Carine Roitfeld for MAC

           I have a horrible secret to admit: I don’t buy makeup. Well, I haven’t for the past few years. Interning at magazines, I got to take home so many new and amazing products that weren’t shot, and obviously, at tarte, I get whatever I may need. My kit is fully stocked and my drawers are overflowing. So something has to REALLY catch my eye for me to go out and buy it. And what was that something? Carine Roitfeld for MAC.

          Oh, Carine Roitfeld. The fabled former editor of French Vogue, she now has her own magazine, CR Fashion Book (with Kate Upton [!!] onthe cover  “mothering” baby chicks), and basically is the authority on all things cool – not just breasts and cigarettes. Her partner, Christian Restoin, started Equipment (a SoHo boutique is coming within the next month), so essentially, everything this woman gets involved with has an air of understated, I’m-not-trying-at-all perfection.

Perfect hair, perfect coat

          While Roitfeld’s style is obviously flawless, her beauty look is also of  note. I’m actually contemplating copying her current hairstyle (a sharp, shoulder grazing style with subtle shading to the ends), and in the meantime, actually copying her makeup. Her eyes are always shaded with matte, warm shades and lined to smoldering perfection with liner, almost like she slept in the makeup, but better. The rest of her face is softly contoured and finished with a sheer nude lip.

          As a former MAC whore (I used to buy every item from every limited edition collection), I now barely keep up with their releases, but somehow stumbled upon news of Carine’s collection just last week. And on a walk through the West Village, at the world’s tiniest MAC store on Bleecker Street, I took the plunge, buying both the lipstick and the Desert Camouflage Palette.

The Verdict?

          Tropical Mist Lipstick looked like the typical “goes well with smokey eyes opaque nude” upon first glance – something I have iteration after iteration of in my kit…from MAC’s famous Myth to Revlon’s ColorBurst inSoft Nude (an AMAZING budget pick) to Lancome’s Color Design in Pale Lip. Upon swatching, however, I realized this one is different. With its luster texture, it is super sheer and just gives lips a hint of pale peach color and shine, instead of wiping out the lips a la [new mama] Snooki. It would pair beautifully with almost any look, especially those with a deeper eye.

          Desert Camouflage is the perfect palette to create a matte, warm smokey eye and contoured cheek, much like Carine’s go-to look. The colors – Sahara Dust, Cactus Thorn, Desert, and Carbon – are all super neutral, allowing you to create a subtle day time look that can be kicked up a notch for evening by smoking it out a little. I’m also loving the cremeblend blush that is on the bottom of the palette, Sand Storm, as an eyeshadow as well as a contour color, putting a little on the lower lids for dimension and some sexy mystery. It’s also essential to mention that the layout and look of the palette is subtle and minimalist, making it a super-chic addition to any bathroom counter.

        It is safe to say that I am utterly obsessed with this palette and will be using it until I run out of the colors. While in-store, I also picked up the Dark Side lipstick, an amplified crème that is ideal for that gothic-y beauty look I’m loving for fall. AND, I think I’m going back for the Azealia Banks lipstick in Yung Repunxel, a super-deep purple that you can sheer out to create a berry stain. So unfortunately, I may be a MAC addict, once again.