MAC Cosmetics

MAC Unsung Heroes: Sweet Satisfaction Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

December 10th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

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If you’re looking for a MAC neutral to wear with your smokin’ hot red lips but want a break from old standbys like Ricepaper, Shroom and Brule, consider MAC’s relatively new Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Sweet Satisfaction ($20).

Easy to blend and very forgiving when it comes to application, this pigmented neutral beige gets a lot of love from many beginners and busy gals alike. As with many neutrals in the beige family, it’s not too far from my natural skin tone, and so I don’t have to work too hard at blending out the edges. Often I’ll just pat it on with the closest eyeshadow brush and quickly smooth out the edges with a finger.

If you haven’t tried any of the MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadows before, I think you’re in for a treat. They launched last fall with the MAC Styledriven collection and now live in the permanent line.

I think of them as softer, shinier, more pigmented versions of MAC’s Veluxe Pearl shadows, which I also think are great. Light on fallout and heavy on pigment, they command a $5 premium over MAC’s regular eyeshadows, but for that you also get more than twice as much product — 0.11 ounces for the $20 Pro Longwear pans, versus 0.05 ounces for the regular $15 ones.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Red Lipstick

December 6th, 2011 by Karen 46 Comments

mac red lipstick

The holidays are in full effect, y’all, and red lipsticks are in the mutha’ truckin’ house! Of course, I couldn’t forget to include one of the most party-poppin’ colors in MAC’s permanent line, the bright, bold, beautiful MAC Red ($14.50).

mac red lipstick

mac red lipstick swatches with ruby woo, lady danger, russian red and dubonnet
Swatches from the left: MAC Red, Ruby Woo, Lady Danger, Russian Red and Dubonnet

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Lady Danger Lipstick

November 28th, 2011 by Karen 36 Comments

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“Lady Danger to Ruby Woo! Lady Danger to Ruby Woo! Come in, Ruby Woo! Do you copy? Over.”

“This is Ruby Woo. I read you loud and clear, Lady Danger. What’s your 20? Has Russian Red been neutralized? Over.”

“That’s affirmative, cap’n. Russian Red has been neutralized. I’m leaving the checkpoint now. Returning to base. Over.”

“Copy that, Lady Danger. Good work!”

Russian Red, Ruby Woo and Lady Danger may sound like secret agent codenames, but they’re actually three of MAC’s most popular red lipsticks.

If Russian Red’s too cool for you, but Ruby isn’t quite warm enough, give pinup worthy MAC Lady Danger a try ($14.50). More coral than red, it has a matte finish like both Ruby Woo and Russian Red, but it’s warmer than both of them.

I love all three colors, but I reach for Lady Danger more often when I’m in a playful mood. Like Ruby Woo, it’s on the warmer end of the spectrum, but I think it has a very faint shine that loosens it up a little. Ruby Woo seem more formal and dressier to me.

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Lady Danger (left) with Ruby Woo (right) for comparison

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Tempting Eyeshadow

November 26th, 2011 by Karen 27 Comments

To call MAC Tempting ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro-Refill Pan above) a basic brown eyeshadow would be like calling Kelly Clarkson a pretty good singer.

Lately, this bronzy coco that shimmers with microscopic flecks of golden glitter has been for me, in the words of the great Barry White (RIP), “my everything.”

Sure, some gals may not be as tempted by Tempting as I am, may call it too “blah” to its pan, but it’s shades like Tempting that made me first consider eyeshadow for everyday, workaday wear.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Ruby Woo Lipstick

November 25th, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

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The holidays are a great time to go glam with vivid colors like MAC Ruby Woo ($14.50).

Heck, even the trees get all dolled up this time of year! It’s the perfect opportunity to push the envelope with your look, and nothing says “holiday party” like a pigmented red lip. 🙂

Coral red Ruby Woo is wearing warmer attire than my other go-to crimson cutie, MAC Russian Red. It has a warmer tone that I like to pair with shimmery gold shadows and looks with thick cat liner.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Retrospeck Eyeshadow

November 23rd, 2011 by Karen 25 Comments

These days, getting the family together for the holidays is like planning a trip to the moon. There are so many machinations involved in getting everyone under one roof that I’ve considered getting NASA involved.

Things sure were easier when I was a kid… On Thanksgivings, all my brother and I had to do was open our eyes, most of the time around noon, and lumber down the hall toward the kitchen and the aroma of great food.

The hallway outside my old room in my parents’ house that leads to the kitchen

This year we couldn’t get the whole family together for the day tomorrow, and it makes me a little sad. With El Hub’s parents having just moved here to California earlier this month, we’ll be driving out to see them. It’s about a four-hour drive to a town close to the Oregon border called Redding, and I’m a little nervous because I’ll be meeting a group of the family there that I’ve never met before, some of El Hub’s cousins, aunts and uncles. I’m sure everyone will be very nice, but I’m really going to miss spending the day with my brother and parents.

You know how it is… These are the kinds of things that people deal with over the holidays when family members live far apart.

Whatev, Shauna the Wonderdog still thinks it sucks…

Since we’ll be hitting the road early tomorrow, I’ve drawn upon my vast experience as a makeup nerd/control freak to lay out a beauty plan, because the last thing I want to do on Thanksgiving is scare the relatives, BOO! 🙂

The plan involves today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro Palette Refill at the top of this post).

Like MAC Phloof!, Restrospeck is one of my favorite get-out-the-door products. It brightens eyes in just a few quick swipes.

MAC describes it as a bleached blonde, but on my skin I see a warm and shimmery mix of silver and gold — a surefire way to look wide-eyed and bright.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Eyeshadow in Phloof!

November 7th, 2011 by Karen 30 Comments

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Officially, MAC’s moniker for today’s Unsung Hero is “Phloof!” ($15, exclamation mark included), but because of this eyeshadow’s uncanny ability to brighten tired eyes, I think it looks more like a “POOF!” instead.

As for how we met, credit for that goes to my pal, Amara (thanks, girl!).

It was an early morning last spring after Amara and I had gone out to a late dinner the night before. While I looked like a zombie extra on the set of The Walking Dead, she, on the other hand, looked wide awake, glowing and totally refreshed. I couldn’t believe my eyes!

But as tired as I was that day, at least I had the good sense to ask Amara what she was wearing.

Her answer: “PHLOOF! And it’s magic.”

MAC Phloof Eyeshadow

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Swatch of Phloof! with MAC Shroom (center) and MAC Vex eyeshadows (far right) for comparison
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Twig Lipstick

October 22nd, 2011 by Karen 21 Comments

mac twig lipstick

We interrupt our regular schedule of dark fall lipsticks to bring you this important message about trees…

Wait — did I say trees? I meant twigs. 🙂 Rather, a twig, as in MAC Twig Lipstick ($14.50), today’s Unsung Hero and another one of my favorite transitional shades.

QUICK REWIND: What are “transitional shades”? They’re what I like to call colors that help bridge the gap between the vivacious shades you want to wear (yet might not feel ready for), and the shades you feel most comfortable wearing now.

Say it’s one of the dark, rich lipsticks we see a lot in fall, something like a full-on vampy red. If you feel the urge to go there but haven’t quit mustered the courage, an approachable lipstick like Twig could walk you a little further down the path to your ultimate destination.

It’s a little like CrÃ¨me in Your Coffee (another great transitional shade), except a smidgen lighter and a little more pink than brown; I feel like Twig’s semi-matte finish gives it a slightly more formal, more conservative, vibe than CrÃ¨me has with its subtle sheen.

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