My MAC Playdate: Like A Kid In A Candy Store

One of my favorite things to do is go to my local MAC store – without agenda – and let one of the masterful makeup artists make me over. You’d be surprised by what you end up purchasing. Typically, they’re products and colors that you would have never considered on your own. Sometimes, the best way to bust out of a beauty rut is to seek professional help and keep an open mind.

Here’s my advice: don’t focus on a particular product or color family. Just sit down, relax and let the salesperson have at it. And that’s exactly what I did this weekend. After arriving at the Nordstrom store in King of Prussia, I made a beeline for the MAC counter. I was warmly greeted by Brenda, one of the makeup artists. I pointed to my pout (I was rocking my own version of the Kim Kardashian pale lip) and told her I needed an update.

Brenda quickly got to work...pulling lip liners, lipsticks, and glosses in various shades and finishes. Frankly, some of them scared me a little bit. But that’s part of the fun. And the genius of MAC products is that the products and colors are very wearable, and flattering on a variety of skin tones. It’s very easy to, in the immortal words of Tim Gunn, "make it work." There’s a lot of shades that scream 'hot mess' in the package…but look scorching HOT on the skin.




So in the end, I purchased Lip Pencil in Dervish (low-key mauve), Lipstick in Captive (pinkish-plum satin) and Plushglass in Oversexed (sheer red with small gold pearl). Above, you can see what the products look like separately – as well as how absolutely beautiful they look layered.

And remember how I said to keep an open mind? Here’s why…


This is a pic of Oversexed Plushglass in the tube. Would you have picked this up and tried it out? Me neither.

So if you’re near a MAC store or counter…go play. MAC makeup artists are some of the most friendly and inventive in the industry. Put yourself in their capable hands and you won’t be disappointed. And if you’re in the Philly area, go see Brenda – tell her Spoiled Pretty sent you!