Cindy Sherman for MAC

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with the new Cindy Sherman campaign for MAC. When I saw the pictures for the first time yesterday I actually gave a yelp of delight. MAC have been losing kudos for a while; with rumours flying that their products aren’t as good since the Estee Lauder takeover and with the rise of that enfant terrible of make-up houses, Illamasqua, they needed to do something to regain face.*

Frankly many of their recent campaigns have bored the pants off me – I’m a fully grown adult woman for fucks sake – not a little girl – and as such I don’t want Hello Kitty on my lipstick. Or sodding Wonder Woman – how utterly patronising. Treat me like a woman, not a child, thanks.

What I do want to know is how effective a product is, what I can achieve with it and, hell, I wouldn’t mind this being shown in an interesting and educational way. After all – the MAC motto is that make up is "Our medium of transformation."

Sherman was the perfect choice to lift the brand out of its little girl doldrums, famous for her own metamorphoses her art centres around transforming herself through clothing and make up, with an often provocative edge.
The campaign features the artist in three guises – an all American ingénue with a forced smile, a sad clown and a garish heiress, leopard print coat and all. None of them are pretty – they certainly aren’t looks I’ll be copying – but damn this campaign makes a point. Make up isn’t just for looking pretty and looking young, it can also be used to transform, to strengthen – make up can change us, camouflage is, even armour us.

Bravo MAC and bravo Cindy.





* did you see my pun there, did you, really?

Beauty review - the perfect daytime red

I think I've finally found a good, affordable daytime red.  Up until now I've always used good old MAC Ruby Woo, the vintage girl's favourite, but it can be a bit OTT in the daytime, and it is nice to be able to switch from a gentler colour to something more powerful for a night out too.  You don't get that if you've been wearing the Woo all day!

My discovery was completely accidental, I was going to meet some friends and realised I'd forgotten to bring a lippy with me (quelle horreur!) and so nipped into Boots and picked up the first thing I saw that I hadn't tried before....Rimmel's Colour Show Off lipstick in Red Fever.

I have to admit that initially the packaging put me off, it is thoroughly cheap looking and very lightweight.  A hot pink metallic tube worthy of Jordan herself.  I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the product.


Though it looks shiny in the tube it goes on beautifully matte.  Compared to Ruby Woo it is soft red, though most users who have reviewed in online so far consider it bright, and I guess it would be for someone unused to wearing a red.  It is also a much softer texture than the Woo and therefore not as drying, which is definitely a winner for daytime.

 MAC Lady Danger, the Rimmel, Ruby Woo (click to enlarge):

It lasts reasonably well, better than most drugstore lipsticks, though you do need to reapply after eating to keep the colour even, but at around £5-£6 a tube that isn't too worrying.

Here is what it looks like on, please excuse my morning face:

Just the one layer there.

I think you'd need a few to pull of the colour of postergirl - Georgia May Jagger:

Overall I'm really pleased with this red.  I might even investigate the other colours in the range now, they have a lighter red and a few pinks to choose from.