Mon que chooses MAC

Have you ever been backstage before a fashion show?  It is like legitimately walking into a women’s locker room and being privy to all that goes on inside – candid talk flows freely, juicy stories ping-pong across the room, bodies parade in different stages of undress and pale, naked faces wait to be painted. It is every man’s dream, I assure you. This scenario is exactly what I walk into hours before the Monique Lhuillier Fashion show.  I know a lot of men who would kill to have my press pass because of the all-female model line-up.   The designated makeup room is the Mandaluyong Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La and it is vast.  Two rows of six vanity stations are linked together with yellow light bulbs bordering each mirror.  They stand back-to-back down the expanse of the room.  Over 20 of Manila’s top fashion models mill about and drape their long limbs across the makeup chairs, peering at themselves in the mirror, giggling and chatting with the dozen or so makeup artists fussing over them.  There is a cacophony of a mélange of languages that sounds like a psychedelic audio recording.  Three models speak rapid-fire Brazilian and I feel like I am lost in the Amazon jungle – like the uber model Giselle Bundchen, they are imported from Brazil.  Others converse in pop-culture Manila-Taglish by sliding their vowels and rolling their R’s.  Others, still, blab in "gayspeak," lending a festive flavor to the atmosphere. Patrick Rosas, the premier guru of the country’s beauty industry, and his artistic team bury themselves in their task of transforming the models in stunning goddesses.  They work with much gaiety and enthusiasm: kicking up a heel, breaking into operatic song and striking a starlet pose every now and again.  It is an instant party!

But the real star of this pre-show frenzy was the MAC makeup line.  Patrick, the maestro, has inside his bag of tricks the best of MAC’s products.  I walk around keeping a keen eye on the application of the products and a sharp ear for the latest industry gossip when one gorgeous and skinny model asks me, "Ate, anong oras na po?"  I suddenly feel every single day of the four decades of my age.  I am tempted to bump her off her chair and say "Hey, I too was once just double your weight."

Suddenly conscious of my vertical age and my horizontal spread, I walk away and hover over Patrick, busy attaching false eye-lashes to a model.  He tells me that Monique Lhuillier herself had personally requested for the MAC line to be used for her show.  I am lucky to chance upon her on the second floor, outside the Rizal Ballroom preoccupied with listening to the choir handpicked to sing during her show.  And of course I ambush her.  She is a testament to the cliché "big things come in small packages" because all of her now-world-famous talent is packed into a 5-foot frame.  Wearing jeans and a gray cardigan, and devoid of any trace of makeup, she looks like a 20-year-old fresh out of university.  But what gives her away is the seriousness with which she discusses her work. "MAC has been great partners with us.  We use them for our shows in New York – with a different team, of course.  But MAC has always been supportive of our shows so we want to keep working with them.  They also always have the latest colors and the most talented artists."  I attempt to take her photo but she adamantly begs off.  "No, I have no makeup!  Please wait till later."  Do I have a choice?

I remember during the early Nineties, hunting down MAC products was like joining the Amazing Race.  MAC, short for Makeup Arts Cosmetics, was established in Toronto, Canada, by its founders Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo.  Outside Canada the prices were considerably higher and there were yet no licensees for the brand outside North America.  The unique formulation of the lipsticks and their reasonable price points were too much of a temptation for Asians to buy in bulk (dozens) and fly them home.  On a visit to Canada in 1994, there were lines of Asian women snaking out of MAC counters.  I know this for a fact because I was in one of them. A rule was finally imposed prohibiting any one individual to purchase more than five tubes of lipstick at a time.  Such was the popularity of MAC.  It is to every makeup fiend’s convenience that it has been available at Glorietta 2, Rustan’s Tower and SM Mall of Asia (in Marionnaud) for some years now. 

Founders Frank Toskan was a makeup artist, hairstylist and photog-rapher, while Frank Angelo was a businessman.  MAC was born out of their frustration because the intense lighting required for fashion photography and the glare from it caused a lot of makeup to wash out in the process.   They both recognized the need for a versatile and reliable cosmetic line durable and edgy enough for fashion photo shoots.  The two set out to develop a line that was strong enough for these photo shoots and broad enough to provide new colors and products for make-up artists’ creative use.  Toskan first started work at his kitchen table with the help of his high-school chemistry book.  With Victor Casale, his chemist brother-in-law, he blended a few new colors.  One year later Toskan formed a partnership with Angelo, a veteran entrepreneur and previous owner of a chain of beauty salons.  They were turned down by banks initially so they had to mortgage everything they owned in order to get the company going.  Imagine that!  Those loan officers are definitely banging their heads on brick walls to this day.  MAC is now owned by Estee Lauder Companies and is based in New York.  MAC is one of the biggest and most popular brands in the cosmetic industry.

"Monique asked me to execute different versions of the smoky eye look from which she could choose," Patrick says.  "I presented four models done up in versions of indigo, black, gray and finally chocolate- smoky eyes.  Monique singled out the chocolate- brown version, which was intended to exude youth, freshness, sophistication and modernity.  My concept was to create a dewy, shimmery over-all finish using a color palette of nudes, browns and bronzes." 

I watch Patrick as he layers different colors of eye shadow and blends them thoroughly for depth and contour.  He uses his special "Wing" false eyelashes on the models to recreate Sophia Loren’s eyes.  They work! They actually do look like birds’ wings in flight but I don’t tell him that I’d never be caught dead with those on.   He keeps the lips low-key in order to direct focus to the eyes.  He uses MAC lipstick in Mocha and tops it with Lipgelée in Slicked Pink to create nude lips with a hint of shimmer.  Nice!

Monique wants the models to sport simple chignons so Patrick comes up with an original hairstyle just for the occasion.  This, he calls the "Croissant."  It is a severe pull-back with the hair parted on the side of the head.  The chignon is set low on the nape via a series of delicate twists achieving what resembles a French croissant.  And it does look tres delicieux!

"MAC is one of the best brands of makeup and the makeup concept for this fashion show is a collaboration between Monique and me," Patrick says. "Working with her is a great honor.  She is at the top of her league because of her work ethic and her sense of discipline."  He observes that she is meticulous: "she checks the models individually for uniformity of look and flawlessness of makeup finish."  Patrick admits that he is challenged by Monique’s sense of discipline, but being the professional and seasoned veteran that he is; he rises to the occasion and together with Monique soars to the highest heights.  After he and his team finish with the models, Patrick rushes to Monique’s suite to personally do her makeup using MAC products as well.  She is simply stunning in appearance and achievement as she takes her bow at the end of a show well-done.

The success of the Monique Lhuillier Gala Benefit Dinner and Fashion Show is directly attributed to Monique’s sheer genius, but it was given that extra frost and shimmer by the MAC makeup line and the brilliance of our very own Patrick Rosas.

These are the amazing MAC products used exclusively for the show:

1. Foundation 

a. Studio Stick Foundation: A creamy smooth stick foundation with medium + coverage for a natural, flaw-free finish.  The stick system provides smooth twist-up action – precise application and fast, even touch-ups.  Available in 15 shades.  NC 20 and NC 37 were the shades used for the show.

b. Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15: The liquid version of the all-time classic Studio-Fix foundation.  It provides medium buildable coverage and flawless natural-matte finish.  It includes SPF 15 for everyday sun protection.  It is oil-free and long-wearing.  This is best applied with a MAC brush.  NW 37, 40 and 45 were used for the show.

c. Studio Fix: Studio Fix is a powder and foundation in one that combines good coverage with ease of application.  Designed to be used dry, the powder and pigments create a matte, velvety texture.  It contains silica, which helps to maintain a matte finish by absorbing oils on the skin, as well as talc to provide a smoother, less reflective, matte finish.  The talc has been milled to microscopic size to provide beautiful texture while allowing the skin to breathe.  This base is long-wearing and is available in a wide range of colors.  NC 35, NC 45 and NW 25 were used.

2. Eyeshadow

a. Nylon: Texture: Frost.  An iridescent shine that adds highlight to any color.

b. Amberlights: Texture: Frost.  Also an iridescent shine.

c. Espresso: Texture: Matte.  High-color pay-off in a no-shine matte finish.

d. Sable: Texture: Velvet.  Soft-look finish with high-color intensity.  It has a plush look and feel.

3. Blush: Texture: Matte.  Color: Prism-soft, muted pinkish-brown

4. Lipstick: Texture: Satin.  Color: Mocha-peach, yellow-brown

5. Lipgelée: A soft jelly-textured glosser for the lips.  It is easy to apply.  It squeezes on and distributes evenly via its slanted tip.  Moisturizes and conditions the lips, makes them look wet, shiny and lush.  It comes in a wide-range of sheer soft tints.  The color used was Slicked Pink.

 6.  Iridescent Powder/Loose: Iridescent Powder is a finely milled mixture of mica and pigments, which gives the skin a beautiful sheen.  It can be used on its own or mixed into other products like foundations or moisturizers to enhance their iridescent qualities.  It is long-lasting and designed to apply easily and uniformly without streaking and caking.  It blends beautifully and can be applied over bare skin or over foundation.  Golden Bronze and Silver Dusk were the shades used.