The Shades Of U: MAC DSquared

It's the time of the year once again for MAC to showcase its designer-inspired collection, this time a collaboration with Canadian twin designers Dan and Dean Caden, simply known as "DSquared". In Gordon Espinet's (MAC Vice President of Makeup Artistry) interview, he had mentioned that DSquared and MAC share things in common, stating that DSquared, like MAC, is a brand that has a sense of humour about itself, a distinct brand that is glamourous yet edgy. In fact, the products from the DSquared collection were used to create looks from the runway show. Thus, these products exude a certain "devil-may-care" air about them, a kind of "'rock-on' makeup that is effortless and not overly done or perfect." They say that the inspiration is makeup a la Olsen twins or Lindsay Lohan, a kind of "charmingly wrecked look." Is there even such a notion? Apparently, there is.

Sculpt and Shape Powder:

Let us start with the Sculpt and Shape powder. These are duos in compacts that feature a contour/sculpting powder on one side and a highlighter on the other. The first time these were released, MAC featured four shades of these duos, so I am wondering why these are now down to two (apparently two of them didn't sell that well?). I've had my Accentuate/Sculpt compact from the post-Holiday collection in 2007, which I got together with my 138 and 223 brush:

I must say I really like Sculpt powder, but I hardly use Accentuate because I have a bajillion other highlighters. This is a great tandem though and I really love Sculpt- it's matte but neither too dark nor too light; it's perfect for my skintone. The matte finish lets you sculpt or contour your face subtly without drawing attention to it, as is usually the case with shimmer bronzers. The subtle quality of the product lets you sculpt the sides of your nose as well (using the 165 brush) without anybody noticing it, but the effect is rather remarkable. For the cheeks, though, I prefer to use my 138, 109 or 169 brushes to contour.

Greasepaint Sticks:

As I said in my MAC Style Black review, these greasepaints are amazing, perhaps some of the best eye primers I've tried. I love the spectacular pigmentation, the buttery glide on the skin, and the staying power. "V" is a beautiful bright blue violet, while "B" is a bright yellow blue, and these can be used either as an eyeshadow base, an eyeshadow or even an eyeliner. These are really amazing, and are probably the best products from this collection.

Lipsticks and Lip Erase:

The lip products are likewise interesting. The lipsticks are a nude and deep fall color. Nude Rose is a sheer light neutral pink and Blood Red is a clean deep berry, which is not the color of blood at all. The most interesting lip product from this collection is Lip Erase in Dim - said to be similar to N37 which neutralizes the natural color of the lips to create a very neutral lip effect.

Tinted Lip Conditioner:

Another one of my favorite things from this collection is the tinted lip conditioner in Fuchsia Fix. I like how deep the color is in the pot, but goes on sheer with a slight berry stain that makes for kissable just-bitten lips.

Feline Kohl Power Pencil:

Feline Kohl Power pencil is a repromote from the Smoke Signals collection, but it is amazing in the sense that it is very, very, very, creamy, and is the deepest, blackest black liner MAC has ever come up with. It is great for the waterline and to tightline, and also for creating the smokiest of eyes. The downside to this product is that it is so creamy that it can easily smudge if the skin is not primed. It is therefore a must that both the upper and lower lashlines are primed with an eyeshadow primer in order to prevent the product from migrating to the undereye area. Remember: prime your lashlines well when using this product if you don't want to create raccoon eyes at the end of the day. Another way to prevent smudging is to set the line with black eyeshadow, although the eyeshadow primer is still a must.

All in all, there are a number of interesting products from this collection. I highly recommend the greasepaints and the sculpting and highlight powder duos. Also, like its counterparts from the previous years (Alexander McQueen and Emanuel Ungaro), the DSquared collection is housed in special packaging with the name "DSquared" emblazoned on the front of each item. Honestly, though, I prefer DSquared over these prior collections, mostly because of the products I'd mentioned. Check them out at your MAC counters and stores to see for yourself.

For product images and information, CLICK HERE.

COMING UP NEXT: DSquared swatches and review

THE POWER OF 2

M·A·C COSMETICS DSQUARED² COLOUR COLLECTION

Fantastic fashion duo Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared² have teamed up with M·A·C Cosmetics for the launch of a highly covetable new makeup collection, based on the makeup look from their Fall/Winter 2009 runway show.

It’s not just that both brands hail from Canada, or choose to plug themselves into the popular culture and music scene; it’s that they share an approach to fashion that puts experimentation and fun right up front. “M·A·C is all about personal expression and I think DSquared² is on the same trip – neither company takes things too seriously,” says Dan Caten, one half of the twin designer duo behind DSquared². “M·A·C is a part of our family, we grew up with them. They’ve been so supportive of us and collaborating with them on this collection feels like the natural thing to do.”

M·A·C has been providing makeup and artistry support for the DSquared² womenswear shows since their debut twelve seasons ago. “I did the makeup for DSquared²’s first women’s collection,” says Gordon Espinet, M·A·C’s Vice President of Makeup Artistry, who has known ‘the twins’ since they were young, emerging designers in Toronto. “I’ve always felt strongly about doing collaboration with DSquared².

They’re so similar to M·A·C. It’s a brand that has a sense of humour about itself, it’s distinct, and is really about making fashion that’s cool.” This fall will see the launch of a limited-edition makeup collection conceived by DSquared² and M·A·C for beautiful girls with an edge. The M·A·C DSquared² Collection features the products used to create the looks from the runway show. “It’s kind of ‘rock-on’ makeup, but it’s effortless and not overly done or perfect,” says Dean Caten. The DSquared² Fall/Winter 2009 collection was inspired by the new breed of undone glamorous Hollywood starlets such as the Olsen twins and Lindsay Lohan, and features a magnetically dark eye that glistens and transmutes in the light. “This girl doesn’t spend hours getting ready but she looks amazing, her style is all her own,” says Dan Caten. “Young Hollywood is about that, they don’t need to impress anyone, it’s cooler than being too studied. The same goes with the makeup, it isn’t about being perfect.”

Translating this charmingly wrecked look onto the face, Gordon Espinet and the M·A·C Product Development team have created a range of 10 products designed to be layered together for added throttle. “This is the kind of makeup that gets better and better the more lived-in and the longer you wear it,” says Espinet.

Face: Skin is neutral, then given a lived-in glamour with Sculpt and Shape Powders, which are used to highlight and contour.

Eyes: The central focus of this look is the eyes, blackened and distressed with sensual shimmer. First, Kohl Power in Feline is used to draw inside the eye line, to give definition and edge. Then a Greasepaint Stick is used to create shape and density of colour. This is broken with Greasepaint Stick in V and B (, a violet shade, is worn on the top lid and Peacock-hued B on the bottom), which shoot through the black and give it the iridescence of a crow’s wing or a scarab beetle. The look is texturized with M·A·C Clear Gloss, “to bring light to hidden things,” says Dan. The eye is wickedly topped with Zoom Fast Black Lash, the blackest of black mascara.

Lips: To emphasize the magnetic pull of the eyes, lips are kept minimal yet delicious. Colour is first taken out of the lips using Lip Erase in Dim, a flesh tone balm that neutralizes lip colour, and then added back with Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in Fuchsia Fix, a breezy, girlish pink shade to keep the look youthful and carefree.

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Q&A WITH DEAN & DAN CATEN OF DSQUARED²

Can you tell me about the inspiration behind the limited edition makeup collection you’ve collaborated on with M·A·C?

DA: It’s old Hollywood meets new Hollywood. Our girl is interrupted – she’s on a set, she’s off the set; she’s young, she’s cool, she’s moving – she’s very now, she lives in the moment. Hollywood today is a different story than it used to be. These girls have tons of things to do, they’re on the go.

DE: It’s all about mixing great statement pieces with their own things; she might have a $20,000 jacket that she puts with a pair of ten dollar sweat pants.

DA: Less is more, but more is never enough. Stack it on and mix it up.
It’s such a change, because Hollywood used to be regimented, it used to be so perfected, not a hair out of place and now it’s undergone this huge revolution with a new generation of stars.

DE: They’re so young and they’re real, they want to be individual, they don’t want to be dictated to anymore. These girls practically live their whole lives in the public, it’s just not possible for them to keep up that carefully crafted façade actresses used to put up.

DA: Thank God for that - it makes them more colourful, it makes them more interesting. If anybody does anything well it should look effortless, I think the key word for the collection is “Effortless Makeup”; she didn’t spend hours but she looks amazing and, more importantly, memorable.

So can you tell me a bit more about the actual collection that you’ve created with M·A·C?

DA: It’s about a very important dark eye, but a multi-hued black, not a flat black.

DE: It’s kind of a “rock-on” makeup statement, but it’s unforced, purposefully messy.

DA: This girl didn’t spend hours doing her makeup but she looks amazing. It’s cooler than being too studied. Young Hollywood doesn’t need to impress anyone; the same goes for the makeup, she’s not about blending it perfectly.

DE: The longer it’s worn in, the better it looks. I love the idea that the application is easy, it’s markers, pencils, powders and you can use your fingers to put them on.

DA: Use Kohl Powder in Feline and Greasepaint Stick with Zoom Fast Black Lash, and then they’re lightened with peacock and violet Greasepaints. After you’ve put all that black on the eye and those two vibrant colours, you add an eye gloss to bring light to hidden things. So the eyes will be really dramatic!

Can you please tell me about the model you chose to be shot backstage for the makeup collection?

DE: As this season is inspired by young Hollywood, those young cool girls, they are carefree, cool and easy.

DA: We just thought Valeria was one of the coolest girls in the show. We like those girls that don’t care, you can see it in the way they walk and the way they carry themselves, it’s relaxed. It’s not like she is trying to be a glam goddess, I don’t even think she knows how beautiful she is.

DE: They don’t take themselves too seriously, which makes them cool.

Can you tell me why you decided to collaborate with M·A·C?
DE: M·A·C is a part of our family, we grew up with them. We’re Canadian, they’re Canadian, and it started there.

DA: M·A·C has been very supportive of us from the beginning of our design career, so it’s a natural link.

Because you all met when you were quite young didn’t you?

DA: We have the longest history with Gordon (Espinet). We grew up together, and actually have a lot of things in common. We always used to play around with makeup anyway, so it’s not like Dean and I don’t know anything about makeup. We knew how we wanted the eyes to be, with the colour and the black, coming up with great ideas for the final look was really a very smooth process.

DE: M·A·C is the best makeup brand around. Let’s not forget about that!

DA: Neither company takes itself too seriously, M·A·C is really expressive and DSquared² are on the same trip. We both have strong connections with pop stars, music and fashion - we’re certainly on the same page.

Did M·A·C inspire you when you were starting out? It was so seminal in the nineties, DSquared² was around at the same time and the M·A·C look was so different to anything else on the market.

DA: I think M·A·C was probably one of the first cosmetics companies that came out with colours and pigments that you didn’t find, colours that were unusual…

DE: They were and are makeup pioneers.

Was it nice to be able to apply your creative process to a new medium like this?
DA: Absolutely, we are very creative people, as is M·A·C. They really understood what we wanted and have stayed true to our vision. Also, because we’ve known each other for a long time, M·A·C knows what we’re about.

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Q&A WITH GORDON ESPINET M·A·C VICE PRESIDENT OF MAKEUP ARTISTRY

Gordon, why was DSquared² chosen for M·A·C’s latest designer collaboration?

M·A·C has always had a strong relationship with DSquared², we were both born and raised in Toronto. I’ve known Dean and Dan since the early days and have seen them grow up in the fashion world. Actually, I did the makeup for their first womenswear show. I feel strongly that doing a collaboration with them is just the right fit. DSquared² is very similar to M·A·C. It’s a brand that has a sense of humour about itself, it’s distinct and marches to the beat of its own drum, it’s not about following trends, but about making them.

Can you tell me about when you first knew Dean and Dan?

GE: Dean and Dan started doing fashion in Toronto and I worked and played with them. We also had a lot of friends in common. When they packed up and moved to Milan and began doing menswear – we always stayed in touch. In fact, I used to harass them, “When are you going to do womenswear? Whenever you’re doing womenswear you make sure you call us!” Lo and behold, it has been six years and twelve seasons that M·A·C has been working with them on their womenswear collections. One of my favourite things about DSquared² is
to see how much they enjoy doing what they do. I like designers that add humour to it. I understand their sensibilities on fashion, they are serious about their work, but they don’t take it too seriously. It’s really about making fashion that’s light and exuberant. They are truly one of the only design teams I know that actually have
a good time. When I walked into their atelier before the show this season, Danny was wearing the women’s shoes from the collection, and you can’t help but think, “Oh, I’m home.”

So can you tell me about the collaboration between M·A·C and DSquared² and the limited edition makeup collection?

GE: Dan and Dean are very direct, I have never been around and heard them say “We don’t know what we want.” They know exactly what they want and are never gun shy about sharing it. Their makeup looks are never about ‘no makeup.’ I would fall on my face if I ever heard them say that. They love style to the highest degree. They are really about a woman who does it from head to toe and is not afraid to show her colours.

So what is the look inspired by?

GE: The M·A·C DSquared² Collection is based on the makeup that was created for their Fall 2009 show. The look was very rock ‘n’ roll – the girls were styled as if they’d stayed out too late and grabbed their friend’s leather jacket and put it on over a ball gown. They’re these beautiful young girls but with an edge, Hollywood star girls with a messed-up dark eye and great skin. This kind of make up – if you just let it wear, it’s naturally going to move and fall apart, and as long as all the distress stays around the eyes and the rest of the face stays perfect, it looks fabulous. It’s effortless makeup but also really strong.

So it’s a strong dark eye, but how did you make the look modern and current?

GE: These girls are throwing on tons of makeup, but they’re not going to sit there and make it pretty. They’re not trying too hard, they’re going to load on their makeup and it’s going to have that edge to it, they’re going to let nature take its course. That’s what gives it that sensual edge you know, they’re human.

So how is the look achieved?

GE: First, line the inside of the eye with M·A·C Kohl Power in Feline , then use the new Greasepaint Stick to draw in the shape and blend. Layer Greasepaint V & B over the black and then add Clear Gloss so it shimmers like a crow’s wing. It’s a black eye but it has colour, shine and depth so when the light hits the lid, it’s visible, there is a lot going on. And black mascara, Zoom Fast Black Lash, of course – you can’t go without. The skin is kept neutral and contoured with Sculpt and Shape Powder to give it that cooler edge, the lips are dimmed with Lip Erase and then a little colour is added with Lip Conditioner in Fuchsia Fix to keep the lips looking young, but all the focus is on the eye.

Can you tell me a bit about the history of M·A·C’s designer collaborations? I know you’ve done previous ones with Alexander McQueen, Heatherette and Emanuel Ungaro?

GE: When M·A·C first became involved in fashion shows back in 1994, we started with Matsudo and we felt that to do it in a M·A·C way we needed something that branded us, so we created a lipstick called Haku. Then we did Katharine Hamnett in London, and we created a nail and lip product with her which she called Pervette. Some of our bestsellers, like Smut Eye Shadow and O Lipstick, all began this way, but we don’t do it to make money. It’s about strengthening our relationship with the fashion industry and really creating a collection straight from the runway.

How do you think M·A·C customers will respond to this collection with DSquared²?

GE: M·A·C girls love to play with makeup, they’re not the kind of girls that just put one product on and run out the door, they want to sit a little and add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. So I think it gives the wearer the artistic sense of mixing and tweaking their own makeup.

That must be the greatest thing about a brand like M·A·C because you’ve got such a creative customer base, they’re willing to try anything and go for it.

GE: M·A·C customers like to wear a lot of makeup and they like to play. We have trained our customers to embrace their own makeup artistry skills and to feel like they really do get a little piece of that backstage experience. The M·A·C Pro Team are all tingly on the morning of a DSquared² show, because they know it’s going to be something really creative. M·A·C customers will love DSquared² because they’re crazy and they are all about living life to the fullest!

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Q&A WITH NICOLE MASSON M·A·C EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL COLOUR PRODUCTS

Can you tell me about your role at M·A·C and what you do?

NM: I’m the Executive Director of Global Colour Products, which means that I’m responsible for the aesthetics, the functionality and development in all of the colour products M·A·C produces, including lipsticks, eye shadows, blushers and nail polishes. My job is basically to work with marketing and our research and development facilities, to figure out what the brand needs, what the market has to offer, what the trend is, and how to combine all those things into a product.

Wow it sounds like a great job.

NM: It’s fun, it’s definitely exciting. I mean I’m sitting in my office right now and I’m surrounded by all this makeup. I just spent half an hour talking about eyelashes with a colleague, about what we want the lash to look like, and what we really think this mascara should be doing. It’s great because I’m really going deep into the ins and outs of the products. Beauty is about wishes and desires, it’s like a magic potion in a bottle, and we’re trying to get the potion just right!

You first saw the makeup proposed by DSquared² for their limited edition makeup collection on the run-through at their atelier, the night before their catwalk show. What is that moment like for you, and do you have any indication of what the collection is going to be like beforehand?

NM: Well, we do and we don’t. Gordon Espinet, who keyed the show, had been talking about some of their references, but it’s very exciting to see the collection for the first time at the test because we don’t know exactly what it’s going to be. We’ve already finished the other four Fall collections, so it’s interesting to see whether we’re going to be on target, if it’s going to be completely different, if it’s going to work together, all of those things. We may have a general direction for what the collection is going to be like but it’s solidified on the actual day of the show.

I was there at the atelier and I saw you arrive, and it was really interesting to watch because you were sort of pouring over the table and the products. It must be a slightly heart-in-mouth moment for you.

NM: Absolutely, I mean every time, there’s always a new set of challenges, we never know what we’re going to be confronted with. But that’s the wonderful thing about these collections. Everything else is so pre-planned and thought out with our other collections. We want to present collections that work for consumers, for make up artists and we also want to make sure we’re providing a range of shades for all ethnicities. For our designer collaborations, we just have to let all that control go and go with the vision for the show. Our job is to facilitate, it’s not to control, which is a really wonderful exercise for us. Everything is left up to chance, but luckily it’s always worked out for us and we have these very different, cool looks each time, it’s very off-the-cuff.

How do the designer collaborations work from a product development point of view? Do you propose any products to the designers that they should use, or do they pick them?

NM: It’s different each time. For DSquared², Gordon came to our offices where we have a library of shades that we have developed but never launched. Our colour lab in Canada will submit tons of trend shades for review, or it will be a shade that I’ve asked them to make, for example something very, very dark but not completely black with aspects of blue and green in it. They’re just random shades that we’ve worked on but that never launched. Gordon went through them and took his favourites from there. That helped him in the development process. Product development takes a back seat in the designer collaborations, the key makeup artist and the designers work together. We don’t tell them, “This is our new product for the fall and this is what we’d like you to put in the collection.”

I think that might happen quite frequently with other brands, and it’s so nice to see that M·A·C doesn’t work like that.

NM: It would be very easy for us to have the collection all done, and to say to the designers, “This is the makeup look, you throw it on your models for your show and we’ll repackage it,” but that’s not what we’re trying to do here at all. We’re trying to make it real.

Are there any old M·A·C favourites being bought back for the DSquared² collection?

NM: We’re really happy that Gordon used the tinted lip conditioner SPF 15 in the collection, which just gives a very light amount of colour. You wouldn’t think of it as a makeup artistry sort of product because it’s like makeup that you wear at the supermarket on a Saturday morning, but it worked really well. Gordon combined it with Lip Erase, a product that mutes out the natural colour of your lips, so you get a blank canvas on which to work. The whole rock ‘n roll girl, morning after feel when all you’re left with is smudged eyeliner and mascara, and you’ve eaten away all your lipstick and lip gloss. I thought it was a wonderful way of taking a product that we have in our line, but that isn’t always thought of as a makeup artistry product, and giving it a fresh perspective.
We’re also bringing back the gloss texture to create the special smudgy eye. This is a classic that’s been in our line for a long time, it’s just a clear gloss that you can put over anything to smudge and mess it up. It makes the makeup ultra creamy, soft and shiny. It’s definitely “a look,” it’s a little bit more challenging for the consumer. Gloss won’t stay put forever but I think that’s kind of the fun, experimental part of this. Consumers get the DSquared² look of the show whether it’s easy to wear or not, after all is fashion meant to be practical?

We’ve spoken about some of the challenges the designer collaborations offer the development team, are there any other challenges that you face, and what about the benefits they offer?

NM: The biggest challenge is getting everything to move so quickly. You know we are a very large company and this collection is in all of our stores and markets, which is over 2,000 doors in 69 countries. To only see it for the first time in February and to actually get it to counter in 7 months is near impossible. It may seem like it’s a long time, but it’s not. To give you an idea of how short that is, our last collaboration with Hello Kitty took 18 months to develop. So only having 6 months means we’re working triple time to get everything ready. It’s
a time when we all pull together and say we’re not going to go by our regular timelines, we’re going to do whatever we have to do, we’re going to make it happen. Everyone has to focus and not say ‘no’ to anything too quickly, nobody takes no for an answer with the collaborations.

One of the benefits is it gives back to the artists, the M·A·C artists who work on the shows with us who fly around the world, who take a month out of their lives twice a year to circumnavigate the globe to be with the M·A·C family. To see their work, and see it undiluted. It must also be very freeing to have no control over what’s proposed, and just having to make it happen. It’s almost using a different part of your creative brain isn’t it?

NM: Oh absolutely. The first collection of this kind that we worked on was with Alexander McQueen and it was a very strong look. We worried about the sales and thought “Oh my God, is anyone going to buy this?” But Terry Barber (UK Director of Makeup Artistry) who worked on the show and Gordon said, “Don’t make it pretty, don’t soften it, we need it to be exactly as it was at the show.” And they were right, it does need to be exactly as it was, we’re not going to worry about the sales, we’re just going to do what the collection needs us to do. So it is very freeing, it’s just really fun having completely unexpected things thrown at you and seeing how you’re going to handle it.