MAC Cosmetics Director of Makeup Artistry Asia Pacific, James Molloy
It’s not every year that a makeup artist of the stature of James Molloy comes to town and so it was such a privilege to attend MAC’s Spring/Summer 2013 Trend Presentation presented by their Director of Makeup Artistry Asia Pacific. James Molloy had flown in specially for this presentation, this being his 2nd trip to Malaysia.
James has 11 years experience in the makeup industry and has worked with renowned designers such as Alexander Wang, Diane Von Furstenberg, Donna Karan Erdem (didn’t you just love the Erdem dress Sienna Miller wore to the recent Golden Globes?) and was a key player in the Vivienne Westwood show, among others.
“This season saw a return to the lighter and more optimistic side to makeup. Gone was the sharply defined and dark take on beauty from last season being replaced by a feeling of fun with a carefree use of colour, We’re still focusing on the quality of skin for this season and the desire for a naturally matte face was key. Intelligent use of primer and powder was important when creating this new take on a matte skin which was finished off using the lightest amount of product. I think women truly understand their own makeup needs and what works best for their particular skin type and for me, it’s all about suggesting the right skincare, primer and foundation choices that help skin to look flawless yet natural”, says James.
“The buzzword for this season is “beauty feels fun”. It’s ok to explore the whole spectrum of colour on eyes, lips and cheeks as long as you keep your look simple by choosing one key element and making this the feature. An orange peach lip for example looks very chic when paired with a navy blue eye liner.
Past eras are reworked for modern day, the 60s look is either with a free spirited bohemian use of pastel colour or a retro flash of silver. Lips are also bolder and brighter this season, think floral bouquets of pinks, peaches and fuchsias. The lip shape of the season is full and pouty with either high gloss or velvet matte textures”, further elaborates James.
During the presentation, James gave a demo on 2 of the trends, Puri-tan and Sci-chedelic. I’ll put up another post on that soon as it’s quite detailed. For now, these are the Spring/Summer 2013 Trends.
NU-ANCE
NU-ANCE is about a languid wash of colour that takes in shades of highly pigmented pastels from turquoise and lemon to silver and translucently dark metallics. Shades are pulled from heightened nature, from seascapes to sunsets e.g. turquoise, lilac, lemon, mint, aqua, apple, peach.
Colour is back-lit, a wash on the lid, wrapping around the cheek, gently amplifying the lip. A nod to the 60s in placement – embrace a rounded eye shape. The new view on smoky is a transparent wash of depth invariably with a metallic sheen. Flat matte is less relevant than buffed-in creamy tints this season.
The Essentials :
NOW MUSTARD! EYE SHADOW FROM SPRING ’13 FORECAST/EYES
the tint that brightens most beautifully.
SUNSHINE EYE SHADOW FROM SPRING ’13 FORECAST/EYES
wash in a yellow halo around upper and lower lids.
POWDER BLUSH IN POISED
for warmth and contour in one.
LIP CONDITIONER
a wash on the eye looks best with the most minimal lip treatment.
SILVER PIGMENT
a flash on the lids adds a sense of clean, serene futurism.
SIG-NATURE
Naturally perfected, luminous skin is the signature of the season. How to achieve this look? Buffed in Mineralize Moisture SPF 15 Foundation and delicately shaped and brought to life with the most subtle, sensitive techniques, concealers just a couple of shades darker than the skin tone, emollient glows replicated with Cream Colour Base in Shell or Luna, skin-identical pigments put in around the eyes.
It’s about getting 3D spa skin, balmy and beautified; makeup that looks like skin. Soft, no hard contours…..hazes and haloes of light. The look is a feminine interpretation of a boyish beauty.
The Essentials :
MINERALIZE MOISTURE SPF 15 FOUNDATION
(AVAILABLE SPRING/SUMMER 2013)
the skin finish of the season : radiant, perfection, bottled.
DIRTY BLONDE FLUIDLINE BROW GELCREME
(AVAILABLE SPRING/SUMMER 2013)
for the barest stain of a shadow on a very moisturized nude lid.
GOLDEN ELIXIR STROBE CREAM
(AVAILABLE SPRING/SUMMER 2013)
adds a lustrous, imperceptible and warm highlight to the high planes.
MINERALIZE FOUNDATION/LOOSE
lends itself to strategic mattification without flatness.
POSH TONE MINERALIZE RICH LIPSTICK
(AVAILABLE SPRING/SUMMER 2013)
is synonymous with the new nude lip : healthier and more real, less blanked out.
FACE AND BODY LOTION
endows an emollient lustre that seamlessly reflects light.
SCI-CHEDELIC
This trend is about 60’s optimism, change, free spirit and avant-garde. Minimalism is pushed in new directions this season as artists challenge themselves still further to distill the message of this movement in shapes and shades that say something new.
The Essentials :
M.A.C. PRO CHROMAGRAPHIC PENCIL IN PROCESS MAGENTA
zone in on the season’s fix of fuchsia.
M.A.C. PRO ACRYLIC PAINT IN YELLOW, CYAN AND PROCESS MAGENTA
creates an opaque, eye-popping edge.
ELECTRIC RED PIGMENT
detailing that upgrades a red lip to now.
AUTO-DE-BLEU TECHNAKOHL LINER
for definition in a flash of this season’s sea blues.
EMBRACE ME LIP PENCIL
gives an intense, modernist electricism.
PURI-TAN
PURI-TAN’s approach to bronze defines SS2013’s relationship with the tan. The features are brought out in a palette of desert shades that reference Californian girls via a 60’s and Bedouin vision, transparently tinted in washes of cream colour adding a sophisticated monochrome feel to the face that taps into a womanly, photographic spirit akin to the femininity channelled by Peter Lindberg, Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber.
Key features of this trend are:-
- Eyes with the impression of squinting into the sun.
- Bronze with an almost aquatic effect.
- Golden honey-beige tones….almost imperceptible.
A healthy reflective glow approximates the beauty gesture of a tan in a more modern and minimal manner. It’s about using tan-relevant shades to accent the eyes and add warmth to the face in molten, softly metallic features.
Seamless shades of warm gold and wheat highlights wrap around the features. This much more nuanced and subtle treatment of the skin replacaes the harder, face-changing sculpting of last season.
THE ESSENTIALS
MUST HAVE BROWN EYE SHADOW FROM SPRING ’13 FORECAST/EYES
for a blown out shadow that melds with the skin and wraps around bone structure.
POWDER BLUSH IN TAUPE SHAPE
amplifies the structure and adds a languid bronze to the cheekbone.
TOP SOIL EYE SHADOW FROM SPRING ’13 FORECAST/EYES
effortlessly diffuses a dusty tan over lids.
MINERALIZE RICH LIPSTICK IN LUXE NATURALE
(AVAILABLE SPRING/SUMMER 2013)
nude pushed up a notch (and oft mixed with Mineralize Lipstick in Posh Tone to bespoke the perfect neutral).
PIGMENT IN GOLDEN LEMON
lifts the high planes.
This trend is about 60’s optimism, change, free spirit and avant-garde. Minimalism is pushed in new directions this season as artists challenge themselves still further to distill the message of this movement in shapes and shades that say something new.
