While Varekai's performers twirl and whirl, their makeup stays put

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no business like show business, and there’s no more makeup more dramatic than theater makeup.

With hot lights bathing every performer’s face onstage, theater makeup has to be made of sterner stuff than everyday maquillage. Namely, it should be longer lasting, with higher pigmentation, and flexible enough for precise application, the better for the audience to see even way back in the nosebleed seats.

Cosmetics brand Mac has long prided itself for its professional makeup artist-quality products. It ups the ante, though, with Mac Pro, a line of makeup products developed by makeup artists for makeup artists. With a range of 300-plus high-performance products, Mac Pro comes with high-quality formulations, colors, and finishes and is backed by cutting-edge makeup technology, all in service of the makeup artist’s creativity as they bring faces (and bodies) to life.

Stripped: Though industry-strength formulated, the MAC Cleanse Off Oil is gentle on the skin even as it cleans off grime, makeup, and dirt.

Just take as proof the fantastical looks of Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai acrobats and performers. In the two hours that they twirl and swing 30 feet in the air and whirl like dervishes, their vivid makeup stays put, as defined from the minute they step on the stage as when they take a final bow.

Some of the Mac pro products that the Varekai performers rely on are: the MAC Pro Full Coverage Foundation, an easy-to-blend, water-resistant and emollient-based foundation that can give from sheer to full coverage of marks, blemishes, and even scars; the Mac Pro Paint Stick for highlighting and contouring; and the Mac Pro Mixing Medium, used to blend and apply highly pigmented makeup and even create custom colors using both powder and liquid cosmetics. The Mixing Medium, in particular, is the makeup artist’s best arsenal in creating unique looks for every performer, the thinner to manipulate colors with on a prepped canvas.

While Mac Pro makeup doesn’t go anywhere, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t wash off. The Mac Cleanse Off Oil is an industry-strength oil-based makeup remover infused with olive fruit, evening primrose and jojoba seed oils, ensuring its gentleness on the skin. Easy to rinse off, it leaves behind no residue. For on-the-go makeup removal, Mac Wipes are infused with vitamin E and Mac’s special cleanser, swiping away makeup, dirt and grime even as they hydrate and nourish the skin.

Easy off: Vitamin E-infused Mac Remover wipes for on-the-go makeup removal.

Professional makeup may have been developed for those who are serious about the makeup business. The best thing when it comes to Mac Pro products, however, is that they are so easy to apply and blend that even makeup novices can create their own budge- and smudge-free looks. Go light and sheer or full-on and opaque — MAC Pro can help you get ready for your close-up.