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MAC Cosmetics

MAC Unsung Heroes: Bamboo Eyeshadow

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mac bamboo

What do we want? BAM-BOO!

When do we want it? NOW!

What do we want? BAM-BOO!

When do we want it? NOW!

Weirdo that I am, I’ve been chanting this to the windows and walls all morning long. FYI: This is what happens when you’re a stay-at-home professional pet assistant starved for human contact (no offense, Tabs).

I’ve also been marching up and down the halls, one fist raised in defiance, the other clutching a pan of MAC Eye Shadow in Bamboo ($14.50), to protest against the lack of love this often overlooked warm brown matte receives. RAGE AGAINST THE MAKEUP MACHINE, YOU UNSUNG MAKEUP HERO!

LOL! Seriously, though, MAC rock star browns like Soft Brown and Soba always get a lot of love, while Bamboo scoots under the radar.

I know it might sound strange to refer to matte browns as flashy, but for me, as far as staple shadows go, Soft Brown is a rock star. A lot of people, and I’m one of ’em, love it for contouring and as an anchor shade for more complicated eye looks.

Basically, Bamboo is like the light rock version of Soft Brown. Instead of those intense orange tones, I get more of a subdued apricot on my NC42 skin, which I think is just as pretty in its own quiet way.

And Bamboo fits a niche that Soft Brown sometimes fails to fill. On some skin tones, Soft Brown can look really…orange. If you feel too much like an Oompa Loompa in Soft Brown, take a swipe at Bamboo on your next trip to a MAC counter.

I love it in the crease for subtle contouring, and all over the lid when I want a really simple neutral eye; I think it looks great patted on the brow bone, too.

mac bamboo swatch

mac bamboo eyeshadow
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Which Way Did You Vote for MAC By Request?

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The riddle of time travel remains a nut science has yet to crack, but even though we can’t alter the past (yet), we can shape the future!

With the new MAC By Request collection, MAC is giving 18 of their former bestselling Eye Shadows, Lipsticks and Lipglasses a second chance at stardom, and it’s by people’s choice on Facebook.

The three top vote getters in each of the three categories will go on sale again in the limited edition release beginning this August in North America (online only) and in internationally sometime this fall.

Missing your favorite MAC colors from days of yore, like the kinder, gentler days of The Jersey Shore’s first season (when Sammi and the Situation were, like, a thing)? Act now, because MAC is taking requests for comeback colors. Now through March 30, cast your vote on Facebook for the colors you’d like to make an encore appearance in MAC By Request. The top nine fan favorite shades will go on sale again beginning this August, exclusively online.

I was able to track down 13 of the 18 eligible colors… Have you made your decision yet? Which of these former stars (three each per category) deserves a comeback? The shades not shown here are Candy Yum Yum and Moxie among the Lipsticks, Icescape among the Lipglasses, and Moth Brown and Solar White for the Eye Shadows.

I cast my votes for… 🙂

  • Lipsticks: 3N, Eden Rocks and Rocker
  • Lipglasses: Cult of Cherry, Flash of Flesh and Bait
  • Eye Shadows: Cool Heat, Guacamole and Heavenly Bliss

Eye Shadows

mac by request eyeshadows
Eye Shadows clockwise from the blue pan on the left: Cool Heat, Heavenly Bliss, Guacamole and Jeté

mac guacamole
Guacamole

mac heavenly bliss
Heavenly Bliss
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Sandy B Lipstick

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T-minus 961,218 seconds to spring and counting! 217…216…215…

That’s just a little more than 11 days from now, love! Here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring begins on March 20, but before I ask you to hand me that bottle of Zyrtec on my desk (ah-choo!), could I trouble you to pass me that perky, peachy pink tube of lipstick there instead?

mac sandy b

That, my friend, is someone I’d like you to meet. Her name is MAC Sandy B, and I think she, with her peachy pink pigment and golden shimmer, sure looks lovely worn with spring and summer shades like bronze, teal, gold, peach and brown.

Sandy B is just one of those shades that makes everything better. Seeing it on my lips always fills me with a little more hope and puts an extra spring in my step (I think it might even give my ponytails more bounce).

mac sandy b


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Marcel Wanders Isn’t the Only One With Fingerprints on the New MAC & Marcel Wanders Collection

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mac marcel wanders kim
Wearing MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Kim on my lips and Sheer Mystery Powder in Light Medium beneath my eyes

Stealth alert! If you’re currently undercover as a secret spy and/or must avoid leaving your fingerprints behind for classified reasons, you might want to handle the MAC & Marcel Wanders collection with kid gloves.

Literally.

Available now on MAC counters, in stores and also online, the 14-piece release, a partnership with Amsterdam-based industrial designer Marcel Wanders, is a feast for the eyes! — and the makeup, brushes and lone fragrance that comprise the collection, with their sleek, mirrored surfaces and mock chrome packaging (replete with striking angles and curves) would be tough to miss, even from across a crowded MAC store.

Seriously, these pieces could have a career in forensics. They pick up fingerprints quicker than you can say “Yes, Jason Bourne, you may dye my hair in the sink.” 🙂

Man, I love that scene…

Here’s a look at three of the pieces from the release, the details of which, like how the angular packaging of the Sheer Mystery Powder compact contrasts with the curves on the Lipstick cases, I was able to appreciate more fully once I’d buffed my fingerprints away.

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Kim, $22.50

With a smooth, non-sticky texture that feels less like a Lipglass and more like a Plushglass to me (but without the telltale tingling), Kim surprised me.

Before I tried it on, I was sure this shimmery plum would be too cool and dark for my warm NC42 skin, but I was wrong. I think it’s neutral enough for most gals to wear, and I like the way it brightens my face.

I also dig the faint vanilla flavor and scent, and the brush-tip applicator feels good against my lips. As for wear time, I get about two hours, which isn’t bad for a non-sticky gloss. That said, the $22.50 price tag still seems a little high.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

MAC & Marcel Wanders Sheer Mystery Powder in Light Medium, $60

I remember paying $45 for a Sheer Mystery Powder for Holiday 2006 and feeling like it killed me a little at the time, but compared to this, with its special edition $60 packaging, that was a steal!

For me, Light Medium is a touch too pale to wear all over, but I do like dusting it beneath my eyes to set my concealer and to brighten the center of my face.

Even though it’s mad pricey, the Sheer Mystery Powders are still among my MAC faves. Their silky texture always looks and feels lightweight, and their sheer coverage never lets me down. Plus, you get an extra refill pan.

The compact is a mighty magnet for fingerprints, though, and the price sure seems high. $60.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Annelie, $22.50

At first I was like, “Eh,” when I swatched this peachy beige on my arm. It just seemed so pale, frosty and difficult to wear, but I changed my tune when I saw it on my lips. Maybe it’s the rich peach tones, but something mellows out the frostiness and keep things from looking too harsh.

I really like how Annelie layers with other peachy pink lip products. Lately, for an easygoing neutral lip, I’ve been wearing it with Subculture liner and a dab of Evolution Revolution on top.

Beautiful color, but the fingerprint-attracting packaging remains a minor sticking point for me. $22.50. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

mac marcel wanders annelie lipstick
MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Annelie, $22.50

mac marcel wanders annelie lipstick with beurre and evolution revolution
MAC & Marcel Wanders Lipstick in Annelie layered with MAC Subculture and MAC Evolution Revolution
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Pink Cherry Blossoms and Blue Skies: Another MAC Chenman Face of the Day

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mac chenman

I was looking through those pics of cherry blossom trees from my walk around the neighborhood last weekend, and this one down below, with the branches reaching for the sky, stopped me in my tracks.

Hmm… pink and blue. How very MAC Chenman!

So here’s my second take on a look inspired by that release. This time, I also incorporated a couple of my tried-and-true MAC faves — Feline Eye Kohl (which I love because it doesn’t turn blue on my skin!) and Dollymix blush.

Wearing just the eyeshadows alone, I thought my eyes in this look were subtler than they were in last week’s eye look, so I added swishes of black liner on my upper and lower water lines to amp things up.

mac chenman

EYES

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Hot Pink Lips and a MAC Chenman Face of the Day

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mac chenman collection fotd

Okay…I went buck wild today with makeup.

So much MAC. So many swatches. I totally lost track of time while snapping pics and didn’t even think about my actual makeup look for today until I put down the camera for a few minutes this afternoon, and then I saw my raison d’être for hump day: a Force of Love.

Nothin’ like a hot pink lip to jolt you wide awake. 🙂

mac chenman collection fotd

For this look, which I’m calling “getaway car driver with hot pink lips,” I mostly used products from the new MAC Chenman collection, which hits stores tomorrow (that’s just a few hours from now!).

EYES

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MAC Too Supreme Collection Pics and Swatches

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mac sheen supreme
Wearing MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Blossom Culture

More MAC for ya, love!

A few pics and swatches of some pieces from the new Too Supreme collection, which kisses lips tomorrow at MAC counters and stores (it’s already available online).


Sheen Supreme Lipsticks from the left: Blossom Culture, Fashion City, Happy Hibiscus and Royal Azalea, $14.50 each

mac too supreme lipsticks
Sheen Supreme Lipsticks from the left: Blossom Culture, Fashion City, Happy Hibiscus and Royal Azalea

mac too supreme lipglass
Sheen Supreme Lipglasses from the left: Fuji Pink, Dress Kimono, Mango Sheen and Asian Butterfly, $19 each

mac too supreme lipglass
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The MAC & Marcel Wanders Collection Wanders Into More Expensive Territory

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mac marcel wanders collection

Pics and swatches of three of the 14 items from the new MAC & Marcel Wanders collection, available now online and coming to stores and counters March 1.

An artistic partnership with Amsterdam-based industrial designer Marcel Wanders, this limited edition launch features special chrome packaging, which kicks up the price.

mac marcel wanders sheer mystery powder
Sheer Mystery Powder in Light Medium, $60

mac marcel wanders lip gloss kim
MAC & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss in Kim, $22.50

mac marcel wanders lip gloss kim
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