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MAC Cosmetics Dame Edna Collection Swatches and First Impressions

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I watched Dame Edna work the runway and fire up the crowd for a charity auction at Macy’s Passport earlier this year… Yup, if you’d told me then that she’d be coming out with her own MAC collection, I would have thought you were kidding, but here we are, LOL!

Here’s a sneak peak and a few swatches from the upcoming collection, which is due on counters December 26.

Like Le Grande Dame herself, the collection is a little odd. It’s heavy on blue-based shades and frosty finishes with splashes of coral. I haven’t figured out how it’s all supposed to mesh together, but I think I’ll have a better idea once MAC posts the face charts online.

What do you think of the colors?

Royal Tour Eye Shadow Trio

  • 1. Royal Tour: Shimmery cool purple
  • 2. Dame’s Desire: Frosty pale purple
  • 3. Climate Blue: Shimmery purple-blue

Wisteria Eye Shadow Trio

  • 4. Wisteria: Frosty pale Tiffany blue
  • 5. Fireshine: Frosty silver
  • 6. Divine Night: Frosty charcoal

Powders

  • 7. Spectacle!: Matte pale pink
  • 8. What a Dame!: Matte pale peach

Lipsticks

  • 9. Kanga Rouge: Creamy blue-red
  • 10. Gladiola: Matte blue-pink
  • 11. Coral Polyp: Creamy bright orange-coral

Lipglasses

  • 12. Hot Frost: Shimmery blue-pink
  • 13. Possum Nose: Bright red-coral
  • 14. Splendid: Pale pink-coral

First Impressions

The Eye Shadow Trios
Wisteria’s frosty finishes have fab bold club looks written all over ’em. I might pass, though, because these are shades I wouldn’t have many opportunities to wear.
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How to Cover Up Dark Circles For a Wedding, Prom or Party with MAC Cosmetics Studio Finish Concealer

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Dark Circle Trubs, Volume 5,472

I suffered through a really bad bought of insomnia a few weeks ago, and my dark circles were extra terrible. My regular concealer, MAC Select Moisturecover, just wasn’t gettin’ it done.

My friend Jen’s wedding was right around the corner, and I didn’t want to show up looking like death warmed over. I needed serious coverage, and I needed it fast.

MAC to MAC

I spoke with Michelle, a lovely MAC makeup artist at a nearby counter, and told her what I needed…

  1. Complete coverage for my dark circles.
  2. Something that wouldn’t make my skin look ashy under flash photography.
  3. Something that would last a full 10 hours and wouldn’t look cakey.

She suggested three MAC products: MAC Fast Response Eye Cream, MAC Studio Finish Concealer and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream ($28.50) is a lightweight, moisturizing cream that smooths fine lines around the eyes and provides a better surface for the application of concealer.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer ($15.50), a very concentrated cream, straight up covers everything — dark circles, pimples, moles, tattoos and even birthmarks! I have it in the shade NW 25.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Pressed Powder


MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural sets the concealer, helping it stay put all day long. It’s a low coverage (read: sheer) pressed powder and won’t look heavy or cakey applied around the eyes. My shade is Medium.

The MAC Concealer Triple Play Performed Great on the Day of the Wedding!

My circles stayed hidden all day long (and lawd knows they were still there!), and I think my makeup still looked natural in the pictures.

How to Cover Up Dark Circles for a Wedding or Big Event Using MAC Cosmetics Studio Finish Concealer

When applying MAC Studio Finish Concealer, lighting makes a huge difference. The product’s very pigmented, and I tend to over apply it in poorly lit rooms (like my bathroom at home), so applying the product in a space that gets good natural light yields the best results.

I begin the process with MAC Fast Response Eye Cream, applying a few dots under my eyes and patting them into the area with a fingertip until they’re thoroughly absorbed.
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MAC Infatuating Rose Face of the Day: Pink with Indigo Liner

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OMG! I forgot to mention the minor traumatic incident I had this morning while I was doing my hair — I found a gray hair that looked exactly like a crunchy cellophane noodle.

I kid you not. It was all dry and twisty… UGH!

Everyone in my family goes gray early (I’ve been getting gray hairs since my teens), but this was the first time I’d ever found one of these. How precious.

After plucking it out, I flailed about the bedroom for a few minutes, desperately searching for something to help me forget what had happened.

And that’s when I thought of MAC. I decided to do this playful pink and purple eye with eyeshadows from the MAC Cosmetics Infatuating Rose: 6 Cool Eyes palette ($38).


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Twilight Movie Makeup, Part 2

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It’s bubblegum/popcorn movie time, girls! Twilight opened in US theaters yesterday, and I *cannot* wait to plop my behind in a cushy movie chair with my $10 bag of popcorn for two hours of preternatural fun! Sometimes, I just need a little film fluff in my life, ya know?

The rockstars over at MAC did the makeup for the movie. Jeanne Van Phue, makeup department head for Twilight, must have had a blast turning all those hot actors into undead heartthrobs!


The Cullens…

Jeanne Van Phue, Makeup Department Head for Twilight

Q: How does the makeup for the “bad” vampires (James, Victoria and Laurent) differ from the Cullens?
A: The looks of the two didn’t differ that much. The pale skin was a constant. The differences were more apparent in their actions and facial expressions as opposed to makeup.


Q: Can you walk me through the looks of a few female members of the supporting vampire cast? What was the inspiration behind the looks for Rosalie, Alice and Esme; and what MAC products did you use to achieve their looks?
A: When designing the looks for the characters, you have to take into account the description of each in the book. Both Rosalie and Alice had a very similar look. Eyeliner was important to create depth to the eyes, as the skin was so pale. No blush or contouring was used. MAC products used were Blanc Type and Wedge Eyeshadows.


Q: Can you tell me about the makeup you used on the La Push werewolf characters (Jacob Black, Embry, etc.)?
A: Jacob doesn’t start exhibiting the werewolf characteristics until he hits manhood… The idea was to have him look like an average teenager [in the first film].


Q: Have you read any books in the TWILIGHT series? Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
A: I read the first book for this film, to become familiar with the story and the characters. I haven’t read any of the others yet, as I didn’t want to confuse the stories, while working on the first film. I hope to read the second book over the holidays. We didn’t work too much with Jacob on this film. I had the character of Edward in my chair everyday and fell in love with the character….so I guess I am Team Edward.

I wanted to catch a midnight showing on Thursday night but couldn’t swing it. I might have to wait until we get back from Florida. If you get to see it before me, don’t forget the popcorn! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the $300 Vera Wang LOOK Perfume Giveaway by 11PM PST tonight!

MAC Smokey Eye Tutorial: Halloween Flashback

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Hey, ladies! On Halloween some of you asked for a tutorial describing the MAC Smokey Eyes look I wore to dinner.

I was in the mood for MAC today, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s heavy on MAC products, but you could definitely use similar products from other brands.

Eye Products I Used

  • MAC Nice Vice Paint Pot
  • MAC Smolder Eye Kohl
  • MAC Dark Soul Pigment
  • MAC Smoke Signal Pigment
  • MAC Your Ladyship Pigment
  • MAC Silver Fog Pigment
  • MAC Plushblack Plush Lash Mascara
  • MAC Lashes

Cheek Products I Used

  • MAC Blushbaby Powder Blush

Lip Products I Used

  • Chanel Pretty Pink Lip Definer
  • MAC Modesty Cremesheen lipstick
  • Chanel Astral Glossimer

How I Did the Eyes

First, to improve the staying power of my eye makeup, I prepped my lids with a thin layer of Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Then, with a MAC 249 synthetic shader brush, I patted a layer of Nice Vice Paint Pot onto the lid and into the crease.

With Smolder Eye Kohl, I drew a very thick line on my lids and along my upper lash and water lines…

…and then along the lower lash and water lines, doing my best to really get the pencil between the root of each lash (darkening the skin between the lashes to enhance the desired effect).

Knowing I was going to smudge pigment on top of the liner, I didn’t worry about messy lines.
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MAC Cosmetics and the Twilight Movie: Dreams Do Come True

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SWEET! I just found out from my friends at MAC that they did the makeup for the upcoming Twilight film. Here’s an interview with Jeanne Van Phue, Makeup Department Head for Twilight, featuring some insight into the makeup direction of the movie.

Q: What was the process for creating the various characters’ looks?
A: Katherine Hardwicke, the director, and I have previously worked together on a movie called Lords of Dogtown, so we know each other very well. I began by preparing sketches of my vision, keeping in mind the descriptions Stephanie Myers (Twilight‘s Author) set forth in the books. 

Bella’s (Kristen Stewart’s character) description in the novel is very pale and extremely beautiful with large chocolate brown eyes, so she wore colored lenses every day. I also pictured her as a natural beauty, which is exactly what Kristen is. I used a light hand while applying all neutral colors to make her look as though she had no makeup on.

Edward’s (Robert Pattinson’s character) description in the novel is impossibly handsome almost god-like. His skin is marble-pale, hard as stone and ice cold, but perfect and flawless. Edwards’ eyes are described as topaz colored when he is normal and black like onyx, when hungry.

Q: Were there any changes to the looks of the characters that weren’t planned?
A: At the beginning, Katherine Hardwicke visualized Edward with long hair, yet after studying his face and jaw line in the makeup test, the decision was made to go with short hair to accentuate his amazing jaw line.

Q: What was the overall look of the makeup in this movie?
A: All the vampires had to be pale, but I didn’t want them to look to ghoulish, somewhere between Sweeney Todd and Interview with the Vampire. The choice was made for a denser, more opaque look for the supporting vampires and a lighter look for the leading man.

The challenge was they still had to look beautiful and handsome. The key was striking the delicate shading balance. We had two weeks of makeup test. This is the time for a makeup artist to unleash their imagination.

During the testing Katherine let me know when I was on the mark. Katherine has a fabulous eye for detail and everything I did had to be approved by her.

Q: Were there any other challenges you encountered while working on location in Portland, Oregon?
A: The rain was a huge challenge. We were outside, and it rained the entire time we were there. Most of the shots were exterior; trying to fix makeup in the rain with wet faces and wet brushes was difficult. In the end, I must say I loved working on this movie, it challenge my creativity as never before. The cast was such a great group of talented young actors.

Q: What were your non-makeup related responsibilities in terms of creating this look?
A: Another one of my jobs was too find a contact lens specialist. So I called upon the expertise of Cristina Patterson Ceret  FX lens/painter from Professional VisionCare.

Q: What M·A·C products did you use on the film Twilight?
A: The M.A.C products I used on this film were eye shadows and powder for our principles. We had several other characters and day players I used M.A.C. foundations, lipsticks and blushes.

Q: How long have you used M·A·C products?
A: In 30 years as a makeup artist in my career and over 50 movies, M·A·C products have played an integral part in my work. I have probably used all of them at one time or another. I choose the cosmetics based on their skin tone and whether they are oily or dry. It also depends on how the product reacts to their particular skin type.

M·A·C Makeup used on Bella played by Kristen Stewart

  • Blot Powder/Pressed in Light
  • Eye Shadow on Blanc Type, Flute and Wedge

M·A·C Makeup used on Edward played by Robert Pattinson

  • Blot Powder/Pressed in Light

You know I’ll always be TEAM JACOB 4-EVA!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

BOO! My MAC Smokey Eyes for Halloween

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Hey, ghouls! I’m on my way to a pet costume Halloween parade (insert collective “Awww…”) before dinner but wanted to say another quick hi. Here’s my look for tonight. I didn’t feel up to one of those deluxe MAC Halloween looks, and, since we’re just going out to dinner, opted instead for this moderately scary smokey eye with false lashes and pink lips.

I used MAC false lashes and a bunch of pigments to get this eye look, including Dark Soul, Smoke Signal and Your Ladyship from last year’s Smoke Signals collection.

Send me some pictures (karen_at_www.makeupandbeautyblog.com) of your Halloween look, okay? Be safe and sane tonight!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Red She Said Face of the Day: Navy Blue, Bronze and Brown Smokey Eye

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For one precious hour last Saturday afternoon I got in some quality me time. El Hub had gone to the bookstore for something, so I had the place to myself. I plopped down on the living room floor with a bowl of chilled grapes, started an episode of Law and Order: SVU (lovin’ ya, Detective Stabler!) on the Tivo and reached for a few items from MAC Red She Said.

My mind was racing with thoughts of Tabs and other troubles, and I needed to distract myself with something uncomplicated, like Inter-view Mineralize Eye Shadow ($17.50), Enough Said Beauty Powder Blush ($18), Quiet, Please lipstick ($14) and Miss Dynamite Dazzleglass ($17.50).


From left to right: Enough Said Beauty Powder Blush, three shades from the Interview Mineralize Eye Shadow trio

I tried this brown, bronze and navy blue smokey eye. When I was done with the look, I walked around the room by myself, pretending I was contemplating impressionist paintings in a fancy art gallery.

Here’s how I did this look…

The Eyes

  1. I started by priming my lids with a layer of MAC Painterly Paint Pot applied with a fingertip.
  2. Next, I layered a mix of the brown and bronze shades from the MAC Inter-view Mineralize Eye Shadow Trio onto the inner two-thirds of my lid using a MAC 252 eyeshadow brush.
  3. Still with the same brush, I patted the navy blue shade from Inter-view onto the outer third of the lid and just barely into the crease, concentrating most of the color on the side closer to the ear.
  4. Then, I wet a MAC 239 eyeshadow brush with a spritz of MAC Fix+ and swept the wet brush head across the pan of bronze eyeshadow to load the brush and applied the rich, wet shadow to the inner third of my lid. With the edge of the brush, I lined the lower lash line.
  5. Using MAC Technakohl liner in Graphblack, I lined my upper and lower water lines.

To finish the eyes, I curled my lashes with the (legendary) Shu Uemura lash curler and added a couple coats of MAC Zoomlash mascara in Zoomblack.

The Cheeks

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