15% off at MAC from June 11-16

Save 15% on everything at MAC until June 16th. You're welcome.

MAC Tendertones Collection

The point between love and lust is this succulent, tender, and eat-me as all bon-bon-tinted lip balm. Six new, four popular bring-backs. All of them sheer, satiny, sun-protective and moisturizing. Some richly tinted to provide summer’s deepest sexiest stain. Others deliciously and lightly cotton candy.

Delicately strawberry-kiwi-flavored.


Tendertones Lip Balm SPF12

Tread Gently: Soft lime green with yellow pearl
E-Z Baby: Sheer milky pink
Honey Bare: Rosy blue pink with white and gold pearl
Hot n’ Saucy: Soft cherry red
Sweet & Nice: Sheer red grape with red pearl
Take A Hint: Sheer peach with white pearl
Hush, Hush: Sheer gold with yellow gold pearl
Sweet Tooth: Sheer coral with white pearl
Pucker: Sheer berry with red pearl
Deep Sigh: Sheer grape brown with red pearl

Suggested Retail Price: $14.50

Tendertones will be available June 2008 at all MAC locations and at maccosmetics.com.


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MAC Cool Heat Collection

Temperatures sizzle…but the perfect balance lies within reach. Cool Heat. Not an oxymoron: summer’s chillest look. Five Slimshine lipsticks, seven eye shadows, and two skin-cooling fragrances: Summer’s favorite Turquatic, and introducing its sister shade, Turquatic heat. Some looks are too hot for summer to handle but not Cool Heat. For this time of year, it feels just right.




Slimshine Lipstick
Tropic Glow: Blue pink with silver pearl (frost)
By Degrees: Neutral brown pink (frost)
Gentle Summer: Light clean yellow pink with white pearl (frost)
High 90’s: Clean pink orange (frost)
Swelter: Sheer clean red (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.50

Eye Shadow
Solar White: Frosty muted white gold (frost)
Warming Trend: Frosty light taupe (veluxe pearl)
Warm Chill: Frosty seafoam green with gold pearl (frost)
Gulf Stream: Frosty mid-tone blue green with green pearl (frost)
Cool Heat: Frosty teal with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Climate Blue: Mid-tone violet blue with pink pearl (velvet)
Blue Flame: Dirty metallic navy blue (veluxe pearl)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00

Creations
Hue: Tuquatic Keynotes: Lotus Leaves, Corsican Cedrat, Anemone, Orris and Blue Cedar
Hue: Turquatic Heat Keynotes: Cedrat saturated with the clear effervescence of Mineral Water, Lotus Flower, Opulent Orris, Jasmine and Tiare Soul.
Suggested Retail Price: $22.50

Cool Heat will be available June 2008 (US) and July 2008 (international) at all MAC counters and at maccosmetics.com.


Click here to enter Total Beauty's contest to win a Saturn Vue Hybrid.

MAC's New Neo Sci-Fi Collection: Available June 2008

MAC's new Neo Sci-Fi Collection: Out to shock the fashion galaxy with their supersonic ray gun shades and neon orange compacts cases. Spinning glamour into another orbit: a magnetic field of alluring hot fluorescents,
modern buffs, beiges flesh tones set against cyber-chromatic array Nail Lacquers destined test laws your style gravity. This is your beauty’s future.

Lipstick
Sci-Fi-Delity Burnt red with gold pearl (frost)
Pleasureseeker Creamy peach (glaze)
Astral Midtone brown with red pearl (lustre)
Electro Bright orange (lustre)
Sunsonic White gold (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

Lipglass
Supreme Bronzed brown with white pearl (frost)
Naked Space Creamy midtone nude peach frost)
Pink Grapefruit Orange with gold pearl (frost)
Soft & Slow Midtone creamy plum (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

Eye Shadow
Magnetic Fields Black brown with silver pearl (veluxe pearl)
Femme-Fi Frosty golden cream (veluxe pearl)
Evening Aura Frosty golden pach (veluxe pearl)
Time & Space Frosty copper (frost)
Expensive Pink Pink with gold duochrome (veluxe pearl)
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

Cremestick Liner
80% Deep, deep cocoa
Buerre Dirtied plum
Summerfruit Pale coral
Suggested Retail Price: $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

Plush Lash
Plushblack Deep black
Suggested Retail Price: $11.00 US/$13.00 CDN


Sheertone Shimmer Blush
Spaced Out Shimmery peach
X-Rocks Shimmery dirty mauve
Suggested Retail Price: $17.50 US/$22.00 CDN

Nail Lacquer
Metalist Neutral coppertone with white pearl (frost)
Plasma Blu Turquoise blue with mathematic white pearl (frost)
Neon 8 Bright orange with matching pearl (frost)
Phosphor Bumble bee yellow (frost)
Suggested Retail Price: $10.00 US/$12.00 CDN

Available
June 2008 at all M·A·C locations,
1.800.387.6707 and www.maccosmetics.com



Click here to enter Total Beauty's contest to win a Saturn Vue Hybrid.

MAC Introduces Skinsheen Leg Spray

Breaking news, girls. I was just notified that MAC will be introducing their new Skinsheen Leg Spray.

This bronzing agent sounds pretty interesting. It's not exactly a self-tanner, but it's good for up to 2 washings thanks to its highly water-resistant formula that includes special polymers. The not-so-good news is that it’s not transfer-proof, but highly transfer resistant. Provided skin is not overly moisturized underneath, it will stay on and not move. You have to wait for it to dry down completely before putting on clothing. Works best when put on naked skin, not moisturized skin. The combo of silicones is actually conditioning in and of itself. I can't wait to try it out.

$22.50; Available in May 2008 at MAC locations and at maccosmetics.com.

Heatherette For MAC is Now Available at the MAC Website!

I haven't tried out the collection yet, but I love the bright tranniness (to quote Christian Siriano) of it all. The packaging is uber-divine. Buy it here.

Update your bookmarks to http://beautybloggingjunkie.com

MAC Fafi Collection

I know, I'm like THE last beauty blogger to discuss the fabulosity that is Fafi's new collection for MAC Cosmetics. Fafi is a French graffiti artist whose drawings have a bit of Asian flavor resulting from time she spent in Japan and Hong Kong. She's collaborated with MAC to design a to-die collection of eye, cheek and lipcolors, all adorned with packaging she designed.

My fave piece in the collection is the eyeshadow quad that includes limited edition shades of Howzat and Hey, together with Pink Venus and Vanilla. All four are gorge and utterly wearable. The front of the compact is adorned with three adorable Fafinettes.

What's your fave Fafi piece?

Back in MAC

I don't know if it was the closer proximity to the Canadian border when I attended college in Boston or what but I was positively dripping in MAC makeup in my late teens/early 20s. I would rarely wear any other brand. Frequent trips to Montreal were made so my six other roommates and I could drain Holt Renfrew of their MAC stash. And then, mysteriously, post-college, I was over MAC. There was no reason for it, I just neglected all other brands for so long, I felt I'd needed to make up for lost time. I familiarized myself with a lot of other brands later in college (I became BFF with one fabulous sales associate at the YSL counter at Saks in Copley - do visit him if you're in the area) and then started working in New York at a PR Agency that represented a lot of great other brands and fell in lurve. Also, I think overdosing on it resulted in my temporary distaste. The same thing once happened to me with funnel cake. But Mercedes Benz Fashion Week sponsor MAC Trendspot has once again brought MAC back into the forefront of my mind. I've received MAC brushes, glosses, and eye liners in several gift bags, and have yet to try out all of them because I'm moving tomorrow and figure the less open products to move, the better. But there are three MAC prods I couldn't resist tearing into, packing be damned.



MAC Plushglass in Angel Cream $17.50
I've been looking for a 60s pink that isn't shimmery, opaque, or too white. This, friends, is IT. This hint-of-mint tasting soft, creamy peachy pink gloss is perfect with a grey smokey eye lined with serious gel liner and little mod dress (I envision one in cream.) Can't you just see the big hair that needs to accompany it? This gloss requires coordinating volume at the crown. Don't dream of wearing it without it.

MAC Technakohl Liner in Brownborder $14.50
What has it been, like, 5 minutes since I've discussed a brown eye pencil? This is a user-friendly mechanical pencil-style liner. It goes on with exceedingly fab glide and produces creamy intense color. Blends on application: dries quickly to a long-wear, non-smudge finish.


MAC 227 Large Eye Fluff Brush $30
Two things I love:

1. The fact that this brush's number is 227, just like the name of one of my fave 80s shows (remember "Maaaarrry?")
2. It's the only eye shadow brush I've found to date (and the search has been long, dolls) that actually works to wash my enormous eyelid real estate with sheer eye shadow. I have SO MUCH eyelid real estate it's ridic. Have I mentioned this? Lash to eyebrow is something like 2 full inches. Maybe more. This brush does the job.

Only 11.5 hours till the second episode of LOST this season! I heard on one of the nerdy LOST sites I frequent that this episode "kicks 17 kinds of ass." If that isn't a testimonial, I don't know what is!


Photo Credit: Beauty Blogging Junkie, Makemeheal.com, MAC Cosmetics

Fashion Week: BBJ Backstage at Vivienne Tam

Hey, gals!

Once again, I cannot believe my lifestyle. Thanks, TotalBeauty, for the opportunity to go backstage and get the inside scoop on all things beauty at the Vivienne Tam show today.


John Reyman for Aveda (pictured above) talked to me backstage about the inspiration for the wildly huge hair going on. "Vivienne wanted to go with dramatic hair - really all about shape and texture." After taking a look at different images of possible shapes, John went for a Himalayan feel with free flowing ends instead of tucking them under. Curly razzed-up extensions were added for serious volume, before John backcombed and curled the entire bulk of hair. He used Aveda Volumizing Tonic, lots of Air Control Hairspray, and Pure Abundance Potion, which fascinates me. It's a thickening agent that transforms from a powder into a light, absorbing lotion. The end result was serious shape:



Take a look at the Table of Extensions:


I then journeyed into the makeup section through the hallway in the backstage area of The Promenade where MAC makeup artist Polly Osmond (pictured with model, second photo down) had a couple minutes to talk to me about the idea behind her makeup concept. Polly is a British doll who even let my ragged-tired ass sit during the interview! I was lucky to get there at a good time! The look is based on Tibetan clothes and the richness of their colors, specifically purples, golds, and oranges. Polly focused on a deep purple eye - think a cross between Crayola 8 Pack Purple and Indigo from Rainbow Brite. You with me? "This is a softened version of a similar look I'd seen recently in French Vogue," Polly explained. To achieve the bold face, Polly applied grey pencil inside the eyelids before painting on varying tones of purple shadow. She opted for a pale lip so as not to create a "clown-like appearance." Cheeks were also muted: Polly chose MAC Blush in Emote, from their Smoke Signals Collection. This is a grey-brown blush she used for shading. It goes on sheer. Liquid foundation was used for coverage in a matte finish. Eyes were finished off with a few coats of black mascara - no false lashes.

Check out a close-up of the purple eye (Prince would be so pleased):






Nails were polished with CND's Deep Velvet, a rich plum with slight shimmer. This thick, opaque color is available now.






Photo credit: Beauty Blogging Junkie

Fashion Week: BBJ Backstage at Miss Sixty

Hi, dolls!



Backstage, I had the opportunity to interview Gucci Westman (!) who was working with MAC Cosmetics backstage at the Miss Sixty show. "The inspiration was based on a combination of Joan Jett and Bohemian themes," Westman explained. She used black eyeliner, rich blue eyeshadow (which she's applying to the model, above) and a lot of mascara. Blush was a minimal beige. Gucci herself is gorge in person! I couldn't believe she wasn't going to accompany the models down the catwalk. During the interview, Gucci and the model joked about how they both used to love baby blue eyeshadow and mascara when they were younger.


Bumble and bumble, one of my faves, worked on hair for the show.
The Inspiration: 1970s Glamour.

How it was Accomplished: A lot of center parts, long, flowing hair with kicky curl at the ends, accomplished with a large curling iron. No Bumble and bumble thickening spray was used, just Bumble and bumble Styling Lotion (A Fabulista Fave since 02!) Extensions were woven in for bulk, not length. The look was finished off with Bumble and bumble Big Shine and Does it All hairspray.

Nails were polished with Creative Nail Design's Nail Gloss, a translucent medium pink sheer, from their Plexi Pop collection.

I had no problem skipping the beginning of the Super Bowl to report on this (OBV), but I am happy that the Giants just won!




Photo credit: Beauty Blogging Junkie

Fashion Week: Thuy

Gals, I have to tell you. It's like I've been trying to get through my dinner for years... and it's finally time for dessert. Thank you, Total Beauty, for the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of reporting on Fashion Week.

This weekend is a whirlwind of fantastic events. Yesterday, I, along with over 25 other bloggers attended a fab dinner at Koi sponsored by Total Beauty and Aveda. Tomorrow, Splendicity is sponsoring a delish brunch at Sarabeth's. I look forward to that. It was great to have the opportunity to meet so many darling ladies, whose blogs I'd been reading forever, in person. I also realized something funny. In every situation/group I'd been in previously, I'd say I knew a good 90% more on average than the other people in the room about all aspects of beauty: makeup, hair, skincare, bath products, nail polish, etc. I think of myself as someone with broad knowledge of each. I realized how little I know about the ins and outs of each particular aspect of beauty compared to these other girls... except about hair. It seems hair is my number one thing, dolls. Who even knew? That was the only topic about which I could hold my own! Anywho, back to Fashion Week coverage.

This morning, I attended the Thuy show, where the MAC makeup artist focused on ethereal white shadow, enough liner to make me happy, and a strong matte lip. No gloss to be found here, ladies. But trust me, you won't miss it. Lashes were long, thick and defined. But the hair won me over. Dolls, I typically don't love an updo. But I'd allow Liam of Ted Gibson haircare to updo-me any day. Soft, glistening curls were loosely anchored into twists or relaxed pony tails resting midway on the back of the head.

I loved the mod colors, bold tights, and sky high shoes in every color possible of a Crayola 64 pack. I don't purport to be a fashion blogger, but I will see this white silk dress and this purple dress and chocolate brown coat combo again in my dreams. Brown and purple is going to be HUGE in my Fall 08 lifestyle, that's for damn sure.





Here are my fave beauty looks of the show:














Stay tuned for backstage scoop on Miss Sixty, Tibi, and Vivienne Tam.

Photo credit: Beauty Blogging Junkie