MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics

Makeup Art Cosmetics is sort of a homecoming for MAC. The collection (set to release August 20) features three artists — a painter, an illustrator, and a photographer — and cosmetics inspired by their styles (an homage to artists of all media).

My favorite part of the collection is the eyeshadow quads ($36, inspired by painter Richard Phillips). Photorealism, with its variations on green in frost and veluxe pearl finishes, won my heart right away. And I absolutely love the fourth color in Notoriety (which I’m pretty sure is called Notoriety). It’s a cool grey-brown with a few small copper sparkles, and totally gorgeous. This grey taupe shade is following me through various fall collections — see Lancome’s Nude Elegance quad and Erotica in Too Faced’s Neutral palette. In the Gallery is the most softly pigmented of the quads, and it’s a little chalkier than the other two.
The collection also features some candy brights: six potted eyeshadows ($14.50 each) and five Technakohl eyeliners ($14.50 each) inspired by the style of illustrator Maira Kalman. There are a lot of repromotes in this group: Crest the Wave (Frost) was first seen in Stowaways, 2008. Haunting (Satin) first appeared in McQueen in 2007. Violet Trance (Matte) was first released in Balloonacy in 2007. And Purple Shower (Satin) originally came out with Turquatic in 2006. Maira’s Mood (Satin) was apparently going to be named Maira’s Magic, so you may see it referred to by that name elsewhere on the web. Haunting and Violet Trance are somewhat chalky: I definitely had to work a bit to get the color you see in this swatch.

Of the five Technakohls, Graphblack is a repromote from the permanent line. The other shades (Full of Fuchsia, Artistic License, Colour Matters, and Obviously Orange) are new, limited edition, and certainly vibrant.
The five lipsticks and four lipglosses didn’t really speak to me — they’re certainly going dark for fall — and I prefer to stay in my lighter lipstick comfort zone.

The lustres are Full Body, Hold the Pose, and Lovin’ It. The frosts are Front Lit and (repromote from the permanent line) High Strung. Lipglasses (with doe’s foot applicators) are On Display, New Spirit, Personal Taste, and Young Thing. Lipsticks and glosses are all $14.
There are two powder blushes, The Perfect Cheek (matte) and Notable (Satin), each $18.50.

And in honor of photographer Marilyn Minter (inspired by the way sparkles reflect in a photograph), there are also four pigments: Brash & Bold (a satin fuchsia), Push the Edge (darkly sparkly deep blue-purple), and repromotes Cocomotion (sparkly gold, a repromote from Rushmetal in 2007), and Heritage Rouge (a sparkly red-purple, permanent to pro stores). There are two glitters (not swatched because they don’t stick very well): Fuchsia Glitter, which isn’t fuchsia at all, but rather a blue-purple, and Gold Glitter. There are also two glitter reflects, which are a little finer, and tend to stick a little better, Reflects Rust (more red than rust) and Reflects Copper. All four of the “glitters” are permanent to pro stores, and all pigments and glitters are $19.50.