Archives for July 2011

It looks like Prep + Prime Powder and Turquatic aren’t the only MAC products getting makeovers next month.

Last year’s totally tubular MAC Opulash mascara started out, like, totally rad, but now it’s getting even radder with a souped-up sibling called Opulash Optimum Black ($16).

It’s basically like the original, except in a darker, more intense shade of black.

Both the original formulation and the new MAC Opulash Optimum Black are referred to as “tube mascaras.” The formulas envelop lashes in a “tube” of mascara. Generally, the term is used to describe long-wearing, durable products ideal for humid climates, yet most are removable with warm water (counterintuitive, I know, considering how well they usually handle humidity).

I’ve used the original Opulash on and off since the first time I tried it last year, and I like the look. It’s very distinct, with uniform thickness from lash root to tip.

The original one’s also great with lifts — like Patrick Swazye was for Jennifer Gray in the last scene from Dirty Dancing (one of the BEST moments in movie history!) — and I reach for it sometimes when I want a lifted, even fringe with good volume. It delivers pumped up, noticeble lashes that are just shy of drag.

And based on the time I’ve spent with it, this newer version, Opulash Optimum Black, lifts lashes while volumizing just as well as the older version, with the added bonus of better curl hold.

Bare lashes (top); with two coats of Opulash Optimum Black (bottom)
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You’re cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway on your way to meet friends for dinner. The sun just set, and the sky’s a mix of orange, pink and violet where it meets the sea on the horizon. Your swimsuit fits in all the right ways, and you’ve got the windows down to dry your hair. You don’t really know the hot boy who sits in dangerously low-hanging board shorts in the passenger seat, but he seems sweet. You’ll get to know him better soon.

That is MAC Turquatic. Light and watery, it’s like a cleaner, crisper, less sugary sweet version of Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue, and it’s my absolute favorite MAC scent, hands down.

When rumors surfaced earlier this year about it being discontinued, and it started disappearing from MAC counters, stores and the MAC website, I freaked!

But it turns out MAC was just phasing out the old bottle (WHEW!) and replacing it with a stylish new one that’s like a fresh sea breeze. Come August 11, Turquatic docks permanently on counters and in stores, in three sizes, a Rollerball ($20 US; $24 CDN), a small 20ml bottle ($27.50 US; $33 CDN; the exact same size as the old bottle), and the super-sized 50ml bottle shown here ($49.50 US; $59.50 CDN).

The fragrance hasn’t changed, but its attire has. Officially, the fragrance notes are still sparking mineral water, fresh lotus leaves, Corsican cedrat (a citrusy fruit similar to lemons and lime) and a warm blend of anemone (a flowering plant in the buttercup family), orris (root of the iris plant) and blue cedar.

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Sometimes I wonder whether MAC has my house bugged or if they’ve recruited Tabs as a spy. I’m serious. The company always seems to know my secret makeup desires, even when I haven’t shared them on the blog.

It’s uncanny. Take MAC Prep + Prime Loose Powder, for instance, and how many times in reference to it I’ve said, “I wish MAC made a pressed powder version of this.”

Maybe I just watch too many cop shows, but when I heard that MAC planned to add a pressed version of Prep + Prime to their permanent line next month, the first thing I did was glance at Tabs.

“Are you spying on me?” I asked.

Of course he didn’t answer… Typical behavior for a spy. 🙂

I can’t say for certain that this was a case of corporate cosmetics espionage, but honestly, who cares? I’m just glad I might not have to wrestle with jars of the loose powder to get Prep + Prime’s glowy, airbrushed look on trips anymore.

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