Divine intervention: MAC launches 2013 Holiday collection Divine Night

Christmas came early this year as MAC, the country’s leading cosmetics brand, launched its 2013 holiday collection last November 11 at Whitespace, Makati.

Decked out in a motif straight out of the groovy discotheque era, front and center at the event were MAC models in hefty crimped red wigs, flowing chiffon dresses, and freshly-made up faces that defined this year’s Divine Night collection—a range of smoky neutrals, deep set evening hues, and product finishes in frost and variants of shimmer.

Maxene Magalona hosted the festivities in the same 70’s style, Nikki Gil provided entertainment for the evening, while Dalal Monsour, a makeup artist from MAC Australia, demonstrated easy looks using the Divine Night collection.

This year’s collection called out to the glamazon in all of us, for the range combined romance, elegance, and Hollywood glam to perfection. Fans will be delighted to know that cult favorites such as Mineralized eyeshadows, blushes, and Skinfinishes are here to stay—albeit infused with some much anticipated upgrades.

The collection presented three offerings: Nocturnals, a giftable set with a mini gloss kit, mini tinted flavored lip conditioner kit and mini pigments, and glitter kit; Stroke of Midnight, a set of brush kits, lip and cheek necessities, eye products, and a grooming kit; and lastly, Divine Night, a collection of mineralized eyeshadows, cream-based eyeliners, false eyelashes, kohl pencil eyeliners, mineralized blush and skinfinishes, lipstick, Cremesheen Glass lip gloss, and nail lacquers.

Here’s a peek at the collection.

Stroke of Midnight Brush Kit in Mineralize

For those of you who find it hard on the wallet to stack up on your brushes, here’s a kit to answer your prayers. Expect the same high quality material in retail—only in miniature, art deco versions of themselves. The Mineralize kit is equipped with a Duo Fibre Eyeshadow Brush, Duo Fibre Blending Brush, Duo Fibre Blush Brush, and Duo Fibre Face Brush (more popularly known as a stippling brush).

Unlike the other two brush kits also in this collection, the mineralize kit is the starter kit of all brushes. Use the Duo Fibre Eyeshadow Brush to apply color on lids then the Duo Fibre Blending brush to grade hues seamlessly—which is a technique you’ll keep going back to with MAC’s roster of shades. Use the Duo Fibre Face Brush for your foundation then the blush brush for cheek accents.

You’ll notice that the brushes are made with black and white bristles, a technique designed to make makeup application sheer and buildable. This type of strand design makes it virtually impossible to apply makeup in thick layers, which is key to a more natural finish. The brushes are soft on the skin and easy to clean, making it an investment worth every centavo.

Stroke of Midnight Eyes/Smoky

This hard-cased eye palette contains five shades you can work on your lids. Chillproof (a frosty white shadow) is a sheer yet lustrous shade you can use as a highlighter, while Retrospeck (a beach blonde powder) and Gaelic Gold (a metallic gold with shimmer finish) can be applied on lids. Both hues have a creamy finish and are easy enough to blend together with the right brush or a dainty enough fingertip.

The two remaining square palettes offer an edgier take on things, which is perfect look for the evening. Well Put Together (a black palette with gold frost) and Carbon (an intense matte black) look great when applied on the rim of the eye. Wear primer for this though, as some slight fading and fall-out are to be expected after the eight-hour mark.

Stroke of Midnight Lip Look Bag in Nude

This lip kit should be the counterweight for the glamorous looks offered in this range. Nude kissers are a fail-safe, plus it amps up the glow in your skin.

MAC’s Lip Look Bag in Nude contains the Softly Lit Cremesheen Glass, Creme d’ Nude Lipstick and the Boldy Bare Lip Pencil. The three products work well together and give off an old rose-soft beige hybrid on lips.

The creamy lipstick straddles between sheen and matte for those of you looking for the perfect in-betweener. The formula doesn’t bleed and holds its place despite eating or sipping on coffee.

The Cremesheen lip gloss offers high-shine to those of you who are fans of the plumped up look but the formula could also be too thick for some. Remedy this by applying the gloss with a lip brush (to control product deposit) rather than swiping it across your mouth with the doe-foot applicator it comes with.

Divine Night Fluidline in Deliciously Rich

This cream-based, shimmery dirty taupe is the next alternative to your typical black eyeliner. The color is dark enough to add definition to lids but its grayish hue makes it wearable during daytime. It has tiny flecks of shimmer to add a bedazzling aspect to lids while its creamy formula makes application a breeze.

Here’s a tip, line your eyes with the same color eyeshadow before applying the cream eyeliner. It helps make the product adhere better and last longer.

Divine Night Lipstick in Private Party

This statement lipstick promises an impact. With a satin finish and a dirty plum hue, Private Party is a shade confident women will flock to wear. It’s creamy and packs a lot of pigment so go easy on everything else (like your eyeshadow and your blush).

It wears fairly long and rates well on lipstick bleeding, but if you want to get the most out of this sucker, dab on some powder foundation on your lips first before swiping on the product to make it last you through the day. A good lip liner will do you no harm, either.

Divine Night Mineralize Blush in Talk Of The Town

As far as blushes go, MAC’s mineralize blush range is as flattering as they come. The brand has mastered its formula, giving users the radiance they so often crave. This shade, in particular, has a warm brown base combined with yellow bronze for creating a subtle, glowing halo. Use sparingly with a stippling blush to get that sheer finish and you’re ready to go.

This blush compact blends effortlessly on skin and has a finish so natural, it’s virtually undetectable. It’s a must-have for that pretty flush.

Divine Night Mineralize Eyeshadow in Gilded Night

Divine Night’s Mineralize Eyeshadow in Gilded Night is the most flattering eyeshadow combo for olive skin tones. Its bright gold with silver pearl base is a neutral mocha while the black with pearl frost powder is a great ally to contour lids with. It’s a color combination for smoky eye newbies and is easy to blend in and out with.

The product has a creamy formula and a frosty shimmer finish to keep things glam and seductive. It’s easy to blend and stays on with the right primer. Wear this with a deep-hued lippie and you can’t go wrong. — VC, GMA News