For years I have had an addiction.  Yes, it is true…to MAC Cosmetics!

I can blame the period during which I served as the Director of Cosmetic Research at Alhambra Medical Center (from 2005 to 2007), since during that time I was expected to investigate every type of product which made contact with the skin, including color cosmetics.  Until that time I had no real interest in makeup, and only owned a black eyeliner, pressed powder and a couple of lipsticks.  Even now my daily routine consists of powder, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick…I cannot be bothered with foundation, eyeshadow, bronzer, mascara or lipgloss on a daily basis.

But I cannot help but fall for the deeply saturated hues that characterize MAC color cosmetics.  Their eyeshadows are like precious gems, glittering and luring me in.  I have been an artist my entire life and realize that it is the artist in me that is so attracted to all the colors.  When I prepare for a photo shoot or competition, or I do makeup for a model, I approach the face as a canvas and lose myself in the process of creating something beautiful.

Keep in mind that the photo above shows MAC eyeshadow pots stacked two and three deep, so I do indeed have a LOT of eyeshadows, probably close to ninety.   I also have MAC false lashes, lipsticks and lipglosses stored in another makeup storage area.  Before you folks assume that these makeup items are just collecting dust, I can tell you that this stuff does get used.  Whenever I have a chance to get creative with colors, I will experiment with some of the more flashy shades in my collection and allow my creative side to completely take over.

I highly recommend MAC eyeshadows over other makeup brands (though Urban Decay, Nars and Laura Mercier have some amazing shades) due to their color payoff.  As a result of their high degree of pigment, they last a long time.  However, I realize that there are women who might be color shy or makeup shy in general, but who may be curious about learning a bit about makeup.  The best eyeshadow shades for a makeup neophyte to purchase in the MAC line which will serve as great basics and allow one to create some great evening and smoky eye looks are:

Brule (great lid base)

Haux (lid color; this is a muted lavender)

BrownDown (one of the best brown shadows ever)

Carbon (a deep inky black)

If you want to experiment with a flash of color, a couple of favorites are Humid, which is an intense emerald green, and Plumage, which is a deep teal blue.

The best thing to do is to practice and experiment and have fun while doing it.  Makeup application can unlock the child within us and allow us to create beautiful things!