MAC Is Beauty

absolute favorites

Fashionphiles in the country are more beauty conscious than ever. While fashion trends are easy to commit to, sometimes purchasing makeup requires a little more justification. Clothes are affordable, used for a measly number of hours in a day and can be layered under mounds of fabric the moment you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable like bumping into someone with the exact same look. Loud trends and statement pieces are actually easily justified – an investment for going out, for parties or special dates. As rare as those occasions may be, there’s always that option of pushing garments to the back of your closet and dusting them off when needed.

Makeup on the other hand is a little trickier. It’s not everyday you get to wear orange lipstick or copper eyeliner (although I don’t see why not). Aside from the shelf life being pretty short, I think makeup can make girls as conscious as much as it can make them confident. An inappropriate beauty comment by an uninformed dude (it usually comes from them, no?) and a woman can spend the rest of the day in shame burying the made-up face she left the house feeling 100% confident in.

I personally love makeup. The feeling of popping open a new tube of lipstick is unparalleled. I spend late nights trying on new purchases and figuring out how best to use them. Aside from the shallow rush, I especially enjoy having an arsenal of hues and tools to use at my disposal when I need to impress, convince, play nice and sometimes even intimidate. Given that I wear black about 82% of the time, makeup is my first line of defense in self-expression and stepping out into this harsh, harsh world.

Makeup has been part of my life early on with me sneaking my nose in the contents of my mom’s kit. My curiosity was sated as I was allowed clear lipgloss and balms, and sometimes, a pop of blush growing up. Inevitably, after years of barely-there products, I fell in love with the boldest of colors post-puberty. Green eyeliner was my absolute favorite using it everyday in my last couple years in college.

Unfortunately, the line I liked was discontinued and I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect emeralds, teals and amethysts since. Finally, after years of beauty trials and, consequently, errors, I finally came across the perfect eyeliner selection.

MAC Philippines launched its MAC IS BEAUTY line yesterday at the Glorietta Activity Center and I kid you not when I say I’ve finally found my match – about 16 of them actually. The collection is a full range of cosmetics from 12 lipstick shades, 4 lip glass hues, powders, mascara, nail polish, pencil liners and my absolute new favorites the set of 16 fluid liners – colored gel liners in the rainbow hue of your dreams from teal all the way to glittery copper (see below). The event set design in a bubble gum shade of pink was but an Instagrammable bonus.

The collection does not shy away from color and offers a quick step to glamorize anyone who needs a little pick-me-up or a confidence boost. Power swipes are just as effective as power stances and a bold red lip is as captivating as a well-fitting pantsuit. Let’s stave off the nudes for now and embrace the bold and the beautiful within us. And if some jerk says otherwise, laugh it off and keep at it.

Special thanks to Shari and Raiza for the photos