MAC Cosmetics

Be a Blue Belle With the MAC Good Luck Trolls Collection

July 14th, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

Preeeetty sure these little trolls came alive last night and were walking around my condo. I thought I heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet going up and down the stairs…

Wait — I guess that could have been Tabs. 🙂

Who knows? Right now, though, it’s time to relive one of my greatest childhood fears.

THE TROLL DOLLS.

Did anyone else find them terrifying back in the day? There’s just something…eery about those big eyes and that crazy hair, or the fact that they were always butt neked.

I dunno…

But enough about that! Let’s take a look at the MAC Good Luck Trolls collection.

Arriving July 28 to the MAC website and coming to stores and counters August 4 through September 15, it might seem a little out of character for MAC to collaborate with these mythical, cave-dwelling beings of Scandinavian folklore…or it might not! The brand does have a reputation for doing crazy sh*t.

Aaand there’s also a Trolls movie coming out in November.

It’s a 22-piece collection with five Eye Shadows ($17 each), two Beauty Powders ($27 each), four Lipsticks ($18 each), four Lipglasses ($16 each), one pigment ($23), three glitters ($23 each), a Duo Fibre Face Brush ($32) and these two crazy temporary hairspray color thing-a-ma-bobbers called the Chroma Crazes ($20 each).

I feel like MAC misses opportunties sometimes with some of their limited edition collaborative collections, like the MAC Miss Piggy one (it could have been so much more!), but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this one accurately captures the trolls in all their whimsical cheekiness.

So, um, with these colors…first of all, I think it’s important to remember that this is a collection about colorful trolls with gemstones in their bellies. So it’s not a collection about conservative, traditionally pretty, pretty makeup.

I think the pieces are pretty in their own way, but many are also outrageous and playful. If you remember the MAC Playland collection from a couple years ago, it had some CRAZY colors and pastels. Well, Good Luck Trolls is very much along those same lines. We have corals, chartreuses, hot pinks and blues.

There’s a blue lipstick, a blue eyeshadow, a blue lipgloss, a blue temporary hair coloring spray… I’m usually more drawn to neutrals, but for some reason I’m drawn to these blues. They’re BEAUTIFUL.

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Teal Liner Gives Me Wings! A MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Face of the Day

July 12th, 2016 by Karen 30 Comments

mac bangin brilliant fotd — Wearing some MAC Bangin’ Brilliant today!

Can I just say, it took all of my strength to NOT wear nude lips with this look today, but I dug deep and busted out a glossy, orangey red instead. Thank you, babe, for giving me strength!

You know, it’s funny…but this is basically the same look I’ve been rocking for the last five months or so — winged liner, lashes and lipstick — but with slight adjustments, and it’s kind of amazing (and I forget this sometimes) how a few simple tweaks can turn something routine and basic into something new and different.

mac bangin brilliant fotd k1 — Hey, girl, haaaay!

When I did my winged liner this morning, instead of doing a teeny, tiny kitten flick in basic black, I used a teal eyeshadow (worn as an eyeliner) and exaggerated the flick a little more than usual.

Then for my lashes, instead of using mascara, I grabbed my good ol’ trusty Ardell Demi-Wispies (which I’m able to put on in my sleep now, for reals).

And for my lips, instead of going the nude route, I reached for a glossy reddish orange gloss.

mac bangin brilliant fotd swatches — Summery teals and oranges, yum!

Most of the key products I used for the look are from MAC, with a couple of items from the new MAC Bangin’ Brilliant collection.

Remember Teal Appeal, that teal I was drooling over yesterday?

Yeah! I managed to get it on my lids sooner than later (small victories!), and that’s what I’m wearing on my lash lines. I’m also wearing MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Blush in Bright Response on my cheeks.

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The Day in Beauty Vol. 22: The MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadows and Baby Steps

July 11th, 2016 by Karen 29 Comments

mac bangin brilliant eyeshadows 1 — MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadows in Up At Dawn, Suspiciously Sweet, Fashion’s Field Day, I’m Into It, Oh My Mocha! and Ruddy

Can I just raise my crazy cat lady coffee cup to you for your great advice in the comments on this post the other day? Thank you!

I read every single comment, and I’ve just been thinking about them and taking everything you said to heart.

Honestly, sweets, what would I do without you? For all of these years… I don’t even know. From makeup advice to baby advice to keeping my head above water. Thank you! You’re wonderful. 🙂

mac banging brilliant eyeshadows 2 — MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadows in Shock Factor, New Crop, Teal Appeal, In The Shadows, Zinc Blue and How Royal

So like I said, I’ve been taking everything you said to heart, and last weekend I just did what I could handle, which was 20 minutes using some non-neutral shadows.

I used two from the new MAC Bangin’ Brilliant collection — which, yeah, you may have noticed that bright teal and that neon yellow waving at you from across the room up there, LOL! — and gave myself 20 minutes.

I told myself, “You know what? If it turns out sloppy, fine. I haven’t done any fancy blending in a while, so whatever happens, happens. No pressure.”

And this is what happened! I ended up with a lightly smoky, sort of purplish, coralish shimmery look. And even though I could’ve done it better, and the perfectionist in me is kind of poking me in the ribs, at least I did it, ya know? At least I tried something a little ambitious this time, and I’m happy about that.

mac banging brilliant — Wearing MAC Fashion’s Field Day Eyeshadow on my inner lid and Oh My Mocha! Eyeshadow on my outer lid; on my lips I’m wearing NARS Lodhi

So, the shadows here — part of MAC Bangin’ Brilliant — they launched last month at select MAC locations and online. The release was called a “collection” (airquotes), but really, it was mostly just an introduction to some bright new Eyeshadows, Dazzleshadows, Powder Blushes and Lipsticks that were added to the MAC permanent line.

Here are pictures of 12 of the 14 eyeshadows, which are $16 each.

The underlying (albeit in your face) theme here is brights, and one of these days, hopefully soon, I’ll get that shimmery teal shadow, Teal Appeal, on my lids. 🙂

mac bangin brilliant eyeshadow swatches — MAC Bangin’ Brilliant Eyeshadow swatches from the left in Up At Dawn, Suspiciously Sweet, Fashion’s Filed Day, I’m Into It, Oh My Mocha! and Ruddy

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Look No Further for Your Perfect Summer Lipstick! The MAC Huggable Lipcolours Are All You Need

July 4th, 2016 by Jen Clark 11 Comments

I’ve taken a break from the heavy makeup lately, honestly, probably out of pure laziness (pregnancy saps my energy), but I’m kind of digging it! On days that I actually put on makeup, it’s usually dewy skin that showcases my new summer freckles, brows and winged liner (because I will always wear winged liner), some mascara, and an easy-to-wear lipstick like these $14 MAC Huggable Lipcolours.

You know those lipsticks that feel so good to put on that you can sit there for a few minutes and just smear them all over your face? These Huggable Lipcolours feel like that to me.

Weird, I know, but don’t judge me. They just feel so good!

They feel almost like a really luxurious, comfortable lip balm, and with a nice amount of color payoff, they’re the perfect lipsticks to keep in your bag and pop on throughout the day, whether you’re wearing more makeup or not.

I also have to commend MAC on the packaging. The gunmetal tube feels so heavy and expensive. I like it a lot more than MAC’s standard plastic lipstick packaging.

I really can’t believe you get such an amazing product and impressive packaging for only $14. That seems like such a good deal to me!

From left to right: MAC Origami Orange, Bonsai Bloom, Good Luck Mochi, What A Feeling!, Seoul-ful, Cantonese Carnation

There are 20 colors to choose from, and I have six of them here.

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Sneak Peek! MAC Vamplify Is Making a Comeback #MACVamplify

June 24th, 2016 by Karen 17 Comments

Erhmahgawd, that blue!!!

But where the heck am I gonna wear it?

Hmm… I’m sure I’ll find someplace wildly inappropriate, like the Babies “R” Us or the farmers’ market, LOL!

Lip swatches coming soon, but here’s a quick peek at the upcoming MAC Vamplify glosses.

I’m so excited that MAC is bringing these back! Remember these from last summer? They’ll always have a special place in my heart because I was wearing Spankin’ Haute when El Hub and I told the parents we were pregnant. 🙂

mac vamplify swatches — MAC Vamplify swatches

Spankin’ Haute is back, yay! In total, this batch will include 16 shades, with nine of them being re-promoted colors from last year, and seven of them being new, and they’re all $20 each.

It’s a limited edition launch and arrives on the MAC website July 7, and then on counters from July 14 – August 25.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

My Picks for This Year’s Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches

June 22nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 24 Comments

best spring summer launches — Some of my picks for “The Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches”

Whew! There has been so much good makeup lately.

I mean, I used to get more excited about moody fall colors, but this year the spring and summer collections have been incredible! Literally, every time I turn around, I’m seeing another gorgeous collection.

If your head has been spinning a little like mine, then I hope you’ll like my picks for some of the best spring/summer makeup launches. I’d also love to hear yours.

I think I’ll start with lips, because I think a new lipstick or gloss is probably the easiest way to update your look.

Lips

First up, the Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint by Tarte, and I have the shade called Double Tap (here are swatches of the full range in this post).

I’m wearing cool-toned nude Double Tap in these pics, but I usually go for warmer-toned peaches and pinks. Thing is, this mauve is just so pretty and different from the rest of my stash. It’s opaque and not sticky at all.

Next, Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick, and I just mentioned the shade called Swinger in my roundup of my favorite liquid lipsticks, so I’ll be brief now: the color and formula are AMAZING. This one is perfect for summer.

Of course, I couldn’t talk about this season’s new launches without mentioning beautiful ColourPop Dohee.

Here’s a snap of me wearing it from my Spring Haul video.

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MAC Vibe Tribe Face of the Day: Teal Eyes and Coral Red Lips

June 13th, 2016 by Karen 36 Comments

mac painted sunset lipstick vibe tribe fotd — Hello, bold eyes and lips!

OK…as someone who has worn very little makeup for the past three months, this feels like a lot of look for me (between the teal eyes and the orangey red lips).

But I guess if you’re gonna jump into the pool, you might as well just jump, right? You don’t just walk up to the edge and gingerly stick your big toe in, like, “tee-hee! I’m so shy!”

Duuuuude, you gotta cannonball it! You get a running start and go hawd.

That’s what I did today. I’m getting myself back into a makeup rhythm. I’m wearing makeup from MAC Vibe Tribe, which has been out for a while. I believe it showed up in April, and it’ll be on counters till the end of June.

Anyway, every year MAC does a big summer collection, usually with bronzers and eyeshadows and limited edition packaging, and they like to go all out with it. And this year, with Vibe Tribe, they did this interesting coral, teal and brown pattern, which incidentally stirred up some controversy.

MAC says it was inspired by music festivals — Coachella, what have you — but there’s been some chatter about how the styling looks less music festival and more cultural appropriation.

What do you think? First thing I thought when I saw the packaging was Native American design, but I’ve never been to a music festival myself, so I don’t know. Whenever I see pictures online, I usually get a boho/Southwest vibe.

I do have to say, though, I think the packaging is striking, and the pieces are interesting. Take the blue shade in the Wild Horses Eyeshadow Palette ($33), for one. What a beautiful blue… Reminds me of intricate turquoise jewelry.

mac wild horses eye shadow palette — MAC Wild Horses Eye Shadow Palette

Right away, first thing I wanted to wear it with was Painted Sunset (which really does look like a desert sunset, by the way!), the warm orangey red lipstick from the collection. The intensity of the blue and the red together feels visually right to me, like the two belong together…like cat ladies and cats, and chocolate and peanut butter.

mac painted sunset lipstick a — MAC Vibe Tribe Lipstick in Painted Sunset

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Trying a Bold FOTD With the MAC Fashion Pack Collection

May 26th, 2016 by Adia Goss 14 Comments

fashion pack fotd — Trying something a little bolder

Nothing like playing with new makeup to make getting ready in the morning a little less painful.

I’ve been experimenting with the MAC Fashion Pack collection this week and snapped these pictures one morning before going to work. It was so gray and gloomy outside that I decided to go all out with my FOTD.

Well, “all out” is a relative term. Normally I stick to neutrals for my going-to-work makeup routine, but sometimes it’s nice to switch things up a bit.

fashion pack makeup look — Lots of bold colors in the MAC Fashion Pack collection

MAC Fashion Pack
Available online June 9, 2016
Available in-store June 23 through July 28, 2016
#MACFashionPack

“Lead the way with a new wave of front-row worthy hues. Fuchsia, violet, emerald, deepest plum, midnight…ready to wear, any way we dare! So, be a doll and show us how — the Fashion Pack is always in the know.” -MAC

For this makeup look, I used a few of the shadows in the new Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9 palette. I used Dress Me Up all over my lids, Runway Worthy in the inner corners to brighten my eyes, and then applied sparkly violet Zip Me Up along my lower lash line.

I finished with navy blue MAC Fluidline Pen in Indelibly Blue for a nice winged liner. It’s dark enough to define, but the dark blue isn’t as harsh as black.

I rarely wear eyeliner, but this one is so easy to apply that I’m thinking I may have to wear liner more often :-).

This x 9 palette has lots of bold colors, and it intimated me a little, but after playing around with them, I can see why MAC chose this lineup of colors.

They look really nice together, and you can work them into so many different looks!

So, yeah, I guess you could say that MAC knows what it’s doing, LOL.

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