Which Red Lipstick is Roxy Olin Wearing on The City?

I've been wondering for a DOG'S AGE what kind of red lipstick The City's Roxy Olin has been wearing on the show. I thought her makeup concept in last night's episode rocked. Well, thanks to my girl Eileen, we have the answer. Eileen asked her on Twitter, I RT'd and said I was on a need-to-know basis as well and Roxy responded: "I wear Mac red or Dior Addict (Rouge Podium Runway Red)." I've asked for clarification on exactly which MAC red--to my eye, it looks like Ruby Woo. I'll update here, should I find out.

Are you a The City watcher? Whose makeup blows your hair back on the show?

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Illamasqua Body Electrics Collection: Shadow in Imagine and Gleam Cream

Sometimes, I feel sorry for the MAVs (MAC Attack Victims) because, as fabulous as MAC is (and MAC really is genius), they don't give other makeup brands the chance they deserve and focus 99% of their content solely on that brand. It's reminiscent of college students in the '90s and their all-consuming obsesh with Dave Matthews. DMB was great--but it was the default. There were tons of other bands, many of which are life-changing.

The most salient brand MAVs gloss over (ha!) is Illamasqua, a truly spectac UK-based makeup line. Ben from the now defunct We Love Beauty blog once described it as the makeup love child of NARS and Tim Burton and he was SO right.  Now, the brand has introduced its first collection of makeup for the whole body: Body Electrics. Inspired by the power of kinetic energy, the art of movement and the fluidity of the body in motion, this collection is an anthology (like the Norton Anthology) of creams, powders and dry body oils infused with light, shimmer and shine, designed to highlight and contour your bod.

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MAC Venomous Villains Collection

 Women's Wear Daily today announced that: 

MAC Cosmetics will team up with Disney to create a limited edition color collection, intended to launch globally in late September in all MAC locations. The products will feature four Disney characters, on which the brand is keeping mum at the moment — although with a collection name of Venomous Villains, it is assumed that we’re not talking Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse here. Lipstick, powder, lip gloss and blush shades will be sold, ranging in price from $12 to $29.50.

Which villains do you think will grace the collection? My guess is Cruella DeVille, as she's certainly the most nefarious. I'd love to see a purple Ursula water-nymphesque collection, however.

 Source: WWD

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MAC To The Beach Collection

MAC Cosmetics' latest collection (did you know the brand boasts FIFTY new collections a year?), MAC To The Beach is chock full of cosmetic gems and features whimsical seahorse-adorned packaging. Who doesn't love a SEAHORSE? First of all, they're magical--they look just like horses and yet are sea creatures (duh, but seriously--think about it) AND the males carry the young. So progressive, n'est-ce pas?

The details on the collection from MAC:
There is fun in the sun, to be sure, but To The Beach is more of a sensual state of mind – a pleasure we all feel near the sea. The girl and boy from Ipanema, from Cap d’Antibes to West Palm Beach…All around the world, the seaside has a romance, and a kind of golden, sexy alchemy we’re all drawn to. This collection encapsulates it, with sanddabs, seashells, the magic of marine life decorating packaging in the most soothing, sultry shades of summertime. NEW! Cream Bronzer and NEW! Bronze Body Oil pair up with other faux tanners and scorching summer colours to get let you close your eyes and go To The Beach!

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What's On Michelle Mismas' Vanity?

The What's On Your Vanity Series showcases a single beauty item a blogger loves because it's effective, but also she feels she must keep out on top of her vanity because the gorgeous packaging must be displayed.

Look. The undisputed nail enthusiast of the WORLD is Michelle Mismas, who writes the fantastical All Lacquered Up. If you're not involved, GET involved. Her site is my go-to resource for all things talon--I was truly riveted by her review of CND Shellac, the brand's new UV gel/nail polish hybrid. Interestingly enough, Michelle's dresser isn't topped with polish bottles, it's topped with two very spesh dolls. In Michelle's words:

Like a lot of women I use my dresser, which substitutes for a vanity, to display my favorite perfume bottles but what flanks those bottles are my two, yes TWO, MAC Barbie dolls.  As a child I was a total girly girl and completely obsessed with Barbie.  It got to the point that my parents converted the spare bedroom into Barbie-land complete with her Dreamhouse, Townhouse, pool and stable of cars and accessories.  It was utterly ridiculous yet totally fantastic and my parents still have all of it in storage. TRUTH!

So a few years back when rumors started swirling of a MAC/Barbie collaboration I willed a doll to materialize and sure enough she did though her appearance wasn't what I expected.  Go to any MAC counter or take a peek backstage during Fashion Week and you'll see the typical MAC Artist dressed head to toe in black.  How MAC MUA Barbie ended up wearing striped trousers is beyond me!  She's still totally fabulous with her thigh high non-hooker boots and MAC train case (something I want someday).

Anywhoodle, I remember the day I brought my Barbies home like it was yesterday.  It was a cold February morning.  The snow was coming down and schools were closing around town yet my Barbie loving ass was determined to get downtown and acquire a doll. Fortunately, my boyfriend works in the same building where the MAC store used to reside and I had him scope the store out on his way in.  When he called at 7:45am to say that there was already someone in line, I scurried downtown sans shower (don't judge!) to wait in line with the other Barbie fanatics.  I had so much fun chatting with the employees who took the morning off to wait for a doll that the time flew by.  Right before the store opened, I called the boyfriend downstairs and we were both able to purchase a Barbie and they now live, in their boxes never opened, on my dresser to greet me when I wake every morning.

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Dita Von Teese's Favorite Nail Polish Shades

Starlet Dita Von Teese recently tweeted about her favorite nail lacquers: "On my nails, I usually wear MAC Rougemarie or Essie Fishnet Stockings."

Very bombshell.

Source: Twitter.com/ditavonteese

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MAC In The Studio Collection

Multi-media, counter-culture, the ultimate cool. In The Studio is the epitome of the look updated, featuring new Studio Fix Lash in Black Fix or Studio Brown, with the latest thermoplastic synth-rubber moulded brush, designed to kill clump as it separates lashes. The perfect complement? Studio Fix Powder, a powder and foundation-in-one, combining complete coverage with ease of application, goes on dry with a matte, velvety texture. Silica keeps the matte flat and absorbs oil, and talc smoothes it out. Go for the bold stroke, as they do In The Studio.

Studio Fix Lash

Black Fix or Studio Brown

Studio Fix Powder

The MAC In The Studio Collection is available as of December 26.

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MAC Love Lace Collection

Every couturier has forever had a fascination with the mysterious and alluring qualities of lace. From Evita to marlene Dietrich to some of the best-dressed of our red-carpet modern stars, it’s a long love affair. This salon-intimate collection is all about a dramatic, intense, smoky eye, with shadows that flash frosty grey to deep blue. Kohl Power is brought back for a limited time in a favorite shades plus a new blackened marine blue.

And naturally, 44 Lash adds the depth and desire. Lips stay pleasingly pale and nail lacquer in Light Affair adds ahit of danger. If ever there was a moment to do away with the winter doldrums and add some instant intrigue, this is it.

Lipstick ($14)

• Pretty Please Pale Pink Pearl (lustre)
• Intricate Frosted Cool Icy Taupe (Frost)

Lipglass ($14)

• Icescape Sheer Pale Pink with Pink Pearl (Frost)
• Utterly Discrete Sheer Frosted Cool Icy Mauve (Frost)

Eye Shadow ($14.50)

• Pincurl Dusty White (Frost)
• Hypnotizing Frosted Greyed Mauve (Frost)
• Love Lace Frosted Mid-tone Grey-ish Blue (Veluxe Pearl)
• Suave Intentions Light Frosted Silver Blue (Veluxe Pearl)

Kohl Power ($14.50)

• Sense of Style Blackened deep marine blue
• Raven Intense red with black pearl
• Feline rich black

Eye Kohl ($14.50)

• Fascinating Intense matte white

Zoom Lash ($13)

• Zoom Black Rich black

Eye Brows ($15)

• Stud Deep rich blackened brown

Lash ($13)

• 44 Lash Unique combination of separate bundles at inner corner and dramatic winged outer corner

NaiL Lacquer ($12)

• Light Affair Creamy pale grey taupe

The MAC Love Lace Collection is available at all MAC locations in North America as of December 26.

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MAC Magic, Mirth, Mischief Holiday 2009

• Lipstick ($14 each)
• 
  
• Pervette Soft bright pink with violet opalescent shimmer
• Utter Fun Fuchsia cherry pink
• Surprise Me Mid-tone peach
• Total Wow! Blue pink berry

Dazzleglass ($18 each)

• She-Zam Sheer silver with silver and red pearl
  
• Jingle Jangle Sheer yellow peach
• Phiff! Yellow pink with red and sapphire pearl

Cremesheen Glass ($18 each)

• Ever So Rich Sheer lilac
• Partial to Pink Light creamy yellow pink w/light gold pearl
• Boy Bait Light neutral beige with pearl

Softsparkle Eye Pencil ($14.50 each)

• Iris Accents Pale violet with silver pearl
• Nightsky True black with silver pearl

Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo ($19.50 each)

• Devil-May-Care Base: Rich light violet Crescent: Silver
• Under Your Spell Base: Light yellow peach pink Crescent: Rich copper
• Mayhem Base: Dirty brown gold Crescent: Silver
• Midnight Madness Base: Dirty grey brown Crescent: Gold
• It’s A Miracle Base: Deep blue burgundy Crescent: Gold
• Blue Sorcery Base: Bright Turquoise Crescent: Silver

Mineralize Blush ($21)

• Su perdu pernatural Mid-tone coral
• Conjure Up Dirty, mid-tone plum

Nail Lacquer ($12)

• $$$ Yes Metallic silver foil
• Lucky Number Metallic blue pink

Available now at MAC counters and at maccosmetics.com.

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Disclosure: Some of the pieces of this collection were provided by MAC PR

Bold Orange Lips at Twinkle by Wenlan: Fashion Week Spring 2010

Photo: Nathan Bush

Beauty at Twinkle was a sci-fi mix of innocent eyes and edgy lips. Bold, matte traffic-sign orange lips were created with MAC Orange Lip Mix applied with a brush and Silver Dusk dabbed onto the cupid's bow. Lead makeup artist John Paolo swept loose, gold shimmery shadow all over lids with individual faux lashes placed in the center of the lashes. The inner rims were lined gold pencil, which lent a wet glow to the eye. Brows and skin was left matte--no blush necessary.

L John Paolo R John Ruidant
Photos: Nathan Bush

Lead stylist John Ruidant for REDKEN created voluminous waves with a clean center part with volume not at the crown, but throughout the length. "The look is inspired by rock and roll," Ruidant said.

Photos: Nathan Bush

After blowing in Redken Fabricate, Ruidant curled the hair by holding the curling iron horizontally and preceeded in two-inch sections all across the head. He then clipped the curls to cool in a temporary Martha Washingtonesque 'do. Lastly, he brushed out the curls with a Mason Pearson brush. The rainy weather turned out to be an asset for Ruidant: "We want a bit of frizz, so that it looks as if she's been to a rock concert."

The final makeup looks
Photos: Nathan Bush

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Makeup Porn: NYmag.com's The Cut Tests MAC Makeup For Fashion Week

"Makeup porn," BT dubs, I got straight from The Cut's Sharon Clott. Is it not hilar? Anywho, Sharon recently went behind the scenes with the M.A.C. pro beauty team on testing day for the company’s spring makeup collections to demystify the process for "civilians.

For a sneak-peek at MAC's spring collections and the testing process, click through the slideshow here. Enjoy!

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Beauty Lexicon: MAC Attack Victims

Beauty Lexicon is a new BBJ feature that will showcase soon-to-be discovered words that should exist. So I make them up.

Fellow beauty writers and I often discuss the wild subculture of beauty bloggers I like to call the MAC Attack Victims. MAVs are characterized by their love to post enormous photos of their latest artistic triumph (usually called FOTDs, some of which are quite impressive) in like, 2000 pixel detail of the their lips (impending necessary lip wax be damned) showcasing their latest glosses and lipsticks. You'll find them in their natural habitats: the MAC Pro Store, the MAC counter at Macy's and Bloomingdale's and furiously sharing their opinions on Makeup Alley and other various forums. It seems that they're more indiginous to the east coast, but they certainly exist all over North America.

There is a pretty firm divide between these "makeup artist" bloggers (who tend to be MAVs) and "writer" bloggers. I fall squarely into the latter camp, but that doesn't mean I don't learn a great deal about application and how to combine colors from "makeup artist" bloggers. Their number 1 defining characteristic, however, is that these girls somehow have the time, energy and patience to master the inventory of MAC's entire collection down to the items (such as brushes and foundation shades) that don't even have NAMES, just NUMBERS. I find numbers exotic, as I am a quite unbalanced Person of Verse (POV). I believe this stems from my very unbalanced (as you can imagine) SAT score which skewed so heavily verbal, it's almost not funny.

So, when I'm on the receiving end of yet another conversation with an NC30 who uses a 212 brush to achieve the best Blacktrack lined eye, I think to myself, please let me return to the land of WORDS.



Now, don't get me wrong. I ADORE MAC. Seriously. It's one of my fave brands. And MAC is by no means the only aggressive number namer of the beauty industry. Two other brands off the top of my head who drop a numeral like it's hot are Make Up For Ever and Dior. But I end up shying away from these brand's numbered items because a) I can never remember what they are and b) I'm so intimidated by having to deal with them since I broke up with math after my final math credit sophmore year of college (Calc 101. It was the arithmetic equivalent of of torture). So, in the paraphrased prose of the sage Busta Rhymes: Brands? If you really want to party with me, use names. Numbers are for Rain Man. As a public service, please consider we beauty fanatics who do not speak number when you name your latest product.

Kisses,
Amber

What say you? Am I the only freak of nature who plum can't stomach a numeral on her makeup packaging? Tell me in the comments. Start at the beginning, end at the end. Go.

Image credit: lifamilies.com, math.ucsd.edu

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MAC Cosmetics Nail Trend F/W 09 By Jin Soon

Gals, I've been holding this in for SO long and I'm glad I can finally announce the NEWS. So, a couple months ago, I headed over to Jin Soon's salon in the West Village to meet the fabulous Jin (She is such a sweetheart. Never in a MILL would you assume she's the sought-after nail guru that she is!) and get a sneak peek of the new Nail Trend F/W collection. The colors are TO DIE. My favorite is Cool Reserve, the PERFECT grayed-off violet.

When M·A·C Cosmetics and Jin Soon Choi came together, it was a true meeting of fashion-forward minds with trend-setting style. A permanent fixture backstage at Fashion Week and an editorial darling, Jin Soon has worked with renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Derek Lam, J.Mendel, Matthew Williamson, and Doo.Ri, as well as venerable photographers Steven Meisel, Irving Penn, Annie Leibovitz, Craig McDean and Michael Thompson. She is also famous for making A-list celebrity hands and feet as flawless and glamorous as their faces.

For Jin's first-ever brand collaboration, she had a clear vision: highly pigmented, bold nail colours with a long-lasting, high-shine cream finish. With that direction, M·A·C Product Development experts set out to develop a F/W ‘09 trend-driven nail collection that would appeal to beauty and fashion addicts everywhere. The complete collection includes six rich, opaque shades with editorial flair and depth, as well as an Underlacquer and an Overlacquer, all formulated to strengthen and fortify nails.

Over the past few seasons, nails have become more influential, making an impact on the fashion runway, and are now viewed as an extension of hair and makeup styling. During the Fall/Winter ‘09 Collections, Doo.Ri, known for her beautiful, draped silhouettes, wanted to reflect the edgy look of her fall collection and chose Beyond Jealous (a blackened blue/green shade), to complete the models’ looks. Rocking-out the “of-the-moment” nail colour is just as important as wearing the “it” pant, jacket or stiletto. Nails have become an essential fashion accessory!


Nail Trend F/W ‘09 by Jin Soon Choi, visibly M·A·C in form and finish, will be coveted worldwide by fashionable women on a quest for beauty, style and self-expression. This is the perfect marriage between an iconic, cutting-edge makeup brand and a top celebrity nail stylist.





Rich, Dark, Delicious

For Fun

Dry Martini

Dance All Night

Cool Reserve (MY FAVE!!!)

Beyond Jealous

UnderLacquer

What's your fave? Tell me in the comments.

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE $12

Available in North America August 27, 2009, International September 2009


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Almost-Discontinued Products

Girls, it just occurred to me you may not know of one of my fave ways to score beauty deals: the almost-discontinued section of my fave beauty brands' websites.

Sometimes it can be an emoshe journey. You think, I loved these items. But not enough to sustain their existence in the world where we live as people. But alas, all is not lost. You can still snap up these gems before they go the way of Arrested Development (RIP, AD. Sorry I didn't get the memo to watch you until you were already off the air).

Yes, it's bittersweet, as you may fall in love with a product only to be left in the dust when you use up your tube of it. I must turn to the selected works of Debbie Gibson (Foolish Beat, in particular), to fully convey the feeling that is loving a discontinued (or almost discontinued) beauty item.


But now is a new time
There is a new place
Where dreams just can't come true.
It started the day when I left you

I could never love again the way that I loved you
I could never cry again like I did when I left you
And when we said goodbye,
Oh the look in your eyes
Just left me beside myself without your heart (without your heart)
I could never love again now that we're apart

When I was sorry
It was too late to turn around (turn around)
And tell you so.
There was no reason
There was no reason
Just a foolish beat of my heart.

Does anyone say it better than Debbie? That song was my FIRST FAVORITE SONG. It topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1988, and yet, when I bring it up, no one but me seems to remember it. Tell me in the comments if you know it, 'kay? Sometimes I feel like I live in an alternate universe and that it's like, 1987 where I am. But it's 2009 where everyone else is. Weird. Anywho!

Here are some examples of my favorite almost-discontinued product depots:
Clinique's Last Chance Items (Get the Acne Solutions Concealing Stick before it's GONE!)
Benefit Buh-buys (Check the kohl pencil in stainless!)
tarte memory lane (The French Tickler Brush, pictured above, will beautify your boudoir in a hot second)
MAC's Going, Going Gone products (I'm into the Sugarsweet shadesticks)
Estee Lauder Discontinued Products (EL Advanced Night Repair actually makes an awesome eye cream)
Lancome Discontinued Items (Come here for deals on tons of Lancome's epic mascaras, including Amplicils)
eBay (When all else fails)

What are your favorite places to stock up on discounted discontinueds? Tell me in the comments!

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MAC Style Warrior Collection

The packaging on this fierce, sexy collection is TO DIE. Here are the deets:

"Wild Things" of the world come together in Style Warrior, with bold new combinations. Introducing a dramatically different and deliberately diverse colour story, an eclectic and expressive way to exalt and admire the strength and solidarity of beauty with no barriers.A selection of all-over summer bronzing shades for lips, cheeks, eyes, nails, featuring the innovation of Impassioned, Bronzescape and Scatterrays Solar Bits – sunbursts to unleash the animal in every woman. All exotically packaged in stylized zebra and leopard prints to keep it wild and uninhibited – like the Style Warriors we blazing the fashion war path in great cities.

LIPSTICK ($14)

Sunsational: Sheer frosted beige gold

Brave New Bronze: Creamy mid-tone pink nude

Purple Rite: Mid-tone frosty orchid

Tribalist: Creamy blackened berry

LIPGLASS ($14)
Liberated: Sheer yellow gold with pearl

Gold Rebel: Sheer copper bronze with pearl

Fierce & Fabulous: Bright magenta purple with pearl

Style Warrior: Blackened bronze brown with pearl

EYE SHADOW ($14.50)

Soft Force: Frosty pale white gold

Bright Future: Frosty bright yellow gold

Tempting: Sinfully rich coco

Vibrant Grape: Bright magenta purple

Night Maneuvers: Deep charcoal brown with pearl

EYE KOHL ($14.50)

Smolder: Intense black

PRO LASH MASCARA ($12)

Coal Black: Honest-to-goodness black

BEAUTY POWDER BLUSH ($18)

Eversun: Neutral peach bronze with gold pearl

On A Mission: Pearly mid-tone plum

SOLAR BITS ($19.50) (Solar Bits are my MFUMI--My Most Frequently Used MAC Item. BTW.)

Scatterrays: Soft metallic peach with gold pearl

Bronzescape: Clean yellow brown with gold pearl

Impassioned: Frosty cool taupe

NAIL LACQUER ($11)

Peaceable: Pearly pale golden beige

Violet Fire: Bright creamy magenta purple

Mercenary: Frosted blackened bronze

BRUSH ($23)242: Firm fibre brush with rounded edge for smooth, even application of powder, emollient and concealer products

BRONZING POWDER ($21)

Solar Riche: Mid-tone deep orange brown

Refined Golden: Finely spun golden with soft pearl finish

LUSTRE DROPS ($18.50)

Pink Rebel: Blue pink with gold pearl

Sun Rush: Peachy bronze with gold pearl

Bronze Hero: Hot bronze with fine gold pearl

SKINSHEEN ($22.50)

Medium Dark: Sheer soft bronze with golden tan pearl

Dark: Golden bronze

Deep Dark: Deep warm bronze with rich golden pearl

IRIDESCENT POWDER/LOOSE ($21)

Golden Bronze: Golden brown with golden bronze shimmer

BRUSH ($45)

182 Buffer Brush: A full, dome-shaped brush of extra soft goat hair. Specially created to flawlessly blend powder onto the skin for an immaculate polished finish. Excellent for all MAC powders and pigments.

Available: May 20th, 2009 (North America) and June 2009 (International) at MAC stores, counters and maccosmetics.com.

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New MAC Collection: Double Dazzle

MAC's new Double Dazzle collection of glittery, shimmery glass-encased glosses are the perfect feminine accoutrement to accompany you on a date.

Double Dazzle will daze the closest competition with color-changing, light-reflecting pearl-shine lips; paired with a new formula for the ultimate in voluptuous lashes, et voila! Lips lead: seven new Dazzleglass shades bring the scintillating selection up to 18! The flotilla-of-lights formula imparts the pearl combination with mega-glisten shine, creamy comfort and the subtle sensation of vanilla. Lashes follow: multiplied, volumized, utterly glorified by our newest eye innovation ... this sly new small-and-mighty brush has been developed to capture and emphasize each and every lash. LIPS, LASHES, LOVERS ... LOOK OUT!

DAZZLEGLASS ($18)

Sugarrimmed - Milky pale pink with red, teal and white pearl
Goldyrocks - Sheer soft yellow with pink and gold pearl

Moth to Flame - Sheer neutral beige with violet pearl

Smile - Light coral with pink and gold pearl

Steppin’ Out - Clean yellow pink with red pearl

Utterly Posh - Mid-tone orange with pink and gold pearl

Love Alert - Raspberry red with red pearl

Date Night - Deep plum with blue and gold pearl

Funtablulous - Purple with violet pearl

Extra Amps - Sheer bright blue pink with blue and pink pearl

Like Venus - Clean light bubble gum pink with red pearl

Stop! Look! - Sheer violet mauve with blue and pink pearl

Money Honey - Mid-tone rosy mauve with red pearl

Rags to Riches - Plummy pink with teal and red pearl

Baby Sparks - Pale pink with violet pearl

Bare Necessity -Caramel apricot with red and gold pearl (the only nudish, creamy brown gloss I've EVER been able to pull off)

Girl’s Delight - Sheer mid-tone tan with gold pearl

Get Rich Quick - Warm yellow brown

DAZZLE LASH ($12)

Star Brunette - Brown

Black Dazzle - Black

The limited-edition Double Dazzle collection is available now at M.A.C counters nationwide and at maccosmetics.com.

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New MAC Collection: MAC Colour Ready

MAC Colour Ready: Seeking alternative energy, increased mileage from makeup… Colour Ready revs up the Prep + Prime idea, a true hybrid formula between science and beauty.

New Transparent Finishing Powder and Line Filler are the brand's lightest yet, in fact invisible when applied, but their silky colourless polymers set and stabilize makeup instantly. The only way to start when you sit down in front of the mirror. Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone is your stay-put fit on skin that minimizes the appearance of pores without clogging, and visibly diminishes them over time. Two Lipsticks, Eye Shadows, Penultimate Eye Liner and Eye Brows in an essential palette are a habit to happily acquire - Colour Ready is as basic as your 4-inch heel Louboutins.

Lipstick ($14)
Show Orchid - Vivid hot pink (Amplified Creme) (Pro Only)
Impassioned - Amped-up fuchsia (Amplified Creme)

Eye Shadows ($14.50)
White Frost - Vivid bright white with icy shimmer (Frost)
Bitter - Vivid bright golden green flecked with shimmer (Velvet)
Penultimate Liner - $16.50
Rapidblack - True black

Brow Pencil ($14.50)
Stud - A deep rich blackened brown

Prep + Prime Line Filler ($17.50)
Instantly minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the surface of the skin. This cutting-edge formula dries down to a natural matte finish, making skin appear smoother instantly.

Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone (limited edition) ($17.50)
A lightweight emulsion that helps control sebum and shine on the skin’s surface and immediately reduce the appearance of pores on the skin. It is dermatologist-tested and appropriate for all skin types.

Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder ($21)
A lightweight, colourless, loose powder that works well on any skin tone. It is formulated with special optics and ingredients that help add dimension and create a blurring effect. The silky powder helps set and stabilize makeup and works well with all MAC foundations. It is dermatologist-tested, non-acnegenic, and safe for use by contact lens wearers.

Brush ($34)
129SH - Short Handle Blush/Powder brush with travel case.

Available: North America April 2, 2009 at all M·A·C locations, 1.800.588.0070 and http://www.maccosmetics.com/.

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New MAC Collection: Grand Duos

Grand Duos splits MAC’s popular Mineralize Blushes in two: one side is marbleized with tri-color veining, to enhance and glorify cheekbones. The other is a complimentary mono shade, to add a pop of color. A soft, shimmery pearl on both sides gives skin a subtle glow.

Grand Duos Mineralize Blush
Moon River: Blue pink mélange/pale yellow pink
Love Rock: Gold violet mélange/bright blue pink
Grand Duo: Copper pink mélange/plum
Light Over Dark: Orange yellow mélange/deep brown
Earth to Earth: Purple bronze mélange/yellow brown
Hot Planet: Copper yellow mélange/mid-tone plum
Intenso: Orange yellow mélange/deep brown
$22.50

Brush
188 Small Duo Fibre Face: Flat-topped, full circular brush for application and blending of Blush and Powder.
$34



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MAC Unveils Viva Glam VI

Fergie, M·A·C Cosmetics’ VIVA GLAM Spokesperson, revealed her new VIVA GLAM VI Special Edition Lipstick and new VIVA GLAM advertising campaign in Los Angeles last week.










She visited Project Angel Food, an organization committed to providing free prepared meals and nutrition counseling for those living with HIV/AIDS. She then appeared at the M·A·C store on North Robertson Blvd to help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS by helping to sell VIVA GLAM lipsticks, which have raised over $130 million for HIV/AIDS globally over the past 15 years. 100% of the selling price of M·A·C’s VIVA GLAM products go towards the M·A·C AIDS Fund. The new Viva Glam VI Lipstick is pictured above.

Check the Viva Glam VI Special Edition Lipstick (pictured, left) available on March 19.

This is the Viva Glam VI Special Edition Lipglass.

Lastly, behold the Viva Glam VI Lipglass.

Don't these shades look infinitely wearable? I'm rocking the Viva Glam VI Special Edition one as I live and type.

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Fashion Week: BBJ Backstage at Diesel Black Gold

I finally met the famed Charlotte Tilbury (she was the lead artist backstage at the Barbie show) backstage at Diesel Black Gold today. She worked with MAC makeup to create the look you see at left. The inspiration was the 1930s Great Depression era infused with a modern rock and roll vibe. Charlotte herself, BTW, looks like a rock star.

"It's about a girl who stayed up all night with a jazz band," Charlotte explained. A girl who's partying through the depression, evidently. How to convey this bender of a night?

Charlotte lined eyes with MAC Eye Liner in Smolder on the top, bottom and waterline. Then, she topped it with MAC Blackware Gloss for a wet, messier look. Lots of MAC Mascara in Black was brushed onto lashes, while brows were set with MAC Clear Brow Set. MAC Face and Body Foundation was used to even out the models' skin tone and was set with MAC Prep + Prime Finishing Powder. Lips were "intended to look worn off, as if she's been kissing," Charlotte said. She used a combination of MAC Brick Lip Pencil, MAC Lipstick in Black Knight and MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo.

Eugene Souleiman created a "Toulouse Letrec/Fall of the Empire" look using WELLA products. "It's based on the fall of someone glamorous," he explained when I asked as to the inspiration behind the look. "It's abstract in shape, but it moves," Eugene said. He used hairspray as a settling lotion by spraying it on before curling sections of hair with an iron. Then, the curl was sort of undone for a frizzified wave. A fishnet veil finished the look.











This is an intricate 'do.



















Check the close-up of the back part of hair, which Eugene coiled into a lazy bun.


















Amanda Fontanarrosa for CND told me that the brand custom blended a cream browned down purple for the Diesel Black Gold. Isn't it just like them to create a color I'm in love with that will never see the light of day on MY nails? "It's ace," Amanda confirmed. I agree.








A photo of the finished look!

Image credit: Beauty Blogging Junkie

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