Sneak Peek at MAC Punk Couture and MAC Magnetic Nude

Last Saturday, I attended a MAC Masterclass held by Romero Jennings, the Director of Makeup Artistry of MAC Cosmetics (North America). It’s been almost 3 years since he last visited Singapore (I was pregnant then!), so it’s lovely to have him back.

Woven into the enjoyable session were advanced makeup techniques, as well as a look at the products he’d used backstage for the Spring/Summer 2014 fashion shows, many of which will be launched in upcoming collections. Among them are MAC Punk Couture and MAC Magnetic Nude, two disparate but no less lemming-worthy collections.

I didn’t have the time to swatch everything but I thought I’d share a few photos of what I’d seen, so you’ll have an idea of what to expect. (Incidentally, I tend to post sneak peeks more quickly on Instagram as it’s a quick and easy visual platform, so do check out my feed there.)

Punk Couture is mostly deep and dark. A capsule collection of the same name apparently made a small appearance mid-year but this one seems to be more extensive.

I only saw 3 lipsticks, 3 lipglosses and an eyeshadow quad but I’d read that there are 3 polishes and 3 pigments as well. I’m not sure if this is specific to Singapore or simply that the samples haven’t come in.

Though the plum is pretty, this compact isn’t exactly inspiring. It would be nice if the shades were the same as the lipstick hues!

Anyways, here are swatches of the Eyeshadow x 4 Palette in Punk Couture which contains the following shades:

All Races (top left) – A mauvey-beige that’s unexpected, as it looks so clean in the pan! I’m pretty fond of such colours to complement smokes without being too outstanding like a clearer hue. It would even work to diffuse smokey shades on the lids or to contour the socket area. It actually reminds me of Light Fall in the MAC Shadowy Lady quad, only softer.

Idol Eyes (top right) – In the notorious Veluxe formula known for fallout and big sparkles, this is surprisingly smooth.

Magic Moor (bottom left) – A shimmery blackened plum which we last saw in the MAC Tartan Tale collection.

Carbon (bottom right) – Now, I don’t know if it’s a sample issue but this pan swatched so poorly, unlike the Carbons that I’ve used in MAC history.

The Cremesheen Glass lipglosses are:

Jet Boy – A glittery greyed olive with multi-coloured sparkles

No Apologies – A glittery greyed magenta with multi-coloured sparkles

Dark Outsider – A deep charcoal with less visible sparkles, compared to the other two.

All three are translucent, perfect for deepening/toning down/smoking up brighter hues.

They actually remind me of the Glimmerglass in the MAC Style Black collection but I’m not sure why they appear to have different names and a different formula (again, this could be sample issues – preview pieces sometimes have working names/formulas).

The lipstick selections are colours after my own heart! I don’t know which formula they’re in but they felt like they belong to the Retro Matte range.

In the collection are:

Punk Couture – A cool-toned purple

Hautecore – A black that seems to have a red-plum undertone (I’m not entirely sure as I’d swatched these very quickly.)

Instigator – A violet-magenta

Studded Kiss – A garnet red

Carnal Instinct – A cool coppery red

And then there’s the Magnetic Nude collection, which sees the return of the In Extra Dimension formula. I’m fond of this finish and hope MAC makes it a permanent one versus having it appear sporadically in selected collections.

Here’s In Extra Dimension Blush in Pleasure Model, which Romero said was the singular item the MAC team had used backstage as a bronzer during the aforementioned fashion shows. (Next to its swatch is that of a pewter eyeshadow in the collection; I think it’s called Silver Dawn.)

It appears somewhat intense here but really gives a gentle touch of colour when used with a fluffy brush like the MAC 168, as demonstrated by the maestro himself.

Oh, and in happy news, In Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb makes a comeback in this collection. Previously seen last year, this peachy-champagne nude was apparently a sell-out. I didn’t get it then but now I that I’ll have a second chance, it’s edging its way onto my maybe-list. ;)

If all goes well, we can expect to see these two collections end-December 2013 or early-January 2014 on our shores. Start making your wishlist!

Here’s a photo of the contents of Romero’s awesomely neat kit. I’m particularly impressed with his brush bag and its array of Pro Longwear Pencils.

Also outstanding was his colourful customised palette comprising MAC Pro Sculpting Creams, Cream Colour Bases, Paint Sticks and lipsticks (he recommends pressing them in versus melting, as the latter can lead to product separation).

He never carries glass and prefers to decant products into plastic tubes and other containers from Muji. He also has a special torchlight that has a magnetic base for hands-free touch-ups during shows. You can read more about his backstage secrets here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this sneak peek. I haven’t been on such a MAC high in a while, having been almost-estranged from the brand due to other beauty distractions and some measure of non-interest in their latest collections. (I am going to check out the MAC x Rick Baker Halloween products, though – they look supremely must-haveable!)

It’s great to be back on the MAC bandwagon. As I’d tweeted earlier, going back to MAC is like going home…it might not be my mainstay now but I’d so many firsts with the brand that it has a special place in my heart. :)