Since I first heard the first whisperings of a MAC Wonder Woman collection backstage during Fashion Week last year, I've been on pins and needles as to whether it would really come to fruition. I mean, I've only been a fan of Wonder Woman since the age of 3.

Side note: I won't even tell you guys the story about how I once tried to be her and threw myself down the stairs thinking I was actually going to glide. Yeah, to say that didn't end so well is a serious understatement. Geez.

After reading the official announcement in WWD, I squealed with glee, wrote up the news here for you guys to read and waited for that black box of products from the brand to arrive for me to review. Lucky for me (and the rest of the beauty blogging/editorial world) the brand decided to not only send us products, but to hold a special event to give us all of the deets on the collection. Nevermind the fact that it had snowed 8 inches the night before and the streets were a mess, I work up extra early the day of the event and trudged downtown in my silver Hunter rain boots to the amazing MAC pop-up store where all the action was taking place.

I was greeted by super tall models at the door in superhero outfits and Wonder Woman comic books lined the shelves along the walls. There was red, white and blue everywhere and fun, empowering music playing (think Destiny's Child Survivor). MAC makeup artists were on hand to create fun looks using the new products (Romero Jennings took one look at me and immediately put on my new favorite gloss, Secret Identity. Love him!) If some of the products look like they've been injected with extra doses of steroids that's because they have! (I mean, who doesn't want an extra large size of LipGlass or Mineralize Skinfinish powder?!) According to the brand, the products were created larger than life to emphasize Wonder Woman's super hero strength.)

During the presentation, I learned that MAC worked very closely with DC Comics to come up with the names and packaging for the line. Also, regardless of whatever collection they create, MAC always makes sure that the shades are en vogue for the season.

According to Jennifer Balbier, Sr. Vice President of Product Development for MAC Worldwide, the shades in the collection consist of monochromatic blues and greens to stay on trend with the look of Spring 2011. (Gordon Espinet, VP of Global Makeup Artistry, MAC Worldwide shared that one of the big stand out trends for Spring 2011 is a "very early, very fresh '70s look."

"Think a shampoo commercial from 1972, or a Cheryl Tiegs or Farrah Fawcett type of girl. It's a very nude face with products that are used to sculpt, with hints of pop art colors and cool tones," he said. And, of course, that's like the epitome of the beauty look that Wonder Woman rocks.

Instead of models, MAC teamed up with a cartoonist to create a comic. In the story line, Wonder Woman defeats the evil Medusa and saves the women of the world from turning into Plain Janes. She uses the power of makeup to eliminate dullness and make the women of the world beautiful.

Let's fast forward to some of my fave products in the line now, shall we?

Eyeshadow Quad in Defiance - (from l to r)

Defiance: iridescent white pink (veluxe pearl)

Paradise Island: soft warm pink (satin)

Star Studded: mid-tone violet pink (satin)

Real Drama: dark burgundy with pink pearl (satin)

PRICE: $40.00

Eyeshadow Quad in Lady Justice - (from l to r)

Lady Justice: bright silver with white pearl (frost)

Insurmountable: dirty blue grey (veluxe pearl)

Bold Babe: deep metal blue with white pearl (frost)

Deep Truth: true dark blue (frost)

$40.00

*there's also one more eyeshadow quad not pictured here called Valiant

Valiant: light lime with yellow pearl (frost)

Spinning Transformation: deep olive bronze with yellow pearl (frost)

Diana Undercover: dark forest green (satin)

Manila Paper: pale frost white gold (veluxe pearl)

$40.00

Opulash Mascara in Victorious (an awesome shade of purple)

*line also includes three other Opulash mascaras not pictured here in Army of Amazons (green); Themyscira (blue); Black (black...obvs!)

$15 each

Reflects Glitter in Reflects Bronze (a sparkling rich gold)

$21.00

Reflects Glitter in Reflects Pearl (a white glitter with a pearl sheen)

$21.00

Pigment in Marine Ultra (a vivid marine blue)

$21.00

Pigment in Bright Fuschia (a super bright magenta)

$21.00

Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack (a true black)

$18.50

Mineralize Skinfinish in Golden Lariot (a true coral with fine gold shimmer, soft suntanned bronzer and soft gold with fine shimmer)

$35.00

Powder Blush in Mighty Aphrodite (a warm peach coral with gold pearl and bright coral pink with gold pearl)

$24.00

LipGlass (from l to r):

Wonder Woman (a bright red with soft pearl)

Emancipation (pale neutral pink)

Secret Identity (mid-tone copper with soft pearl) *my new fave lipglass!!

Athena's Kiss (bright blue fuschia)

$19.50 each

Here's what the shades look like on my skin! (from top to bottom): Wonder Woman; Athena's Kiss; Secret Identity; and Emancipation

Lipstick in Russian Red (an intense matte bluish-red) *one of my all-time favorite shades from MAC that already exists in the line; isn't the packaging awesome?!

$15.50 each

Here's what the lipstick shades look like on my skin (from top to bottom): Russian Red; Spitfire (satin); Heroine (frost); and Marquise d' (lustre)

There's also other really cool accessories in the collection such as this MAC Wonder Woman Bulletproof Blue Makeup Bag ($30.00). Side note: Not that I really want to jump in front of a bunch of flying bullets with this thing, but I wonder if it really IS bullet proof?!

And don't think for one second that I'm not rocking this gold Wonder Woman Utility Belt at the bar! (It comes with a cute blue set of mini face brushes and retails for $49.50).

The absolute best accessory is this POW! ring we got in our goodie bags at the event. Want to know how you can win it? Here's how:

MAC has teamed up with Foursquare to create a program that debuts 2/8/2011 in seven countries. Wonder Woman will travel the globe in her ultra chic invisible jet and visit select MAC stores to leave gifts for her array of fans. You can keep track of Wonder Woman by visiting MAC's Facebook page via a dedicated Wonder Woman tab. This tab will feature details of the Foursquare program as well as a schedule of participating stores and countries. Upon checking in on Foursquare at one of the participating MAC locations, you'll receive a message on your mobile device that you should present to a MAC makeup artist. In turn, you'll receive a page of limited-edition Wonder Woman stickers. Select stickers will reveal a winner message (only 30 winners per store!) and an exclusive custom-made MAC Wonder Woman POW ring will be sent directly to the winner.

Whew! I know, a lot of info, but sounds like a really cool program, right?! And, um how AMAZING is this collection?! (You know it must be pretty great if I've taken the time to write a book about it hahaha)

The MAC Wonder Woman collection will be available for purchase next month (2/10) at all MAC locations as well as online at maccosmetics.com. BUT if you're just dying to get your hands on it now, you can head over to the first ever MAC Pop-Up store here in New York! The collection will be available for purchase now until February 10. Here's the store location and hours:

MAC Wonder Woman Pop-Up Store

109 Spring St.

New York, NY 10012

212.334.4641

Store Hours:

M-W 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

TH-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sunday Noon-7 p.m.

And there you have it. Another epic collection from MAC! Who else out there can't wait to get their hands on this stuff?!

xo

Ferocia

As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!

MAC Cosmetics continues their relationship with our fave pop singer Lady Gaga by signing her on for another year as a Viva Glam spokeswoman. The first Gaga/MAC collabo began with her and singer Cyndi Lauper and featured light pink and coral lipsticks. The brand later launched matching Lipglasses (love my Cyndi shade!) and managed to collectively raise over $32 million for the MAC AIDS Fund cementing it in Viva Glam history as the most lucrative the campaign has ever seen.

For the 2011 campaign, we'll see Gaga in her very own Viva Glam campaign. Above is a sneak peek at one of her ads in which I personally think she looks gorge! Love the all the pearls and diamonds she's holding and the ethereal light sorrounding her. Hmmm...I wonder if this means the matching lipstick shade will be a natural, pearlescent shade like the one she's sporting?

What do you think of Gaga's look in the ad, Glamazons? And are you equally as excited as I am to get your hands on the new lip shade?!

xo

Ferocia

I know that I'm not the only woman in America this happens to, but it happened to me the other day and I was so stricken with grief that I felt it only necessary to share. I don't really have a pic from that night, but I do have this one that was taken at a fashion event that I attended not too long ago wearing no makeup...just to give you an idea of what I may have looked like. Side note: Isn't that graphic wall amazing?! But, let me rewind and begin my story from the beginning so you'll know what the heck I'm talking about.

It was one particularly uneventful day that I finished a full day of work (yay for day jobs!) when a friend asked me to come out for a drink. Maybe it's because I'm so used to hanging out in the fashion realm (i.e. parties/cocktail hours full of gay men, nothing against them but there they are!) so I wasn't really thinking that I needed to look that great. Plus I'd somehow managed to leave my makeup bag at home (I know, serious fail!) but I wasn't expecting that I'd need to do any touch-ups or anything.

I mean, I wasn't looking extremely busted or anything. I just feel like when I'm showing good face I need to have on my three key makeup items or at least be able to touch them up before heading out.

And there I go out without having re-freshened my makeup to a cocktail hour full of straight men. Dear God, why?! Of course, you know I made the most out of the situation (at least I found a lipgloss at the bottom of my bag) but it would have been so much better if I'd had my makeup bag with these three key items.

Here they are (in no particular order):

#1. MAC Mineralize SPF Foundation in NC35

#2. Bobbi Brown Creamy Eye Pencil in Caviar

#3. Urban Decay Cream Highlight in Sin

More M·A·C...

Foundation, eye liner and cream highlighter. That's it! All I need to prettify myself. Side note: I don't have any lipgloss listed because all of my bags contain them somewhere in a pocket or at the bottom so I'm never without color on my lips.

And I didn't tell you all of this for you to just sit on your haunches and not tell me yours. List your top makeup must-haves below in the comments section below! It's a requirement that us Glamazons exchange beauty notes while we sit around stuffed from all that food we ate on Thanksgiving day.....ugh....

xo

Ferocia

If there's one thing that you NEED to live this holiday season, it's a good pink lipstick. Why? Well, because there's only one other shade that you should be wearing (red, obvs) and you can't really show up to every single holiday party rocking that same shade. Sidenote: If you're like me, then you plan on going to/crashing a lot of holiday parties this season hahahaha. 

Luckily, MAC teamed up with rapper/singer Nicki Minaj and allowed her to create the perfect shade of pink lipstick. I mean, personally, I'm not like a huge fan of Nicki but I respect her hustle. Now she's risen like 8 million notches in my book because of this GLAMazing lipstick that she's created. Like I NEED this to live.

And you do, too! So here's how you can get your hands on this super exclusive shade: beginning this Friday (11/26) and three more Fridays after that (12/3; 12/10; 12/17) it will be available exclusively online at maccosmetics.com for $14.50. ($17.50 in Canada). Keep in mind that quantities are extremely limited, so once it's gone, it's gone!

Oh, and for those of you that might be wondering why it's only offered on these four Friday's, it's because there's a tie-in with the upcoming launch of her first studio album, "Pink Friday" (which, according to MTV.com was officially released 11/22).



Here she is modeling the new shade at the MAC store in Times Square. I mean, thank GOD I was nowhere in the vicinity while all of this was going down! I can only imagine how horrid and annoying that group of screaming teenagers must have been...ugh.

While I love her dress and the glitter eyeliner, I'm not really sure how it all matches up with her platinum, rainbow-colored locks. But, whatever. If her look made sense, she wouldn't be Nicki Minaj, right?

What do you think of her look from today, Glamazons? And who plans on purchasing this lipstick?!

xo

Ferocia

As you know, Glamazons, I've been ranting and raving about the newest collection from MAC for what feels like eons now. (In actuality it's only been about two months, but I live in New York. One second can feel like an eternity so you'll have to excuse my skewed logic on time.) But now it's here! One particularly jam packed day, I came home exhausted and was so excited to see the doorman hand over a big black box to me upon entrance to my apartment. Joy!

The MAC Venomous Villains collection actually centers around four classic Disney villains:

Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmations

Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog

What's so great about these products? Well, besides the awesome packaging, I'm in love with the moody/borderline gawdy shades in each of the collections. I mean, it's like I'm evoking my inner bad girl every time I wear any of the products! Atothemazing.

So, here are my product faves:

This magnificent powder is the Magically Cool Liquid Powder ($29.50) and can be found in Dr. Facilier's collection. It comes in two shades: Truth & Light (a sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink) and Cajun (a sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold). You know, my fave is the shade Cajun. I simply dip in my kabuki brush and go to town bronzing my face with this stuff.

Of course, there's a shade of red lipstick in the Cruella De Vil collection since it's like her signature color. The name of this is (fittingly) called Heartless ($15.50). I can't decide whether I really just like this because it's red lipstick or because it has Cruella De Vil's face on it. (She's like one of my all-time favorite villains!)

You know I live for a purple eye so of course my beauty lust would be all over this Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo from the Maleficent collection called My Dark Magic ($21).

A deep plum lip shade is always a win for fall! This shade called Hot House from the Evil Queen collection is a makeup bag staple for the season.

And there you have it, Glamazons! What do you think?! I'm so excited to have the products in my hands. Be sure to check 'em out on September 30 when they hit a MAC counter near you!

xo

Ferocia

Now here's a fun ingredient that I've never seen used backstage during the five years that I've been covering backstage beauty during Fashion Week: clay!

Alright, so maybe it's not really that fun because all I could think about while watching the models get this stuff put into their hair is what would one use to get it back out?! Would it be just regular 'ole drugstore shampoo or something fancier? What if you had to use something weird like pure alcohol?! Did the models sign consent forms ahead of time to get this stuff put in? And what about the ones that had shows immediately afterwards?! Well, I guess all those thoughts are really besides the point. The more important point at hand right now is why the clay was even used in the first place. (Leave it to Alexander Wang to even think of such a thing. Apparently he was channeling the punk rock skater girls found in the East Village here in NYC. Thrilling.)

Of course, it wasn't like pure clay (or at least I don't think it was). According to hairstylist Guido Palau (for Redken), the stuff was "fuller's earth with white pigment." (So that's not officially clay, right?! Maybe this would be classified as a "clay-like mixture" then? Hmmm....)

Palau, who described the look as the "new-age traveler" pulled all of the models' hair back into messy knots and then created spikes. The white clay mix was used to block out any sort of natural looking hair color and painted onto the models' hair in streaks as well as onto the spikes of the hair. He finished the look with Redken Forceful 23 hairspray followed by a blast of heat from the blow dryer to "bake" in the clay. (Yes, he used the word bake. It took all I had not to start giggling.)

Over in makeup, Diane Kendel (for MAC Cosmetics) described the look as "very cool." So cool that all she used to create this look was moisturizer and brow bleach. (Or maybe the correct verbage would be bleached brows?) That's it. Weird, right? (That's what I thought anyways.) But, don't let me be the judge of this: what do you think? I mean, I obviously wouldn't wear a look like this ever in life (my skin shudders at the thought of having clay put into my perfectly dyed blonde hair) but what about you?

xo

Ferocia

*Getty images..because they look so much better than the ones that I took on my camera phone lol

Yes, Glamazons, we know all about the controversy swirling around MAC cosmetics right now with the whole Rodarte makeup collection. While I'm glad to hear that the brand has decided to turn it around and rename products in the line, I was more excited about this new mascara they recently launched! (Sounds vain, I know, but I am a beauty product whore, so I just couldn't help myself in being enamored with what's laying in front of me instead of a collection that I haven't even touched yet!)

I also have to say that while I usually love everything that MAC comes out with, their mascaras usually suck. The formula is either too goopy for my liking or the brush just does nothing to accent my lashes. However, the Haute & Naughty Lash is a winner!

The mascara features two different sized wands in one container. The skinny wand located at the top is hot pink and is perfect to achieve a more natural, less glam look. The fat wand has a sparkly purple cap and gives you va-va-voom lush lashes. Because I have long, lifeless lashes that stick out and do nothing, I start with an eyelash curler. Then, I use the fat wand to add definition and volume. I end the process by brushing along the tips of my lashes with the skinny brush to add a bit of separation.

MAC Haute & Naughty Lash ($18) is available now on maccosmetics.com and nordstrom.com. However, it won't hit your nearest MAC counter until September 16.

xo

Ferocia

Hey Glamazons! Remember when I told you about the MAC Venomous Villains collection and asked you to guess that villain? Well, now we can officially have a look thanks to this photo that emerged in today's issue of WWD. The collection, which launches in September, will feature four of Disney's most notoriously nasty characters: Cruella De Vil (from 101 Dalmations); the Evil Queen (from Snow White); Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty); and Dr. Faciller (from The Princess and The Frog).

There will be 40 products (ranging from $12 to $29.95) and each will be divided into four collections with the characters' images on each of the products. Which one will be the coolest? Well, it sounds like Dr. Faciller's because it will feature the new Magically Cool Liquid Powders! What is this, you ask? According to Jennifer Balbier, vice president of product development for MAC, it's a "featherlight powder that goes on like a mist and either sets or enhances foundation, but also lends dimensionality on naked skin." Say, what?! (I'm currently trying to imagine what this product will look like haha)

What do you think of this, Glamazons? Which of the characters do you identify most with? (I'm all about Cruella hahaha)

xo

Ferocia

Hey Glamazons! A new beauty look that recently caught our eye? Upside down eyelashes seen on the runways of the Fall 2010 Gareth Pugh show.

Head makeup artist Alex Box (for MAC) described the look as "perfectly deadly android beauty."

Get the look by using MAC's #42 and #43 lashes and glue together at the inner corners flipped upside down and applied slightly above the the lash line. Use MAC Liquid Eyeliner in Boot Black to fill in the gaps along the inner half of the eye only between the lash line and false lashes. Be sure to groom brows by setting with the MAC Clear Brow Set and then brushing up.

And the chain length manicures created by Marian Newman for Creative Nail Design is equally futuristic!

Tell us: Do you think this "alienesque look" could transcend to the streets? Will this be something that you'd try?

xo

Ferocia

Hey Glamazons! If you were as smitten by the movie Avatar as I was, then you should be super excited to hear that it inspired a backstage beauty look.

Surprisingly, it was the chic and elegant Fall 2010 collection designed by Badgley Mischka (and not someone more racy and edgy such as Diesel or Marc Jacobs).

Lead hairstylist Peter Gray (for Redken) said that this year, the designers decided to produce a diffusion line (much like Versace did with the line Versus); meaning that the show would be split into two. Half of the show consisted of the classic Badgley Mischka (ie elegant red carpet gowns) and midway through, the look went a bit edgier. Gray explained that he thought it would be great if the hair look could change as well.

*Side note: If you're reading this and thinking, that's impossible, think again! He really did it...the guy is a hair genius!

The first look was what he called "princess hair."

"[The designers] showed me these pictures from movie Avatar of the vines on the ground and all the jewelry comes from this idea of interlinking vines on the ground," he said. "We kind of roped the hair and twisted it and it formed sort of this ropey vine and they liked that."

Then, Gray said his thoughts immediately turned to how to transform the "princess hair" into "warrior hair."

The key? It's all in the base.

"We started off with a good base, like a layer of foundation on the hair," he explained. "This is the key to create anything with versatility. People expect hair to sort of behave on its own, but it's just like skin; you've got to moisturize it and tone it. You've got to cleanse and condition the hair and get it in good enough to make it do what you want it to do."

The base in this case was Redken's Layer Lift 007. The hairstylists applied it to the hair, blow dried and then brushed back the sides of the hair tightly into what Gray dubbed as "panels."

"It's very, very tight with a high ponytail underneath the crown," he said. "We're separating the top area and then flat ironing the hair underneath we're getting it nice and straight."

Gray also explained that the tightly pulled back panels added a nice eyelift and gave the girls cheekbones which created more room for lead makeup artist Charlotte Tillbury (for MAC) to work her magic.

These extraordinary new extensions called Easy Hair were also being used on the girls to add more volume. (Extraordinary only because each strip of hair contained this strip of sticky tape on the back of it. You simply peeled off the top layer and stick it in your head. AtotheMazing!)

"The combination of using the Layer Lift 007 and the extensions together kind of gives you nice fat hair," he said. "The hair floats and it doesn't look all heavy. I didn't want all of the hair just hanging down; I wanted something sexier."

So how did it all work? The models hit the catwalk with the twisty updo. Then halfway through the show, the hairstylists dropped the hair and pulled out the flat irons. (They even had outlets placed next to the runway entrance so they could start flat ironing the hair down as soon as the model left the runway!)

"This is the good thing about people that are collaborative," he explained.

One thing that Gray didn't want to see on the runway? Models looking what he described as "old" in the dresses.

"One thing that I notice about young starlets on the red carpet today is that they try and look too old; too grown up," he said. "At 20, 21, why should you be looking like a 45 year old woman? Wear your hair young! And, at 45, you should be looking younger. Loosen up and go for it; have some fun!"

Makeup artist Charlotte Tillbury described the makeup look as very "computer generated."

"Everything is very contoured and highlighted," she said. "It's a very sort of feline look; but in a natural way, not like a freak."

Lead manicurist Deborah Lippman used a silver sequined nail shade on the models from her line called Marquee Moon.

"It's a futuristic sequined silver; a silver that has a lot of pigment," she said. "It has a frost in it and as an added bonus you get big chunks of sequins. You might get one on one nail and then 10 on the next. That's the way it's supposed to be: deconstructed, easy, free."

Model Arlenis Sosa getting her makeup done. While doing so, she shared with me that this was her second season to walk in the Badgley Mischka show and she was really excited. Her fave shows thus far to walk in were DVF because of the all the color and Carolina Herrera because of the elegant and chic designs. "Everything is going well and I'm just happy to be here," she said while smiling. Just love her to pieces she's so sweet!

Models about to change out for the show.

Love, love, love this dress!!

A cute cocktail frock that I also liked.

I need this jacket in my life!!!