeling back the layers of an onion?

Wait — is there a saying about peeling back the layers of an onion? I could have sworn…

Doesn’t matter. All I’m trying to say is that I love layers. 🙂 Layered hair (the only way I can handle my thick, wavy mop), layered clothing (a habit I picked up living in San Francisco) and layer cake (the food, not the film, although I did think Daniel Craig was wicked hot in it).

I also love layering my eye makeup, and I’ve been doing it a lot lately using these MAC Metal-X Eyeshadows ($20 each).

The nine soft, limited edition cream shadows, which recently launched at MAC stores, on counters and online, intensify the color of powder shadows worn on top of them and create a high-shine metallic effect.

I’ve also noticed that they seem to make powder shadows a little easier to blend…

Now, I think these work just fine by themselves, without powder shadows, but they might need some extra babysitting when worn that way. I tried several of colors a couple of different ways, both on bare lids and atop NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, and every time I wore them alone, without shadow, I kept having to reapply. After about 2 hours on my lids, they begin to crease.

And that’s where the powder shadow comes in.

When I apply them on top of eye primer and then pat a great powder shadow on top, the resulting look stays rich and shiny all day long. There may be a tiny bit of creasing after a few hours, but I don’t think it’s bad.

When I apply a Metal-X shadow with my fingers or a firm eyeshadow brush like the MAC 239, I seem to get my best results and the richest, most intense pigments.

mac metal x (1)

mac cyber
Cyber

mac virgin silver
Virgin Silver
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What Do You Think? Has MAC Released a Shade of Red For Every Heart?

January 25th, 2012 by Karen 63 Comments

MAC A Shade of Red For Every Heart
Wearing MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Hang-Up

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, love. It’s one of my favorite holidays, and not just because it makes it totally legit to eat an entire 1-pound box of See’s Candies in a single sitting (something I’ve done multiple times).

How many pounds of chocolate candy are sold during Valentine’s week in the U.S.? (Click here for the answer)

I also love it for the red!

It’s everywhere — red valentines, red hearts, red candy and decorations. Oh, and let’s not forget lips.

MAC A Shade of Red For Every Heart And should you need a little help deciding on a particular shade of red to wear on or around the Big V, MAC has nine suggestions: A Shade of Red For Every Heart. The nine-piece release for lips and nails, available now online, includes some seriously saturated reds, some of them brights and others dark crimsons, and it even features a few former lovers like Cockney Lipstick (remember this beauty from Euristocrats 2?).

When it comes to lips, it’s hard (although not utterly impossible) to go wrong with red; it makes my willpower wilt. Have a look at these four items, which are some of my faves from the launch, and let me know if anything shoots an arrow of lust through your makeup-lovin’ heart.

From the left: Lustre Lipstick in Cockney ($14.50), Cremesheen Lipstick in Hang-Up ($14.50), Prolongwear Lipglass in Driven By Love ($18.50) and Prolongwear Lipglass in Lasting Achievement ($18.50)

mac a shade of red for every heart (3)
Swatches from the left: Lipstick in Cockney, Lipstick in Hang-Up, Prolongwear Lipglass in Driven By Love and Prolongwear Lipglass in Lasting Achievement

Lipstick in Cockney
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MAC A Shade of Red For Every Heart

January 24th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

Thinking about wearing red lips for Valentine’s Day? How about one of these lipsticks and/or glosses from the MAC A Shade of Red For Every Heart collection?

From the left: Lustre Lipstick in Cockney ($14.50), Cremesheen Lipstick in Hang-up ($14.50), Prolongwear Lipglass in Driven By Love ($18.50) and Prolongwear Lipglass in Lasting Achievement ($18.50)

mac
a shade of red for every heart (3)
Swatches from the left: Lipstick in Cockney, Lipstick in Hang-Up, Prolongwear Lipglass in Driven By Love and Prolongwear Lipglass in Lasting Achievement

I See Vampires In the Sun With Twilight Falls and the MAC, Naturally Mineralize Eye Shadows!

January 21st, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

I’m starting to see vampire references everywhere I look! — now even in the new MAC, Naturally collection.

Two of the five MAC Mineralize Shadows from the release are called In the Sun and Twilight Falls ($20 each)…

In the Sun? And Twilight Falls? Total vampire plugs, right?

Alright, maybe not, but Twilight Falls is my new smokey shadow crush. MAC describes it as a cool brown with bronze veining…

Veining? Vampires? No?

Okay, I’ll stop. 🙂

Twilight Falls

On me, Twilight Falls is a shimmery cool-toned brownish taupe — hardly any fallout — and I love the way it looks when I apply it on my lids with a firm brush like the MAC 239 and then diffuse the edges with something like the 217 for sultry smokey eyes in snap.

I think it’s also super pretty when applied wet. If you remember Earthly Riches from 2007’s Antiquitease, I think Twilight Falls looks like a version of that with more brown.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

In the Sun

MAC describes In the Sun as a gold with violet veining (vampire much?). On my skin, I see a reddish bronze, and it’s my least favorite of the two on account of its texture and moderate fallout.

I do like how it shimmers… Shimmer always makes me go, “Ooh! It sparkles!” But when I wear it, I can see big grains of powder sitting on top of my skin.

I should also say that I tend to have trouble pulling off bronzy reds because I think many of them they can make me look like I’m ill, but if you can work ’em, more power to ya.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C+

Swatches of Twilight Falls on the left and In the Sun on the right
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