MAC Me up

by Jen and Olga
I’m the kind of girl who puts her makeup on in about five minutes. Sometimes it looks good, other times it appears as though I’m twelve years old playing with my mom’s assorted eyeliners and lipsticks. 

Having attended several fashion shows this year and seeing how flawlessly models look, I wanted to learn the process behind a full face application.  

Perhaps it may have been more practical to ask for a clean day look, but ‘practicality’ isn’t really my specialty; so instead I said, “Make me look like nightlife circa 1985”. With all the fun bright colours making quite the splash this season, what better way to experiment than to have a senior artist at MAC, Melissa Gibson, do me up like a female version of David Bowie.  

Since I was sitting in a chair with my eyes looking up, down, shut and sideways, SDTC writer Olga took down notes on how to achieve this dramatic look…  

To start things off, Melissa prepped her work surface – the plains of Jen’s face – with MAC Wipes.  These are magic.  If you’re too lazy to wash your face (like I am), these babies certainly do the trick. 

Next it was time for Studio Moisture Cream – a super silky formula that doubles as a day or night cream – and leaves skin feeling hydrated and refreshed.   

Now that I could see my reflection on Jen’s shiny forehead, it was time for Melissa to even out her complexion with Face and Body Foundation, which she applied with a brush.  What about our trusty sponges? Melissa assured us that brushes work a lot better, and provide the following advantages over sponges: 

      * product feels lighter on skin

      * skin looks more natural

      * no streaking

      * unlike sponge, brush doesn’t soak up product

      * provides more airbrushed look 

Just remember to wash your brushes every couple of days to avoid build-up of product – and worse – bacteria.  As a side note, Melissa used the 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush, made from a blend of goat and synthetic fibres. Bahhhhh. Okay, not funny…sorry. 

Melissa was right, Jen’s skin looked dewy and radiant, and I was very jealous as I stole a couple moments to examine my own blotchy face.  In that moment, I took comfort in the fact that Jen’s skin wasn’t perfect just yet; there were still a couple more steps left to go. And so, it was time for the smallest tube that goes the longest way – Select Cover-Up, which I’ve come to swear by for the last 5 years.  It goes on smooth and you can wear it with or without foundation. 

And just like that, it was powder time!  With so many different options to choose from – sheer, pressed, loose, and mineral – its hard to pick just one. Not for Melissa. She went straight for a Blot Pressed Powder, which reduces shine without adding much colour or texture and sets foundation. 

It was now time for the best part – the eyes.  Melissa began by applying two shades of Painstick to the lid – Genuine Orange and Pink Vivid. I’ve never seen these before as they are from the MAC Pro line, and was interested to learn that they are HIGHLY pigmented, and go on with no grease or shine.  

But that was only the first step. Now it was time to really make Jen’s green eyes POP with a combination of Devil Powderblush and Bisque Matte Shadow, which Melissa liberally applied to the top lid, and used as a liner on the lower lid. 

For even more PIZZAZZ, Melissa pulled out a Bright Fuchsia Loose Shadow, and assured us that it was easy enough to work with as it adheres to skin. It can go on as sheer or intense as you like, and stays on without streaking or caking.   

To finish off the eye, Melissa applied mascara to Jen’s lashes, and Blacktrack Fluid Line along the top and bottom lashline with an angled brush. 

The rest of the make-up was kept neutral and soft.  To bring out Jen’s cheek bones Melissa used the Prism Blush – a muted rosy brown hue with matte finish.  As for the lips, she chose the most beautiful shade of lipstick called High Tea – an elegant beiged pink colour with a bit of pearl. 

Jen’s conclusive remarks: 

As predicted, this is not the ‘quick and dirty’ approach to making yourself up however – you can pull insight from some of the tips, or if you are attending a concert, Pride event, or over-the-top theme party, then go full out and have fun. 

Of course, with such dramatic eyes, it was most necessary to follow up our maquillage with a rock out photo shoot in a colourful graffiti alley.  

WORK IT, LOVE IT, DANCE IT, OWN IT!!