MAC Cosmetics

Radiant, Peachy Pink Cheeks Are Easy With the Right Blush: MAC Glamour Daze Powder Blush in Easy Manner

November 1st, 2012 by Karen 38 Comments

mac easy manner blush — Wearing MAC Powder Blush in Easy Manner

It’s like the shy boy you met in front of a bookstore, or the brazen street cat who boldly strutted into your apartment one random afternoon (“From this day forward, YOU ARE MY HUMAN!”).

Big change has a funny way of finding us when we least expect it. One minute we’re eating roasted almonds on the couch; the next minute we’re cleaning up cat barf on the living room floor.

BOOM!

That’s how it was for me and $22 MAC Glamour Daze Powder Blush in Easy Manner, one of the happiest accidents I’ve had in weeks.

MAC Glamour Daze Easy Manner — MAC Glamour Daze Powder Blush in Easy Manner, $22

I was thrilled the first time I saw this sateen, slightly pinkish peach radiantly glowing on my cheeks…

Just like I was on my first date with that shy boy from the bookstore (who turned out to be El Hub). 🙂 Or the first time that brazen kitty purred in my lap.

And the best thing about Easy Manner’s understated but electrifying thrill? — it’s easy to repeat. Just sweep or swirl a couple layers on the apples of your cheeks.
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The MAC Primped Out Lip Look Bag in Lavish Coral, and an Open Letter to Curmudgeons and Grinches-in-Training

November 1st, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Dear Curmudgeons and Grinches-in-Training,

Avert your eyes! Step away from the monitor or makeup counter, and don’t even think about looking at MAC’s new $39.50 Primped Out Lip Look Bag in Lavish Coral, a new limited edition holiday gift set in the MAC Fabulousness collection.

Like Santa’s bag of gifts, this pink leopard print purse (cute overload!) is filled with goodies, namely three coral lip products.

MAC Primped Out Lip Look Bag Lavish Coral — Primped Out Lip Look Bag in Lavish Coral, $39.50

If you didn’t heed my advice and looked at the bag, you might be wondering, “Would this kit be a good holiday gift?”

Well, unless you want your 14-year-old niece throwing her arms around your neck and calling you “the coolest aunt evah!” — DON’T DO IT!

Unless you want your favorite coworker, the one who dutifully listens to your endless cat stories without ever rolling her eyes, to send you a text that reads, “WERK BFFs 4 LIFE!” — DON’T DO IT!

Unless you’re completely comfortable being adored and repeatedly hearing, “OHMIGOSH! This bag is so cute, and I can totally wear all of these colors!” — DON’T DO IT!

Why? Because I think this kit is entirely capable of thrilling everyone on your holiday list. The three neutral coral colors it contains should suit most skin tones, and the black and pink leopard print bag is full-on adorable.

5 Reasons to Love the New MAC Lip Look Bag in Lavish Coral

The primped-out purse is so cute! It’s also easy to open and close, and large enough to hold everything that comes with the kit, as well as a full-size powder compact.

The Lip Liner Pencil in Boldly Bare looks great with coral, peach or brown lipsticks. This neutral reddish brown pencil is even deluxe sized, and I think it also looks great with a nice gloss slicked on top.

The Cremesheen Glass in Kiss Me Softly is slightly larger than the Cremesheen Glasses in MAC’s permanent line. But just barely. It comes in a 0.09-ounce tube, versus the 0.08-ounce ones from MAC’s permanent line. This soft peachy golden pearl is also lovingly sheer and moisturizing, and the non-sticky, lightweight formula has a faint vanilla flavor and scent.

Cremesheen Lipstick in Shy Girl is a perfect everyday color. This sheer, beige-like coral has a creamy finish and the same vanilla vibe as the gloss. This one here is also full size.

The price! I think $39.50 is actually a pretty sweet deal, considering that one full-size MAC Lipstick, a Cremesheen Glass and a Lip Liner Pencil would by themselves cost $59 (and that doesn’t include the print bag).

MAC Primped Out Lip Look Bag in Lavish Coral swatches — From the left: Lip Liner in Barely Bold, Lipstick in Shy Girl and Cremesheen Glass in Kiss Me Softly

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60-Second Review: MAC All For Glamour Touch Up Kit in Medium Dark

October 30th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

If the new MAC All For Glamour Touch Up Kit in Medium Dark ($39.50) were any cuter, I’d pinch its puffy satin cover and start speaking baby talk to it…

Who’s dat cute widdle kit?! Who’s dat cute widdle kit?! Wid da pwush widdle cubuh?! Is it you? Is it you?! YES, it’s you! You’re da cute widdle kit!! 🙂

The two products it protects, a colorless Blot Pressed Powder in Medium Dark and a pinkish neutral beige Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again, are products I would normally reach for any day of the week…

MAC All For Glamour Touch Up Kit Medium Dark — All For Glamour Touch Up Kit Medium Dark, $39.50

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Neither Long Nights Nor Wig-Snatching Tabbies Can Stop the New MAC Extra Dimension Glamour Daze Eye Shadows

October 29th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

Gurl, I wish I could say that during the 10 hours the ah-MAY-zer-ing new $19.50 MAC Glamour Daze Extra Dimension Eye Shadows lasted on my lids the other day, I cranked out that young adult novel I’ve been meaning to write…

But nope. That book remains unwritten.

Instead, after layering a few of the shades on top of NARS Pro-Prime (my current primer fave) in the Katy Perry Halloween look, I…

…was the victim of a wig-snatching! — and the culprit was Tabs. He tugged the wig off while I was sitting on the couch (and now I know how it must feel to star on The Real Housewives of Atlanta).
…went shopping for Halloween candy at Target still dressed as Katy Perry. Mini-Snickers for everyone! 🙂
…painted my nails twice! Okay, three times… Two words: OPI Skyfall.
…talked to my mom on the phone and got caught up on all the family gossip (“Oh, but the thing is, HE’S A MARRIED MAN!”) and her favorite Korean soaps in less than five minutes.
(And I fear I’m beginning to confuse the family events with some of the plot lines from the soaps.)

Poster child for productivity, I’m not, but at least these shadows look good. 🙂 They up the ante on the first batch of Extra Dimension Eye Shadows MAC released last spring, incorporating the same shiny, vibrant finish, negligible creasing and smooth formula that steers clear of my fine lines with an improved wear time that lasts well beyond the original formula’s six hours.

Grayish black Tall Dark & Handsome, soft peach A Natural Flirt and pinkish purple Stylishly Merry last on my lids for at least 10 hours, which is as long as I’ve worn ’em, but I suspect their real wear time may be closer to 16!

Thing is, I haven’t had an occasion to wear them that long yet (no all-nighters at da club on my to-do list this week), but if/when I do, I bet they’ll last.

mac glamour daze holiday 2012 — Four of the eight Glamour Daze Extra Dimension Eyeshadows from the left: A Natural Flirt, Stylishly Merry, Divine Blue and Tall Dark & Handsom

mac glamour daze extra dimension eye shadow swatches — Swatches from the left: A Natural Flirt, Divine Blue, Stylishly Merry and Tall Dark & Handsome

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What’s the Word on the New MAC Perfectly Plush Advanced Brush Kit?

October 27th, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

A lot of people don’t know this, but the bag that comes with MAC’s Perfectly Plush Advanced Brush Kit ($49.50) was patterned after the elusive pink lady leopard…

How cool is that? 🙂

But seriously, I can totally see one of the Pink Ladies from Grease working this kit in the powder room at the malt shop. It’s gotta be one of the best-looking MAC limited edition holiday brush sets I’ve ever seen.

Included with the bag: the 167 Bronzer Brush, the 168 Large Angled Contour Brush, the 239 Eye Shader Brush, the 217 Blending Brush and the 212 Flat Definer Brush.

Counting the bag, that works out to roughly $8.25 per piece.

Unfortunately, the kit has something else in common with fictitious big cats…

The bristles are so scratchy! — like leopard claws! They’re nowhere near as soft as my regular full-size MAC brushes.

Hrmpf! At least the face brushes seem okay, but those eye brushes are a total drag.

Sucks, too, because the set comes with two of my all-time favorite MAC brushes, the 239 and 217. Here, though, they’re both super scratchy, and the brush heads themselves also seem less dense than usual.

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Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas: Katy Perry

October 26th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

Dude, anything can be sexy these days.

No, no, no, no, no, no. Not gonna happen. Don’t even try to rationalize it.

But —

No! I said no, as in no. And I meant it. I absolutely, positively forbid you from dressing up as a sexy clown for Halloween.

Okay, fine. Then how about Katy Perry?

Sure! That’ll do! 🙂

I promise — this last-minute costume didn’t start out as another ode to crazy cat ladies, but we all know how Katy luvs teh kittehs.

Doopdadoo, there I was, browsing the aisles at Party City last weekend, when I spotted this blue wig and thought, “Hmm…” One glittery microphone, a sparkly party dress and loads of liner later, badabing, badabang! — Ms. Teenage Dream!

Kinda sorta. I hope.

Katy usually wears some kind of variation on a classic pin-up girl look — cat eyes, bold lips and big lashes — so I took the idea and ran with it.

If you think you might like to try something similar, here are some ideas…

Bring on the brows!

Katy often wears super strong, full brows. I fattened mine up first by applying Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in 25 with a MAC 214 Short Shader Brush, and then patted good ol’ MAC Concrete on top with the same brush.

Get catty, MRRROW!!

Cat eye liner can be trÃ¨s tricky if you’ve never done it before. If this is your first time, or if you’re just looking for a new trick to try, grab a liner in dark gray, instead of black. I find that grays are easier to work with because it isn’t as harsh as black.
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Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas: Crazy Cat Lady

October 25th, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

Granted, I wear my crazy cat lady costume 365 days of the year, but for the purpose of a last-minute Halloween costume, I feel like I need to put in a little extra work to truly get the message across. 🙂

This costume draws inspiration from a crazy cat lady action figure I found a few years ago at the bookstore.

See, homegirl’s got the right idea. Why bother to put on real clothes when the cats just ruin ’em anyway? LOL!

To start, I grabbed my bathrobe and pinned a few stuffed cats on it. FYI, you need a minimum of three kitties, because the third cat is the gateway cat. It’s the crucial part of the puzzle that takes you from a mere “casual feline enthusiast” to full-blown CCL.

Then I put my hair up in rollers, put on some crazy, bright and glittery makeup…

crazy cat lady costume — On my eyes I’m wearing the 29 Purple Glitter Pencil from the new Sephora Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear Waterproof Set as an eyeshadow base and a mix of the purple and multi-colored glitter liners from the Sephora Collection Glitter Eyeliner Set as eyeshadow

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MAC Is Making Holidays Happier in 10 Different Ways: Glamour Daze, All for Glamour, Primped Out and Guilty Passions Pics and Swatches for MAC Holiday 2012

October 24th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

Most of MAC’s massive holiday 2012 collection is already online and hits stores and shelves tomorrow, and if any part of you loves girly packaging and makeup, you just might freak!

Leopard prints, lace, bows, pink, black and satin — what a bevy of appetizing nouns. 🙂 Thematically, they also comprise the list of ingredients for this year’s holiday feast from MAC, one of the sweetest, most fabulously feminine holiday collections from the brand in years.

The voluminous release, with its individual pieces, kits and sets, is so big that MAC divided it into 10 parts…

Fabulousness (eyeshadow kits)
All for Glamour (face and eye kits)
Primped Out (eye, lip and brush kits)
Hang Up The Glamour (a portable hanging travel bag)
Divine Desire/Sinfully Chic (eye, lip, cheek and brush kits)
Viva Glam It UP (a kit with MAC’s Ricky Lip Conditioner and Nicky Lipstick)
Kids Helping Kids (holiday greeting and gift cards)
Glamour Daze (a 35-piece sub-collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails)
Guilty Passions (lipgloss and Crushed Metallic Pigment sets)
Making Pretty (a luxury set of powders, lipsticks and brushes in gold- and rose-accented packaging)

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a MAC holiday release (maybe Antiquitease?)…

My camera’s flash almost overheated this afternoon from all the pics! I haven’t had enough quality time with any of the pieces yet, but here’s a first look at some of the pieces that initially caught my eye, along with swatches on my NC42 skin.

So, are you ready? Because here comes your “Happy holidays!” from MAC.

MAC Guilty Passions 4 Tenderly Warm Crushed Metallic Pigments — Guilty Passions 4 Tenderly Warm Crushed Metallic Pigments, $32.50

MAC All For Glamour Face Kit Gorgeous Bronze open — Glamour Daze All For Glamour Face Kit Gorgeous Bronze, $49.50

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