Along with some pretty obvious perks of living here (um, in case you haven’t noticed this place feels and looks like heaven), Miami is the M·A·C-CA for makeup lovers. The gem of them all being the M·A·C ‘Pro’ shop on Lincoln Road. What may look like an ordinary-looking M·A·C store from the outside is anything but. Here you can find anything and EVERYTHING that actual makeup artists use; not to mention the latest glosses, shadows and other basics.
Top: Monica Top, $58, Shorts: Alice + Olivia, $550 (similar), Shoes: Alexandre Birman, $895 (similar)
It may not be the only ‘Pro’ location, but when you find out how few there really are in the world, you’ll consider yourselves very lucky. From mediums to mix body paint with, to airbrushing tools, to specialty glitters (perfect for this time of year with Halloween and all), it’s like a candy shop without all the calories.
I was invited to a body painting class there last week, (note to self: definitely not something you can master in one class), and talked makeup with M·A·C’s own Senior Artist, Caroline Donnelly. Here are the photos from the night, (you’re welcome for the male model). In case you were wondering what the pro’s are using, here are Caroline’s Top 3 Makeup Picks and wow, I mean wow. Who knew?
FW: So Caroline, since you are the expert. What are the top 3 M·A·C products that every girl should own?
CD: I’m going to cheat a little bit and say the Pro Conceal and Correct Palette. For the fact that you know you can’t use one concealer all over your face. Generally you need one color under your eyes and you may need correction somewhere else. You get 4 concealers in your palette and 2 color correctors. You can mix the colors to match your skin tone and you can also use it to highlight and contour your face.
(This product comes in 4 color palettes depending on your skin tone)
FW: But won’t a concealer all over your face look heavy?
CD: If you use it directly from the palette you’re going get fuller coverage. So, if you have a blemish, it would cover it up perfectly. Or if you put it on your hand first and really warm it up, it becomes really super sheer. You also need to know what colors you are covering up. Most people are covering up blue, like under their eyes or red around their nose. First apply the corrector, if you are covering up blue use yellow, for purple use peach to neutralize it and then put your concealer over it. It will give you the perfect coverage.
FW: Since you have to warm these up with your fingers, do you not use a brush to apply them?
CD: I like to put the concealer on with my fingers. But if I was going to cover up a blemish I would use a brush. This product is so versatile that you almost don’t need anything else for your face.
“If you were stuck on a desert island and were only allowed a certain number of products, like 3 (laughs) then you’ve got a load of products. It’s like a way to cheat.”
FW: The sheering down of the concealer is so key. I can’t believe I didn’t know about that.
CD: You can also mix it with your moisturizer. Put a small dot of moisturizer and a bit of concealer, mix them together and smooth it all over your face. You can give yourself a bronzy look by mixing in a darker concealer.
FW: You talked about a product that give you a dewey look that’s not sticky. What product is that?
CD: Shine mix and medium. It’s amazing. You know how we’ve used products like like glosses on our cheekbones? It’s fine until you go out and the wind blows your hair and it gets stuck to your face. Well, this product isn’t overly sticky and gives you a high shine. And you need the TINIEST little amount of it. You can use it on just the bridge of your nose and cheekbones. If someone doesn’t like a makeupy look but likes a skincare look, this will give you that textured look.
FW: Does that also reflect lines, to conceal them?
CD: No, this you only put where you want it to catch the light. After blush.
FW: Is that a Pro products, as well?
CD: Yes.
FW: Okay, what is your 2nd must-have product?
CD: Let’s do another cheat. The product is called Casual Color. It’s a little bit like a cream blush, but you can also wear it on your lips. So we have cheeks and lips in the same product.
FW: How do you apply it?
CD: Put it on your hand, dab it with two fingers and put it on your cheeks. You can always build it up, it’s harder to blend it out. So put it on the back of your hand first. Put some face powder over it just to set it. If you don’t want to carry loads of things with you, the two-in-one products are easy to carry in your bag and can take you from day into night.
FW: And it comes in different colors?
CD: Yes, It comes in all different colors. Super super soft to much more intense.
FW: And the 3rd one?
CD: A M·A·C brow pencil. Because it’s hard to get one that’s the right color. There are some funny versions of brow pencils out there. But the M·A·C ones are actually hair colored. In the 80’s it wasn’t popular to have brows so anyone my age doesn’t have a good brow anymore. What’s good about our brow pencils is that they are a twist-up and if you need to draw a single tiny little hair just kind of flatten out one end.
As a side note you can purchase the M·A·C Pro products at the Pro locations and online. So if you live here, take advantage. If not, come visit!
Photography by the super talented Mayra Roubach.
xoxo,
Biana
