Mmmm.

MAC has released its Tendertones and they smell wonderfully like Strawberry-Kiwi. What should you know? While most of them are sheer, a couple of the brightest colours are not.

It's one collection where I had a hard time picking my favourite colour, and it helps that these are completely unsticky and can give your lips a stain-like colour. Lovely.

MAC Family and Friends Event!

MAC has been having a family and friends event where you can get 15% off if you bring in a coupon to the store, but now this offer is available online too!

The offer lasts today online, and the offer code is MACFF8. Head on over there now!

And if you don't already, sign up for MAC's newsletter so you can find out when they have sales and free-shipping offers.

Bits of Sparkles

I have a thing for new textures and I'm smitten with MAC's Solar Bits from the Solar Field collection. My favourite colour is Black Ore which you see below. It's a dark shimmery metallic and the texture is as if water was melded with pigment so that it sticks together.

Put a bit on your brush or your baby finger, and smear it on your lid to make a different shimmery smoky eye that only a MAC product really can deliver.

I find that the Solar Bits really stick to skin and crease much less than regular shadows, which I love. The Solar Bits are selling out super-quickly and I'm not surprised, they're so great to use and can step up your makeup game.

You Like Sparkles?

You like the sparkles, do you?

Then MAC's Dazzleglass glosses are for you. I wasn't sure how many people would really want them, but the thing is that they're so new that people wanted to try them and get their hands on them.

I wouldn't wear these unless I was going out at night, but I did like the look nonetheless.

What about you? Did you get a Dazzleglass and if you didn't why not? Also, if you haven't gone over to a MAC store and bought these, go now because they're selling out!

MAC's Naughty Nauticals

It's been a little while since I talked about MAC products, and I know you all have just been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for my review of them.

...

Anyways!

I think of all the recent MAC collections, this one is one of my favourites because there are unusual colours. We're not looking at ones that are too bright, but with the blues and all, the collection is still different.
Illegal Cargo was my favourite colour - it strikes the right balance between purple and grey and worn alone is almost a neutral. Sounds strange, but try it on, it looks great!

MAC Mineral Skinfinish/Natural

After my review of the MAC Mineralize Loose Foundation, some of you may be wondering what the difference is between that foundation and MAC's existing Mineral Skinfinish/Natural. The difference is more than just that one is packed and one is loose.


Though the picture doesn't show it, the Mineral Skinfinish/Natural products have pretty veining through them and a teeny amount of shimmer. Overall, I find them to be more sheer than most regular foundations, and they're excellent at absorbing oil. I use mine as a bronzer and it really gives me a nice long-lasting even amount of colour. I also love it mixed with my blush to give a really natural looking glow.

If you want more coverage in a mineral product, I'd go for the Loose foundation, but if you want a sheer mineral powder foundation, go for the Skinfinish/Natural.

MAC Mineralize Foundation/Loose

MAC has had a mineral foundation in the works for a long time - this much I know is true. In fact, a few months ago, a friend of mine had asked me what brand of mineral foundation she should buy, and I - knowing that she was a die-hard MAC fan - told her to wait because there was something good in the works that would be worth the wait.

The wait is now over - MAC's new mineral foundation. called Mineralize Foundation/Loose, is out on counters and online.

If you're familiar with MAC, you already know what makes their foundations great. It's all about the colour shades. If you're of a darker skin tone and have had trouble finding a foundation that really matches your skin, you should check out this foundation. There are dark colours that remain warm not ashen, and the foundation looks completely natural on the skin.

When you purchase a kit, you get the pot you see above that comes with it's own sponge applicator - you can of course use a brush if that makes it more comfortable, but the sponge gives you heavier coverage.

Check out this newest mineral foundation - there's a colour for almost every skintone!

Fergie Remixed

At the risk of offending music snobs, I'll admit that I listen to Fergie...and I like her style too. At least I'm not the only one - she is the newest spokeswoman for the MAC Vivaglam campaign, something that I wholeheartedly endorse. 100% of the money goes towards the MAC Aids Fund. In any case, a new spokesperson means a new lipcolour, so check out the latest one, Viva Glam VI!

This is a light pink neutral that, like most other VG colours, will look good on many people.

Check out MAC's new Fergie page to download a new remix of her song Glamorous and to watch backstage footage of her getting prepped for a MAC photoshoot. It's all pretty cool.

MAC Heatherette!

MAC's Heatherette collection was released not too long ago, and I've finally had a chance to check it out.

The collection does a great job of representing the Heatherette brand, which always serves up great club looks and edgy pieces. Not only are the designers great spokespersons for their own brands, but you only have to look at the list of celebrities who wear their clothing to realize what their look is. Gwen Stefani and Pink have worn Heatherette designs, and they were first sold at Patricia Field's own boutique (she was the stylist for Sex and the City).

Heatherette collections are always slightly '80's and always over the top and that's exactly what this MAC collection is too! Lets just say that if Boy George was in the market for some new makeup, he'd probably go for the Heatherette eye palettes since they're in the shape of cassettes (yeah, remember those?).

Without further ado: pictures!

Heatherette Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl. Don't be scared of these. They are very sheer and add a very suble glow to the face.

Heatherette Trio 2. You can't tell in the picture, but the pink is glittery. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but purple eyeshadow is kind of my thing, and I love the darkest colour in this palette.

Nail Lacquer in Lola Devine. This is a pretty cream coral colour that was a surprise. It's too nice to be Heatherette. There's also a silver shade of nail polish as part of this collection and that's more edgy.

This collection is definitely not for the faint of heart, since it also features some bright pink lipglass and lipsticks, but it's perfect for the spring since we'll be seeing many bright colours this season. If you want something from the collection head to your local MAC counter on the double, since this collection sold out quickly online.

Strobe

MAC has relaunched its Strobe cream, and the launch includes a set of Lip Conditioner Sticks with the same great "Strobe" pearl that the creams have.

If you're unfamiliar with Strobe, it was/is a cream that has shimmer in it so that your skin looks like it's glowing when you wear it. It's a nice effect especially if you're feeling that you have more dulness than you should.

Pictures? Of course.

Strobe Blossom

Strobe Current

Strobe Rays

The Strobe Lip Conditioner retails for $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN.

MAC Beauty Powder Blush - Pictures!

MAC launched a new set of blushes recently - significant because they already have a large range of blushes. How are these different? Well, the shimmer in the new Beauty Powder Blushes isn't as fine as the shimmer in some of MAC's other blushes. I find that it's more noticeable and really gives a nice sheen to the cheek. The shimmer is comparable to that in Nars blushes, so if you've used those, you know what I'm talking about.

Here are pictures of three of the colours.

Secret Blush

Shy Beauty
Eversun

Shy Beauty is a lovely peach with gold shimmer. It would be nice for everyday and is hard to mess up. Eversun is a bronze colour that once could use as a light bronzer year round.

As always there are a ton of colours to choose from so you can indeed find one that works with your complexion. Blushes retail for $17.50 U.S./$22.00 CDN.

Fafi - with pictures!

I'm a little late on the uptake here, but I finally have a chance to post pictures and thoughts about MAC's Fafi collection. Many of the products are sold out online but you can still get some of them in stores. My faves are the lipstick in Strawbaby and the Paint Pot in Nice Vice. I also love the Hipness blush which is peach perfection and will look good on a lot of people.

Without further ado, pictures!

Hipness Blush

Fashion Frenzy Blush

Girl Friendly Paint Pot

Nice Vice Paint Pot
Layin Low Paint Pot
Cash Flow Paint Pot

Rollickin' Paint Pot

That is all for now. As you can see, I haven't used most of the products yet, but I will. We already know that the paint pots have amazing lasting power, and the nice vice is my favourite because paired with lots of eyeliner it makes an amazing smoky eye. It also really helps make brown eyes pop.

Reader Question - Blush!

Here's part of an email I received from a reader:

I'm 35 yrs old and have yet to find the perfect blush for me.I usually stick to drugstore products,but am never really happy with the shade or quality of the product.

I've decided to go with either a Nars or Mac sheertone blusher,but I'm not sure what shade to use.

I have dark brown hair,hazel-green eyes,freckles,and light skin.I'm told that I'm a "cool" when it comes to makeup.

I find pink shades look better than peach ones on my skin and I like the look of a healthy glow.

Can you please give me some suggestions for colours from the mac sheertone and nars?

I'm ready to splurge on a great blusher and would love your input.

Thanks so much!

My answer:

I'm glad that you are ready to go for a department store blush, but before you do, I want to point you towards the L'Oreal Bare Naturale Blush line because those products are very good and reasonably priced. I've tried 2 of the colours and they were wonderful because they had just the right amount of pigment. If you want to reconsider the drugstore, I highly recommend them.

But when it comes to department store, MAC and Nars are both good. I personally love the Sheertone blushes. They are virtually goof-proof. The Nars blush doesn't come in as many colours and the blushes are more pigmented which makes them tougher to work with. Try MAC Sheertone in Pink Swoon or MAC Sheertone in Pinch Me (this one is a peachy pink). Both are great colours.

Let me know how it goes!!

Slimshines!

The MAC Slimshines were never limited edition and so they have been re-promoted! The original 13 shades are still there, along with 7 new ones. I myself just picked one up in Pleasing (a dark purplish-raspberry) and Scant (a neutral pink). Though I'm not usually a lipstick wearer, I love these because they have a glossy finish and stay on for so long. Get them at your MAC counter or at MAC's website.

New Products - Backstage at Fashion Week

Last week in New York, I saw a MAC makeup artists with the most amazing lashes. I just had to ask her: were they real? They were, she answered, and all she had done was use MAC mascara that would be coming out in the fall.

I haven't tried it, but the results were positively drool-worthy and I can't wait until it's out on counters. It will give you drama like never before. Wait for it.

There are also some new lip products coming and everyone's favourite Mineralize Skinfinishes in new colours.

Reader Question - Eyeshadow Base

Here's a reader question I recently received:

Hey there.

I love your 'Canadian Beauty' blog, especially the reviews on the M.A.C. products =) Good job!

I have a question regarding eyeshadow bases. Hope you can help me. I currently don't use eyeshadow bases, but I'm looking for one, cause I find my eyeshadow doesn't 'stick' that well (the colors doesn't show that well) and doesn't last that long. I'm looking at M.A.C. paint pots and cream color base. I only want to get either one of them. Which one would you recommend? It would be great if it can be use under any colors of eyeshadow and still would not change or shift the color of the eyeshadow. And which shade would you recommend? I have drak brown eyes, fair asian skin and black hair. (If that helps somehow =P)

Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks heaps!!! =)

Lots of hugs,
L...

and here's my reply:

MAC has a new collection out called the N Collection and there's a paint pot called Ochre. It's matte and kind of a neutral creamy colour and I think it'll work well with your skintone. It's very long lasting and won't change the colour of your shadow. I hope that helps!

MAC Technakohl Liner

I am currently loving MAC's Technakohl Liner. I have it in Graphblack and Brownborder, but I find myself using the brown one since it's so dark that it's almost black.

Technakohl is superior to some of the other liners because it doesn't smudge or fade during the day, but it's still creamy enough to go on easily and to smudge before it sets. The mechanical pencil means that it's great to take on the go because you'll never have to sharpen it.

Use this if you regularly line your lower lash line.

Backstage at New York Fashion Week - Preen

I am a huge fan of James Kaliardos and he was the lead makeup artist for MAC backstage at Preen. There were two highlights to being backstage at this show - one was being able to watch Kaliardos at work, and the other I'll get to later.

I was early for the show so I got to see Kaliardos work on a model while explaining the look to his team. He joked around a lot, but he also explained why he was doing certain steps. For example, as he primed the model's face, he said that whenever he thought that priming wasn't important, he would see foundation inadvertently stick to a dry patch he had overlooked. As he smudged eyeshadow underneath the model's eyes, he casually said: "make sure that you can still see it because if I didn't want it there I wouldn't have picked that colour." It's not that his team wouldn't have followed his instructions regardless - that is their job. But his little hints stressed the importance of each step so that it stuck in the makeup artists' (and my own) minds.
Here's the final look - it was inspired by a mix of Kim Basinger in Nine and a Half Weeks and Kurt Cobain. So it was a subdued and slightly grungy. The makeup was a stained kind of lip and a taupe eye which used the standby Satin Taupe with a cream-to-powder shadow in the crease and for lining. It's a look that's very wearable.

The hair was all over the place - deliberately messy but clean. The product the hair team used most here was Bumble and Bumble Styling Lotion which conditioned the hair but also helped hold it in place. The hair was described to me as "the hair that everybody wants".


And now to the second highlight of being backstage at Preen: one of the models for the show was Lily Donaldson. If you read this blog a lot, you know that she is one of my all time favourite models, so it was a thrill seeing her in person.


If you're trying to remember where you saw her, she was in a Dior perfume campaign some time ago. That picture of her is before any hair or makeup was done.

MAC Moisturelush

Since it's the kind of moisturizer that I wouldn't ordinarily go for, I wanted to really use MAC's Moisturelush for a while before I reviewed it. This cream is very moisturizing but has a light texture that makes it easy to smooth into skin without having it feel too heavy. Moisturelush will be a godsend for anyone with dry or very dry skin, and another bonus to it is that it works well with makeup - as all MAC products should.

This is a must for the winter months.

New York Fashion Week - ThreeAsFour

Check out the lashes on the model above backstage at the ThreeAsFour show - they are bright blue! Gordon Espinet, the lead creative for this show told me that the look was very wearable and I have to agree with him. The pop of colour is very flattering and so interesting.

Gordon and his team used a MAC fluidline to create the blue eyelashes. They first applied fake eyelashes on the outside corner of the models eye, and then prepped with MAC's Prep + Prime Lash so that the Fluidline would have something to adhere it to the lashes.


To apply the products on the lashes, the makeup artists used the MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush. The brush is very stiff so it applies product evenly and easily.


The final effect is glam yet subtle and the look was finished with pink cheeks and a rose lipcolour.

I'm thinking that the look could be easily adapted for everyday by applying a coloured mascara to the tips of lashes or putting a bright line of colour right at the lash line.