MAC Cosmetics

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara Is Something a Southern Belle Might Buy

May 25th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

MAC Extended Play Lash

In this week’s episode of The Mascara Chronicles: Go Drag or Go Home, blogger Karen takes a break from her seemingly never-ending quest for big, bold lashes so bad@ss that even RuPaul would pause mid-snap.

This week’s lower key lash look guest stars the new MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara ($15, available in one color called Endless Black), who some (really, just me) are calling “the next Blanche Devereaux.”

Like Blanche, the man- and lash-hungry coquette who batted wispy, come-hither lashes at suitors while seductively sipping sweet tea through a straw on the veranda, Extended Play has fun with lashes without going all the way (at least with lashes).

Simply coat lashes with one or two layers using the slim, sleek brush. Then, sit back and admire. 🙂

It makes my lashes look glossy black, dramatically longer and a bit thicker — not drag queen-caliber thick, but thick enough to notice a difference.

MAC Extended Play Lash

MAC extended play lash
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Still Sailing! More MAC Hey, Sailor! Lipglasses: Blessedly Rich and Cut Loose

May 23rd, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

MAC blessedly rich
MAC Hey, Sailor! Lipglass in Blessedly Rich

Man, if I were Blessedly Rich, I’d Cut Loose, yo! Fo’ reals! I would go buck wild. 🙂

LOL! Here’s a look at the last two Lipglasses from the MAC Hey, Sailor! collection, in case you were curious about the two we didn’t talk about with Ryan Gosling last week.

Like their three seafaring siblings, these are also $15.50 each.

mac blessedly rich cut loose

Blessedly Rich

Question: What happens when you hit the lottery or start a social networking site in your dorm room at Harvard?
Answer: You become Blessedly Rich.

Every once in a while this shimmery pinkish coral flashes gold, cha-ching! Such a pretty shade (and no lip liner required!), but I wish it was a tad brighter…

Pigmented enough to wear on its own, Blessedly Rich also plays well with others (both neutrals and brights, like Hey, Sailor’s blues and greens)
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Cut Loose

I’m sure there’s some lucky lad or lass out there who can rock this white gold with pearl on its own, but that someone is not me.

By itself, Cut Loose isn’t the easiest Lipglass to wear. A tad too much, and it appears milky and uneven, emphasizing my lip creases and lines (bluh!).

It’s better applied in small doses, methinks, like to highlight your pout with a dab in the center of your lower lip, which is something I’ve been doing with many of the lip color from the Hey, Sailor! collection — even the bright oranges and reds.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

Cut Loose on the left and Blessedly Rich on the right
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The MAC Hey, Sailor! Pro Longwear Lip Pencils: Set Sail to the Land of Long-Lasting Color

May 23rd, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

mac shore leave
Wearing MAC Hey, Sailor! Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Shore Leave with Lipglass in Evolution Revolution

When the long-lasting MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencils came out last fall, I was floored. Seriously. Blown clear out of my socks! Unconscious! Zonked out on the floor! That’s how good I thought they were.

I even started having relationship problems…which is to say that I’d had a number of long-standing relationships with several MAC lip pencils at the time, but when the Pro Longwears appeared, I starting comparing all of them to the Longwears and clamoring for MAC to “hurry up and convert Subculture and [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE MAC LIP PENCILS HERE] to the Pro Longwear Lip Pencil formulation already!”

I’m still committed to my dependable MAC Lip Pencil colors (shoot, Spice, Chestnut and I have been together longer than I’ve known El Hub!), but the Pro Longwears? — just as fab. Give one of them a try before your next secret smooch-fest with that cutie who works in IT (shh, your secret is safe with me). I tell ya — it will not budge! Or dry out your lips, for that matter.

mac hey sailor pro longwear lip pencils
The MAC Hey, Sailor! Pro Longwear Lip Pencils from the left: Throw Me a Line, Shore Leave and Saunter

I love the Longwear Lip Pencils to pieces, so when MAC included three shades in the new Hey, Sailor! collection, I thought, “Ahoy, matey!” Sign me up.

Shore Leave

Of these three, hands down, coral Shore Leave excites me the most. I think it’s just so…uncharacteristically electric for a coral pencil shade and brighter than they usually are (think South Beach in the summertime — all flowing caftans, bronzed bods, Ray Bans and wet, slicked-back hair).

The color borrows a page from to MAC Costa Chic but cranks up the brightness and changes the finish from a frost to a cream.

I love wearing it with coral glosses (like two of my faves, Evolution Revolution Lipglass and Confetti Plushglass).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Throw Me a Line

If the MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Kiss Me Quick is already a staple color in your makeup bag, you might be wondering, “Do I really need Throw Me a Line?”

Well, that depends. How committed are you to your reds, and do you notice even the slightest differences between shades? Throw Me a Line seems warmer, brighter and a little more orange to me than Kiss Me Quick.

If you’re not the type to fuss over fine differences or just want to keep your collection compact and streamlined, Kiss Me Quick should do you just fine.

But wait — before you decide, picture Kiss Me Quick with Hey, Sailor! Send Me Sailing Lipglass and/or Red Racer Lipstick.

Might help you decide. 🙂
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Saunter

Truth be told, the third shade here, pale nude beige Saunter, scares me silly. Before I tried it on, I thought I might be able to pull it off, thinking it would look a lot like In Sync Lip Pencil (which I LOVE!), but it might be just a touch too light for me and my NC42 skin.

Pale princesses who like the way they look in warm, pale beige shades should have better luck (oh! — try a layer beneath Orange Tempera, by the way).
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

mac hey sailor swatches pro longwear lip pencil
Swatches from the left: Throw Me a Line, Kiss Me Quick, Shore Leave, Costa Chic, Saunter, In Synch

mac saunter
Saunter with Orange Tempera
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The MAC Hey, Sailor! Powerpoint Eye Pencils Are Proving a Point About Coordinating Colors

May 22nd, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

mac hey sailor powerpoint eye pencils
MAC Hey, Sailor! Powerpoint Eye Pencils from the left: Emerald Sea, Handforged and Blue Stripe

This one’s for the off-the-charts MAC fanatics — the ones who collect obsessively and foam at the mouth over the prospects of getting a Barbie Loves MAC t-shirt.

The three new MAC Hey, Sailor! Powerpoint Eye Pencils ($16) are fully equipped for obsessions. Smudge-ably smooth and fully opaque, they last all day on my lids, even without primer, and pair perfectly with their MAC Hey, Sailor! Eyeshadow counterparts. Twinsies! 🙂

Handforged, a metallic yellow gold, belongs with Barefoot; Emerald Sea, a kelly green, gallops with Feeling Fresh; and Blue Stripe, a dark navy, sings songs of the sea with Nautical Navy.

“A kohl pencil that has all the intensity and colour-power of ultra-soft carbon. Provides deep, fully opaque coverage and an intense, smoked finish with duo-chrome pearl. Versatile in application: blend or smudge. Packaged in blue and white stripes, it’s a match to everything Hey, Sailor!”

— maccosmetics.com

If you already planned to sail away with any of the Hey, Sailor! shadows, you might be wondering, “Are the Powerpoint Eye Pencils still worth my time?” Well, if you’re a die-hard, dedicated MAC-aholic, then yes, I think they are. Having both the eyeshadows and their coordinating Powerpoints has its privileges.

Even though the eyeshadows pack a lot of pigment on their own, there’s always room for more. To crank up the intensity even further, I’ve been applying the shadows on top of their coordinating Powerpoints. Sometimes, though, I’ll also wear them on top of the shadows along my lash lines, to give my lashes a little extra kick.

I’m also impressed by how long these Powerpoints last on my combo dry/oil lids and along my lash line, even when worn without a primer. We’re talking 6-8 hours, and without a primer, that’s quite good.

mac powerpoint eye pencil swatches
MAC Hey, Sailor! Powerpoint Eye Pencil swatches from the left on my NC42 skin: Handforged, Emerald Sea and Blue Stripe

mac emerald sea
Emerald Sea

mac handforged
Handforged
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Hey, Sailor! My, What Pigmented Lipsticks You Have

May 22nd, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

mac sail la vie
Wearing MAC Hey, Sailor! Lipstick in Sail La Vie

They (meaning Tabs and El Hub) call me “Mrs. Fickle Lips” for a reason. Why? Because “Mrs. Never Leaves the House Without a Minimum of Five Tubes of Lipstick in Her Purse” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

I don’t mind the moniker at all. In fact, I love it! And now I can protect my rep with the new MAC Hey, Sailor! Lipsticks ($15.50 each). The four limited edition shades suit both my bright and neutral makeup moods and give me even more reason to tote multiple tubes of lipstick around with me during the day.

Hey, it never hurts to be prepared. 🙂

MAC hey sailor lipsticks
MAC Hey, Sailor! Lipsticks from the left: To Catch a Sailor, Salute!, Red Racer and Sail La Vie

Say I’m at Petco getting a fresh cat grass plant for Tabs (it’s for medicinal use) and the urge to don a rich, red lipstick strikes. I know I can turn to Red Racer, an intensely pigmented bright yellowish red with a satin finish.

Then, if my phone rings while I’m in the gravy aisle contemplating whether to get Tabs fish or turkey, and it’s Ryan Gosling’s people calling with a last-minute invite to Cannes, I’d love to have frosted tan To Catch a Sailor ready to bring with me on the G6.

Don’t get me wrong, Sail La Vie, a bright mid-tone orange with a satin finish, sure makes a great impression, but if there’s any turbulence on the flight, a low-maintenance neutral would probably be easier to apply…

I’d save Sail La Vie to wear on the red carpet with Ryan, maybe with a cat eyeliner retro/vintage/Mad Men makeup look, because it’s true what they say, you know. You can never go wrong with the classics.

Of course, I could change my mind at the last minute and opt for a smokey eye instead, and if that happens, there’s always Salute!, the neutral peach with an amplified finish.

Really, it boils down to options. A girl’s gotta have ’em. 🙂

The MAC Hey, Sailor! Lipsticks, $15.50 each

MAC didn’t shy away from pigment with these lippies; all four apply with full opacity, and I only need a single layer
Red Racer, Sail La Vie and Salute! should easily transition into fall
At first I thought Salute! would look a little too much like concealer lips on me, but a touch of peach adds warmth and life to this super smooth shade
If you flip for neutrals, try pairing To Catch a Sailor with Jaunty Eyeshadow (I think they’re gorgeous together!)

MAC hey sailor lipstick swatches
To Catch a Sailor, Salute!, Red Racer and Sail La Vie

mac red racer
Red Racer
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I Think the MAC Hey, Sailor! Eyeshadows Are Anything But Boring

May 21st, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

mac hey sailor eyeshadow

I can see why some makeup mavens, especially die-hard MAC fans, might find the five powder Eye Shadows ($16 each) in the Hey, Sailor! collection a bit on the boring side. After all, only two of the shades are brights (Feeling Fresh and Nautical Navy). The other three are neutrals (Barefoot, Jaunty and Crystal Avalanche).

Many MAC addicts crave the brand’s bold, crazy colors, but Hey, Sailor! targets a different type of fan, guys and gals who love their MAC neutrals served with a sprinkling of brights on the side.

When I see all five of these colors together — the gold, tan and white with the brighter green and blue — I don’t see a batch of boring eyeshadows at all.

Mind you, I wouldn’t call them flashy, but I think they do look beautiful together, and I like how they aren’t just the same teals and corals we usually see on cats and counters each summer…

mac hey sailor eyeshadow tabs

Is Jaunty special at all? It looks pretty standard issue in the pan…

ZOMG! If you freak for neutrals (like I am wont to do), get ready to fly your freak flag because you will love, LOVE this color.

Picture a sandy golden version of MAC Ricepaper — like sunlight reflected off of white sand. Lately, it’s all I’ve been wanting to wear.

For a fresh, super easy summer eye, I’ll pat it all over my lids, blend out the edges, and apply Feeling Fresh or Nautical Navy on my upper lash lines.

I think of Jaunty as a nice departure (or jaunt, as it were) from the existing neutrals in MAC’s permanent line.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+

Do I need Feeling Fresh if I already have MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Fresh Flare?

Good question. Well…I’d say they’re more like kissing cousins than dead on dupes.

Fresh Flare has pearly golden undertones that Feeling Fresh lacks, but Feeling Fresh isn’t feeling sorry for itself. No way. It’s ready to par-tay! — complete with sparkly flecks of tiny glitter.

Now, if Fresh Flare is already in your makeup bag, you’re already feeling pretty fresh, so good job. 🙂 You could probably skip Feeling Fresh without skipping a beat, but if you’ve got a thing for greens (I can’t resist ’em!), you might appreciate the subtle differences between these two shades, not to mention their differences in intensity and texture.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-

Crystal Avalanche scares the [BLEEP] outta me! How can I wear a white frost without it looking harsh on my skin?

I was actually really surprised to like this shade as much as I do. High contrast? Absolutely, but I don’t think it looks as stark as I expected it to on my NC42 skin.

I like the way it brightens my lids…kinda like the effect I get from Vex.

I’ve been buffing it on top of primed lids with a fluffy MAC 217 (the domed shape helps to sheer it out) or using a pencil brush like the 219 to apply it in the inner corners around my tear ducts.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Barefoot versus Gorgeous Gold: what’s the difference?

I think they do look a lot alike in their pans, but Barefoot applies sheerer on me with a little less green and more yellow.

Barefoot borrows a page from Crystal Avalanche, though, by also brightening up my eyes, and for that I like to apply it on the inner half of my lids.

Oh, I also think Barefoot looks fab with Feeling Fresh. The two of them make a great couple.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

mac hey sailor eyeshadows
Clockwise from the white pan on the lower left: Crystal Avalanche, Nautical Navy, Barefoot, Jaunty and Feeling Fresh
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MAC’s To The Beach Body Oils Gleam Like Seaside Man Rays on My Skin, LOL! (I Know That’s Total Nonsense)

May 19th, 2012 by Karen 6 Comments

mac to the beach body oil

Well these are kinda fun! The new MAC Hey, Sailor! collection also stars a couple of limited edition MAC To The Beach Body Oils ($22.50 each), shimmery sprays of soothing, moisturizing oil that dry down to a sheer, shimmery sheen.

Available in two lightly tinted shades — Seaside, a dirty, blushy pink with multidimensional sparkles; and Man Rays, a glowing tan with multidimensional golden shimmer — both have a very faint almond and honey scent.

They apply slick, but quickly dry in about a minute, and leave behind neither a heavy nor sticky film.

MAC formulated them with a soothing fusion of moderately moisturizing botanical oils. My dry skin appreciates the extra hydration, but it craves a little more, so I’ve been starting with a layer of a separate body lotion worn beneath (otherwise, I grow alligator skin!), and this week that’s been Caudalie’s Nourishing Body Lotion, which I’m loving so far.

I like the diminutive, almost microscopic flecks of glitter, but the formula’s quite thin. I mean, it probably should be thin for something like this, but it’s so thin that I find myself using a lot, like 5-6 pumps per arm or leg. Anything less on my NC42 skin, and the effect is barely noticeable, if at all.

It’s funny, but I didn’t expect the lighter shade, Seaside, to show up at all on my skin, but it does. In fact, I think it’s more visible than its darker Man Rays counterpart, which reminds me of a quieter version of Nuxe’s Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, whereas Seaside’s lighter pink and silver glitter contrast with my tan.

I think both are super pretty. I’m just afraid that one 1.7-ounce bottle won’t last long.

Oh, and bring the bottle and your big purse if you want the effect to last longer than 4-5 hours. On me, that’s about how long it takes for the glitter to completely flake away, making it time for a touch-up.

mac to the beach body oil
To the Beach Body Oil in Seaside (left) and May Rays (right), $22.50 each

mac to the beach body oil
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MAC Is Sailing Into a New Bronze Age: A Look at the MAC Hey, Sailor! Bronzing Powder in Soft Sand and Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board

May 19th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

Wearing MAC Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board

I love bronzer. I do. And I wear it almost every single day to give my skin some extra warmth and definition. For sculpting, the general rule (of course, rules are meant to be broken) is to apply it to the areas of your face that naturally recede, like the hollows of your cheeks or your temples, and also to enhance your prominent places, and the areas of your face that you’d like to make more prominent (sometimes with the help of a highlighter), which are often cheekbones, brow bones and the bridge of your nose.

The MAC Hey, Sailor! collection features four limited edition powder bronzers, two in the MAC Bronzing Powder line ($24 each in Soft Sand and Refined Golden), and two MAC Pro Longwear Bronzing Powders ($28 each in Nude on Board and Sun Dipped).

This week I took two of them out for a spin, the Bronzing Powder in Soft Sand and the Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board, the later being the one that really caught my eye.

Now, I’ve used the MAC Bronzing Powders before and like them just fine, but I do prefer some of MAC’s other bronzers, namely the Careblend Powders from last year’s Surf Baby collection, which feel smoother to me, with finer grains and, to my eye, I think they look more natural on my skin.

We didn’t get any new Careblends this time around (bummer), but that doesn’t mean MAC left us in the lurch. I think we got something equally great in the Pro Longwear Bronzing Powders, and I’ve been obsessively using and loving Nude on Board, one of the two Hey, Sailor! Longwear shades, this entire week.

The MAC Bronzing Powder in Soft Sand and Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board

Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board ($28)

I love the way this bronzed yellow’s sheen works with my NC42 skin. Like last year’s Careblends, the finish looks flawless, and the lightweight formula blends easily on bare skin and atop foundation.

Oh, and so far, no breakouts (knock on wood!). 🙂
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A (an A+ if my skin stays clear)

Bronzing Powder in Soft Sand ($24)

I’ve also worn Soft Sand a few times this week, one of the two Hey, Sailor! powders from MAC’s Bronzing Powder line, and I like it just fine.

No problems blending, and I think it looks natural, but it also feels a little grainier and takes a couple more minutes to blend. It’s a fine bronzer, but I think you get a lot for the extra $4 MAC charges for the Pro Longwear Bronzers.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B

mac nude on board pro longwear bronzing powder
Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Nude on Board, $24