MAC x Guo Pei Collection, Fall 2015

MAC, a brand known for leading edge colour collections as well as some of the industry’s most provocative collaborations, dials things up a few notches with the upcoming MAC x Guo Pei Collection for Fall 2015.

“Inspired by her ‘garden of the soul,’ China’s most esteemed haute couturier, Guo Pei, brings her legendary elegance to an inspired collection of hues, merging vibrant jewel tones with lush neutrals, punctuated by deep graphite”

In early August I was invited to preview several of MAC’s upcoming launches, and when I beheld this collection, I confess to being so totally captivated by the imagery depicted on the packaging, that I had a hard time tearing myself away to look at anything else (which I eventually did, naturally). The shades I was sent are exactly the pieces I would have chosen for myself, and after playing with these lovelies for some time now, I have added them to my list of most reached-for items. This is truly a beautiful and absolutely wearable curated selection of beauty items – and somewhat of a surprise but so totally welcome just the same, coming from the brand that likes to push the beauty envelope.

*Note: there are several more items to this collection; what is shown here are the pieces I was sent for review.

Born in 1967, Guo Pei has quickly risen through the ranks to become China’s most celebrated couture designer, with her creations worn by some of the country’s most influential women, as well as many celebrities worldwide. Enlisting a team that consists of as many as 400 skilled artisans, each design can take years to be completed; the trailing yellow gown Rihana wore at this year’s Met Gala (seen below) took 2 years of painstaking work to complete. Such incredible detail can only be one thing: true art.

A masterpiece from the Guo Pei ‘Legend of the Dragon’ Collection (credit)

Rihanna at the Met Gala wearing Guo Pei (credit)

A Guo Pei gown from Hong Kong Fashion Week 2010 (credit)

MAC x Guo Pei Collection, Fall 2015

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Red Water Lily Powder Blush

Red Water Lily Powder Blush (CAN $47.00/Limited Edition) | Cheek powder blush with a raised floral pattern on the surface. What appears as a vivid, yet cool-leaning pink shade in the pan, turns out to be more of a coral based pink hue that will work equally beautifully on a wide range of skin tones. Extremely finely milled, there is almost no powdery kickback when swirling my brush across the surface, while the saturation of colour is not as intense as appearances might indicate, making Red Water Lily easily layerable for more depth of tone. The satin finish has a gorgeous lustre to it and gives cheeks a lovely luminosity. Wear time goes easily past the 10 hour mark without fading, especially when applied over foundation.

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Red Water Lily Powder Blush (detail)

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Red Water Lily Powder Blush

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Red Water Lily Powder Blush swatches (applied heavily/left, blended out/right, direct sunlight & alternate light)

Palm Tree Fluidline (CAN $21.00/Limited Edition) | A gel formula eyeliner in a charcoal with pearl shade that applies with a soft creamy feel, and dries quickly to a smudge-proof finish. An excellent and lovely alternative to using a traditional black liner the deep smokiness of Palm Tree still offers that intensity, but without any of the colour black’s harsher side. Layer able for an enhanced depth of tone, you can also smudge this out for a diffused look – but you need to work quickly (as well as one eye at a time), as it does dry quite quickly. Once set, it’s there until physically removed – without any flaking, fading, or smudging. Wear time: like iron.

*Eyeliner brush available separately

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Palm Tree Fluidline (detail)

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Palm Tree Fluidline

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Palm Tree Fluidline swatches (applied heavily/left, blended out/right in both direct sunlight and alternate light)

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Ethereal Orchid Lustre Lipstick

Ethereal Orchid Lustre Lipstick (CAN $37.00/Limited Edition) | Described as a ‘mid-tone dirty coral’, I also see some nude hints, making Ethereal Orchid a warmer-leaning neutral. The lustre formula helps this shade literally glide along the lips, depositing enough colour to tint but not necessarily stain, can be somewhat built up for more depth of tone and bears a lush shine, leaving a hydrated feel behind once the majority of colour has worn off. Fragranced with MAC’s signature candy/vanilla scent and which is virtually undetectable once applied, although worth noting for those with sensitivities. Staying power goes easily past the 4.5 hour mark (not factoring in eating and/or drinking), which is pretty impressive for this type of format and lighter hue.

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Ethereal Orchid Lustre Lipstick (detail)

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Ethereal Orchid Lustre Lipstick

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Ethereal Orchid Lustre Lipstick swatches

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Ethereal Orchid Lustre Lipstick swatches (right: with Bright Pink Bouquet Cremesheen Glass on top)

Love of Roses & Bright Pink Bouquet Cremesheen Glass (CAN $36.00/Limited Edition) | Fusing the creamy texture of a lipstick with the high-wattage power of gloss, the Cremesheen formula is also non-sticky, leaving a nicely moisturized feel to lips as a bonus. Love of Roses is a cool-leaning cherry red hue with a slightly thinner consistency and no shimmer; displaying some translucency when worn alone, it can be built up for a touch more opacity. Bright Pink Bouquet is a coral-pink-nude shade with a slightly thicker texture and contains ultra-fine shimmer, as well as being absolutely gorgeous worn solo or applied over a matching hue. Both glosses have that same candy/vanilla scent, but which quickly dissipates after application. Staying power is good for both, averaging 3.5 hours, more without eating/drinking.

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Love of Roses & Bright Pink Bouquet Cremesheen Glass

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Love of Roses & Bright Pink Bouquet Cremesheen Glass (detail)

MAC x Guo Pei Collection | Love of Roses & Bright Pink Bouquet Cremesheen Glass swatches

After learning a little about Guo Pei (the designer), I have developed what can only be described as an obsession with her masterful creations (being raised with an haute couture seamstress mother, will do that to you) and have been scouring the internet for images of her work. #guiltypleasure #dontcare. With regards to this collection, I love every single piece shown here and use them all on the regular – in fact, I’m already planning on backups of Bright Pink Bouquet and Red Water Lily. Multiple backups.

The MAC x Guo Pei Collection for Fall 2015 is Limited Edition and will be available in October. Find more information on the brand via www.maccosmetics.ca