90'S NOW - NOWSTALGIA! The idea of exploring attitude and identity through the use of neutral colours had been firmly embedded in M.A.Cs heritage since the 90’s when hip hop, grunge and rave were the subcultures of the moment. Those shades, spanning everything from a skin tone mouth with a statement lip contour, to a mono wash on the eyes with a punky black liner, are still resonating to this day, particularly with a generation returning to the idea that it’s more important to ben nonchalantly cool with your own trademark details, that be generically perfect. The shades that were so associated with classic luxury, from taupe to grieve, chocolate brown to bruised plum, are once again being reinvented as something more street-chic and laid back. Monochrome beauty definitely has a new attitude.

ROUGED - CHIC HEAT. From the great outdoors to vintage glamour, from seaside sweetness to decadent disco, blush is always part of the conversation when it comes to setting the tone in a make-up and conveying emotion. The placement and applications vary from high on the check to lower towards the jaw and from classic to painterly. Saturations are also revisited: from a pop of vivid colour to sheer stain of freshness, luminosity and dimension are added to the qualities a blush brings to the face. Newness comes in the usage of the colour palette: blush tones in brand new sensorial textures are extended to eyes and lips bringing colour statement to a whole other level. Elegance meets theatre.

NIGHTCLUBBING - DRESSED UP. Whilst transformative make-up is not a new concept, the idea of elevating it with a full palette of colour seems fresher. Taking inspiration from the glossiness of Disco in the 70s and the angular extremes of the 80s New Wave, the new glam is unashamed self-expression. It’s about multi bright shadows in winged shaped and luxury textures, pulled out to the temples or blocked to the brow, ski slope cheekbones with colour rather than contour and full volume opacity on a sculpted mouth. Its highly crafted beauty which, whilst nodding to classicism, gets a contemporary edge in its brave use of colour with finishes ranging from velvet matte to jewel shine to high gloss. The idea of looking utterly “done” is once more something to be celebrated.

VITALITY - BACK TO LIFE. Touchable, breathable, believable skin is the name of the game but this time with an additional glam. The rediscovered attention to skincare, layering techniques and products that provides the look and feel of plumped, radiant, perfectly conditioned complexion is what creates the new approach to skin as a canvas. It lends itself to so many make-up interpretations and works with any details, from the simplest wash of colour to a feline shaped eye. Glow has moved on from sharp placements and leans more towards an all over luminosity: this is less about overage and more about enhancement. Real life meets high tech.