MAC Cosmetics

Here’s a breakdown of the above look…
On my eyes I’m wearing the MAC Pressed Pigments in Victorian Plum (lower crease, inner lid, outer V and lower lash lines), Nostalgic (center of the lid), Nobel Descent (upper crease) and Regal Affair (inner corner); MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline on my water lines, and upper and lower lash lines; MAC Fluidline in Dark Majesty on my upper lash lines; Eylure No 080 False lashes and the Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso.

In my brows, that’s Anastasia Clear Brow Gel.

On my cheeks, I’m wearing MAC Mineralize Blush in Modest Blush on the apples, MAC Sheer Mystery Powder in Deep Dark just beneath the apples to contour, and the Hourglass Ambient Powders in Radiant Light and Incandescent Light (from the Ambient Lighting Palette) mixed together to highlight my upper cheekbones.

Lips are MAC Matte Lipstick in Salon Rouge.

And on my face, I’m wearing Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Pore Minimizing Foundation Primer, Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluid in Chai, Dior Diorskin Nude Concealer in 003 Sable/Sand and YSL Touche Eclat in 4.5.

Necklace is by H&M, and the earrings are the Climbing Vines Earrings by Kristin Perry.

Last weekend my brother came to visit and stayed the night, and, of course, as usual, I was the couch commando (also known as remote hog). I was flipping through Netflix with the remote in my hand when I asked, “Who wants to watch The Duchess?”

Dead silence.

None of the boys — El Hub, my bro or Tabs — were into watching Keira Knightley, who plays the Duchess of Devonshire, parade around in a huge wig. Big shock.

I actually really dig regal movies. Anything with royal intrigue and stylish ladies of the court — the kind who wear wigs so tall that they touch the candles in the chandeliers and catch fire (’cause you know I’m all about the big hair! And flames!), and the painted moles, and the big dresses. 🙂

If I were a royal, you better believe I’d be the gal with the tallest, biggest, most flaming wig (assuming someone quickly put it out), because then my hair would sparkle like the MAC Heirloom Mix collection.

If you’ve been following MAC for a while, you probably know how much they like to go big when it comes to flashy finishes in holiday collections, and true to form, there’s a lot of sparkle and frost in Heirloom Mix. Glitter is practically everywhere in the 30-piece limited edition collection.

MAC Heirloom Mix: My 2-minute overview

• Cool-toned colors — Color temp-wise, this collection leans cool, and it’s heavy on cool-toned grays, blues and violets.
• Glitter and frost — SO MUCH OF THIS. It comes through strong in the Pressed Pigments (ooh gurl…we got drama!!), the Loose Glitters, Cremesheeen Glasses and one of the Nail Lacquers. When I was doing the look for the top pic, I felt like I had more glitter on my face than a Johnny Weir ice skating costume (remember his holiday collection with MAC? Good times!). For serious, while I love glitter, I’m a little cranky about the Pressed Pigments, but I’ll get to that in a minute…
• Lipstick love — If you’re only planning to take one thing home form the collection, let it be one of the bright, bold lipsticks in red, berry, plum or pink (the vibe I’m getting: MAC Rocky Horror Picture Show, Part II). They’re my favorite part of the collection.

OK, so, the Pressed Pigment drama…

For the pics in this post I’m wearing a few of the eight Pressed Pigments from the collection. They were the first pieces in the release that caught my eye.

Now, I’ve used Pressed Pigments before, and I’ve liked them. The others I used were glittery and fun and a pretty good deal, too. You got a big 0.1-oz. pan for $21 — double the size of a regular MAC Eye Shadow.

But the Pressed Pigments in Heirloom Mix are teeny, tiny. They cost $19.50 each for 0.04 ounces, which is about 20 percent smaller than a regular MAC Eye Shadow and less than half the size of the other Pressed Pigments I’ve used, which hold 0.1 ounces of Pressed goodness each.

Can’t say I’m a fan of brands charging the same price or more for less product, but I’ve been seeing a lot of that lately. *grinds teeth*

Lipstick love

As for the lipsticks, I like. 🙂 Whether you have cool- or warm-toned skin, these should do ya. No sparkle here. Just rich, intense shades of berry, pink, red and plum. Your classic holiday colors.

I really dig No Faux Pas, the hot pink (big surprise). It’s a refreshing pop of color among the darker reds and berries we see a lot in holiday collections.

And then there’s Sparks of Romance, the red Matte. It’s a vintage, classic red that neither leans blue nor yellow. This one, I think, will look great on just about everyone.

The overall collection: is it fit for a royal?

Well, sure, for a lady of the court who wears cool tones well. I think there are some lovely lipsticks here, but, truth be told, about the entire collection, my warm-toned heart isn’t fluttering.

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The place: biology class, James Logan High School, Union City, California.

The time: the early 1990s…

Karen’s head pulsed as she thought about how far behind she was on memorizing her SAT vocabulary. “Seriously,” she said to Jen, “I would love to go, but I can’t. I have too much SAT stuff to get through.”

Jen crinkled the Snickers wrapper and tossed it at Karen. “Party pooper,” Jen said. “You’re gonna regret this someday. Mark my words.”

You’re probably right, Karen thought, agreeing to herself, even though she didn’t know anything at all about this Rocky Horror Picture Show business. What was it anyway? A movie? A play?

Honestly, though, looking back on it now, truer words were never spoken. After all these years, I wish I’d said yes to Jen that night, and all of the third-wheeling and vegetable-throwing I later found out I’d missed.

On top of that, if I’d actually gone with Jen to see the show, I’d probably understand the references in the new MAC Rocky Horror Picture Show collection better, because right now…I don’t understand them at all.

Not one bit. 🙂

The limited edition 21-piece release of new and re-promoted products is available now online and coming to MAC stores and counters October 2 though October 30.

For someone totally unfamiliar with the Rocky Horror Picture Show, like yours truly, overlooking the fact that I don’t get any of the inside jokes, I still think the collection is worth checking out…even though, admittedly, it’s not moving me as much as MAC Brooke Shields does.

Along with some dramatic red lip colors, there’s also a really intense burgundy pigment (so pretty!), loose glitters, a palette of six cool-toned eyeshadows and a couple of Greasepaint Sticks, among other things, but none of those others stand out to me like the four red lipsticks. For me, the red lippies, particularly Strange Journey, the smooth matte yellowish red, with its 1940s pinup sensibilities (looks epic in pictures!), are the stars of this launch.

Back to the early ’90s…

Karen stood by her locker, her biology book and binder in hand, wondering if she had time to touch up her lipstick before her first class. She looked up at the clock in the hallway, realized that she was about 30 seconds from being late, and slammed her locker door.

One day, she thought, I will get my lipstick on before the bell rings, and on that day, angels will sing. She sprinted to class and slipped into her seat, just as the bell rang.

Her best friend Jen sat next to her. She peeled open a Snickers bar, broke it in two, and handed Karen the bigger piece. “Breakfast of champions,” Jen said.

“Thanks,” Karen said, as she took a bite. She fished her homework (“mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell!”) out of her binder, and watched her teacher, Mr. Greene, dressed in his usual uniform of a rumpled short-sleeve shirt and khakis, shuffle papers at the front of class. Crossing the room he almost tripped over his own feet. Someone please get that man some coffee, Karen thought.

She waited for Mr. Greene’s customary greeting. “Class,” he eventually said, “why don’t you spend five minutes double-checking your homework while I set up, yes?”

That was their cue to start chatting.

Jen lightly tapped her pencil on the side of her desk and leaned in. “James Trejo asked me out this morning,” she said.

Karen wrinkled her nose. “You mean James Trejo from drama class? Like on a date? Ew.”

“What do you mean, ‘Ew’?” Jen said, scratching at the fading screen print of Bart Simpson on her jeans. “He’s kind of cute.”

“He creeps me out,” Karen replied. “I’ve caught him staring at my neck a few times.” She paused. “It was odd. And why does he always wear vests?”

Jen’s eyes went wide as she flashed her million-dollar smile. “He asked me to go to see Rocky Horror Picture Show with him on Saturday.”

Jen waited as if expecting a response.

Eventually, Karen realized what Jen was asking. “Jen?” Karen said. “Nuh-uh. No, no, no.”

“Please?” Jen begged. “Please, please, please!”

Karen shook her head. “No way. Nope. You’re gonna have to find another chaperone. I’m not doing it again. Why don’t you ask Cindy?”

“I already did,” Jen said. “She’s going skiing this weekend.”

“So,” Karen said, raising an eyebrow, “I’m your sloppy seconds?”

“Well…” Jen replied, “Look, all you have to do is come to dinner and the movie. Please? You know my parents won’t let me go out unless there’s someone responsible with me. I’d do it for you!”
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If you ever wished upon a star (or begged the tooth fairy in a note scrawled on pink Hello Kitty stationary) for a pair of Calvin Klein jeans in the early ’80s, chances are you remember the phenomenon that is/was Brooke Shields, the face of MAC’s latest collaborations.

As a kid in the ’80s, I was obsessed with Brooke’s long brown hair, in part because I was rocking the same short, feathered hairdo that most of my grownup uncles were wearing at the time.

Ugh!

I wanted Brooke’s long, flowing hair more than almost anything…except a Hello Kitty lunchbox.

If you weren’t around back then and never saw The Blue Lagoon, you may still recognize Brooke as the woman who elegantly poses on La-Z-Boy sofas (not gonna lie, I kind of want a teal one!) or shows off her Foster Grant sunglasses.

Homegirl seems to do a lot of endorsements, and a little bit of everything else. Among other things, she’s an actress, model (In 1980, at 14, she was the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of Vogue), spokeswoman and purveyor of big brows.

And now, a MAC collaborator.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Brooke’s 14-piece limited edition collection (a mix of new shades and re-promotes, now available online) because, hello! — neutral eyeshadows.

There are so many in this release, but before you throw that suspicious side eye at me, hear me out. These neutrals are totally fun. Buttery golden browns, neutral golds, beiges and grays, that kind of thing. The collection also features some purply taupes, bronzes and olives, to turn things up if you want, and for cheeks and lips, we get soft corals and warm, orangey reds.

I think what we have here is definitely a mellower look for MAC, and it may not appeal to every MAC crowd. Those who hunger for the edgier collaborations with Rihanna/Lorde/[INSERT TRENDY MUSIC ARTIST HERE], might not be impressed. Like, if you want a new bold green eyeshadow to wear with your black pleather and whip on stage somewhere, or a matte black lipstick to go with your Katy Perry-style bra that shoots out string cheese, then you may not be into this.

But maybe you will.

Gosh, I love, LOVE this release. Many of the pieces feel timeless and easy to wear, with finishes and textures that makeup lovers of all ages could pull off — not a big surprise, considering that Brooke is 49.

OK, first though, sad panda face. 🙁

The 15-pan Gravitas palette sold out in like two seconds online. Yesterday afternoon, I chatted with a MAC rep online who said that as of now, there are no plans (that she knew of) to restock additional palettes on maccosmetics.com.

Honestly, I’m not surprised it disappeared so quickly, as it contains some of MAC’s bestselling neutrals, like Soft Brown, Shroom, Satin Taupe and Carbon, as well as many new shades, all for $85, which is dramatically less than the $160 MAC normally charges for its 15-pan palettes. If you still have your eye on this one, a call to your closest MAC counter might be in order. Perhaps you can ask an associate to contact you when the palette arrives. I might even consider calling in every day until the official October 2 launch date.

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