MAC Attack

MAC, the No. 1 choice of makeup artists and beauty mavens, broadens its vast color range further with not one, but four new collections for the first half of 2009.

“A Rose Romance” appeals to the romantic in all women, celebrating poetic verse throughout the centuries like Sir Richard Sheridan’s vintage chestnut: “Come into my garden, I would like my roses to see you!” The collection’s soft, dusty tones will recreate the pink that flushed young maidens’ cheeks upon hearing such lines.

“Style Warriors” celebrates the fashion phenomenon of the global nomad, with bronze shades to mimic the golden tans of glamorous jetsetters.

“Double Dazzle” is perfect for both makeup junkies and minimalists alike: all the focus is placed on the lips and lashes via mega-shine glosses and high-tech mascaras to make these two most crucial parts of the facial anatomy pop.

“Colour Craft” was formulated to inspire the artist within — compacts contain color wheels of mineral makeup so you can be creative and kind to your skin at the same time.

A Rose Romance

It’s all about: The rose, which is not only an enduring icon of love but also embodies the qualities of “classic,” “timeless” and “elegant,” making it a tradition in haute couture. MAC creates a modern yet softly romantic look with pretty blush shades that evoke the first bloom of love.

How to get the look: Apply sky-blue Mutiny pigment to upper lashes, and Circa Plum pigment to lower lash line. Dust Blush of Youth pink Beauty Powder across cheeks. Sweep Tender Tryst See Thru lip color on lips and top with Virgin Kiss Lipglass. Apply Love & Friendship nail lacquer for rosy fingertips.

Makeup bag musts: Get that first flush of love with Just A Pinch gel blush, a new red-pink cheek tint in a pot that delivers a sheer rosy glow. Dewy skin is achievable with Fix + Rose, a rosewater toner that refreshes as it sets your makeup. And, thanks to popular demand, MAC has brought back favorite fragrance Creations Hue: Dejarose, a lush bouquet of Bulgarian, Turkish and red tea roses mixed with velvety orchid and amber crystals. No thorns to muck up this garden of rosy delights.

Double Dazzle

It’s all about: Makeup simplified to the two “Ls,” lips and lashes. Seven new shades (which brings the collection up to 18) features Dazzleglass’s unique light-reflecting, color-changing particles meant to mimic the brilliance of quartz or opal crystals. Non-sticky, lightweight and moisturizing, these pumped-up glosses can be worn alone or layered over lipstick or Lipglass for a dramatic effect.

A new formula for Dazzle Lash, on the other hand, creates the ultimate fake-lash effect. The trick lies in a compact, slightly sculpted brush that singles out each lash and amplifies it to bigger, bolder and longer proportions, with a plush, glamorous curve.

How to get the look: Slick Dazzleglass in Like Venus, a clean bubblegum pink with red pearls, on lips. Curl lashes and brush on Dazzle Lash mascara in Black Dazzle Black.

Style Warrior

It’s all about: Celebrating cross-cultural beauty and looking like a modern Amazon princess, African Queen or Crouching Tigress. A dramatically different and diverse color story for MAC, this selection of summer bronzing shades for eyes, lips, cheeks and nails exotically packaged in stylized zebra and leopard prints is meant to unleash your inner wild thing.

How to get the look: Shade eyes with Soft Force under brows and Bright Future on upper lids. Line with Smolder black eye kohl and thicken lashes with Coal Black Pro Lash mascara. Dust Eversun peach-bronze blush on cheeks. Coat lips with Sunsational beige-gold lipstick and add sparkle with Gold Rebel copper Lipglass.

Makeup bag musts: New glitter innovation Solar Bits gives you the allure of Goldfinger with sunburst colors like Scatterrays and Bronzescape. Add Lustre Drops to your regular foundation for instant, sun-kissed glow. The new Skinsheen self-tanners add even more dimension to your bronzing powder — choose from a soft to golden to deep bronze tan.

Colour Craft

It’s all about: Making the look your own. An unprecedented assortment of colors gives you the daring and creativity to be your own makeup artist. Mineralize Skinfinish shades come in three new mosaic combinations, while new duo-fiber makeup brushes are crafted to be the ultimate artist’s tool, handy for highlighting and shading.

How to get the look: Contour and shade eyes with the four shades in the Odd Bits Mineralize eye shadow compact. Apply Mineralize blush in Daft Pink to cheeks. Dust Mineralize Skinfinish in Sunny By Nature across forehead, down the bridge of the nose, cheekbones and chin. Glide on Madly Creative lipstick and dot with Miss Marble Lipglass.

Makeup bag musts: Colour Craft Mineralize eye shadows come in pinwheel designs that combine hues in modern, unexpected ways. Lipglasses in the collection also get a lift, with three new shades swirled to create a one-of-a-kind marble finish packaged in a sleek new vial. And the small but artful 109 and 226 brushes are perfect for contouring and blending all the new shadows and powders.

* * *

MAC is available at all MAC locations in Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, and Marionnaud Mall of Asia.