Blackpink’s Lisa Manobal– one of the four members of the K-Pop girl group– is launching her first-ever makeup collection together with the iconic brand MAC Cosmetics. Manobal, who’s also a Global Brand Ambassador for the makeup giant, said in a statement: “I curated the collection myself and designed every piece after things I absolutely love. Every shade, product, name, and even the packaging design represents something very special to me.“
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The MAC x L collection has five different products, all of which Manobal chose herself. There are six shades of the Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour, two shades of the Brushstroke 24-hour Liner, along with an Extra Dimension Skinfinish powder, Powder Blush, and a 12-pan eyeshadow palette.
“The team and I put so much energy and attention to detail into this collection; I channeled the same passion, joy, and creativity I give to making music into creating this exclusive collection for my fans.” While part of the collection features MAC bestsellers in Manobal’s chosen packaging, she also helped create new shades of the iconic Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolours. “Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour has been my go-to formula for on-stage and in my music videos,” announced Manobal. “I’m very happy and proud to share with you the three brand-new shades that I have created and named – Rhythm ‘N’ Roses, Swoon For Blooms, and Pink Roses.“
Every product in the collection was created for consumers of all ages, races, and genders. “I am so proud of what we’ve created together,” said Manobal. “This is my dream come true.”
All the products are limited edition and will be available on maccosmetics.com in early December.
After years of bringing the most glamorous, Instagram reshare-worthy beauty looks down the haute couture and ready-to-wear runways, Valentino is finally launching its own makeup collection.
Valentino Beauty will launch worldwide with over 100 products in August, but the collection was fully revealed on May 31 at Selfridges in London with an exclusive pop-up shop.
The launch includes a full spectrum of color products, from complexion to eyeshadow palettes. All of the formulas are multi-use and multi-finish to encourage experimentation, self-expression, and individuality. A few products, including the lipsticks and palettes, come in refillable packaging. This isn’t only a better option for the environment — you’ll want to keep the chic red and gold tubes and bottles on your vanity forever.
“Beauty is a complexity resolved through love. Beauty is democratic. I look at the identity of each individual, the uniqueness that encloses diversity and inclusivity,” Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli in a statement. “Beauty is about grace. Grace is something that you cannot describe, it is a perception. Beauty is something that gives me emotion. It is a connection.”
The accompanying campaign was shot by Piccioli himself and features 16 “eclectic talents” per the brand’s release. These models each represent a different facet of the Valentino Beauty brand DNA and come together in the campaign to create a “Valentino Chorus.”
A few standout products include a 40 shade foundation range, 50 shades of lipstick in matte and satin finishes, and the Go-Clutch, which comes with a mini lipstick. The accessory-makeup hybrid product first made its runway debut on the Valentino Spring 2017 runway.
Valentino Beauty ranges from $30 for lipstick refills to $235 for the Go-Clutch.
Just as Harris Reed’s clothing offers an important voice in the conversation around the way we define masculinity and gender identity in fashion, a limited-edition collaboration with MAC Cosmetics created by the 24-year-old British-American designer is set to redefine the way we approach makeup.
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“Beauty is fluid, beauty is for everyone and I can’t wait to see how people are going to use this collection to show their version of self-expression and fluidity,” Harris toldVogue, practically shrieking down the phone with excitement. “That’s what I’m super excited about.”
“My first experiences with makeup were with my friends at a MAC store getting ready for prom and it was the brand that I first saw putting make-up on ‘boys’’, they explain, citing MAC as the perfect partner. “For it to even trust me, and take on my strong-ass message of fighting for fluidity, I have to say, has just felt like the most beautiful partnership.”
One of Harris’s personal highlights to come from the collaboration is that it will enable their hundreds of thousands of followers the opportunity to own their own part of the Harris Reed brand and feel included in its wider message. “It’s such an emotional thing for me. I’ve been so incredibly lucky that millions of people have seen the things I’ve worked on and have been a part of, but have maybe until now they’ve not been able to buy into it. This is now something that anyone can get their hands on and be a part of. It doesn’t feel real, it feels crazy.”
The millennial-pink packaged collection is made up of four products, each of which offers a plethora of possibilities to play around with. A smudge of one shade into your hairline could work mixed with another swept over your eyelids for a trip to the shop – just as Harris did when creating the palettes. Though MAC has a history of being used by professionals, this collection has a level of tactility to it that the least acquainted with makeup can become quickly familiar with. The fact that there are no application brushes is deliberate – Harris prefers the human touch.
“It is very much about a playfulness and the joy of makeup,” Harris continues. “As someone who makes clothes that take a couple of weeks to produce, if I want to make a statement with makeup, it literally takes me seconds with a good lipstick or eyeshadow. As I have pushed this idea of a more fluid space in a more fluid world, I’ve really loved that makeup can always be that gorgeous icing on top. It doesn’t only complete the look but, it also completes the message, acting as that extra ounce of light to help radiate what I stand for.”
Much like their clothing, the inspiration behind the colours and products is a major meeting of eras and aesthetics, resulting in an overall “glam-luxe romanticism gone non-binary,” they say. “It is a mix between Studio 54 and rococo, but also think a full renaissance party. You can start with this very beautiful, very whimsical approach and then by the end you can end up with this Studio-54-inspired gold eyeshadow all over your face, even pushing up to the hairline.” Their hero product? A trio of lipsticks called ‘From Harris, With Love’ that reminds them of their first forays into makeup and looking at lipsticks with their mum as a child. “I know those are the ones that I will keep on me at a party, applying, applying and applying.”
Harris’s own approach to beauty and using makeup for themselves has shifted as their sense of self has grown — most notably after they started at Central Saint Martins, emerged in London’s creative scene. Yet they weren’t always so comfortable and forthcoming with using products for themselves. “Being around fabulously flamboyant people really pushed me in the way that I wanted to express myself in terms of my gender identity and being creative across so many areas,” they said.
“[Wearing makeup] has made me have a much more honest approach to my identity. Like anything, it can be scary if you’re not familiar with it. The minute I thought of makeup as a tool to use to send a message and spark a story, was when I started having a way more playful approach. It gave me a space to feel that everything was okay. It definitely was a journey and now I realise that you write your own rulebook.”
The four-piece collection is a small but mighty push for us all to rethink how we use and approach makeup. Harris doesn’t see using cosmetics any differently to employing a fabulous fashion accessory when putting an outfit together. “I think if I, and this collection, can be of any influence to make people look at makeup as a tool to be who you want to be, then that’s job done,” they said.
“Try and not think of makeup as something that makes you look ‘pretty’ and try and not look at it as something that you use to make yourself better, but to explore and enhance something within you. Use makeup as a tool to be your most authentic self.”
Kassy Rose Makeup Artistry 