MAC Cosmetics

Kisses for You From the MAC Veluxe a Trois Collection Lipsticks and Cremesheen Glasses

July 31st, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

Three, or trois, as my high school French teacher Madame Sonsteng would say en Francais, is the magic number for the MAC Veluxe A Trois collection, and you gotta say it all slow motion and stretched out like, “twaaaahhhhhhhh.” Veluxe a twaaaahhhhhhh!

Technically, the collection doesn’t arrive on counters or in stores till August 13, but it’s already available online.

We took a look at the eye products in the release a little while back, but you know how it is with MAC… There’s a new collection out every 3.5 seconds, so here’s a quick refresher.

The collection is coming to stores and counters soon, but you have to please do me a favor now and read this list out loud like a robot (because it’s just more fun that way). 🙂

The MAC Veluxe A Trois collection includes…

6 new Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow Trios ($25 each)
6 Lipsticks ($16 each)
4 Cremesheen Glasses ($20 each)
2 Haute & Naughty Mascaras ($22 each)
247 Flat Shader Brush ($25)

The stars of the show, obviously, are the new Veluxe Pearlfusion Trios, but the Lipsticks and Cremesheen Glasses are interesting, too. I’m looking forward to wearing a number of them this fall in looks. Check it…

mac veluxe a trois lipsticks — MAC Veluxe a Trois Lipsticks from the left in Cremesheen Lipstick in How Tropical, Cremesheen Lipstick in Pillow Talk, mplified Lipstick in Royally Riotous, Cremsheen Lipstick in Flowerscope, Cremesheen Lipstick in Quelle Surprise and Cremesheen Lipstick Heux

mac veluxe a trois cremesheens — MAC Cremesheens from the top to the bottom: Softly Lit, Richyly Revered and Dark Outsider (not pictured, Loud & Lovely)

mac flowerscope — MAC Cremsheen Lipstick in Flowerscope

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The MAC Electric Cool Collection Plugs Into Maximum Color and High Voltage Frost

July 31st, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

These new $22 MAC Electric Cool Eye Shadows are electric!

But no…not literally electric. You do not have to plug them in, nor will you experience a jolt if you touch one of the springy, soft pans with your finger, but wouldn’t that be weird if it actually happened?

Oddly, I can see it being a thing someday in the not-too-distant future — women paying good money to get mildly electrocuted by their eyeshadow — because, I mean, people already pay to put snail slime on their faces, so getting zapped by an eyeshadow isn’t much of a jump.

In this case, though, by “electric,” I’m referring to intense pigment and frost; in other words, a whole lotta fun. 🙂

You might remember this family of shadows from A Novel Romance last year, within which were eight Electric Cool Eye Shadows (a few of which reappear here), and I guess MAC deemed them worthy of a comeback, because they’re back in their own 16-piece limited edition collection, and it’s available now on the MAC website and coming to MAC stores and counters August 6 through September 17.

So, watt (get it?) are they?

Sorry. Couldn’t help it. 🙂

Much like Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre cream shadows, they have a soft, springy texture, and when you press down on them, they actually bounce back! The formula isn’t quite a cream or a powder; it’s something in between.

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Neat and New to Me: MAC Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me

July 28th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

mac pinch me blush — $22 MAC Pinch Me Blush

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

Is this real life?

Am I dreaming?

Somebody pinch me, please, because I can’t tell if MAC Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me ($22 for a 0.21-oz. pan) really is as good as I think it might be.

It’s a medium-toned matte rosy brown coral in the MAC Blush family, and I wore it all weekend long on my trip to Napa with the girls. Not once did Jen or Cindy ask, “Are you ready yet?” or dramatically sigh/groan (code for “Karen, hurry up!”).

You see, they’re both very low-maintenance (their idea of putting on makeup for dinner involves lip balm), so I’m the odd duck, and they always give me crap about taking forever to get ready (the truth is, they’re totally right). Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to dilly-dally when getting ready on this trip, I packed products I knew I’d be able to use quickly — among them tinted moisturizer, under-eye concealer, mascara, brow filler, gloss and MAC Pinch Me Blush.

mac pinch me blush swatch — MAC Pinch Me swatched on my NC42 skin

What makes Pinch Me such a good get-ready-quick blush?
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Neat and New to Me: MAC Springsheen Sheertone Shimmer Powder Blush

July 23rd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

mac springsheen blush — MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Springsheen ($22)

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

I affectionately refer to MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Springsheen as “strobing for lazy people.” (Like me!) 🙂

It’s a beautiful pinkish coral color with golden pearl, and I can’t be the only person who also likes the name. I keep hearing the words “Bruce Springsheen,” and then I picture the little compact with tiny arms and legs playing a guitar…

Anyway! It illuminates the apples of my cheeks with a pretty pinkish coral while the golden pearl in it makes my cheekbones softly glow.

mac springsheen blush swatch — Swatch of MAC Springsheen Blush on my NC42 skin

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Neat and New to Me: MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone

July 21st, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

mac coppertone blush — MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone ($22)

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

This peachy brown matte blush’s name reminds me of going to the beach back in the day, back when it seemed like every family had a bottle of good ol’ Coppertone sunscreen with them.

Oh, the way it smelled! — like long sunny days, sand in your toes, salt water in your hair, ham and cheese sandwiches… Or was that just in my family? LOL!

I can’t deny that I was hoping MAC Matte Blush in Coppertone ($22) would smell the same way, but alas, it doesn’t. It has the familiar non-fragrance of a regular blush.

Even so, this Coppertone is anything but regular. It’s similar (but not identical) to MAC Gingerly Blush — like the two of them could be sisters. Coppertone, with her deeper, richer red, would just be the bossier, more outgoing older beach babe sister.

When I wear it on my cheeks, I feel like I’ve just spent an entire day playing in the sand and riding the rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (I haven’t done that in YEARS).

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Neat and New to Me: For the Love of Ginger! MAC Sheertone Blush in Gingerly

July 17th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Neat and New to Me

Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.

Ginger!

I am surrounded by ginger…

I’ve been drinking a lot of ginger ale this week because my tummy’s been obnoxiously gurgly, and I’ve also been, at times, simultaneously wearing MAC Gingerly Blush ($22).

Maybe this is more than a coincidence…or maybe it isn’t, and I just have a need to find deep connections between totally unrelated things (story of my life).

My fridge has an entire shelf dedicated to ginger ale. THANKS TUMMY TROUBLES. — My fridge has an entire shelf dedicated to ginger ale…

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Fri-Yay Makeup Fun: Repurpose Your Daytime Makeup With a Quick, Colorful Pop

July 17th, 2015 by Karen 37 Comments

Sometimes — OK, all the time — when I’m doing my makeup and getting ready to go out, especially after a long week, I don’t like to start from scratch, so to make it a little easier on myself, I’ll repurpose whatever I’m wearing that day, and just freshen it up and add a slight twist, like this colorful green lower lash line.

It takes two things: 1) a colorful eyeliner and 2) a complementary eyeshadow. For this look here, I chose two shimmery green shades — MAC Eye Shadow in Steamy and MAC Eye Kohl in Minted.

I lined my lower lash line with the liner, then smudged out the edges with a pencil brush. Then, I patted the eyeshadow directly on top of the liner to intensify the color and shimmer.

After an additional coat of mascara and some gloss, it’s done and Fri-yay ready! 🙂

(Note: also approved for evenings at home spent chilling on the couch with Tabs.)

mac steamy minted — MAC Eye Shadow in Steamy and MAC Eye Kohl in Minted

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Just Like a Single Strand of Pearls, the New MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks and Cremesheen Glasses Should Stand the Test of Time

July 16th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Why is it that I know I’d be utterly destroyed — as in completely heartbroken and shattered into a zillion tiny pieces — if my favorite strand of pearls were ever to be crushed, but I’m thrilled by the idea of there being actual crushed pearls in my MAC Cremesheen Lipsticks and Cremesheen Glasses?

I guess it’s just one of life’s many mysteries. I guess.

Of course, there aren’t actual crushed pearls in the MAC Cremesheen Lipsticks and Cremesheen Glasses that launched online today with the MAC Cremesheen Pearl collection (also coming to MAC stores and counters July 23).

I just like to pretend. 🙂

Naaaw, girl! The new collection of 10 lipsticks and five glosses, all in shades of pink, coral and red with Asian-inspired names, only appears to have been sprinkled with tiny bits o’ pearl so that your lips look lusciously lacquered and luminous like a strand of pearls, and the effect is — ooh-la-la! — so classy.

mac cremesheen pearl lipstick — MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipstick in Pickled Plum

For the collection, MAC put a pearlescent twist on their familiar Cremesheen Lipstick and Cremesheen Glass formulas. With these shades, “pearlized pigments” give the classically creamy, luscious Cremesheen finish a subtle, shimmery glow.

Subtle is the key word, too. This ain’t no drag queen disco diva glitter (although that definitely has its time and place). These Cremesheens have more of an effervescent glow.

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