• You should always buy the best quality makeup brushes you can afford. Yes, they can be pricey but this is one case where you really do get what you pay for. Good makeup brushes are an investment. Bad brushes need to be replaced more often and can irritate your skin.

photo credit: Fufi

• Natural bristles are generally better than synthetic ones. They also cost a lot more. Natural bristles are a must for large areas of the face but if you need to save some money, you can get away with synthetic fibers for any brushes that will be used with liquids.

• Pay attention to the material of the handle. Plastic is very easy to clean, which is important when you are working with liquids. Wooden handles, on the other hand, are more elegant and traditional but it can be very difficult to get stains out and these require extra drying time after washing. It’s really a matter of personal preference.

• Consider the density of the bristles in relation to the intended purpose of the brush. Stiff, tightly-packed bristles are a must for an eyebrow shading brush but softer bristles work better for applying loose powder all over the face.

• Look at handle length. Longer handles are easier to work with whereas shorter handles travel better.

• Concealer brushes can be synthetic if you are using them for liquid or cream concealer. Look for a small brush with a tapered round tip for covering blemishes and a flat, tapered square head for covering dark circles under the eyes.

• A good blush brush will be significantly larger than those that are usually included in the packaging of most blushes, yet not quite as big as a powder brush. Look for soft, natural bristles with a tapered head.

• If you are new to brushes, you might want to purchase a brush set from a reputable brand. Brands like MAC and Shu Uemura are considered some of the best. If your budget is smaller, you might want to try Sonia Kashuk or Essence of Beauty. Brush sets take some of the guesswork out of brush selection and are a great way to get a collection of useful brushes together. This often works out to be cheaper than buying them individually as well.

Excitement for MAC’s In The Groove collection began to mount pretty much as soon as it was announced. The reason for all the hype is the re-release of the highly coveted Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish. This shimmery dark coral powder seems to be universally flattering. It suits fair skin when applied with a light hand and a heavier application gives darker skin a beautiful pink glow. This product was a limited edition release in Gold Play several years ago and has been commanding a high price tag in second-hand sales ever since. Finally everyone will get a chance to go to their MAC counter and pay retail for it.

That being said, there is really so much more to In The Groove than just Stereo Rose so if you have already tried it and aren’t a fan, your pocketbook isn’t necessarily safe. In fact, Stereo Rose is just one of several Mineralize Skinfinishes that MAC has dug out from the archives for this collection. Petticoat, Comfort, and By Candlelight are a few other shades you may want to pick up while you can.

Mineralize Blushes and Mineralize Eye Shadow Trios also play a big role in In The Groove. Of the five limited edition blush duos, New Vibe is the easy favorite with touches of bronze to complement the rosy pink color. There are enough Mineralize Skinfinish Eye Shadow Trios to set the hearts of MAC shadow fans aflutter. Girls with lighter eyes will find the shades in Togetherness very flattering- a purple, grey, and lavender that look soft and elegant together. The green and beige shades in Calm, Cool, & Collected seem like they were custom made to help brown eyes pop.

The other big story in In The Groove is the limited edition Cremesheen Glasses. On the Scene is a pretty coral that is toned down with enough beige to make it wearable by people who want to wear coral but can never quite pull it off. Fashion Whim is a soft beige that is great for creating a nude lip look or toning down lipstick that is too bright.

Completing the collection are several new Cremesheen Lipsticks as well as some repromoted Powerpoints. The pearly purple Permaplum is one of those eyeliners everyone should own. One of the cremesheen lipsticks, All Styled Up, is a yellow-based pink which is perfect for those who can’t pull off cool-toned pinks as most lipsticks tend to be.

With so many products and colors to choose from, this is one of those collections that most MAC junkies will need to either budget for or avoid their MAC counters altogether during its release.

Lipstick
* All Styled Up – Bright yellow pink (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)
* Call My Bluff – Mid-tone creamy coffee (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)
* Creme de Nude – Pale muted peach beige (Cremesheen) (Permanent)
* Go For It – Mid-tone blue purple (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)
* I Like It Like That – Deep Blue pink (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)
* Jazzed – Bright coral pink (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Cremesheen Glass
* Chillin’ – Light white blue (Limited Edition)
* Fashion Whim – Light Beige (Limited Edition)
* Going Casual – Sheer lilac (Limited Edition)
* On the Scene – Light Coral beige (Limited Edition)
* Right Image – Mid-tone blue pink (Limited Edition)
* You’ve Got It – Mid-tone silver grey (Limited Edition)

Mineralize Eye Shadow (Trio) ($19.50 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)
* Blue My Mind – Satin light blue/Pearly deep teal/Satin black (Limited Edition)
* Calm, Cool, & Collected – Satin deep green/Pearly green/Satin beige (Limited Edition)
* Fresh & Easy – Satin pink/Pearly burgundy/Satin grey (Limited Edition)
* In the Groove – Satin green/Pearly burgundy/Satin coral (Limited Edition)
* Love to Love – Satin beige/Pearly Bronze/Satin Brown (Limited Edition)
* Making It Easy – Satin red brown/Pearly beige rose/Satin dark beige (Limited Edition)
* Style Influencer – Satin silver/Pearly deep blue/Satin deep mauve brown (Limited Edition)
* Soften the Mood – Satin light brown/Pearly rose/Satin light blue (Limited Edition)
* Togetherness – Satin lavender/Pearly purple/Satin grey (Limited Edition)

Powerpoint Eye Pencil
* Navy Stain – Royal blue with shimmer (Permanent)
* Permaplum – Deep plum with pink shimmer (Permanent)
* Stubborn Brown – Deep Rich Brown (Permanent)

Zoom Lash Mascara ($13.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN)
* Zoomblack – Rich Black (Permanent)

Mineralize Skinfinish
* By Candlelight – Golden pink (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)
* Stereo Rose – Coral with golden/bronze shimmering nuances (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)
* Comfort – Golden bronze (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)
* Petticoat – Pale rose with gold and amber veining (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Mineralize Blush Duo
* Happy Together – Satin caramel/Pearly beige (Limited Edition)
* A Little Bit of Sunshine – Satin light brown/Pearly beige (Limited Edition)
* Hang Loose – Satin bright pink/Pearly lavender (Limited Edition)
* Band of Roses – Satin blue pink/Pearly light plum (Limited Edition)
* New Vibe – Satin deep rose/Pearly bronze (Limited Edition)

Makeup Brushes
* 187 Brush

MAC’s To The Beach collection is filled with the sort of items you might expect to find in a summer collection – bronzes and bright colors that look great against tanned skin. Most of us find that the colors we’ve been wearing all winter just don’t look right once we start spending more time outdoors in the summer. MAC comes to the rescue once again with great selections in eye shadow, lipstick, and bronzers.

Everything in this collection features special beach-themed packaging. At first the green eyeshadow pots with white seashells outlined on the front are a bit jarring and almost look like they are not even from MAC. But these cases and the similar green blush compacts with their starfish design actually do have their charm. In fact, it’s fun to pull these out when you’re putting on your makeup and it also makes it easier to find the new summer shades among the sea of black shadow pots you probably have swimming in your makeup drawer. The Sweet & Punch shadow is a fun color that reminds me of key limes. It’s a festive shade perfect for an outdoor lunch or lounging on a boat.

The lipsticks here are perfectly suited to the theme if a bit predictable and boring. Lazy Day is the requisite blue-based pink that only the tannest among us can pull off. Beach Bound is a frosty peach shade that is great if you’re going for a nude lip look, especially if you pair it with the sparkly peach Flurry of Fun Lipglass also in this collection. The lipsticks come in orange tubes with white conch shells and the Lipglasses have orange caps emblazoned with seahorses.

Lustre Drops make a reappearance here from the Style Warrior collection. This is a multi-purpose liquid highlighter that helps you achieve a sun-kissed look. The golden bronze Sun Rush Lustre Drops are the perfect complement to a tan while the Pink Rebel Lustre Drops help give paler skin a fresh glow. Dot on with your fingers or blend into foundation or cream blush for a pearly glow. Scorcher Nail Lacquer could very well be one of the best Nail Lacquers MAC Cosmetics has ever released. It’s the perfect coral shade to paint on your toes for the beach but bright enough that you will want to confine its use only to the summertime.

The Marine Life High-Light Powder is a pressed powder highlighter that uses shades of pink, peach, bronze, and brown to transform the surface of the powder into a work of art depicting a seahorse swimming in the ocean. The design is so beautiful that you almost don’t want to use it but the powder gives such a nice glow that you don’t feel too bad about disturbing the scene.

Eyeshadow – $14.50 US/$17.50 CDN

* Firecraker – Frosted mid-tone red orange (Veluxe Pearl)
* Humid – Intense green with shimmer (Frost)
* Sand & Sun – Light peach (Matte)
* Sweet & Punchy – Bright yellow green (Veluxe Pearl)
* Shimmermoss – Green with green pearl (Veluxe Pearl)

Eye Kohl – $14.50 US/$17.50 CDN

* Float on By – Dark green turquoise
* Rosemary & Thyme – Mid-tone olive gold with shimmer

Lipstick – $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

* Beachbound – Sheer frosted pale peach (Glaze)
* Lazy Day – Light dirty blue pink (Lustre)
* Thrills – Rosy copper with gold pearl (Frost)
* Funbathing – Mid-tone bronzed plum (Cremesheen)

Lipglass – $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

* Easy Lounger – Light baby pink with multi-dimensional pear
* Flurry of Fun – Sheer sparkly peach
* Splashing – Mid-tone blue pink with soft gold pearl

Lip Pencil – $13.00 US/$15.50 CDN

* Life’s a Breeze – Soft pink
* Temperature Rising – Loudmouth orange

Powder Blush – $18.50 US/$22.00 CDN

* Get-Away Bronze – Mid-tone Suntan (Frost)
* Hipness – Intense coral with soft white pearl (Frost)

High-Light Powder – $26.00 US/$32.00 CDN

* Marine Life – Multicolour pressed powder

MAC Cream Bronzer – $25.00 US/$30.00 CDN

* Beach Bronze – Golden Glow with Soft Gold Finish
* Weekend – Mid-tone deep orange brown with soft pink pearl

Luster Drops – $18.50 US/$22.50 CDN

* Pink Rebel – Blue pink with gold pearl
* Sun Rush – Peachy bronze with gold pearl

Bronzing Powder – $22.00 US/$27.00 CDN

* Golden – Muted golden tan-beige with golden shimmer
* Refined Golden – Finely spun golden with soft pearl finish

Bronze Body Oil – $22.00 US/$27.00 CDN

* Glowing tan with multidimensional golden shimmer

Nail Lacquer – $12.00 US/$14.50 CDN

* In the Buff – Muted taupe avocado (Cream)
* Scorcher – Creamy bright coral red (Cream)

Makeup Bags

* MAC To The Beach Bag – $49.50 US/$59.50 CDN
Available at MAC Stores only.

Brushes

Brush 130 – Short Duo Fibre – $38.00 US/$45.50 CDN
Brush 130 Short Duo Fibre Powder/Blush – $34.00 US/$41.00 CDN

MAC in Lillyland is a Lilly Pulitzer inspired collection that features bright, bold colors reminiscent of the shades you might see on Florida socialites. The timing of this release is either odd or genius depending on how you look at it. Most of the colors scream “spring”, but then again, thoughts of spring are very uplifting in the middle of a dreary winter. These fun colors are a great way to combat the winter blues and will still get plenty of use come spring and summer.

The Pearlmatte Face Powder is one of the more interesting offerings in Lillyland. This pressed powder features a floral design with four colors that can be used alone or blended together to give a soft bronze look. It gives your skin a faint pearlish sheen without being over-the-top glimmery. The Pearlmatte Eye Shadow follows a similar concept, with separate shades of white, pink, and green in a pretty flower design that can be swirled together for a soft pearl finish or used separately. The four Lip Gelees in this collection are enhanced with pearlized glitter. The glitter can be appear prominent with a heavy application but a lighter hand can give a soft pearl finish. The glitter isn’t big or heavy enough to feel gritty on your lips. Lush & Bright is a peachy pink color that is very pigmented as far as Lipgelees go. It’s a bright coral with pink shimmer that is perfect for layering over some of your more boring shades of lipstick to help brighten them.

Cremeblend blushes are soft, creamy blushes that are perfect for drier skin. They are very easy to blend so don’t shy away from them if you’ve never used cream blush before. So Sweet, So Easy is a very muted baby pink that is perfect for very pale skin tones but way too soft to be noticeable on those with darker skin. The Joie-de-Vivre blush is perhaps the best item in the entire collection- a coral color that would look great on anyone and lends a natural flush to the cheeks.

All in all, MAC in Lillyland is a well-rounded collection that can be worn in any season so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Lipgelee ($14.00 US/$16.50 CDN)

* Lush & Bright – Bright pink yellow-coral with pink pearl (LE)
* Preppy – Blue-pink with pink pearl (LE)
* Resort Life – Off-white with pink pearl (LE)
* Shift to Pink – Light violet with silver pearl (LE)

Paint Pot ($16.50 US/$19.00 CDN)

* Bare Study – Soft beige with gold pearl (Frost) (Permanent)
* Fresco Rose – Pink with matching pearl (Frost) (Permanent)
* Rubenesque – Golden peach with gold pearl (Frost) (Permanent)

Technakohl Liner ($14.50 US/$17.00 CDN)

* Graphblack – Rich graphic black (Permanent)
* Purple Dash – Intense aubergine (Permanent)

Pearlmatte Eyeshadow ($19.50 US/$25.50 CDN)

* White, Green and Pink – Three shades in a flower pattern (LE)

Pearlmatte Face Powder ($27.50 US/$32.50 CDN)

* Neutrals – Four shades in a flower pattern (LE)

Cremeblend Blush ($18.50 U.S. / $22.00 CDN)

* Florida – Bright fuchsia (LE)
* Joie-de-Vivre – Peachy coral (LE)
* Optimistic – Orange Bright coral (LE)
* So Sweet, So Easy – Light yellow pink (LE)

Nail Lacquer ($12.00 US/$15.50 CDN)

* Coconut Ice – Light yellow peach pink (Cream) (LE)
* Steamy – Hot ‘n Steamy pink (Cream) (Permanent)

Brushes

* 168 (Permanent)
* 239 (Permanent)

This collection is full of fun, shimmery holiday shades. I just can’t wait for my first holiday party. With warm pinks and plums, soft sparkles and shimmery warm eyeshadow shades, I’m ready for a cozy holiday soiree already.

Magic, Mirth and Mischief is what M∙A∙C Holiday ’09 is made of! All the sparkle, shine and seduction you need to dazzle and delight, with holiday colour to bring out the mischievous minx in each and every one of you. Have a ball!

Shop the gorgeous holiday collection:

Put a Spell On You/Pink Lip ($36.50 U.S. / $43.50 CDN)

* Dream Mid-tone pink with intense pearlized pigments (Glaze) (Lipstick) (Limited Edition)
* Baby Sparks Pale pink with violet pearlized pigments (Dazzleglass) (Permanent)
* Dervish Low-key mauve (Lip Pencil) (Promo Size) (Permanent)

House of Mirth/Deep Lip ($36.50 U.S. / $43.50 CDN)

* Fantasia Deep rose (Lustre) (Lipstick) (Limited Edition)
* Get Rich Quick Warm yellow brown (Dazzleglass) (Permanent)
* Cedar Rich, rose-flushed brown (Lip Pencil) (Promo Size) (Permanent)

Naughty Noir/Eye ($36.50 U.S. / $43.50 CDN)

* Blacktrack Solid flat black (Fluidline) (Permanent)
* Shimmertime Soft baby pink (Pigment) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)
* Zoomblack Mascara (Promo Size)
* 209SE Brush

Alakazam! Chocolate/Eye ($36.50 U.S. / $43.50 CDN)

* Rich Ground Reddened coco with frost (Fluidline) (Permanent)
* Melon Soft bright golden peach (Pigment) (Permanent) (Repromote)
* Zoomblack Mascara (Promo Size)
* 209SE Brush

Do-the-Trick Buff and Line Brush Set ($49.50 U.S. / $58.00 CDN)

* 168SE
* 187SE
* 209SE
* 219SE
* 252SE

Wave of a Wand Sweep and Define Brush Set ($49.50 U.S. / $58.00 CDN)

* 129SE
* 190SE
* 212SE
* 227SE
* 275SE

Morning, Noon, & Knight Everything Eye Brush Set ($49.50 U.S. / $58.00 CDN)

* 194SE
* 204SE
* 224SE
* 266SE
* 275SE