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

Craft Paper Couture – an inspired idea cut like a pattern and whipped up into a frisky little “funny face” frock. Then, strip it back to its essence for Summer 2010 for a Pret-a-Papier colour collection. It was a Project Runway challenge of sorts, with paper as the source, the instigator of ideas, the beginning of something simply, basically beautiful. Lipstick, Lipglass, Eyeshadow, Paint Pot, Chromografic Pencil, Studio Fix Lash, Impeccable Brow Pencil, Sheertone and Mineralize Blushes, and Nail Lacquer in a seamless spectrum of parchment-to-vellum beiges, with an occasional, clever colour spill, coral among the most au courant.

MAC’s Pret a Papier collection is sure to please lovers of beige and coral. The promo materials play up the contrast of bright pinks and peaches against the backdrop of soft golden beige. Even if those don’t rank among your favorite cosmetics colors, there are still a few items here worth checking out.

This collection features two paint pots that match the theme perfectly. The new Coral Crepe Paint Pot is a lovely muted coral shade that is limited edition. There is also Groundwork, a repromote of the classic creamy taupe paint pot that is the perfect base for just about any eyeshadow look.

MAC is offering two coral lipsticks as part of this collection. Dressmaker, Dressmaker is a light coral with some peach thrown in for a result that is bright without being bold and helps you look more awake. Made to Order is the other coral and this one is more on the neutral side for those who want to wear coral but have trouble pulling off so much pink. Both are the Lustre formulation which means you can expect a wash of color with a soft sheen and plenty of hydration. MAC also dug up Archetype from the McQueen collection for this occasion. This beige-gold lipstick creates a nude lip that pairs well the Coral Crepe Paint Pot eye look without competing with it. However, without other bright colors on your face to balance out your look, this lipstick can make you look washed out.

Chromagraphic Pencils are flesh-toned pencil liners that have many great uses. The two available are NC15/NW20 and NW25/NC30 but getting an exact match is not really necessary. These are perfect for your waterline because they aren’t as obvious as using white or a light blue. They can also be used right next to your usual darker eyeliner to help make the dark line look cleaner and more defined.

Five eyeshadows make up part of this collection. Tissue Weight is one of the prettiest. This is a very soft and subtle frosted peach that is great as a lid wash or brow highlighter. Gazette Grey is one of the more unique shades of eyeshadow MAC has released recently. This dark grey-meets-green color has a pearly gold sheen to it that does not immediately call to mind any other color in MAC’s range. Gold and grey seem like an unusual combination but the green helps bring everything together and the result is a dramatic look that is particularly suited to blue eyes.

Lipstick $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

* ArcheType – Sheer Light Gold (Lustre)
* Dressmaker, Dressmaker – Creamy light peach coral (Lustre)
* Kraft – Creamy mid-tone warm brown (Amplified)
* Made To Order – Creamy mid-tone dirty coral (Lustre)

Lipglass $14.00 US/$16.50 CDN

* C-Thru – Peachy beige with shimmer
* Fold and Tuck – Mid-tone bright coral with soft pearl
* Pret-a-Papier – Dark reddened bronze with pearl

Eyeshadow $14.50 US/$17.50 CDN

* Bamboo – Light beige with peach (Matte)
* Cut To Fit – Frosted red-bronze (Frost)
* Gazette Grey – Dark green-grey with gold-pearl (Velvet)
* Memorabilia – Dirty purple (Matte)
* Tissue Weight – Frosted pale peach (Frost)

Paint Pot $16.50 US/$22.00 CDN

* Coral Crepe – Soft Coral
* Ground Work: Mid Tone Neutral Taupe

Chromagraphic Pencil $14.50 US/$17.50 CDN

* NC 15 / NW 20
* NW 25 / NC 30

Impeccable Brow Pencil $15.00 US/$18.00 CDN

* Dirty Blonde – Blackened dark neutral brown
* Taupe – Mid-tone dirty taupe

Studio Fix Lash $13.00 US/$15.50 CDN

* Black Fix – Black

Sheertone Blush $18.50 US/$22.00 CDN

* Garb – Light golden suntan
* Instant Chic – Mid-tone muted coral

Mineralize Blush $23.00 US/$27.50 CDN

* Light Over Dark – Light yellow brown / dark peach (Frost)

Nail Lacquer $12.00 US/$14.50 CDN

* Brown Bag – Mid-tone warm dirty beige (Cream)
* Originality – Sparkly copper bronze (Frost)

The very latest in a series of famous M∙A∙Collaborations, it was only a matter of time before the demure-to-daring kaleidoscopic prints of Liberty of London coloured our world with Brit wit and bohemian chic. From the unstudied, Sienna Miller style of Spitalfields Market to the grit-and-glamour of Portobello Road, the swinging London girl has always been an unstoppable M·A·C makeup force! Spring 2010 insists on the ultimate flower fusion, with M∙A∙C joining forces with Liberty, creating cool Britannia compacts and Lipsticks, Eye Shadows, Powder, Blush, Nail Lacquers and, of course – blushing, bountiful, quite British accessories.

The first thing about this Liberty of London inspired collection that jumps out at you is the packaging. This packaging has a bird and floral theme that is black and white in some places with splashes of color thrown in.

Frankly Fresh lipglass is a true nude lip gloss that isn’t too brown or boring. It’s more of a peachy nude that is slightly pearly and a great color for spring. This pairs well with the Peachstock Satin lipstick that is also offered. Ever Hip Cremesheen is a pretty coral lipstick that has a lot of pink to it for those who can’t pull off peach.

For the eyes, there is the Give Me Liberty of London matte pink eyeshadow as well as a repromote of Dame’s Desire from the Dame Edna collection which is a very fun frosty medium violet shade that fits in well with this collection. One of the prettiest items is the Birds & Berries Veluxe Pearl shadow. It’s a deep blue green color that is more green than blue with a bit of frost. It should come as no surprise that this, like most everything here, is limited edition. You can get almost the same shade in nail polish form in the Blue India Nail Lacquer.

There are also two makeup bags that feature the Liberty of London design. They come in small and medium sizes and have a zipper closure with a big flower pull. A rather expensive white scarf decorated with large red, orange, blue and green flowers rounds out this collection.

The items in Liberty of London do a great job of evoking imagery of London with the names and shades. The packaging is sure to start conversations while still being distinctly MAC-like.

Eyeshadow ($14.50 US/$17.50 CDN)

* Birds & Berries – Frosted dark green blue (Veluxe Pearl) (LE)
* Bough Grey – Mid-tone bluish grey (Satin) (LE)
* Dame’s Desire – Frosty mid-tone reddish purple (Frost) (LE) (Repromote)
* Free to Be – Creamy true coral (Matte) (LE)
* Give Me Liberty of London – Flat creamy pink (Matte) (LE)

Lipstick($14.00 US/$16.50 CDN)

* Blooming Lovely – Creamy greyed lilac mauve (Amplified) (LE)
* Ever Hip – Creamy light coral (Cremesheen) (LE)
* Peachstock – Neutral peach (Satin) (PRO)
* Petals & Peacocks – Creamy bright magenta pink (Amplified) (LE)

Lipglass ($14.00 US/$16.50 CDN)

* A Different Groove – Deep purple brown with pearl (LE)
* English Accents – Creamy mid-tone blue pink (LE)
* Frankly – Fresh Neutral pink beige with soft pearl (LE)
* Perennial – High Style Creamy bright pink coral (LE)

Beauty Powder ($25.00 US/$30.00 CDN)

A glossy white compact of MAC’s famous beauty powder. The lid is decorated with a flower and bird pattern created especially for the Give Me Liberty of London collection. Limited edition.

* Shell Pearl – Pale peach with gold pearl (LE) (Repromote)
* Summer Rose – Soft violet pink with pearl (LE) (Repromote)

Powder Blush ($18.50 US/$22.00 CDN)

* Dirty Plum – Sheer dark plum (LE)
* Prim & Proper – Neutral nude (LE)

Nail Lacquer ($12.00 US/$14.50 CDN)

* Blue India – Dark green blue with pearl (Cream) (LE)
* Vestral White – Creamy white (Cream) (LE) (Repromote)

Makeup Bags

* Small – 8″ x 2.75″ x 3.5″ ($22.00 US/$26.50 CDN)
* Medium – 8″ x 2.75″ x 5″. ($25.00 US/$31.00 CDN)

Accessories

* Liberty of London Scarf – Coral, orange, yellow and blue, wool/viscose blend. Made in Italy. ($95.00 U.S. / $115.00 CDN)

Time to wham up the GLAM in VIVA GLAM! It’s a gaga-glamorous look at our abiding passion: The M·A·C AIDS Fund and the VIVA GLAM program are the heart and soul of M·A·C Cosmetics. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the sensational Cyndi Lauper and the electric Lady Gaga!

Every year MAC Cosmetics releases a Viva Glam lipstick and donates all of the money from the sales to AIDS research. This promotion has been going on since 1994 and have raised 150 million dollars for the MAC AIDS fund. This year two Viva Glam shades will be released for a limited run of one year. This year Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga are helping to promote the colors, and the shades are just as fun and loud as the two spokesmodels.

MAC Viva Glam Gaga is a blue-based bubblegum pink inspired by Lady Gaga. It’s similar to Saint Germain and Pink Nouveau. Don’t be turned off if cool tones don’t work for you – you could always layer a warmer gloss on top to help tone it down a bit and it’s for a great cause. Viva Glam Cyndi is a berry red color with a bit of an orangey tone to it. It goes on sheer, but with a liner like Half Red underneath, you can get a really beautiful bold red. Both colors are the lustre formulation which means they have a soft sheen and texture – and offer “buildable color” slash “don’t show up heavily unless you apply multiple layers”.

Inside the familiar black lipstick bullets you will find red lining and MAC is also written in red on the outside instead of the usual white. Sometimes MAC will release a lipglass or other items in addition to the Viva Glam lipsticks. This time around, MAC is also releasing two makeup bags to go with the lipsticks. The Viva Glam Cyndi Bag and the Viva Glam Gaga Bag will only be available at freestanding MAC stores in North America and online.

Lipstick ($14.00 US/$16.50 CDN)

* Viva Glam Cyndi – Burnt coral-red (Lustre)
* Viva Glam Gaga – Cool blue-pink (Lustre)